Chapter 12: A Teary-Eyed Mia is Helpless and Alone

The Lulus were a tribe about two hundred strong who lived in a secluded village in the Sealence Forest, which in the previous timeline was known to be the stage of a great tragedy. Muted whispers passed from ear to ear, lamenting the destruction that the princess's selfishness wreaked upon the village. What the rumors failed to convey, however, was the sheer brutality of the massacre that had taken place. After suffering heavy casualties at the hands of skilled Lulu archers, the imperial army moved to quell the unrest for good by burning down the forest and slaughtering the entire tribe.

The only Lulus who survived the carnage weren't there to begin with; they were migrants and travelers who had left their village to find work. Dotted throughout the Empire, their grief and rage drove them into the waiting arms of the burgeoning revolutionary army, where their expert sharpshooting made them deadly weapons — to the bloody dismay of countless imperial soldiers.

Ultimately, the Lulu village would be remembered as a tragic breeding ground of hatred, where a brutal massacre etched bitter vengeance in the hearts of countless souls.

But that was then. At the present moment it was all quiet on the Lulu front. Nevertheless, the tribe's warriors all wore grim expressions as they waited. They could feel the tension thickening the air. It was a tenuous peace, the calm before a storm, and they knew it would not last. The stifling silence was ultimately broken by a message from a frontline scout.

"The imperial soldiers... retreated?"

The chieftain's voice came out as a low, raspy croak.

"It must be a trap. They're trying to lure us out," suggested one of the warriors.

"That's very possible," replied the scout, who then frowned. "But even so... Their camp is completely empty, and their provisions remain untouched. It's all very bizarre."

The scout was no clueless youngster. They stood on the brink of war, the fate of their entire tribe hanging in the balance, and he was someone they trusted to act as a frontline sentry during such dire times. A simple attempt at ambush would hardly escape his notice.

"In any case, we hold our ground until we know more," said the chieftain in a heavy voice. He crossed his arms and stroked his long beard before turning to the young girl beside him.

"I'm sorry to have made you come all this way only to run into something like this. I was hoping to ask you to pass the outcount's message on to the imperial army's captain, but..."

"I don't mind. When the tribe is in danger, it's only natural to come help..." The young girl nodded, her expression strong but solemn. "I was thinking of asking Miss Tiona to talk to some of the higher people and ask them to mediate a peaceful solution..."

"Asking higher-ups, huh... Depending on how things go, we might indeed have to consider such an option... but alas, I fear the Outland Count of Rudolvon is a rare exception. I doubt any other nobles are noble enough to help us."

At the end of the day, the Lulus were merely a single tribe of people occupying a section of forest near the border. The empire's nobility had no reason to help them. The chieftain shook his head. He'd lived long enough to know how the gentry viewed them. However...

"You're being too pessimistic, Chief," said the girl. "There are good, respectable nobles too. Besides—"

"Excuse me! Chief! A girl who came into the forest dropped this."

"What's tha— Hm?! That hairpin... It's..."

Upon seeing the item in the sentry's hand, a deep crease appeared across the chieftain's brow.

U-Ugh... How did it come to this...

Mia was stiff as a board as she sat atop her horse, its plodding steps bouncing her up and down. She looked up at the tall, slender figure sitting right in front of her and felt her muscles tense even more. Due to the purported dangers of being on horseback at night, she was now stuck riding tandem with Dion. It was just her and him and the great outdoors. Which was absolutely terrifying.

Also, he'd told her to hold on tight, but she didn't know where or what to hold on to, and she was scared of grabbing on to the wrong place and making him mad, so she did the only thing she could think of: freeze and hope she didn't fall off.

"We're going to stop by the camp along the way, Your Highness."

"The camp? Why?"

"Because we need to stock up on some torches, obviously. Or were you intending to go look for something in the forest at night in complete darkness?" He let out a sigh of what sounded uncomfortably like extreme exasperation. "You know, when it comes down to it, you can really botch the landing sometimes, Your Highness. You gotta work on your confidence game."

Botch the landing? Whatever does he mean?

"The whole premise just doesn't work. It's so amateur. You have to go look for something in the middle of the night? Come on. What kind of reason is that? You might have tricked my vice-captain into believing you, but..."

Dion looked over his shoulder at her. When she tilted her head quizzically, he rolled his eyes.

