An Invitation to the Clair de Lune

A young girl made her way down the wide hallways of Saint-Noel Academy. She was in her mid-teens, and her long, gorgeous hair accentuated the air of pomp and confidence that exuded from her. With a proud smile, she walked unimpeded by nearby students who quickly shuffled aside and waited for her to pass. In a school filled with nobility from neighboring nations, she nevertheless behaved like someone who both deserved and expected deference from her peers. Her belief in her superiority was unwavering, and she had the lineage to back it up.

Esmeralda Etoile Greenmoon, the daughter of Duke Greenmoon — one of Tearmoon's "Four Dukes" — was born into wealth and power. The "Etoile" in her name — another word for star — was emblematic of her status. The Four Dukes were collectively referred to as Etoilers, which was a reference to the middle name they all shared. Those who bore the stellar designation were all part of the emperor's lineage and were in line to inherit the throne. Being of imperial blood afforded them vast power that, until the Empire's fall, arguably rivaled the actual royal families of smaller nations. It followed that Esmeralda would be a figure of significant prominence within the academy.

With confident strides, she made her way to Angelita's Abode, a salon often used to host tea parties. Inside she found it sparsely occupied. The only people present were a young boy enjoying some black tea at a table in the middle of the room with his attendant at his side.

"Ah, if it isn't Esmeralda arriving fashionably late to the scene." He raised his cup like a glass of wine. "A toast, then, to the audacity of our fair Etoiline, who dares keep me waiting. Were we not of equally stellar status, I'd hardly afford you the patience."

The boy was Sapphias Etoile Bluemoon. Like Esmeralda, his father was one of the Four Dukes. At sixteen, he was her equal in both age and pedigree, and they often ran into each other at parties and the like. The frequency of their encounters did not translate to any form of friendship.

"Then again, this is the Clair de Lune. I suppose I can't really fault you for coming late to this particular gathering," he said.

The tea party they were currently attending was known as the Clair de Lune, first begun at Esmeralda's behest. It had been conceived as a recurring event where the empire's most prominent nobles would gather and, over tea and treats, reaffirm their mutual commitment to the glory of Tearmoon. Eligible participants had to be Etoilers or above. It was a party with only four invitees; three were children of the stellar dukes, Greenmoon, Bluemoon, and Redmoon — the daughter of Duke Yellowmoon wasn't slated to enroll in the academy until the spring — and the final attendee was the princess, Mia Luna Tearmoon. This was the first instance of the gathering to which Mia was there to invite.

"So? The capricious Miss Redmoon and her chronic unpunctuality notwithstanding, why is Her Highness still absent?"

Esmeralda didn't answer. She plopped herself down on a chair before huffing out a dissatisfied sigh. Then she launched into a disgruntled tirade.

"You want to know why? Let me tell you why, Sapphias. Princess Mia says she's not coming today. Just like that. Can you believe it? She's just not showing up! To our party!"

Sapphias discreetly rolled his eyes at this rant before asking, "Is that so? What lunacy has afflicted our dear princess, then?"

Again, she ignored him, instead reaching for the little tea cakes on the table between them. She shoved one into her mouth. Then two more. After a bout of furious chewing, she gulped it all down, let out a deep sigh, and finally spoke.

"Lunacy is right... According to her, she can't come because she's going in person to thank that Rudolvon girl for whatever she did."

"...Rudolvon? Oh, the outcount. Really? What in the moons could a country bumpkin like her have done to deserve personal recognition from the princess?"

"Apparently, she made a name for herself in Remno. Something about acting as Princess Mia's proxy and going with some commoner — Ludwig, I think? — to talk with the king..." Esmeralda said with a dark scowl.

"The diligent dispensing of reward and punishment for deeds done is of course necessary, but I can't say I appreciate the dismissive attitude toward us. I could perhaps understand if it had been a secret date with the Sunkland prince or even a tea party with Miss Rafina, but..." opined Sapphias as he picked up one of the pastries on the table and popped it into his mouth. He munched for a while, appreciating its flaky texture, before smirking. "It would appear that Her Highness is suggesting she can make do just fine without us. That she deems the help of the Four Dukes... unnecessary. We're not being taken very seriously, are we, my dear Esmeralda?"

He shot her the kind of wicked grin often accompanied by hushed voices in shady taverns. Sadly, she had little taste for his attempt at villainy. Heck, she hadn't even been listening to begin with.

"Hmph! I'd planned this tea party just for her, too! And after all the trouble I went to, what do I get in return? A no show?" she complained, making no attempt to reply to Sapphias's statement. "Unacceptable! This is absolutely unacceptable! Why, Princess Mia? Why would you do this to me..."

She fumed, the fork in her hands shaking from how tightly she was gripping it.

"...Okay, how about you put that fork down before you bend the thing? The stuff here all belongs to Miss Rafina. I'd rather not have to explain to her why we're mutilating her utensils."

She kept fuming. He observed her for a few more seconds before letting out a sigh and rolling his eyes.

"This way please, Sir Emissary."

Under secret orders from Mia, Ludwig Hewitt had made his way to the king's castle in Remno. The final stroke was his responsibility; it was up to him to realize what Mia had been working toward all this time — an honest-to-god miracle. He was going to give the tumultuous story of this revolution a happy ending. He strode forward, his face set with determination.

