Chapter 19: The Great Sage of the Empire (Romance Mode) Makes a Choice

"Well, it's been a while." Mia looked cheerfully across the school grounds. "Who'd have thought there'd come a day when I'd look forward to being back here."

She'd arrived at Saint-Noel Academy a week before the new school term began. Frankly, she'd never liked being at school all that much, but being freed from her grisly fate left her with a sense of liberation that kept her on a mild but persistent high, and in her eagerness, she decided to leave the Empire early. Humming happily to herself, she stepped through the campus gates.

"Ah, Princess Mia!"

"My, if it isn't Chloe! Greetings."

She made her friend an exceptionally formal curtsy, causing her to hastily return the favor. They looked at each other and giggled.

"It's been too long, really. How have you been?" Mia asked.

"I'm good. I'm glad to see you looking so healthy."

"Is your father doing well?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you for that, by the way. He was ecstatic about what a great business deal yours was."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Still, I was so shocked. I mean, I knew it, but... it really drove home for me how you truly are the Great Sage of the Empire."

"My, I'm terribly flattered, but honestly, you're giving me far too much credit."

She sure was! For the love of... It's been too long since Mia said something true about herself.

The two bantered merrily as they walked through the campus. As they approached the courtyard they ran into another familiar face.

"Good day, Princess Mia. It's wonderful to see you again."

"Miss Rafina... It's a pleasure indeed. You're as charming as always."

In typical noble fashion, they traded elegant curtsies, after which Rafina tipped her head toward Chloe and smiled politely.

"A good day to you as well, Chloe."

"Ah, um, yes, g-good day to you, Miss Rafina."

Rafina smiled reassuringly at Chloe's nervously stilted response before turning back to Mia.

"I didn't know you and Chloe were friends."

"We are indeed. Best friends, in fact," Mia replied, throwing out the statement with a nonchalance that made Chloe's eyes go wide.

"B-Best... friends?"

"We often get together to talk about the books we've read."

"Gosh, that sounds delightful." An earnest smile spread across Rafina's face. "I was thinking of having some tea. Would you like to join me?"

"Oh, then I'll just head off—"

"Oh? Chloe, is there something urgent you need to attend to?"

"Huh? No. But... I don't want to get in the way of your—"

"Don't be silly. I'd like both of you to join me. It will be tea for three."

She smiled again at Chloe before glancing at Mia, who nodded.

"I'd prefer for you to join us as well, Chloe. Miss Rafina was kind enough to invite us, so why not take her up on her offer?" She took Chloe's hand in hers. "Let's go together."

"I heard the news, Mia. You're going to build a school?" asked Rafina after they'd made themselves comfortable in her room. She brought her teacup to her lips and peered over the rim at Mia. "And you're going to open its doors to the masses, as well? A bold move, if you'll pardon my indelicacy."

Chloe blinked in surprise before turning to Mia as well.

"Really? I had no idea you had plans like that."

Their intent gazes made her a little nervous, and she shifted in her seat.

U-Uh oh, did she catch on to the fact that I'm letting in commoners because I don't want to send Tiona's brother to a proper school for nobility?

Though the shadow of the guillotine no longer loomed, being stared at by Rafina could never be good. She hastily stitched together an excuse.

"I-I don't see what all the fuss is about. Talent is talent, right? No reason to get too hung up on which family it comes from."

Case in point: Tiona's brother was the one who would come up with the new strain of wheat, and his family was hardly prominent. Heck, they barely counted as nobility. Talent didn't pass through blood. Mia was sure of it! Or so she hoped!

Fortunately, her desperately fabricated justification seemed to satisfy Rafina, who looked down at her lap and said in a quiet voice, "I could not agree more."

Seeing that she'd successfully escaped further interrogation, Mia let out her breath in relief. Almost immediately, however, she noticed something was wrong. Rafina was still as a statue, her expression hidden by the oblique angle of her face. There was an extended silence. Suddenly, she leaned over and took Mia's hands in hers.

