Where on earth is Heidi?!

The Countess sighed, "Good grief, these hostile suspicions again? I believe that I already informed you that we have no connections with those mishaps."

Professor Heidi looked over at Princess Eina and spoke, "If the Princess were so kind, I would like to talk to the Princess about the matter as well."

The Countess proposed, "Alright then? How does this sound? Would you join us at Princess Eina's residence for a friendly leisurely chat?" And soon enough they advanced towards the royal carriage.

In the meanwhile, the Princesses assembled at the backyard and hid as they saw the Countess carrying Professor Heidi to the carriage. The vehicle soon rattled out of the palace gates. Licha asked, "Huh? Eina leaving with Heidi darling?!"

Brunia remarked, "Well... it appeared to me as though she was forced into the carriage."

Leonora speculated in worry, "Can it be... THE PROFESSOR'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!?"

The four sisters began to panic, and Leonora screamed, "After the carriage! Now!"

And as she went sprinted Licha held her back and shrieked, "Whoa! Whoa! Wait for a minute; we need guards, we're not allowed to leave this palace just like that! We don't know Granzreich that well!"

Kaira carried Ludwig and Maximilian and set them down as Leonora commanded, "Ludwig and Maximilian, you're coming with us!"

All of them shouted in unison with Leonora as the carriage driver, "LET'S SAVE HEIDI!!!!"

*IN EINA'S CARRIAGE*

Professor Heidi mentioned, "I had planned to speak with the Princesses before you whisked me off my feet and forcefully made me abandon their lesson!"

The Countess suggested, "When we arrive at the residence, I will send a telegram saying that their lesson has been canceled, although it would be a late notice." A few hours later, they arrived at Cumsta at the Princess' residence; the Schwaria palace.

Before Heidi could reveal the purpose of the meeting, she was given a grand welcome and was relishingly pampered by all the palace servants. She thought, "I promised myself to remain vigilant, and I have not been so far whatsoever."

She then composed herself and asked the Princess, "Now let us return to the matter at hand. Have you been involved in sabotaging the Princesses' prospects to the throne?"

Princess Eina replied with sternness in her eyes, " It's all been my orders.... would it satisfy you if I said something like that? I do receive reports about my sisters, and it seems that Kaira and Licha have set themselves up for scandals. And Brunia, I hear that she refused an attractive offer to study abroad."

Professor Heidi remarked, "That was because she chose to pursue the throne."

Princess Eina replied, "Hmph. Pursue the throne? Brunia might be far better than the sisters, but from where I stand, they are still children. Until now, my sisters made no effort to better themselves under any imperial mentor. They lacked the appropriate cognizance of their position in the line of succession. But it seems that at your arrival they have changed. At the council meeting, when they made the case of asking you back, they have grown a lot. They might not be children in front of others, but they will remain so in my eyes! Throwing on a last-minute coat of polish does not make a true Queen. Stop pushing this impossible goal to my sisters!"

Professor Heidi subtlely answered, "Your sisters' wishes and prospects are my business, and you will not interfere with it as you lost that right years ago! You were never there when they needed you to take care of them, and then suddenly you possess the right to call them children!? I will have you know that they are not, they are not merely submitting themselves to an adult I assure--"

Professor Heidi was interrupted by some peculiar noises behind her at the door of the room. One voice said, "Hey! Don't push me!"

The other one replied, "I'm not pushing you; I wanted to hear better!"

The man guarding the room reminded, "Princess Eina is with a visitor, please see yourselves he---"

He was interrupted by one voice screaming, "Shut up, you devil! If you keep talking with us, we can't hear them!"

Professor Heidi heard the conversation and excused herself to open the door and discover who it was. She creaked it open to find the four Princesses standing behind. Their eyes widened, and they screamed with fear, and so did the

Professor! Heidi asked, "What on earth are you doing here!?"

Leonora ignored the question and yelled while carrying Heidi and shaking her back and forth, "Don't tell me that you and Eina are having a secret cake party so you won't have to share it with me!!! How could you, Heidi!!!!!!"

Eina shrieked, "Good grief, Leonora. Are you a complete dunce?" Leonora sulked in one corner and was shocked to be called a dunce.

Licha pointed out, "Well... we saw Professor Heidi getting stuffed into the carriage against her will, so we thought that we might be in danger."

Professor Heidi scolded, "I was not, I assure you! But venturing out of the Grazreich palace alone is unacceptable!!"

Kaira calmed the Professor down by saying, "We came here with the palace guards, Ludwig and Maximilian. They are waiting for us outside."

The Professor asked, "Didn't Maximilian leave his post to live with Prince Licht?"

Brunia answered, "Well... he did, but Licht's living arrangements have been changed for the course of our stay."

Eina gave out an evil grin and said, "As I speculated, even if you guys are growing up you will never be fit to be Queen of the Vermillion realm. Kaira is too timid to hold a conversation, whereas Brunia lacks the flexibility required for a leader. Licha cannot get out of her world of amusement and Leonora is too much of a dunce to be Queen. Give up; you're all merely wasting your time and of the Professor's."

Brunia clasped her hands and yelled at the top of her voice, "I WILL NOT ADMIT DEFEAT!!"

Kaira placed her hand on Brunia shoulders and said, "Brunia, calm down. Don't risk your health!"

Brunia swatted her hand away and continued screaming, "I don't care, Kaira! This dumb lady in front of us needed to know who we really are. Eina, I'm not to be taken lightly I assure you! I'm no longer the girl I used to be. I may have looked down on the previous imperial mentors, and that was unacceptable! Mistress has even taught me lessons that cannot be learned on a desk! You were never around to see our progress, and you never even cared about us!"

Licha continued, "I'm not going to give up either. I may be preoccupied in my own world but I'm changing and coming up to a new resolve for myself. Don't underestimate me! I will show you that I can become a woman like mother!"

Kaira stepped forward and affirmed, "Me too! I may have problems talking with people, but I am slowly overcoming it. One day, I will show that I can catch up to you! Even Leonora has been applying herself!"

Leonora spoke with pride, "Yeah! I may be slow compared to everyone else, but I'm also really competition for the throne! I can add and subtract now; I will get so smart that I will be Queen in no time at all!" Everyone in the room fell silent as they were at a loss for words.

Eina burst into laughter as a response, Leonora was shocked. She pulled Licha aside and whispered, "Why is she laughing?!"

Licha answered, "How could she not!?"

Eina giggled, "You're bold, I'll give you that! But in reality, you're too dumb to be Queen! Get everything you can out of that imperial mentor and show me if you're worthy of the throne! Even if it's just one of you!"