Sitting together with Kara and Mara, the three of us listen to what Auntie Amleth, Nar, Sas and Jean have been discussing about the rude-looking guy (whose name is Gilbert, and who seems to be the chief magician of the land). The topics of discussion range from who actually put the poison in the medicine, to whether the Church and the Adventurers' Guild are involved, to the possible accomplices in this poisoning.
(Kara and Mara, they understood all of that completely!) [Diana]
Most of it goes over my head. Not only am I not familiar with each person they're talking about, but I also find the discussion a bit boring when they're discussing the motivation behind the poisoning of the twin. Name after name, faction after faction, even the Emperor's name, they all fly over my head, as expected, so much so that it makes me dizzy and sleepy. So I just lay my head on Kara's shoulder.
"Sleepy..." [Diana]
"Actually, the same..." [Mara]
"Me too..." [Kara]
"I'm sorry, the subject must have been a burden to you. How about a tea break?" [Amleth]
"I'd rather sleep..." [Diana]
"Same" [Kara, Mara]
I am tempted by the idea of sweet tea and cookies, but not as much as sleeping in a luxurious bed. Back in the Aru village, I'll be grateful to sleep with a haystack, and that's a luxury for me, but this bed, this bed Kara and Mara are using, is so soft, so comfortable, and it makes me fall asleep in a second. The temptation of sweets is nothing compared to sleeping in this big comfy bed.
"Well, Diana just came back from a long trip, and the princesses seem tired after the whole ordeal, so let them sleep" [Nar].
"Not that Diana understands what we are saying now" [Sas].
"Look at you two, becoming good old big brothers" [Jean].
"Hey, we're orphans ourselves, so since Diana's an orphan, we couldn't help it" [Nara]
Queen Amleth laughs at the exchange between the three best friends. She is older than these three, but they are her most trusted retainers. With Nar, Sas, and Jean serving the country simply because they love the kingdom they live in, and serving the queen without any underlying motive, Queen Amleth is always grateful.
"I'll issue a pass for Diana to enter and leave the castle as she please. Make sure you both take it for her before leaving" [Amleth]
The same pass she issues to those three is now issued to little Diana. Usually the pass is issued to someone of high importance, someone like Nar and Sas who are considered heroes, or the likes of high ranking nobles and ministries who frequently visit the castle for work purposes.
"So she can play with Kara and Mara, and I suppose cleanse the princesses' curses at the same time, am I right?" [Jean].
"True. My power alone can't remove the curses from my two sweet daughters" [Amleth].
"Still, I can't help to wonder how she managed to detect the curse so easily, though our effort to keep the fact that the twin are being cursed blew away because of her" [Sas]
"Yeah... sorry about that Your Highness " [Nar]
"If only I could help more" [Jean].
"Nonsense. You're one of the best healers in the land. If it weren't for you making the basic ingredients for the princesses in the first place, their health would be even worse" [Nar].
"But I have to admit, Sir Gilbert has further improved the effectiveness of the medicine, but what made him add powerful arsenide to it, and do it discreetly without any of us noticing..." [Jean]
Once again they fall silent. The three know how proud Gilbert is, but they can't fathom that the country's chief mage would do something so heinous.
"Anyway, before any of these nobles try to pick a fight with us, we will leave" [Nar].
"You can always respectfully decline their invitation, you know" [Jean]
"No way, they're annoying" [Sas]
"Just don't forget about her pass" [Amleth]
"Noted..." [Nar]
"Something wrong?" [Amleth]
"Your Highness, I was wondering if it would be possible for me to take the princesses for a walk around the festival tomorrow, together with Diana?" [Nar]
"Why?" [Amleth]
"Well, they can play together, Diana can subconsciously cleanse the curses from the twin, and more importantly..." [Nar]