"I'm so glad, Mia... but I'd expect nothing less from my dear friend," she said, voice filled with emotion and eyes moist with tears.

Mia's words hadn't just satisfied her. They'd resonated with her on a very deep level. Which was a shame, because Mia was oblivious to this fact, and Rafina's reaction was both bewildering and a little scary. All she knew was that she said a bunch of stuff that barely made sense to her and now Rafina was squeezing her hands like they were soul mates. Normally, being stared at by Rafina was the kind of thing that would send her into crisis aversion mode, but right now...

"Please, you exaggerate."

She simply smiled back. Because she was on a roll, and she knew it. Fate was on her side. That big wave was still at her back, still surging.

It's coming... Oh, I can feel it... It's going strong!

So long as the wave kept going, she was going to keep riding it. It would carry her farther and farther until — perhaps as retribution for the way she'd relied on the fickle whims of fate — it simply vanished, leaving her stranded out at sea.

"Your Highness, pardon my intrusion."

Anne rushed in. Mia failed to notice that her face was ashen.

"What's the matter, Anne?" she asked, completely unprepared for what came next.

Anne looked at her, took a deep breath, and spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.

"There has been... a revolution."

"...Eh?"

And so, the freefall began.

"A... A what? R-R-Revolution? Why? How? But what about— All that effort... I worked so hard... It meant nothing? A revolution in the empire..."

Mia felt her strength drain from her body, and the whole world began fading to white.

"Eeeek! Mia! Calm down! It's not the Tearmoon Empire!"

"Huh? Wh-What do you mean?"

She paused mid-fall and stared at Anne.

"It's Remno. I just heard from Keithwood that a revolution started in the Kingdom of Remno."

"Huh? I don't... What?" sputtered Mia. Her mind, still jumbled by the initial shock, failed to comprehend what she was hearing. "Wh-Wh-What in the moons is going on?"

How was there a revolution so suddenly? And in Remno of all places? None of it made any sense.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Excuse us, Miss Rafina."

Prince Sion and his attendant, Keithwood, walked into the room. They were followed by Tiona.

"I heard that I'd find Princess Mia here..."

"Ah, Prince Sion. Your timing is rather impeccable," said Rafina, her voice solemn and her expression serious. "Come. Be seated. I'll bring you some tea."

Once the newly arrived trio sat down, Keithwood began explaining.

"Okay, let me clarify. At this point in time, we believe the situation is best described as a popular uprising in which those involved are calling for revolution, so it's probably not quite the real deal yet..." he said with a wry, reluctant grimace. "I apologize for the confusion."

His hesitant tone underscored the awkwardness of their position in divulging this information. The Kingdom of Sunkland had since its earliest days placed a great deal of emphasis on the value of information. They had a dedicated intelligence agency known as the Wind Crows, which operated in all the nearby nations through a network of latent spies. Recently, they'd received a missive from their agents in the Kingdom of Remno regarding some concerning developments.

The message had read, "Signs of revolt apparent in Remno. May lead to revolution and attempted deposition of monarch. Government likely to respond with crackdown. High risk of violence to Remno civilians. Military intervention from Sunkland necessary to protect Remno people from government atrocity."

Normally, Keithwood would never be privy to such information. Though he was attendant to the crown prince, this kind of classified intelligence was above his clearance level. However, no kingdom was a monolith. Every large organization had its fair share of internal factions, and Sunkland was no different. There were plenty of officers and officials who were fond of Sion and eager to advance his interests. Keithwood, being the diligent servant he was, had made sure to keep close tabs on the shifting sands of factional allegiance to figure out who was on their side. After all, the prince had a habit of sticking his nose into all sorts of trouble, and Keithwood's network of reliable allies was the only thing standing between the attendant and regular panic attacks.

The tip they'd received this time had come from one of those trustworthy sources. Upon hearing the news, he'd immediately brought it to Sion's attention, who decided after some discussion that it would be best for them to inform Princess Mia as well.

"The fact of the matter is that we have very little information to go on."

