Chereads / Unnamed Memory / Chapter 39 - Song of the Spinning Wheel

Chapter 39 - Song of the Spinning Wheel

One afternoon, as temperatures edged higher and higher by the day, a

woman floated upside down from the ceiling in the king of Farsas's study.

Her long black hair was bound in a ponytail, and she was dressed in the

same type of simple, light clothing that a child might wear. Even so, this

was unmistakably a royal of Tuldarr. Her head hanging listlessly, she asked

the room's owner, "It's…so hot… Can I make it cooler in here?"

"Sure, but is it really that bad?"

"This is basically my first time being outside of Tuldarr…," Tinasha

reminded him, using magic to lower the temperature in the room somewhat.

She descended to the floor in a lazy spiral.

Farsas and Tuldarr were neighbors, but the capital of Farsas was much

warmer than that of Tuldarr, which was located farther north and at a high

elevation. Moreover, Farsas was a naturally warm country. For someone

raised in a cooler place like Tinasha had been, it was rough. The refreshing

drop in temperature made Lazar look up from the documents he was

sorting.

His eyes on his paperwork, Oscar said, "Since you've come and joined

us on land, make some tea."

"I admire you for being able to drink hot tea in this weather," Tinasha

replied. The tea things were already laid out alongside the wall, so she set to

the task. Next to those implements sat a pitcher of cold water, which had

been placed there for her benefit several days ago.

More than two weeks had passed since the conflict with Druza, and

Tinasha had spent it commuting between her own country and Farsas.

Roughly two-thirds of that time—about ten days—she'd been in Farsas.

She returned to Tuldarr once every three days to prepare for her coronation.

However, she hadn't departed for her homeland at all this week.

Realizing this, Oscar cocked his head at her. "You've been hanging around

here a lot lately. Did something happen with your analysis?"

"Uh… I'm a little stuck. There's a part I just can't make sense of…"

"Oh?"

"You could say this is a bit of a break for me. Maybe it'll help me come

up with something," she said, then lifted off into the air again. She turned

around several times in the air, knees bent.

Oscar smiled, not looking up from his papers. "You could just give up."

"I won't! Just wait a little longer," she insisted.

"Well, if it doesn't work out, you'll have my child, right?"

"Yes. Once I've imprinted on the baby that their father has a terrible

personality, I'll hand them over to you."

"You've got a hell of a personality yourself," Oscar retorted.

Lazar frowned, sensing something loaded beneath the surface of these

playful jokes.

Tinasha was destined to become the queen of a neighboring nation.

From a diplomatic standpoint, she would want to avoid giving birth to the

next heir of the Farsas throne. Surely Oscar understood that, too, but it did

nothing to assuage the worries of the king's attendant.

Tinasha dropped back to the floor again and started to pour perfectly

steamed tea into cups. She placed a cup of the light-crimson liquid on the

study desk and stared intently at Oscar. "If it's a girl, I would keep it."

"I don't care if it's a boy or a girl," he answered.

"That's unexpected. But it wouldn't be up to you."

While they were definitely joking, the topic was still straying into rather

specific territory. Alarmed, Lazar waved his arms in the air. "B-but you're

still analyzing the curse!"

"Yes, I am! I had almost forgotten! I'm working very hard on it!"

Tinasha cried.

"Got it, got it. Do your best, then," stated Oscar dismissively, reaching

out for his cup and taking a sip. A pleasant scent wafted up from the steam.

He set his stack of papers down for the moment and looked to Lazar next to

him. "Heard anything interesting lately? I could use some exercise."

"Even if I had, I wouldn't offer aught that would tempt you to sneak

out," Lazar admitted primly. "But if I must, I'll tell you that there's rumors

of a strange religious cult in the city."

"A cult?" Oscar replied, his interest piqued.

Lazar gave a simple explanation of what he knew.

About a month ago, a faith worshipping a new deity—not one of the

existing gods—had formed in the city. It steadily gathered believers while

taking root in town.

"A new god? What kind?" Oscar pressed.

"Evidently, only believers find that out. It seems to be a religion that

prizes power above all else," Lazar answered.

"Dangerous ideas, then," Tinasha remarked coolly, now seated in a

chair.

Farsas enjoyed freedom of religion, but most people believed in the

same deities of antiquity, such as Aeti. People worshipped the statues of

those gods in the castle cathedral and at the eastern temple.

Tuldarr, on the other hand, was an atheistic nation; as might be expected

from a country of mages. Its castle cathedral had an altar, but no statues or

idols were present.

Oscar rested his chin in one hand, sounding displeased as he asked,

"Should we investigate this?"

"Nothing suspicious has occurred. At most, those around the cult

consider it a mere nuisance," Lazar pointed out.

"I see…," Oscar responded, finishing his tea and setting down the empty

cup. The liquid had cooled quickly, most likely due to the lowered

temperature in the room. Tinasha, however, got up and reached for the

water pitcher, still feeling hot.

As she poured for herself, she recalled something and said, "Oh, right, I

have plans with Legis tonight, so I'll be heading back to Tuldarr."

"Did that slip your mind until just now?" Oscar questioned skeptically.

"I—I didn't forget, exactly… I learn a lot when I'm around him. His

disposition is fairly different from yours, but he has the makings of a fine

king," she explained.

Oscar, having just been indirectly judged, frowned. It was partially

because he didn't care for how close Tinasha was to Legis, but that was a

trivial concern. The thing that vexed him more was how she spoke of Legis

like he'd be king, when she was the one currently set to rule Tuldarr.

"You're talking like Legis is going to rule," he remarked.

"Is that what you got from that?" Tinasha replied with a devious grin.

Though she had been asleep for four hundred years, physically she was still

nineteen years old. Legis was currently twenty-three, meaning that there

was no way he could become king after her, barring unforeseen events.

Oscar found that suspicious but decided not to press the issue further.

Tinasha was, after all, a young queen who had abdicated once before. No

one could say what would happen in the future, and the same went for

Oscar, who was a youthful king himself.

Tinasha took a sip of water from her cup, then her eyes bulged with

shock, and she poured the contents of the cup back into the pitcher. After

observing that, Oscar asked her, "What is it?"

"Nothing, just… It's poisoned," she answered, sounding unconcerned.

Both men blanched upon hearing that. Oscar kicked his chair back as he

stood up and ran over to her. He grabbed Tinasha's chin in one hand and

used the other to try to stick fingers down her throat to force her to vomit.

She rushed to stop him. "W-wait, wait! Magic potions don't work on

me!"

"…So you're really fine?"

"I am," Tinasha assured, the man's fingers half in her mouth, her eyes

watering.

Oscar trusted that and released her. The young woman massaged her

neck. "The magic in my body is so powerful that it disintegrates normal

potions, even enchanted ones. An ordinary person would die if they drank

that, but it was nothing more than foul-tasting water to me."

"That's good, then… No, no, it's not," Oscar replied.

That pitcher was there specifically for Tinasha. Oscar had never touched

it, and neither had Lazar, the two only partaking of tea. If things had gone

badly, they could have had an international crisis on their hands.

But Tinasha, the victim of the lethal-poisoning attempt, folded her arms

calmly. "There's no end to the list of reasons why someone might want to

kill me. I can't make a guess, but based on the fact that they used a magic

potion, this must be someone who thinks I'm an ordinary princess."