"All right, you can drop the act now. I assume you're going to go meet the tribe directly and talk it out with them in person?"

"...Huh?"

"Oh? Am I wrong? Considering you'd so graciously interrupted my plans to sit back and relax with a good cup of wine, after a rather taxing day, and pulled me all the way out here, I thought I could expect at least that much from you. Hm?"

Suddenly, she could feel a tangible pressure emanating from him. Something cold and frosty shot up her spine, and she rushed to answer.

"O-O-Of course! Not, I mean! You're not wrong, of course! And I'm going to need your help!"

"Good. As I thought, you're an interesting one, Your Highness!" He chuckled in amusement, and the pressure dissipated.

"Anyway, I don't know what exactly you're planning to do, but I'll be with you the whole way. Even if this ride takes us straight to Hell."

She looked at him, and the expression on his face made her realize something. It was one of those realizations that really should have come earlier but was nevertheless better late than never.

My? Is this... going to be dangerous? Am I... in trouble?

Scenes of her previous life flashed across her mind, ending with the moment when she'd been killed by the very man who was currently sitting in front of her.

W-Wait a minute! What in the moons have I gotten myself into?!

She'd let her guard down. That was it, plain and simple. After pulling back the troops, she'd thought she'd solved everything. Going to find the hairpin was supposed to be nothing more than a precaution. Her relief had dulled her senses, blinding her to the danger of her situation.

I-I know what this is. This is like when the appetizer is really tasty and you eat too much of it and you get really full and you end up missing the whole point of the meal, which is the really good dessert... Gah! Come on, focus! This is not the time to be coming up with such poetic metaphors!

It was, of course, neither poetic nor a metaphor, but its discombobulated nature was a decent analogy for the confused state of her mind.

"This place... really is dark."

At night the Sealence Forest was submerged in a deep, suffocating darkness. Dion walked in front of her, and though the torch in his hand burned brightly, it illuminated little more than a small circle around them. The place looked nothing like how it had during the day. The way the forest seemed to have morphed into a different world left her on edge, which meant that any sudden noises such as...

"Your Highness."

"Eeek!"

...someone speaking to her was enough to make her jump.

"Wh-Wh-What is it?!"

"Oh, not much. I just thought I'd point out that we've reached the place where we were attacked during the day," said Dion with a smile that suggested he was enjoying this far too much.

"A-Ah, I see... Okay then." She looked around and scratched her head. "Are... you sure this is the place?"

"Very sure. Look, the mark's still on that tree from where the arrow hit it."

She peered at something on the bark that, now that he mentioned it, did sort of look like the kind of mark an arrow would leave, but...

I can't really be sure. More importantly, how am I supposed to find anything in a place like this?

The realization had come far too late. If she asked Dion to take her back now, he'd just roll his eyes at her. And that was assuming she was lucky. If she somehow rubbed him the wrong way, she'd be in a load of trouble. After all, she was dealing with the person who had literally killed her before. Anything that might anger him was a big no-no...

Just as she started scanning the ground in an attempt to find her hairpin, she heard Dion's voice.

"Your Highness, it seems like things are going according to your plan."

"...Eh?"

She gave him a blank, clueless stare.

"Hey, how about you come out instead of eyeing us like a bunch of peepers?" he shouted as he pointed his torch toward some thickets.

Soon after there was the sound of something brushing against the leaves, and a number of mean-looking men appeared. They all wore pelts over their lean, muscular bodies.

So that's what the Lulus look like? I wonder if any of them are related to Liora.

She gazed at them dazedly as the conversation continued without her input.

"Considering I wasn't greeted by a flurry of arrows, I assume you're not here to fight."

"Impressive... Leader of the empire's warriors, you have good insight."

The warriors parted as an older man with an impressive gray beard stepped through. The man fixed Dion with a scrutinizing glare. Then he shifted his sharp gaze to Mia.

"Girl..." he said with a noticeable accent. "You are person... Who came here during day, yes?"

Unprepared for the conversation to suddenly involve her, she blinked blankly at him a few times. Then, figuring it would do her no good to lie, she nodded.

"That's right. I was—"

"Girl... Where you get this?" the man asked in a low growl.

In his hand, he held the very thing Mia had been looking for — the unicorn hairpin.

"My, that's..."

