Chapter 30: A Ray of Light

Wh-What should I do? How do I get myself out of this mess?!

On the inside, Mia was descending into panic. Becoming Sion's dance partner would mean associating with him — intimately so. If their acquaintance deepened, and then something went wrong, the three step process of Revolution>Sunkland Gets Involved>Guillotine would become a very real possibility. That was bad. In fact, that was about as bad as it could get. However, turning Sion down here would surely sour his opinion of her. Furthermore, if she were to lie and say that she already had a dance partner, it'd be close to impossible for her to actually find one. No one was desperate enough to try their luck with the princess who'd turned down an offer from Sion. With her back against the wall and the ceiling about to collapse, Mia frantically searched for a way out. Like a tiny mouse stuck on a sinking ship, she kicked all her senses into overdrive, trying to find something — anything — that would give her a chance to survive. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her handkerchief-resistant friend, Abel, being dragged behind a building corner by an older male student. Judging by the brief glimpse she got of their expressions, the ensuing interaction wasn't going to be pleasant. Her spidey — or rather, mousey — sense tingled.

This is my chance!

The troubling sight gave her the perfect excuse to flee the scene.

"Hm? What's going on there?" asked Sion, turning in the same direction. He seemed to have noticed as well. Before he could get another word out, though, he heard a series of rapid footsteps.

"Excuse me for a moment."

He turned just in time to see Mia's profile as she streamed straight past him.

"What... do you think you're doing?"

"Like I said, my dear brother, I was looking for a dance partner—"

Abel's sentence was cut short by a fist slamming into his face.

My, how terribly barbaric. Being Abel's brother, I suppose that would make him... the First Prince? Thought Mia as she watched from the shadows.

"Wimpy piece of... Always bending over backwards to suck up to women... If you've got a shred of pride left as a Remno, then get better with the sword. Then they'll line up to kiss your ass instead," said the brother with a disdainful huff. "Hmph. Then again, I guess it'll never happen for a little chickenshit like you. Go lick their boots all you want, but no decent woman is going to choose you as a dance partner."

Well, that's a rather twisted view of things... I would consider it basic manners to approach girls who look like they're in need of help.

After mentally giving the older brother's behavior a firm stamp of disapproval, Mia spoke up.

"What seems to be the matter here?"

Both brothers spun toward her in surprise.

"Who're you supposed to be..." growled the older of the two. "We're in the middle of something right now, young lady. Oh, but don't worry your pretty little head. Nothing more than your usual brotherly quarrel. Absolutely nothing to see here, so if you could just mosey along we'd all be better off, you get me?"

He leaned in toward Mia, pushing his face almost right up against hers and staring her down. While it was good practice to look directly at children when speaking to them, there was nothing benign about the way he was glaring at her. It wasn't an attempt at communication. It was an overt threat.

In response, Mia felt overcome by a sense of... something that resembled fondness.

My, what a naughty young boy!

It bears repeating that on the inside, Mia was actually a young woman of twenty. Though she'd spent over three years in a dungeon, which somewhat crippled her mental maturity in certain aspects, she was still technically an adult. On top of that, she'd experienced the horrors of the revolution. She'd been threatened and condemned. She'd even had swords pointed at her neck as she faced the murderous rage of violent rebels. That is to say, she'd seen some shit.

In comparison, the antics of Abel's brother were literal child's play. Try as he might to look big and mean, he was ultimately a pampered prince who'd been brought up in a sheltered environment. Also, while he was First Prince, he came from the Remno Kingdom, which was inferior in status to the Empire.

Why, it would appear that I have absolutely nothing to fear!

Mia scoffed in amusement.

"Wh-What's so funny?!"

"My, how rude of me. I do apologize. However, could you keep your hands away from him, please? I would very much prefer to keep my dance partner's face in good condition."

Then, without a hint of hesitation, she walked right up to Abel. Finding that he'd cut his lip, she took out her pristine white handkerchief, gently pressed it to his mouth, and smiled.

"Well, I do hope you realize, Prince Abel, that this all happened because you keep flirting with other girls when you've already asked me to be your dance partner."

"Wha—?"

Abel's jaw hit the ground. Mia allowed it to remain there, choosing instead to curtsy shallowly at the older boy.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, First Prince of the Remno Kingdom," she said with a dazzling smile. "I am Mia Luna Tearmoon, Princess of the Tearmoon Empire and the woman who had the indecency to choose your brother."