"I'll investigate. In the meantime, keep up a defensive barrier around

yourself at all times," Oscar instructed.

"All right," Tinasha agreed.

"Sorry about this," the king muttered, patting her head lightly as he

issued orders to Lazar. Though the other man paled when he heard them, he

set to the task immediately. Once the door closed behind him, Oscar sighed.

"If you're not opposed, it would be best if you stayed in Tuldarr until we

know who's responsible for this."

"I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you, so I'll come back tomorrow,"

Tinasha said, offering him a smile with her eyes narrowed.

The sight of it tempted Oscar into drawing her into his arms. But

instead, he pinched her cheek.

"Ow! What was that for?!" she yelped indignantly.

"No reason," he replied.

Narrowing her eyes at his irrational behavior, she glared at him as he

smirked back at her.

As the sun was setting, Tinasha used the transportation array that linked her

rooms in each castle to return to Tuldarr.

Oscar was gravely concerned over the attempted poisoning, but Tinasha

had been living with the danger of assassination since she was young. To

her, it was nothing to fuss over. There were a multitude of reasons for

someone to kill another.

After changing her clothes, Tinasha went to the reference library where

Legis was waiting for her.

Today she had agreed to help him look through the materials that were

not for loan and put them in order.

Many materials were for in-library use only, and the two planned to go

through the most prohibited of all—those related to forbidden curses. Only

the chief mage and royal family members of Tuldarr were allowed to peruse

those volumes. While there weren't very many, Tuldarr had still

accumulated a few over the course of its nearly nine-hundred-year history.

Any new additions were placed with the rest, but they had not been

sorted or organized.

The matter with Druza the previous month made Legis realize the

importance of these tomes, thus he had persuaded the king and obtained

permission to read and sort them.

Tinasha reached the reference library, dismissed the guards, and entered.

At a cursory glance, the reference library was a book-storage room lined

wall-to-wall with shelves. She crossed the chamber packed with volumes

and documents and touched a door on the far wall. It reacted to her royal

contact and soundlessly opened inward. Beyond it stood Legis, his back to

her and an old scroll in his hands.

He noticed the door opening and turned around. "Sorry to make you

come here. I thought it would look a little suspicious for me to do this

alone."

"No, not at all. I'm curious, myself, so let me help," she reassured him.

The two spread out the forbidden curse materials on a large desk. After

Tinasha skimmed through all fifteen books, she said, "These seven detail

countermeasures, and they look like they could be useful depending on the

situation. I'll set them down in writing later. This one, this one, and this

one… I think we should destroy. They're too dangerous. Also, these two

assert a fundamentally incorrect interpretation of the rules of magic. We can

destroy those as well. As for the last three, they aren't anything threatening,

so we can leave them alone."

Nodding, Legis sorted the volumes as Tinasha advised, then locked the

materials marked for destruction in a magically sealed box. After obtaining

the king's permission, these would be eradicated.

Tinasha picked up the most recent addition of the fifteen, a document

from fifteen years ago. Written by a Tuldarr mage, it delineated a largescale curse that could be used to target a major city.

In Tinasha's eyes, however, it was nothing but impractical theorizing.

The only one who could craft a spell like this alone would be her or a witch.

And any who became a mage that powerful wouldn't need a spell written

by someone else. The nature of curses also meant one couldn't be invoked

by multiple spell casters.

"I acknowledge their enthusiasm, though…," Tinasha whispered to

herself with a faint smile as she helped Legis stow the documents.

The truly dangerous spells couldn't be found scribed anywhere, even in

a secluded place like this.

There were no written accounts of the magic and incident that had

nearly brought disaster to the country four hundred years ago. Tinasha had

witnessed it firsthand, however. She understood that so long as there were

those who sought vast power to overturn the established order, a forbidden

curse could arise at any moment.

She, perhaps better than anyone else, knew that such things could never

be allowed.

After leaving the reference library, Tinasha and Legis sat down to dinner.

King Calste was out on an inspection of the territory annexed from

Druza, so the two of them were alone at the long formal dining table.

Seated directly across from her, Legis asked, "How's Farsas?"

"Hot. I can't believe it isn't even summer yet there," she said with a

sigh, shaking her head. Legis laughed.

Internally, Tinasha was relieved to see his reaction. She would never

dream of telling Legis she had been poisoned that afternoon. It could mean

her being banned from returning to Farsas. Tinasha smiled, though it was a

rather shallow one.

Legis changed the subject to recent events in Druza. However,

discussing the wyverns apparently made him think of something. "Oh yes,

were you the one who gave that dragon to the king of Farsas?"

"I did, because Nark was originally his to begin with," Tinasha answered

reflexively. She realized her slip of the tongue when Legis's expression

changed to one of wary suspicion. Tinasha prayed Legis would let it slide.

Unfortunately, he did not.

"What do you mean by that? I thought that dragon was something you

brought with you from four hundred years ago. You told us that you were

waiting for the 'Akashia swordsman,' but why him in particular? Records

state that a king of Farsas from three generations ago visited Tuldarr, but he

couldn't get past the door underground."

The questions kept coming, and Tinasha hung her head in shame like a

child caught playing tricks.

She and Mila had discussed her reason for waiting until this era in

particular in front of Legis before, but they had omitted the part about the

man from the future. It had never been explained to Legis in full.

All he knew was that for some ambiguous reason related to settling a

debt, Tinasha had waited until this time period. Legis thought she was

aiding Oscar purely because he happened to be the one who woke her up.

Legis's gaze, while not piercing, remained steadfastly trained on her.

Making up her mind, Tinasha had everyone else cleared from the room.

Solemnly, she began to speak. "I'm not sure if you'll believe this, but…he

saved me when I was young."

"What?"

"To make a long story short…he was the one who traveled through time

first. Backward, that is…"

Legis's eyes grew wide. Indeed, he must have found it difficult to

believe. No rule of magic even suggested returning to the past was possible.

It wasn't an issue of magical power—the act was simply impossible. Not

even high-ranking demons were exempt from this law.

Tinasha went on, "As Oscar is now, he has no memory of that. When he

saved me, it altered the course of history… He left Nark in my room.

Evidently, I was originally the one to give it to him. That me isn't the one

who exists now, so I don't have any memory of that, of course."

The young woman winced a little as she elaborated, and Legis shook his

head. After a little while, he summarized the astounding story he had just

heard. "The king of Farsas met another version of you and received the

dragon from her…and then after that, he traveled to the past and gave the

dragon to your younger self?"

"Yes."

"Is our king of Farsas really the same person as the one who did that?"

Legis asked.

"I understand your doubt, but he truly is. Nark knows it, and I do, too,"

Tinasha stated.

With a long sigh, Legis readjusted his sitting posture.

If this was true, it would shake the very foundations of magic research.

Any mage would laugh this story off as a fairy tale. However, the person

telling Legis this was one of the most renowned queens in Tuldarr's history.

"Have you told him…?" Legis inquired.

"No. It doesn't have anything to do with his current self. He's already

gotten mad at me once before—told me not to look at him with such a

faraway gaze," Tinasha admitted, her eyes turning the tiniest bit lonely and

distant. That separation encompassed four hundred years.

That unforgettable time now only existed as fragments inside the young

woman's mind.

After dinner, Legis parted from Tinasha and walked back alone through the

hallways, refusing a guard escort.