"Answer me... Where you get this? I warn you... Say wrong thing and I will—"

"All right, I think that'll be quite enough," interjected Dion as he stepped forward. "Watch your tongue, old man. Before you stands Her Highness, Princess of the Tearmoon Empire, so I'd suggest you start minding your manners. Also, I'm technically responsible for her safety, so..." His hand moved to the hilt of his sword and his voice took on an edge. "I'm gonna have to warn you. Say the wrong thing, and I might have to stop playing nice."

"You! You..."

The air thickened immediately with tension as the two men glared daggers at one another. Teeth were bared and nerves were taut. In an instant, the situation had turned dangerously volatile.

Ahh... This is...

Mia, meanwhile, was shaking...

This is sublime! What pleasure... What bliss!

...from absolute delight. She was having a moment. In fact, she was getting so emotional that tears were welling up in her eyes. And who could blame her? Dion — the man who had killed her and was possibly her greatest foe — was stepping into the line of fire. For her. Dion was risking his life to protect her. It was nothing short of pure, unadulterated ecstasy. Gratification of the greatest degree.

Ahhh, this is it! I know this feeling! It's the same as when I won Ludwig over! This feels absolutely glorious!

She had to stop herself from breaking into a fit of Ohohos.

"By the way, Your Highness... I assume you know how you're going to handle this, right?"

"...Eh?"

It didn't take long for him to rain on her parade.

"Uh..."

"Assuming you've already planned for a situation like this, you wanna start talking? Am I allowed to kill them or not? Is it going to be fight or flight? I'd appreciate some direction about how to proceed."

He gave her another one of his signature way-too-friendly smiles. By now, she knew exactly what it meant — you'd better know what you're doing or you're going to regret it big time — and it made her pale.

Okay, this is no time to be feeling good! I need solutions! What should I do...

She thought and thought, but having come here without the slightest semblance of a plan, nothing came to mind. Furthermore, there were a couple of very angry Lulu men staring at her, and it was making her very uncomfortable. She had no idea why they were angry at her, but it certainly seemed like getting out of this without some bloodshed was going to be difficult. Even worse was the fact that on second thought, Dion wasn't exactly a staunch ally of hers either. He wasn't her friend, and he hadn't sworn loyalty to her. His assistance was very much conditional, and with that intimidating aura of his, he felt like an enemy himself half the time.

Which means... My, that's rather odd. There's... nobody on my side?

She had no guards with her. Her loyal subjects, Anne and Ludwig, who normally rushed to her aid, weren't here. Alone and helpless and surrounded by foes, she was completely by herself. She grew desperate as the reality of her situation fully dawned on her, and her vision began to cloud with tears.

I need... I need to think of something...

As she spiraled deeper and deeper into panic, help appeared in the most unexpected way.

"Please... Wait!"

"Hm? Who might that be— Liora?!"

The sudden appearance of a familiar face caused Mia to let out a yelp of surprise.

"Your Highness... It is an honor," said Liora with a bow.

Mia gave her a quizzical look.

"What are you doing in a place like this? Actually, never mind... Could you perhaps tell me why the gentleman there seems so upset?"

"Of course... Actually... He is the Lulu Tribe Chieftain... and..."

"This hairpin..." said the chieftain, who inserted himself into the conversation. "Give my wife as gift... Then, after wife die... Give to daughter."

"Your daughter, you say..."

Mia pondered his words for a few seconds before nodding with comprehension.

"I see... In that case, I'm terribly sorry to inform you that your daughter has unfortunately passed away."

"Passed... away?"

The chieftain mouthed the words in disbelief. His lips quivered a little. Seeing his shock, Mia slowed her speech and used as gentle a tone as possible to avoid any undesired provocation.

"I believe that hairpin was probably given to me by your grandson."

"Tell me... Tell me more."

Mia told her story to a silent, attentive audience. Even after she finished, no one spoke. The Lulus traded glances, each trying to assess the veracity of the story through the expressions on one another's faces. Eventually, Liora broke the silence.

"Chief... Her Highness is not a person who lies... What she told us... matches the character of the princess I know."

Even Dion pitched in with a comment.

"Not that it matters, but just so you know, Her Crafty Highness there was the one who made it so we could pull back our troops."

"What? Lies. The girl kick our tree... Nothing more," protested one of the warriors.

