Side Chapter: The Penal King and Mia’s Loyal Subject

The Whitemoon Palace was an ornate castle that had housed generations of Tearmoon emperors. Even when the whole of the empire was engulfed in the fires of revolution, it stood strong, its beauty untainted by flame and soot. The revolutionary army had eventually occupied the palace, their leaders repurposing it as their headquarters. Once the battles ceased and the corrupt nobles were all killed, they planned to revert the extravagant structure to its original function as the administrative nucleus of the nation.

Ludwig stepped into the audience chamber. He lowered himself to one knee and bowed his head before the throne. Seated upon it was the young man who had summoned him.

"I am humbled by this gracious offer, Your Highness. As a former official of the empire, it is an honor and a privilege to continue serving the interests of its people. But... I implore you to grant me one request."

With hollow eyes, he looked up at the young man on the throne, who regarded him with bemusement through a few dangling strands of resplendent silver hair.

"A request, you say? Speak it, then. It is my intention to fulfill it to the best of my ability—"

"I have but one wish, Your Highness," said Ludwig, emotion creeping into his voice as he held Sion's gaze. "Spare her life. Please..."

A shadow fell across Sion's face.

"Unfortunately, the execution of Princess Mia is a closed matter. It cannot be revoked."

He shook his head, unmoved by Ludwig's plea. Then he let out a heavy sigh and continued.

"Too much..." he said, his voice losing some of its vigor. "Too much blood has been shed. The people are angry, Ludwig, angrier than ever at the tyranny of the imperial family and their ilk. If I call off the execution, it will trigger outrage against the revolution's leadership."

The Kingdom of Sunkland could keep a certain degree of uproar in check through military pressure, but doing so would prolong the chaos and further exhaust the empire. Its people would only suffer more.

"It is imperative that order is brought to the chaos as soon as possible. To that end, the revolutionary army needs to be seen as a champion of justice that will redress the corrupt establishment. Therefore it needs to gain widespread support among the people."

A new leader that the people trusted would rise. Under this leader's direction, a new empire would rise from the ashes. That was the easiest script — the smoothest path toward recovery. It was correct. Its logic was sound. It was undeniably the fairest decision that could be made. And Ludwig knew it. He knew it far too well. That was why he sighed and stood up.

"I see... So be it."

He shook his head a little, turned, and walked away. It was a gesture of profound disrespect toward a foreign nation's royalty. The guard standing beside Sion almost drew his sword, but Sion motioned for him to stop. He raised his voice slightly and spoke in the direction of Ludwig's receding figure.

"Will you not lend me your strength? To rebuild the empire?"

"Prince Sion... You are an ideal ruler. You are wise. You are just. There is no doubt in my mind that you are a man of competence and virtue."

Unlike that pea-brained princess, he added in his mind.

The princess who, oblivious to the political significance of attending Saint-Noel Academy, spent her days there paying no attention to the diplomatic consequences of her actions... and as a result, earned the affection of not a single soul. Despite having attended school at the same time as the princess of a friendly nation, she'd forgotten the girl's name and, during a diplomatic meeting when the empire needed their help most, did the unthinkable — she looked her schoolmate in the face and asked, "My, who might you be?"

The incident had almost caused him to give up on the bungling princess for good. Instead, he'd swallowed his frustrations and stayed with her. But not before giving her a good scolding.

For the love of— Look, if you're going to that school, you have to at least remember the names of the prominent students and their respective nations!

Try as he might, however, he couldn't stay angry. Especially not after he noticed the notepad she'd started carrying with her after his scathing admonishment. From time to time, he'd find her walking around with it in one hand muttering to herself, her face scrunched up in concentration. One time, he got close enough to catch a glimpse of what was written — the names of her classmates with their nations of origin, which she kept reciting to herself in an attempt to commit them to memory.

From that day on, something in him changed. He saw her differently. She was as foolish and unreliable as ever... but she was trying.

Her Highness... She put in the effort. She tried to do better.

He paused his steps and turned to study the young man on the throne. Prince Sion was the very picture of virtue. Mia was his enemy, and yet he had the forbearance to seek the assistance of Ludwig, her former vassal. He displayed sound judgment and political acuity.