He couldn't help letting out a sigh.

Tinasha had revealed that not even she knew by what method Oscar had

gone back in time. She herself had only been half convinced until waking

and meeting him again.

And yet she had smiled when she said, "It's possible that it was my

previous self who undid his curse. That alone makes coming here worth it."

Legis could only agree. He never dreamed Tinasha had been through

such an astounding experience—nor that Oscar had always been so dear to

her. Her casting aside everything and sleeping for centuries was all

connected to him.

"Can I really compete with that?"

Legis smiled, his eyes downcast. There was a twinge of bitterness mixed

into his expression.

Curiously, he didn't feel annoyed. So long as she had a happy smile on

her face, that sufficed. She was the legendary queen he had admired since

he was a boy. When he met her in the flesh, he was surprised by her soft,

open smile. In real life, she was quite adorable, and he found himself

attracted to her.

And besides, the fight hadn't begun yet. All she had was one memory

from early adolescence. It wasn't even one Oscar shared. That wasn't

enough yet for him to give up.

"Putting that aside, the idea of another version of her…"

Tinasha said she'd had to sleep for four hundred years to meet the Oscar

who existed now.

So then how did her previous self meet his?

Considering how much magic Tinasha had, it was possible for her to use

a magic sleep to survive for centuries. Even if she hadn't employed stasis,

Tinasha had a woman's body, well adapted to magical power. It was

conceivable that she could stay alive for well beyond a normal lifespan.

However, Legis only knew of one name for such a being. This symbolic

word set apart women whose immense power made them feared and

shunned.

As he pondered more and more, he closed his eyes even as he walked

along.

That was when he felt someone touch his back, though he hadn't sensed

any people nearby.

Suspicious, he whirled around instinctively. He started to concentrate

magic in his right hand.

Yet a spell never materialized. He was plunged into the dark of night

without even catching a glimpse of the face of the person behind him.

While she was still in the study, Tinasha ran a test to determine who had

created the potion she had unwittingly imbibed. But the result was created

by an unknown person.

That at least told her that whoever made the potion was not in the castle,

but it was still unacceptable that someone could have dosed a drink

provided by the castle so easily. Oscar launched a strict investigation into

who had prepared that pitcher of water and who had set it in the room.

"A lady-in-waiting named Claris prepared the water and brought it in.

She is thirty-six this year and has no family. She came to work in the castle

five years ago," Lazar reported.

"Did she seem suspicious?" Oscar asked.

"Well, she claimed to know nothing, but she was acting evasive…"

"I'll meet with her myself later," Oscar replied, making no secret of his

unhappiness with the contents of Lazar's account.

While Tinasha's stay in the castle was not public information, someone

had still targeted this heir to the throne of a neighboring country. If this

lady-in-waiting proved to be the culprit, an execution would await her no

matter her reasons.

"Oh yeah, I haven't seen Tinasha around. Is she all right?" Oscar asked.

At almost the same time, there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was

her, Oscar told the person to enter, but he was surprised to find Tinasha's

mystical spirit there instead of the woman herself.

"Lady Tinasha says to tell you she will not be returning today. This is

confidential, but Prince Legis was attacked last night and is currently in a

coma. She'll be there in Tuldarr awhile to heal him," Mila informed them.

Oscar and Lazar paled. In the span of one day, both heirs to the Tuldarr

throne had been attacked.

"Do you know who did it?" Oscar questioned.

"No. Lady Tinasha was extremely angry and may tear the fugitive limb

from limb when she finds them," answered Mila. With a wave of her hand

good-bye, she disappeared.

In shock, Lazar murmured, "I wonder if the same people are responsible

for our case."

"If they are, they have freakishly good execution," Oscar remarked.

While Tuldarr and Farsas shared a border, the castles were still quite far

apart. The distance wouldn't be much for a mage who could use

teleportation, but the attacks still came virtually back-to-back.

"What the hell is going on…? I thought all these mysterious plots had

ended along with the Druza situation. Is it something else?"

Oscar rested his chin in one hand, pulling a face as he contemplated

what in the world was happening.

Legis's assailant had enchanted him with two spells, one to induce sleep

and another to keep him that way. The combination rendered him comatose.

Cursing the long-gone attacker, Tinasha set about stabilizing his physical

condition and analyzing the spells. Because they were blended together, she

had to inspect both simultaneously.

Calste, who had rushed back once he heard of his son's accident, asked

her, "How is it going, Lady Tinasha? Will you be able to work it out?"

As she continued her analysis, Tinasha answered, "I plan to have the

pattern of the spell keeping his body comatose drawn out by tomorrow. At

the longest, this will take three weeks. It might take less time if we catch

who did this, though."

"I'll heighten our security. However, at present we've had no reports of

an intruder…"

"This was carried out so well that someone on the inside may be

involved. Do you know what projects Prince Legis was involved in

recently?" she asked.

Calste brought a hand to his mouth thoughtfully. "The biggest would be

the forbidden curse… The others are all on the smaller side. I'll research

everything and draft up a document."

"Thank you. I'd appreciate that," Tinasha responded.

After Calste left the room, the only ones remaining were two guard

soldiers, Tinasha, and the unconscious Legis. Even in repose, his face

exuded his noble upbringing. She glanced at him. "So long as you're a

member of the royal family, this sort of thing is unfortunately to be

expected…"

She tied her ink black hair up into a messy ponytail and held her left

hand out over Legis's body.

A spell configuration made of red threads floated up into the air.

Glaring at the array some unknown person had crafted, Tinasha began

her incantation.

After Oscar finished his work for the morning, he went to the room where

the lady-in-waiting suspect was being held.

Claris shrank back to see that the king had come in person, bowing her

head low.

Oscar got straight to the point. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"I-if this is about the poison, I don't know anything…," the woman

muttered, her face cast down as she trembled in fear.

Eyeing Claris coldly, Oscar drew a chair over and sat down. He stared

right into her eyes.

After inhaling deeply, the young king stated seriously yet calmly, "It's

not public information, so it's understandable that you wouldn't know, but

I've asked that woman to do something very important for me. Her efforts

concern the continued existence of the Farsas royal family. That's why I

keep her with me."

"S-something very important…?" repeated Claris.

"Yes. Over the past fifteen years, everyone else has concluded it to be

hopeless. She's the only one who's working hard to solve the issue. If an

unfortunate event befell her, it wouldn't just have a negative effect on

Tuldarr. It would destroy the Farsas royal family."

Claris's jaw dropped. It sounded like a joke, but his gaze bored into her

with its sincerity. It was also clear from his eyes that he was deeply

displeased. A dawning sense of horror jolted through her whole body.

The blood drained from Claris's face, and she clapped both hands over

her mouth. She fell to the floor, whimpering. "I-I'm so very sorry. I never

dreamed that would be the case…"

"Where did you get the poison?"

"A man in town I'd never seen before… He told me that Princess

Tinasha is actually a witch and that she's trying to seduce and deceive Your

Majesty… He also explained that because she's a witch, the poison

wouldn't kill her…"

Annoyed, Oscar clicked his tongue. He hadn't thought Claris would

have acted alone, but if she didn't know who the mysterious instigator was,

their trail would soon run dry. "Why did you believe a tale like that? I know

she's far from normal, but she's not a witch. She's a queen of Tuldarr."