Dion silenced the man with a glare before continuing.

"Here's a little lesson for you about how militaries work. Armies, you see, need to have valid reasons to move, and that applies to retreating as well. I wouldn't expect such understanding from a simple foot soldier, but you," he said with a testing gaze at the chieftain, "must surely understand, O Commander of the Lulu forces."

The old man's expression hardened, but he replied in a gruff voice, "I do... But you must know too... Believing all your words... Is difficult."

It was here that Mia saw a chance to nudge the conversation in the direction she wanted: creating an excuse for her to get out of here. She jumped on the opportunity.

"You're very right. In that case, we should bring the boy here. I doubt keeping him in the slums will do him any good in the future anyway. In fact, I'll arrange for it to be done right away. You can make up your mind after you see him."

She turned around and, feeling that the matter was settled, made to leave. She managed barely three steps before she heard Dion's interrogative voice behind her.

"Hold on there, Your Highness. Why're you leaving? You can't possibly be done, right?"

"...Eh?"

"Weren't you going to put an end to this whole conflict over the forest? I'm still waiting to see your master plan unfold."

He gave her that classic Dion smile, and the color drained from her face, again.

"O-Of course. How terribly convenient that a representative from the Outland Count of Rudolvon is here in the form of Liora. I'm sure we're all very excited to hear what she has to say!" she said, desperately grasping at anything that made it seem like she wasn't completely clueless and on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

After everyone had their say, Mia was finally allowed to go, but, right as she was about to, the chieftain approached her by himself.

"Your Highness... I apologize for earlier."

"Oh? Didn't you say you had difficulty believing me?" she asked, frowning at the chieftain's oddly humble attitude.

"The others were there... In front of tribesmen... I must say those things," he said in an earnest tone. "You come to enemy lands... With only one other... You are person of courage... No liar."

He bowed deeply at the waist. His long, gray beard dangled freely down from his chin.

"Thank you for care of my grandson... I apologize for rude words earlier."

The Lulus were a tribe that greatly valued a sense of pride. Those who affronted them would be met in kind, regardless of the offender's rank or status. Mia, however, was someone who'd helped them. On top of that, she was Princess of the mighty Empire of Tearmoon. She had the power to wipe their village off the map on a whim, and yet, she approached them in good faith and treated them with the utmost respect.

They therefore had no reason to antagonize her. In fact, not affording her an equal amount of respect would surely be an affront to her pride. All things considered, the chieftain had decided that it would be best to pay proper obeisance, even if only in private. To his surprise...

"You don't need to apologize. I'm aware that these trees are treasured by your people, and it was rude of me to kick one of them. We're one for one now, so how about we call it even?" She smiled at him. It was such a blithe smile, as if such concerns about pride and respect were entirely trivial to her. "More importantly, please welcome your grandson with gentle arms."

His jaw tightened. He knew exactly what she was trying to say with her final sentence, and it hit him with the force of a hammer, sending him on a quick mental journey back through his life. He saw his younger self, bound from head to toe by the heavy chains of his pride and stubbornness as chieftain. He saw how it weighed him down, roughened his disposition, and put him at odds with his daughter. There was fighting. There were tears. Then, there was the end. And the long, unwaning regret over a fractured relationship that could never be mended.

He looked the young princess in the eye and heard her unspoken words. Don't make the same mistake with your grandson. He understood her, and he pressed his lips together to keep them still. After a long moment, he swallowed and said in a hoarse, labored voice, "I am deeply grateful... For your kind words, Your Highness."

His very soul trembled at the vast empathy of the young girl before him.

...Of course, as you all must know by now, Mia's words were not born of empathy. They came from a very different place.

If that kid is the grandson of the Lulu chieftain, then it's going to be a problem if I leave him in the orphanage.

Though things had certainly improved, the slums were still the slums. You never knew what might happen in a place like that. And if something did actually happen, the Lulus all over the land were going to raise absolute hell. It was best to stamp out any seedlings of danger before they sprouted into actual trouble.

The best solution is to bring that kid back to this forest, but I need him to stay here. For that, I need the chieftain to treat him nicely so he won't throw a fit about wanting to go back to the orphanage...

Her motto had always been Mia First, and she was sticking to it. Sadly, no one at the scene was aware that the ostensible compassion of her words had actually originated from the good old Mia-centric model of the universe.