Ludwig smiled. It was a sad, wry smile. He knew with painful clarity that he couldn't find a better person to serve. No one was more deserving of his devotion than the young man before him. And yet...

"Have you ever been wrong, Prince Sion? Even once? I doubt it. And that's why..."

He shook his head, leaving his final thoughts unsaid.

You'll probably never understand... how she felt... and how hard she tried...

Doing what is right when the right thing is doable — that was a valuable and laudable trait of a ruler. If given a sum of money they could freely spend, how many people could truly claim to know how to spend it correctly? Sion Sol Sunkland was, without question, the kind of person who would put that money to its best use. It was to his credit... but also to his fortune. There were plenty of times when the right thing could not be done — when the world backs one into a corner, placing them between a rock and a hard place. Even when one wishes to give food to the starving masses, there might be no food to give. The desire to rule with integrity and enrich one's people could be thwarted by the lack of resources or ability.

That was the story of his regent — a princess who struggled against her fate in the worst of times, when all the world seemed hellbent on bringing about her ruin. He sighed once more and said to Sion, "I cannot imagine you have any need for my strength. Surely, you have no shortage of capable advisors?"

He knew that was his sentimentalism talking. Effort and endeavor did not excuse the result. The cold truth was that countless people had lost their lives due to the incompetence of the imperial family and the tyranny of corrupt nobles. The bereaved were left with only empty spaces where their loved ones used to be. No mere words, no matter how sincere or logical, could bring back what they'd lost nor allay their anguish and fury.

But even so... in spite of it all, he felt a deep sorrow at the fact that everything she'd done — all her earnest efforts — would be in vain, never to be recognized.

"I... cannot see myself serving you or the Lady Tiona. Goodbye," he said quietly, surprised at the hint of anger simmering in his voice.

Then he left.

Sion let him go without pause or penalty.

Two days later, in the Grand Square of the imperial capital, Mia Luna, Tearmoon Princess of the Tearmoon Empire was put to death. Thenceforth, Ludwig vanished from the stage of history, never to be seen again.

"I suppose this means Princess Mia was better regarded than I thought, at least by some..." Sion mused in his office after the execution.

The Mia Luna Tearmoon he knew was a selfish girl who abused her authority. She treated the lower nobles she disliked with open disdain and was transparently superficial in all matters. Violently uninteresting and shallow, she was the daughter of a foolish ruler who undermined his very empire through his disregard for his people. There was nothing about her that could coax even a shred of affection from him, but...

"Was there a side of her that... I didn't see?"

The thought came with a brief vision of the Tearmoon Princess he used to know. They'd gone to the same school. They'd spoken to each other. And at his command, he'd just watched her head part from her body. It was not a good feeling, and it left an ugly feeling in his chest — not simple sentimentality, but something far more bitter.

As time went on, the fall of the Tearmoon Empire proved to be the beginning of a period of chaos for the continent. First, the assassination of Rafina threw the Holy Principality of Belluga into disarray. Next, revolution consumed the Kingdom of Remno. The wave of mayhem grew and grew until it swept over even the Kingdom of Sunkland. Faced with numerous wars and internal power struggles, King Sion's circle of capable vassals rallied around him, and they managed to steer Sunkland through the chaos.

It cost them a good chunk of their territory and the lives of many, many people, but even so, their losses were minimal compared to those of other nations. It was an inarguable display of strong leadership and good government. However, such troubled times proved toxic for ideals, and Sion soon found that a kingdom could not subsist on morals alone. Time and again, he was forced to make hard choices. On those moonless nights when he felt trapped between conscience and reality, he would without fail recall that fateful day, when the sun bled crimson and the guillotine blade fell.

I... wasn't wrong. I had to. There was no other choice.

He would repeat those words to himself, scratching the scab off an old wound that would never heal. He'd try to ignore it. Pretended it was gone. But it stayed with him, forcing him to endure its persistent itch and ache.

In his later years, Sion Sol Sunkland — the Penal King — had earned the reputation of a righteous ruler, but he would lie on his deathbed alone. That was his life — one of respect but little love, in which his name evoked in his people not the respect of affection and favor, but that of fear and awe.

Thus concluded his story in a future yet to come. It was a possibility — one ending amongst many — that Mia launched into the great beyond with a feeble but completely life-altering kick.