"I'm very sorry…" Claris sniffled, then broke into a sob and covered her

face.

Who was the man who gave Claris the potion, and what was his goal?

Did he know it would have no effect on Tinasha, or had that only been a lie

to manipulate Claris? The more he thought about it, the more his head

started to hurt.

"Doan will come to take your full testimony, so tell him everything.

Even though you weren't trying to kill her, that poison is still a lethal one. I

hope you understand what that means for you," Oscar said.

"O-of course…," she whispered.

For a second, the king cast her a pitying look, but those feelings

dissipated instantly.

Even if Tinasha consented to him pardoning her, some things should

never be forgiven so ambiguously. He knew very well what his duty and his

responsibility entailed.

After that, a written report about the man who deceived Claris was drafted

based on her admissions.

He wore a mage's robe pulled low over his eyes and said he hailed from

Tuldarr. He called Tinasha the fifth witch who was sealed underneath the

castle. Claris believed him after he showed her proof that Tinasha's birth

records were not in Tuldarr, despite her princess status.

"Well, of course they're not. How did Legis explain it to foreign

nations?"

"He asserted that Tinasha was a distant relative in the royal family tree

and that her rich magical powers were why they made her heir to the

throne…," answered Lazar.

"And I suppose that if anyone looked into the matter, they'd discover

there is no actual distant relative like her," Oscar mused. He was about to

say that Legis should have falsified some records but then remembered the

prince was in a coma and held his tongue.

Doan continued with his report. "Claris stated she never saw the man's

face clearly. He spoke to her in the market and appeared to know she

worked in the castle."

"For now, scour the town for anyone matching that description. And

check with all working in the castle to see if they've encountered suspicious

characters lately," ordered Oscar.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Doan replied, departing to see to the task.

With that enigmatic man at large, and no other leads, this case would

end with Claris's execution.

A new turning point for Farsas came four days after Tinasha was

poisoned.

A week after Legis had been ensorcelled, Tinasha was poring through his

responsibilities as she worked on her analysis of the enchantment. In just

the past week, she had gone through more than fifty cases and projects he

was involved in. She thought the link to his assailant might be among them.

Although she had taken over the things Legis was actively working on,

the mages who worked under him were digging up information on the

projects he had already completed. One of these, a man named Renart,

came to report to Tinasha that he had completed his inspection.

"There was one suspicious thing. Last year, we had a change in chief

mage. Evidently, His Highness had begun a second investigation of the new

one," Renart explained.

Tinasha, who was mid-analysis, asked, "Was there something strange

there?"

"I think he was in the process of checking as much. The new chief mage

is a man named Lobros, and it's possible that His Highness suspected him

of embezzling public funds. He was keeping tabs on Lobros's research

expenses since becoming chief mage," Renart replied.

Tinasha paused in her work and crossed her arms. She turned around to

face Renart. "So Legis didn't find any proof of embezzling?"

"It appears that way. I probed the matter myself, and nothing seemed

outright corrupt," he answered.

"Give me your personal opinion. What kind of person is Lobros?"

"Short," Renart responded flatly.

Tinasha couldn't help but burst out laughing. Renart's subdued,

apathetic personality made a very good impression on her. She had

interacted with him many times over the past week, and she judged him

capable and trustworthy. Tinasha had some comfort in the fact that at least

she had found a good person to work with.

The future queen of Tuldarr brought a hand to her chin and flashed a

smile full of the intimidating air she didn't normally reveal. "I've uncovered

something good, too. I would have noticed it sooner had I prioritized my

work on the enchantment."

"Which one is our top priority?" Renart asked.

"I would say both are. Let's set a little trap. No one's made any moves

since Legis was attacked, so we can assume our enemy is on their best

behavior. Let's shake things up a bit—until they have to act," proposed

Tinasha, grinning fearlessly. Renart nodded.

Until now, all they had done was weather the attacks that came.

From here on, however, they would flip offense and defense. Tinasha

had no intention of being lenient on scheming or anyone who approved of

it.

Tinasha gave Renart several instructions, then started laying a trap of her

own.

Five days before Tinasha began preparations for her counterattack in

Tuldarr, a strange guest visited Farsas Castle.

Oscar attempted to turn them away at the door initially, but then he

thought of something and admitted the visitor to the audience chamber. The

king made no attempt to hide his amused expression. Before him stood

Minister of the Interior Nessan, Chief Mage Kumu, Als—who had taken

over the duties of the recently retired Ettard—as well as Doan the mage and

Lazar. All of them stared suspiciously at this sudden arrival.

The woman swept into a graceful curtsy, a seductive smile on her lovely

face. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Your Royal Majesty. My

name is Delilah. Upon learning of the witch's curse that afflicts you, I felt I

simply must come. Please find a place for me at your side. I have the power

to withstand the curse."

Everyone except for Oscar reacted to that with looks of alarm and

dismay.

Delilah fixed her chestnut-brown eyes on Oscar, appearing well aware of

her charms—from her long, curly red hair to her voluptuous curves—and

how to utilize them.

With a shallow grin, the king met her gaze. "How did you know that?

That knowledge is supposed to be classified."

"I come from a family of fortune-tellers. We are never wrong," she

replied.

"How fascinating. Then why have you chosen now to come?" Oscar

questioned.

"Last month, my mother did a reading that told her I was to be the one to

fulfill that role. In truth, I intended to come here sooner, but we are a family

of travelers. It took some time to arrive here," Delilah explained.

Oscar hummed noncommittally in response. He looked the woman up

and down appraisingly. She bore his brazen gaze with a smile.

"Kumu, can you tell how much magic she has?" asked Oscar.

"I can see she has a considerable amount, but I can't say whether it's

enough to stand up to the curse… I believe the princess of Tuldarr would

know," Kumu answered.

"That's too bad. She's busy right now," Oscar muttered.

He hadn't seen Tinasha in several days, which was enough to leave

Oscar feeling that they hadn't met in quite a long time. Mila occasionally

came to check on him, but things in Tuldarr didn't seem to be progressing.

Tinasha was constantly tending to the comatose Legis.

Resting an elbow on the armrest and his chin on one hand, Oscar said to

Delilah breezily, "Well, it's your word. Even if you can't bear the curse, I

trust you'll take responsibility for your claim. We'll make up a room for

you. Live there as you please."

Oscar's advisers' jaws all dropped in shock when they heard his

decision. Panicked, Lazar raised a hand. "W-wait just a moment. Princess

Tinasha is…"

"Shut up and stay quiet," Oscar commanded in a tone that brooked no

refusal, and Lazar did just that. The king narrowed his eyes at his other

advisers. "I have decided. There should be no objections, right?"

Ordinarily, their lord did not act this overbearing. While the group was

baffled by his uncharacteristically unilateral decision, they bowed their

heads in assent.

Flashing a confident smile, Delilah sank into a bow. As Doan took in her

alluring figure, he thought with dread of what would happen when Tinasha

returned. A chill ran up his spine. It was obvious that the beautiful princess

was very attached to Oscar. He didn't want to think about what it would be

like when that attachment turned to jealousy.

Looking around, he saw that Als appeared to be feeling much the same.

The advisers all exchanged glances and sighed to themselves.

Ordinarily, anyone without permission could not so much as stand in front

of the door to the Tuldarr magical reference library that housed nearly every

book and text on magic. It was one of the places in the palace that was offlimits.

