Chapter 5: Mia Holds the Dice

There existed a jeweled box that was referred to as "Princess Mia's Cursed Casket." It was lined lavishly with a dazzling variety of precious gems and other valuable materials, all set carefully in intricate patterns. It was an item of great monetary and artistic value. It was also said to be cursed, having led every one of its many owners to ruin.

The original owner was no mystery; it's in the name, after all. Ask anyone about the Cursed Casket, and they'll tell you it first belonged to that notorious Princess of the Guillotine, Mia Luna Tearmoon. Ask who made it, however, and the answers begin to differ.

Few knew that the box had been made by Viscount Berman, a noble whose domain neighbored Tiona's hometown, the Outland County of Rudolvon. Fewer still knew that it was the viscount whose actions had indirectly led to the empire's downfall.

"Lord Berman, as expected, the Count of Rudolvon did not agree to our request."

"Count? He's an outcount, you fool! An outland count! Do not speak as if he were worthy of the title count!"

The viscount tsked in annoyance as the attendant who'd delivered the report bowed respectfully in apology.

"Pah! Blasted country nobles..." he spat.

The cause for his irritation was, in fact, a truly petty matter.

"Speaking of which, Lord Berman... I must say I find it most perplexing that a man of culture such as yourself, who hails from a long and honorable line of central nobility, would rule over a domain smaller than that of a country bumpkin such as this Outcount of Rudolvon," said a fellow nobleman at the party that Viscount Berman was attending.

The viscount wrinkled his nose in displeasure but kept his head.

"Well, yes, the outcount's lands may be expansive, but they're mostly farmland and forest. Hardly anything to boast about."

"True indeed, but if it were me, my lord, I would find it unbearable to know that I was inferior in even a single way to an uncultured noble such as he. Ah, of course, if that thought does not vex you, my lord, then all is well..."

Berman was about to argue the issue, but he realized that the man had a point. The thought that he was lesser than a country bumpkin — in any way — did indeed sting his pride. Then the other noble leaned in to his ear and whispered, "Might I offer some advice, my lord? Why not clear some land for yourself in the Sealence Forest?"

"The Sealence Forest, you say?"

The domains of Berman and Rudolvon were separated by a vast expanse of woodland — one of the largest regions of forest in the empire. The border between their lands was never made entirely clear because no one ever bothered to head into the woods and actually figure out where the line should be drawn. As such, the forest had always been used as a rough delineation of the two domains.

"I see. Any land I clear on my side of the forest would belong to me, thereby expanding the size of my domain."

Having never decided where the boundary line actually lay, he could technically cut down all but a single line of trees at the far edge of the forest and still claim it was fair game. He could then argue that all the newly cleared land should belong to him. As ridiculous as the idea might seem to some, it represented a way of thinking common amongst the gentry, in whom such selfish behavior was the norm. Furthermore, the viscount was no procrastinator; once he'd made up his mind, he arranged for the clearing to begin immediately. That was when he ran into trouble.

The forest was not a vacant stretch of wilderness; people lived there. The Lulu tribe who inhabited the region fiercely opposed the plan to cut down the forest, adopting a do-or-die stance and making it clear that they intended to resist until the bitter end.

"Impertinent knaves..."

The viscount immediately brought the issue to the Ebony Moon Ministry, which handled military affairs. As a result of his commitment to bribery, the ministry quickly dispatched a centuria of a hundred soldiers to the area for him. Yet to his dismay, upon arriving at the scene, the centurion who commanded the unit declared that they were not going to take any military action against the minority tribe.

"The mission I was given is to keep the peace in the area. Nothing more."

Thoroughly irritated, the viscount stormed off, muttering, "Useless... You're all useless! No one listens to me!"

This setback did not stop him from trying to get his way, though. Now he set his sights on a new target who he hoped would finally help him get things rolling: the emperor's beloved daughter, Mia Luna Tearmoon.

The plan was simple. He was going to craft an exquisite jeweled box and offer it to her as a "present." The catch was that he was going to adorn a section of the jewel box with the wood of the Unicorn's Horn — a special type of tree that only grew in the forest he wanted to clear. It didn't have to be too complicated. A small carving would suffice, so long as it caught her attention. Then he would say to her, "Your Highness, if such carvings appeal to you, I can make as many as you'd like... but I would require the wood of a certain forest to do so..." With Mia's backing, he would hold sway over the imperial army. So long as he could convince them to take action, exterminating the Lulus would be an easy task.

There was a second plan, which he intended to enact at the same time. He was going to kidnap a couple of children from the Lulus, sell them off to slavers, and make it look like it was the imperial soldiers' doing. The Lulus, in their rage, would surely cease their passive resistance and retaliate with active violence. Once there was open bloodshed, the army would have no choice but to fight. If this worked, he wouldn't even need to wait for the box to be made.

His master plan, however, would ultimately be unnecessary... because one day, some gossip reached his ears.

"Have you heard? Recently, Her Highness has taken quite the liking to a hairpin made from Unicorn's Horn. Apparently, she wears it every day..."

Assuming this was true, he didn't even need to make any jeweled boxes. Unicorn's Horn grew right there in the Sealence Forest. If that was all it took to please the princess, he could get a hairpin made right away.

And so, unbeknownst to Mia, she stood at the brink of history, the dice of fate in her hands yet uncast. They continued to roll quietly on her palm, their every spin putting them closer to its edge. Then, with the arrival of a guest, they fell.

"Milady, Viscount Berman has requested an audience..."

"My, who might that be? I don't believe I've ever heard of him before."

With bowstrings taut and conflict nigh, Tearmoon's fate she would unwittingly decide.