The message was exceedingly vague, describing signs of a revolt that might lead to revolution. Its closing line, however, was clear as crystal, stating unambiguously that military intervention was necessary. Even Keithwood had felt his heart skip a beat after reading that and, in an uncharacteristic display of indiscretion, had recounted the message to Anne word for word with the "lead to revolution" part intact.

He sighed and shook his head in disappointment at his own lack of composure before saying, "Although, over the past few years, we've seen a number of signs that suggest Remno's political situation is destabilizing."

With its large military and heavy taxes, Remno's governance had always been a delicate balancing act. What caused its equilibrium to collapse was the king's announcement of another tax hike. It was, of course, met with no shortage of opposition. The first to protest was the Remno chancellor and count, Dasayev Donovan, who lent his ear to the masses and voiced his anger on their behalf.

"I know of this count as well," said Rafina before frowning. "Though I'd heard he is a man of wisdom and mild temperament..."

"Same here. Everything I've heard about the chancellor tells me the same," added Sion, who shared her frown. "We're pretty sure that he moved to put himself between the throne and the people to mediate their disputes, but then, something happened..." He crossed his arms as he trailed off. "Something... must have happened..."

A stifling silence descended upon the group.

What? What? Someone tell me what's going on!

Mia, who couldn't follow the conversation at all, was in a state of total confusion. It took every ounce of her will to stop herself from jumping up and down in frustration. She did not, of course, have any memory of a revolution happening in Remno, and it wasn't because she was too busy with matters in her own backyard. Last time around, no significant events had occurred in Tearmoon at this point in time — nothing important enough require her full and undivided attention, anyway. Therefore, if any kingdom had suffered a revolution or revolt, there was no way it'd go unnoticed by her. If she had no recollection of such an event, then it shouldn't have happened. And yet, it had. It was happening right now. And not in Tearmoon but Remno. None of it made any sense.

W-Well, I mean, at least it's not happening in the empire. That's something to be happy about, she thought in an attempt at her trademark brand of positive thinking.

In theory, even if Remno went under in a revolution, it wouldn't be Mia's head on the chopping block... Which meant that technically, there was no need for her to do anything at all... In fact, she should stay as far away from this mess as possible. After all, the wise didn't go leaping into trouble... But...

"Milady... Do you want to go?"

"...Eh?"

A sudden voice caused Mia to snap out of it, and she turned to find Anne staring at her. There was no levity in the maid's expression.

"Wh-What are you talking about, Anne? I certainly never said anything about—"

"But... you... you look like you're about to cry."

"Huh? That's not true. I'm not..."

That's right. All this time, I've been working to keep myself away from the guillotine...

Memories began to resurface in her mind. Flashback after flashback of the past year of her life. She remembered the terror of the guillotine, and all the sweat and tears she'd shed trying to avert that horrible fate.

Yes. I worked so hard to get where I am now. Why would I possibly go to a place like that and throw myself into danger again? Staying away is the correct choice. I'm sure of it...

The right path was obvious.

"...But—"

The flashbacks wouldn't stop. The memories kept coming. A gentle smile flickered in her mind like a candle. She remembered seeing it as he helped her onto a horse... as he stuffed a sandwich into his mouth... as he danced with her, a nervous drop of sweat sliding down his brow... Scene after scene, she saw nothing but his face. Then the montage faded, and she looked around. Anne's and Chloe's... Sion's and Keithwood's... Rafina's and Tiona's... All of their gazes were focused on her.

"...I don't suppose anyone will take no for an answer, will they?" she said in a small, hushed voice. Her lips, however, were curled up into an eager smile. "I do want to go. I want to go... to Prince Abel."

Thus did Mia, at long last freed from the fetters of the bloody diary and the doom it foretold, make her first real choice. She looked across the room, meeting the gaze of every person at the table before asking, "Will you help me?"

N-Not that I want to see him or anything! This is just... strategy! Yes, it's strategy! So people don't get disillusioned with me and throw me to the guillotine again! screamed her inner tsundere.