Inside that repository, Chief Mage Lobros kept his inner anxiety from

showing through. The guards stationed in the hallway had simply bowed

and said nothing when he entered the room. Lobros was one of the few who

only had to show their face to enter.

He surveyed the empty chamber and moved to the door at the back.

Beyond that were the even more important texts…including the ones on

forbidden curses.

Gingerly, he touched the chill surface of the closed entrance and gave

his name. "I am Lobros, chief mage of Tuldarr, and I request passage."

In response, the door slowly swung open. He swallowed nervously.

Lobros had taken on the title of chief mage a little under a year ago, but this

was the first time he had gone past this door.

Normally, no one was allowed into this room alone without permission,

not even the chief mage, which is why Lobros's face was tight with tension

as he tiptoed in. He used magic to light up the dark room.

"…Okay."

After checking to make sure the door had shut behind him, Lobros

opened up a transportation array.

Several seconds later, a white hand reached in from the other side of it.

He got ahold of it and pulled the person to him.

A petite young woman emerged from the half-closed portal. She

surveyed the bookcases lining the room and snorted. "This is the reference

library where they keep the information on forbidden curses?"

"It is. Do it fast. They'll get suspicious if I'm in here too long," Lobros

warned.

"Then you have to help me, too," she insisted accusatively. Lobros

resented that tone but started to rifle through the shelves nonetheless.

Before long, they uncovered what they were after—the texts marked

PENDING and placed next to the forbidden curse materials labeled FOR

DISPOSAL and tightly sealed up. She picked up one of them.

Unmitigated glee oozed from her face. "This is it… How dare they

hoard away such a sublime text all this time…"

"It's meaningless, which is why I set it aside," came a sudden voice as

cold as ice.

Lobros and the woman frantically scanned the room. A man and a

woman had appeared against one wall—Tinasha, the next queen, and

Renart, a well-known, sharp, and able mage.

Tinasha flashed Lobros a smile. "Under normal circumstances, you

would not be able to open up a portal from inside this room. I made some

adjustments just for tonight. Did they come in handy for you?"

"P-Princess Tinasha… Whatever are you doing here?" he stammered.

"I won't allow you to try to talk your way out of this. It would be a

waste of time. Recognize the position you're in."

Her grin was overpowering, and Lobros fell to his knees with a groan.

Renart stepped over to him and grabbed his arm. "Chief Mage Lobros, we

will interrogate you in detail later about the attack on Prince Legis and

about your infiltration of the reference library. Oh, and about the funds you

embezzled."

Renart slapped sealing ornaments on the other man. Having been

thoroughly exposed, Lobros hung his head.

Tinasha, however, had already lost interest in him. She turned her

attention to the young woman who had broken in.

The woman licked her lips lightly, then smiled despite her nerves. "How

did you know? Did Lobros's idiocy give it away?"

"No. The enchantment you put on Legis… After a lot of analysis, I've

discovered that it possesses the same characteristics as that forbidden curse

designed to be used against an entire city. Are you related to its author—or

perhaps his disciple?" said Tinasha.

"My grandfather wrote this document. His whole life's work and

research was confiscated by the palace. In the end, he died of a broken

heart!" the woman cried.

"Someone should have warned him while he was pouring his life into

this…," muttered Tinasha, dumbfounded.

Immediately, the woman screeched indignantly, "It would be so easy to

destroy another country with that spell! My grandfather made that so we

could fight back against Tayiri, where mages are persecuted! But you

people sealed it up and persecuted him! He was the one thinking of Tuldarr

above all else!"

After her tirade, she stamped her feet on the well-polished floor. The

woman's furious antics forced a cynical smile to appear on Renart's face.

"I'm from Tayiri, but I've never wished that it be destroyed. And besides, if

Tuldarr used a forbidden curse, our own political position would only

worsen. I appreciate that he was thinking of the country, but surely you can

admit his methods were warped?"

Tinasha grinned when she heard the concise argument. The woman

seemed to falter for a moment but still refused to accept it. "I'll use this to

prove that it's power that holds the real meaning here."

"While I'd like to say you're free to try…," Tinasha began, straightening

up from where she was leaning against a bookshelf. As the woman's eyes

darted around irritably, Tinasha stretched out a hand toward her. "We're

dealing with another matter entirely. The fact is that you attacked Legis.

Now reveal your spell."

"I refuse! Not for a prince who was trying to erase this magic!"

"It was set aside as pending, not for disposal, because it can do neither

harm nor good."

"Shut up!" the woman shrieked as an intangible shock wave struck the

room. Bookshelves lurched dangerously. However, Tinasha, Renart, and

even the cowering Lobros were protected by a barrier and thus unharmed.

Tinasha gave a little sigh and closed her eyes. Then, very slowly, she

opened them again.

A bright light flickered in those abyssal orbs, powerful enough to subdue

others. Her lips split in a smirk that revealed the strength of her magic. "I

don't really care if you refuse. I'll simply break the curse normally, then.

You're an excellent curse maker, but I'd wager that means you're not cut

out for a one-on-one fight."

"What are you…?"

"Since we're all here, I'll educate you on what it truly means to have

strength," Tinasha said. No sooner had she done so than an overwhelming

blast of magic materialized.

The woman let out a voiceless scream as pure power descended on her.

"Lobros tended to get carried away easily, so when he was drunk at a tavern

in town, he let it slip about the embezzlement to a woman sitting nearby.

She's been blackmailing him to get information about the castle goings-on,"

Renart reported.

Without turning to face him, Tinasha smiled grimly. "She had something

on Lobros and was waiting the whole time for her opportunity to take back

her grandfather's forbidden curse texts. And then she heard that Legis

wanted to organize some of those writings."

"It's obvious based on what happened with Druza that his main aim

would be to destroy them, not just sort through them. In any case, she

wanted to stop Prince Legis," surmised Renart.

"She has good technique, but the way she went about it was sloppy. It

makes all her prudence up until that point meaningless," Tinasha remarked.

"It sounds like she didn't factor Your Highness into her calculations.

With the whole palace in chaos over the prince's condition, she decided

there wouldn't be much in her way once Lobros slipped into the reference

library. Well, all this really happened because word got out that the

forbidden curse texts might be destroyed soon," Renart concluded.

"You did excellent work. Thank you."

"It was my honor," Renart responded, and Tinasha smiled as she sensed

that he had bowed his head.

Still facing the scrying bowl, Tinasha picked up a large bag of

documents. Inside it were all the forbidden curse texts. "Nothing good will

come of having these around. Ultimately, I don't think we should keep the

ones I set aside as pending, either."

There was a touch of self-deprecation in her words. Then she set the bag

ablaze in her hands.

As Renart watched, stunned, the flames burned only the bag and its

contents away, until they shrank into nothing. With a wave of her hand,

Tinasha caused the bits of ash that had fluttered to the floor to vanish.

"Ten days until the analysis is done. After that, I believe it'll be another

week until Legis is recovered. Which should be no problem at all. I'll be

with him during that time, so pass all his work to me," Tinasha commanded.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I'll let Calste take care of the guilty parties. Compile a report on them,

along with what happened to Legis. Oh, and there's one thing I want you to

look up."

"What is it?" Renart inquired.

"Lobros insisted he wasn't the one who leaked the information about

destroying the curse texts; someone told him about it. It's possible he was

simply trying to talk his way out, but find out whether there was another

person involved."

Tinasha thought back to the attempted poisoning in Farsas. If there were

other assailants yet to come, she couldn't leave things be.

Renart bowed in acquiescence and exited. Tinasha let out a deep sigh.

It had taken longer than she would have preferred, but it seemed this

matter was resolved. Had the woman who'd attacked Legis never learned of

Lobros's embezzling, she may have been able to live out her life in peace,

even if she'd resented the Tuldarr government.

People meeting one another, and their fates intertwining, could be truly

perilous at times. If Tinasha hadn't met him when she was young, she may

have lived an entirely different life. Things could have happened the way he

told her they would—him begging for her to marry him four hundred years

later.

"…No way."

Just the thought of it made Tinasha giggle. Putting aside the Oscar of the

past, the current Oscar only thought of her as a meddlesome cat. She was

sure he wouldn't marry her even if she asked.

As though in response to that, her cheeks puffed up. Suddenly, she found

herself wondering how Farsas was doing. Tinasha had been away for a

while.

Oscar had a defensive barrier against magic placed on him. If he

received any sort of magic attack, she would know right away. She hadn't

sensed any changes, which must have been proof that all was well.

If Tinasha wanted to go, all she had to do was teleport over.

Yet she couldn't. She knew this was to be the distance between them

once they were both rulers of their nations.

"It doesn't matter anyway. It's not like I want him."

As Tinasha whispered those words to herself, the beautiful shape of her

lips twisted a little.

In the Farsas Castle lounge frequented by the mages, the aroma of tea

always hung in the air.

Taking a break there with two of her colleagues, Sylvia wore an

uncharacteristically sour face. "I hate her."

"Don't say that so openly. What if someone overhears?" Doan chided

her, frowning as he looked over some documents.

It had been two weeks since Tinasha, princess of Tuldarr, had departed

Farsas for her homeland and hadn't returned.

The woman Sylvia spoke of so resentfully was Delilah, who had

virtually replaced Tinasha since her arrival.

"I mean, she's condescending, always looking down on us! Who does

that woman think she is?!" cried Sylvia.

"The royal mistress," answered Doan.

In frustration, Sylvia raked her nails down the table, making a terrible

screeching noise.

Kav looked up from his book. "But she has a lot of magic. She really

might be a higher class of mage."

"Magic alone doesn't decide superiority among mages!" Sylvia

protested, roughly thumping a fist.

The two men suppressed a sigh at Sylvia's fit. It was true that Delilah

swanned about like she outclassed everyone else, flaunting the king's favor,

but it didn't bother either of them because that was expected behavior from

a royal favorite. Kav and Doan exchanged glances, as if to say that maybe

Sylvia was only so upset because she was jealous.

"Oh, I wonder if Princess Tinasha will be coming back anytime

soon…," moaned Sylvia.

"Stop saying such frightening things," Doan warned.

"Why?" Sylvia retorted.

Instead of answering, Doan gave an exaggerated shrug. The king had

told him to be careful, because if Tinasha got angry, she'd destroy

everything in her path. That said, the one most likely to be the source of that

rage was the king himself.

That called into question why Oscar had invited Delilah in. None would

deny she was a voluptuous creature, but the king wasn't the sort to be

swayed by that. What exactly had swayed his opinion?

Kav, who was unaware of the finer details surrounding everyone's

circumstances, spoke optimistically. "Personality aside, she's a better match

for the king than Princess Tinasha, don't you think?"

"You're being rather glib, too," remarked Doan.

"What about her is a good match?! Do you really think a traveling

fortune-teller is worthy of the king?" hissed Sylvia.

"I mean, there's no way His Highness could wed the queen of another

country," reasoned Kav.

The conversation was jumping from one extreme to the other. Delilah

had only wormed her way in because of the curse on the royal family, but

Tinasha was in the process of breaking that spell. If nothing interrupted her

progress, the king's problem would be no more. Doing anything to

jeopardize that would not bode well for ending the curse.

However, according to Oscar, he didn't intend to mention Tinasha's

efforts to Delilah. At the moment, the king's advisers had no idea what he

was thinking and could only silently obey.

"Well, His Majesty's still young. It's not really something to get upset

over," Doan stated, sounding as if this conversation had grown vexing.

Ending things there, he stood up.

At the same time, Lazar was in the Farsas study, handing documents to his

king with an unhappy look on his face.

He said nothing, simply gazing at Oscar dispiritedly. The king ignored

his friend at first but eventually couldn't bear it and set down his pen. "Why

are you acting so annoying? Stop looking like that."

"Your Majesty… Unfortunately, I cannot approve of your keeping that

woman near you. What are you thinking?" Lazar pleaded.

"Good question."

Lazar, Oscar's friend since childhood and royal attendant, knew that his

king was not starved for choices of women to marry, let alone play with.

So why would he choose now to suddenly keep a woman like Delilah in

his company? If this was about an heir, him waiting for Tinasha to break the

curse was the best course of action. And if he wanted a mistress, Lazar

thought selecting a more tight-lipped woman of obvious good lineage a

prudent decision.

"Don't tell me…you're doing this to anger Princess Tinasha on

purpose?" Lazar asked, horrified.

"If I were, what would I do after she destroys the castle? I'm not that

much of an eccentric," Oscar countered.

"Then, in that case, you don't have very good taste. I feel sorry for

Princess Tinasha, toiling away on your curse," admitted Lazar.

"Do you want me to get together with her or separate myself from her?

Pick one," Oscar said flatly.

"I'm hoping for a middle path!" Lazar exclaimed.

The king set down his documents and leaned against the back of his

chair. Sighing deeply, he crossed his legs. "For now, just leave it alone.

She's still busy curing Legis and won't be back for a while."

This morning, word had come that Tuldarr captured the culprits.

But in the end, those arrested had no connection to the man who tried to

poison Tinasha in Farsas. At present, Tuldarr was investigating whether

anyone else was involved but didn't know if that would turn up any leads.

Still looking unhappy, Lazar set a cup of tea before his king. The taste

was considerably different compared to the tea Tinasha made; Oscar sipped

at it silently. When he noticed that his attendant was still looking at him

reproachfully, Oscar broke into a sly smile. "Well, she does feel better in

my arms than Tinasha, who's way too bony."

"You are the worst!" Lazar shouted, gathering up the documents Oscar

had processed. As he headed for the door, he gave his candid opinion. "In

any case, sort this out quickly! Before you send Princess Tinasha into a fit

of rage!"

He slammed the door shut, and Oscar burst out laughing. Then he

abruptly stopped and muttered, "It would be best if it gets sorted before she

comes back."

The king's voice sounded terribly cold and regal.

Delilah crept along a deserted corridor deep within Farsas Castle, then

stopped before the door to a room.

She was granted a fair number of privileges as the royal favorite, but

several places were off-limits. This room, guarded by an airtight antitrespassing barrier on the door, was one of them.

Delilah hovered an ivory-white hand just before the elaborate, delicate

spell.

At her fingertips, a spell illuminated—

"What are you doing there?" came the sudden voice of a man.

Delilah pulled her hand back, turning around slowly and confidently.

There stood Als, the youngest general of Farsas. Delilah's red lips broke

into a smile, and she didn't falter in the least. "Oh, I was just curious about

what's in this room…"

"That chamber is for our guest from Tuldarr, although she's currently in

her home country. No one can enter without her permission," Als said.

"Is that right? I'm so very sorry," Delilah apologized, and she turned to

stroll away with fluid, graceful movements.

Suspicious, Als watched her go until she was out of sight.

With the criminals in custody, Tinasha worked on analyzing the

enchantment on Legis while carrying out daily royal duties.

Though she did have Renart to help her, the speed and accuracy with

which she carried out these tasks was extraordinary. Those who knew

nothing of her origins and had derided Tinasha as "a girl whose only merit

is her magic" were forced to reevaluate her.

In a council room with documents fanned out all around her, Tinasha

made some tea and offered Renart a cup with a smile. "I did all kinds of

work like this in the past, but the Traditionalists hated me and decided

whatever I did was sloppy."

"I suspect that, to them, it was less sloppy and more Reformist," Renart

replied calmly. He had gained Tinasha's trust, and she had recently revealed

her true origins to him. "It's because you started to accept mages from

Tayiri that my mother and I are alive today. Thank you."

His nonchalant expression of gratitude brought a chagrined, embarrassed

smile to Tinasha's lips. Because Renart was born with magic, his mother

fled Tayiri with him when he was very young and settled in Tuldarr. If he

were still living in Tayiri, he would have been facing a lifetime of

oppression.

Asked to take the throne in two eras now, Tinasha reflected back on her

reign. "Four hundred years ago, the ruling family's absolute power was

considered very important, especially since the system was for the strongest

to inherit the throne. But I don't know what it's like now. Druza has split

apart; I don't think we need to threaten other countries."

"I think that's what strength does. Showing off too much during

peacetime will lead to unnecessary vigilance. However, we don't know

when something will happen," Renart said.

"That's true. But from a broad scope, it's dangerous if a country's power

isn't something that can be nurtured more extensively. Tuldarr's mystical

spirits and Akashia of Farsas are precarious absolutes that rely on the might

of individuals and their bloodlines. We need to prioritize strength that's

stabilized throughout the populace instead of expecting a select few to have

all the power… We've grown beyond the Dark Age, so I believe we can

change the shape of the nation as well."

What people referred to as the Dark Age was an era of devastating

warfare that began over a thousand years ago and lasted for seven centuries.

Nearly all the major nations surviving to this day had been forged amid

those conflicts.

Tuldarr's mystical spirits and Farsas's Akashia appeared during that

period as well—cores each country gathered around. Yet nowadays, when

both were established as Great Nations, such artifacts seemed useless to

Tinasha.

There would still be skirmishes requiring Akashia, like the recent

incident with Druza, but she expected that the future would be different

now that nations had agreed to the treaty forbidding the use of extreme

magical power in war.

In awe of how she always had her eyes set on the horizon, Renart bowed

his head. "I am at your service for whatever you may require, my queen."

Tinasha winced at his proclamation.

Time periods were always alive with change as long as there were

people to set that change in motion.

Delilah, dozing lightly on a bed in a dark room, felt a tapping on her ivory

shoulder that drew her back to reality. She glanced up to see a man at the

bedside staring down at her. "You can't sleep here. Go back to your room."

From her position on her back, she gazed up into his eyes, the color of

the sky just after dusk. "How cold. It's already been two weeks."

"That doesn't matter. I can't rest with someone in the bed with me," he

countered.

"Has that been the case with all your other girls?" Delilah asked.

"Mm, you could say that," Oscar answered. The only exception was the

extraordinary mage from Tuldarr. She had fallen asleep on her own and

appeared so defenseless that Oscar had regarded her as merely a cat in bed

with him and let her stay. Although for a cat, she took up too much room

and refused to get out of bed the next day, which were annoying qualities.

Delilah gave the young king a searching look.

If he was standing there, that meant he must have gotten out of bed

while she was sleeping. For a moment, anxiety over what he may have been

doing during that time flashed through her mind, but he wasn't wearing his

sword, which for him meant he considered himself off duty. At the very

least, Delilah had never seen him wear Akashia while they were spending

time together. Surely, that was proof he wasn't on his guard.

Very slowly, Delilah sat up in bed. She pulled her gown on to cover her

sweetly scented bare skin. Her red lips, visible even in the darkness, formed

a smile. "Oh yes, the other day I got lost in the castle. I found a room I

couldn't go into. General Als got very mad at me and said it belonged to

someone from Tuldarr."

"Ah, Tinasha's room? That area doesn't belong to Farsas, even though it

is part of the castle. There's all sorts of incomprehensible magic implements

in there, so of course no one can go in," Oscar replied dismissively, sitting

down on the bed. Perhaps it was because he wasn't working, but he didn't

seem to hold any interest in anything. Delilah had never seen him smile

except for when they had met in the audience chamber. He didn't seem like

the type to be indulgent with women. However, that was all conjecture on

Delilah's part.

She cozied up to him, blinking her soft and purposely coquettish brown

eyes up at him. "What kind of person is she? I'm very curious."

"It's nothing for you to worry about. She's going to become queen of a

neighboring country. It's best to curry her favor, so I allow her in and out;

that's all. You two wouldn't get along."

"Really?"

"You're so persistent. Turn your interest elsewhere. If there's anything

you want, I'll give it to you," Oscar stated.

Delilah's eyes grew wide at his unprecedented offer. Then she flashed

him a radiant smile.

Winding her soft arms around his neck, she pressed herself against him

and whispered, "No, there's nothing. All I need is to be here with you."

"How admirable," Oscar praised in a calm, gentle tone.

Yet despite his words, the king only stared over the top of her head into

the mirror, his gaze devoid of emotion.

A month had now passed since Tinasha stopped coming to Farsas Castle.

Sylvia had about reached the limit of her patience, because all day long

Delilah strutted about the castle, bossing around the soldiers and mages.

She was beautiful and exuded sensuality, so the men weren't particularly

bothered by it, but it did not go over well at all with the women. Delilah's

mocking attitude toward them made it very difficult for Sylvia to keep her

cool.

On one particular day, while Sylvia was fuming as per usual, Doan and

Kav were determined to steer clear of the subject as they carried spell books

through the castle hallways.

Outside the glassless windows, the weather was lovely. A blue sky

studded with white clouds seemed to go on forever.

Distracted by the pleasant sight outside, Sylvia narrowly missed

bumping into someone as she rounded a corner. At the last second, Doan

yanked her back. She rushed to apologize and bow to the other person, but

her face immediately stiffened when she saw who it was. Standing there

was none other than the person she least wished to see, Delilah.

Delilah stared at all of them, especially Sylvia, before snorting. Winding

one curly red strand of hair around her finger, she threw out her chest

proudly. "I understand you must be very busy, but I would appreciate if you

looked where you were going."

"…I'm so sorry."

"Don't you think the king would be terribly sad if something was to

happen to me?" Delilah purred.

Sylvia very nearly said that he wouldn't. It was on the tip of her tongue,

but she held it back and bowed her head. Doan and Kav exchanged

discomfited glances.

Delilah continued to press her point with Sylvia, who still had her head

bowed low. "You don't think very much of me, evidently. It's written all

over your face. I'm shocked you can serve the court like that. Or do you

perhaps have a male patron of some sort? I'm ever so jealous of the cute

types."

"…"

Kav could virtually hear Sylvia's blood vessels popping. She snapped

her head up, face flushed with anger.

As she was about to fire back some choice words, Doan and Kav

dropped their books and rushed to pull Sylvia's arms behind her. Kav

slapped a hand over her mouth. "Sylvia, don't. You know you shouldn't."

"If you have something to say, by all means let me hear it," Delilah

needled.

Furious, Sylvia drove her elbow into Kav's belly. He doubled over in

pain, while Sylvia straightened up and glared at Delilah. Shaking with rage,

she opened her mouth to speak.

"I am—"

Before she could go on, however, a clear, bright voice came from behind

them. "Doan, it's been so long. You too, Kav and Sylvia."

All three whirled around. Standing there at the window was one very

rare mage, smiling. There was a mystical spirit accompanying her.

The skirt of the formfitting mage's robe Tinasha wore fluttered in the

breeze. Her legs, visible from beneath it, were so slender they looked

breakable. She turned a carefree smile on her friends. "Doan, did someone

try to get into my room while I was away? There are signs of attempted

tampering with the barrier… Ah, what's happening here?"

Tinasha broke off after noticing Kav on the ground, Sylvia with her

mouth wide open, and Delilah standing beyond them. She cocked her head

in confusion.

Doan felt a chill run down his spine. He had known Tinasha would

return soon, but he never anticipated she would run into Delilah right away.

It was inevitable that they would meet eventually, and he had prayed he

would have nothing to do with it, if at all possible.

However, Doan summoned all his emotional strength and pasted a smile

on his face as he picked up his books and walked over to her. "It's been a

long time. I heard that things have been resolved in Tuldarr. Nothing about

your barrier rings a bell, but I'll look into it. Actually, would you like to

have some tea? Come on, let's go."

Doan spoke so rapidly Tinasha couldn't get a word in edgewise as he

attempted to herd her far away.

However, Tinasha frowned, peering at Sylvia over Doan's shoulder.

"What's wrong with Sylvia?"

"Princess Tinasha…," Sylvia muttered, all her energy gone now that the

princess from Tuldarr had returned. Her eyes soon welled up with tears.

Shocked by her friend's emotional state, Tinasha rushed over to her. She

was about to ask for more details when Delilah cut in. "I'm afraid I don't

recognize you. Are you a mage?"

For a moment, Tinasha glanced over at Delilah suspiciously, but then

she broke into a wan grin. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Tinasha of

Tuldarr."

Delilah's eyes widened.

Both of them were beautiful, but their dispositions could not have been

more dissimilar.

While Delilah was very clearly on her guard, Tinasha's inherent air of

nobility remained unshakable. She did not have to answer to anyone, and

her composure and coolness had been honed over the course of many years.

She wore the face only one raised as royalty could possess.

Delilah crossed her arms and puffed out her ample chest, then addressed

Tinasha in a pompous tone. "Well, well, well. So you're the princess of

Tuldarr. Judging by the look of things, you appear to be quite close with this

mage girl here. Perhaps you should choose your friends a little more

carefully. Apparently, she's the sort to cozy up to anyone in a position of

authority, not just men."

Her words were laced with barbs, and Sylvia's face turned bright red.

She wasn't about to fight back in front of Tinasha, though.

Dumbfounded by Delilah's snide warning, Tinasha looked from her to

Sylvia, who appeared to be on the verge of tears. Tinasha turned back to

Delilah.

Her dark eyes narrowed. When she spoke, her voice was like ice. "I am

at a loss to understand what you're trying to say. Who are you to tell me

what you think without even introducing yourself? If you lack even the

most basic of manners, no one will want to listen to your opinions.

Assuming, of course, that they're not as misguided and laughable as what

you just said."

Tinasha's scathing criticism came delivered in a soft tone. The impact

was such that Delilah was unable to speak for a moment. Tinasha ignored

her and looked to Doan. "Who is she?"

I didn't want you to ask me! Doan screamed internally.

Still, he answered reluctantly. "Her name is Delilah… She is the

king's…"

"Oscar's what?"

"Why did you stop there?" came a man's voice from around the corner.

Doan wished fervently and honestly that he could run away from this

place at top speed. Glancing over, he saw that Kav seemed to be entirely

thrown by the worsening situation. Behind Tinasha, the color drained from

Sylvia's face.

When the man rounded the corner, his eyes grew wide when he caught

sight of the black-haired woman. "Tinasha, you're back."

"It's been quite some time," she replied, lifting a hand in greeting. She

hadn't seen the king of Farsas in a month.

He grinned at her, same as ever. "How's Legis doing?"

"Fortunately, he's recovered. Evidently, it was too unconventional for

me to be doing his job, so I've been dismissed," Tinasha responded.

"Too unconventional? You're going to be queen," Oscar pointed out.

"I intend to create a very different sort of country," she replied matterof-factly, and Oscar burst out laughing.

It was then that Delilah, who had been half forgotten, grabbed Oscar's

arm in a clear bid to garner his attention. Mila, who had merely watched

this entire time, let out a low whistle when she saw that.

"Your Majesty, you were so right. I don't think I'm going to get along

with her at all," Delilah cooed, gazing up at Oscar kittenishly.

Tinasha gaped at Delilah, then looked at Doan and Sylvia. Pale-faced,

Doan nodded, while Sylvia shook her head, still on the verge of tears. Their

diametrically opposing reactions gave Tinasha a vague sense of what was

going on.

Unsure of how to react, Tinasha glanced back over at Delilah. "Well… If

I were the type to get along with you, it might call my character into

question. Thus, for my part, that's fine with me."

"Excuse me?! Your Majesty, say something to her!" Delilah cried.

"Don't you say a word, Oscar," Tinasha warned him, then turned to

Delilah. "I don't choose my friends based on how high status or powerful

they may be. That has no bearing at all when it comes to my social life. Or

perhaps you labor under the delusion that a powerful man by your side will

elevate your own status? I don't mind if you parade around on someone

else's authority, but I won't remain silent should you insult my friend."

Tinasha stood dauntless and firm as she criticized Delilah, whose

gorgeous face twisted angrily. Unable to offer a retort, her lips quivered in

rage.

Sensing she wouldn't have to fend off a counterstatement, Tinasha broke

out in a rare type of beguiling grin. With the eyes of a queen, she stared

Delilah down. In the face of such a soul-binding smile, Delilah was struck

breathless, forgetting even her outrage.

A shivery sort of allure held her captive. She couldn't tear her eyes away

from its irresistible gravitational pull.

Oscar sighed as he looked down at Delilah, pale and caught in Tinasha's

thrall. He used his free hand to wave at the black-haired mage. "Don't

overpower her. That's my woman you're talking to."

"In that case, keep her caged up. Anything could happen when she

wanders free with no collar and chain," chided Tinasha.

"I'll think about it," Oscar said with a dry smile, then led Delilah away.

Now back to her senses, Delilah tossed a triumphant smile at Tinasha as she

passed. Tinasha kept calm, not gratifying the other woman with a reaction.

Once they were out of sight, Doan finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Still, he knew it wasn't over the second he saw Delilah toss that smile

over her shoulder. All the blood drained from his face.

"Who was that rude woman? I would very much appreciate if you could

tell me all about her," Tinasha stated imperiously, her tone brooking no

refusal.