Behind him, Tiona Rudolvon watched his advancing figure and sighed. Had things proceeded as expected, she'd be with Mia and the others right now on their return trip. Instead, Tiona had asked them to go without her, opting instead to accompany Ludwig on his journey to Remno. Her reason?

I was useless...

An excruciatingly acute awareness of her own powerlessness. Motivated by a desire to repay Mia for her kindness, she'd joined her in her quest, swearing that she'd protect her at all costs. To her profound dismay, her resolve proved useless. When their cart was attacked, she couldn't do a thing to help. Afterward, they'd become separated, and she never did manage to accomplish anything of value. She didn't help Mia. Not even once.

Princess Mia accomplished so much. Meanwhile, I was just baggage. Useless baggage.

That was why she'd come with Ludwig. She didn't know what she could do, but she wanted — needed to do something. Otherwise, she'd have no choice but to go back... and the thought of returning as worthless as she'd left was simply too much to bear. However...

Is... Is there really anything I can do here?

The doubt had hit hard and fast, and she was already on the verge of regretting her decision. Ludwig stood opposite a group of Remno's top ministers. Behind them loomed the King of Remno, who looked down at them from his elevated throne. The scene would have been intimidating enough in its own right, but there was also a lot of shouting. Angry shouting.

"Full acquittal of all members of the revolutionary army? Do you take me for a fool?"

The king's rebuttal was swift and unforgiving, and his ministers wasted no time adding their own sycophantic voices to the assault, practically yelling over each other to make themselves heard.

"What rubbish! This is a waste of His Majesty's time!"

"That's right! This is a Remno matter! It's none of your business!"

"Do we speak to an emissary or a jester?"

"Someone get rid of him! This is no place for idiots and madmen!"

With the insults removed, the crux of their argument was actually valid. A foiled plan did not negate the attempt; these were still people who had sought to topple the current regime. Treason was no laughing matter, and an offense of this nature, irrespective of the actual damage done, would normally necessitate penalties of the highest order. Having all offenders as well as their families and kin put to death would hardly be excessive.

The situation was arguably worsened by the fact that the Holy Principality of Belluga intervening in the matter meant Remno couldn't go after Sunkland's Wind Crows, who were the main culprits. Without any other viable targets, their rage was inevitably funneled toward the only people they could actually get their hands on — Lambert and his fellow leaders of the revolutionary army. Their current stance was only natural. To reverse such an instinctive conclusion would require an argument founded firmly on logic, but...

Ludwig hasn't said anything for a while.

Tiona knew why; it wouldn't matter even if he did. These people weren't here to listen. Logic held little sway over anger, and their opponents were fully under its influence. Ludwig could present a perfectly rational and preferable alternative, and it wouldn't change a thing. So he didn't; if speaking was futile, he simply wouldn't speak.

"A lighter sentence can perhaps be considered for this Lynsha girl who cooperated with Abel, but death is the only option for her brother and his accomplices."

The king's voice was stern and final. He showed no signs of heeding the words of an emissary who represented the wishes of his own son. Not only that, he grew ever more hostile as his anger shifted toward a new target.

"Also, though you claim to represent Tearmoon, are you not a vassal to the princess? I take it then that this drivel you spout is her invention. Hmph. I feel no need to listen to one who carries with him the stench of a fool."

The king's statement not only insulted Mia, but shifted the blame to her. That was not something Ludwig could bear to ignore. He glared at the king with the expression of one who'd finally surpassed the limits of their tolerance and was about to launch into a vehement rebuttal, only for Tiona to beat him to the punch.

"Princess Mia is not a fool!"

Tiona couldn't do anything. She knew that better than anyone. But for all her inability to act, she saw. She'd watched as Mia reached into the maw of despair and pulled out a miracle, every detail of the heroic effort burnt into her memory with vivid clarity. So she spoke, letting the scenes she'd witnessed flow freely from her heart to her lips.

"Her Highness... she heard about the troubles in Remno, and in an effort to save her classmate, Prince Abel, from the hardship that had befallen him, journeyed to this kingdom with only a handful of companions. Once she arrived she investigated the situation, learned the details, and realized that those who incited the revolution were victims as well and deserved sympathy. She strove to resolve the conflict without a single life being lost, and has so far succeeded. Who else could have accomplished such a feat?"

"What nonsense..."

The king eyed Tiona with disdain. From where he sat — up on the throne of Remno — he saw little more than a girl whose only business should have been keeping her mouth shut. Instead, she flouted her position and vexed his ears with her worthless words and juvenile voice. Before the aged boulders of the Remno elite, she was but a roadside pebble, her appeal powerless against decades of fossilized thinking.

However, while a pebble could not shatter rock, it could create a ripple across water. And what was a ripple if not a small wave — the force of which could, at times, chip away even the sturdiest of cliffs? What Tiona changed was not the mind of the Remno king. Where she found resonance was in the hearts of those who'd been there with her. Those whose ears had been graced in person by the words of the Great Sage of the Empire, Mia Luna Tearmoon. Her ripple flowed through the room and struck a deep chord with the Adamantine Spear, Bernardo Virgil.

As a man of tradition and custom, Bernardo embodied the image of the old-fashioned warrior. He had a fondness for battlefield duels, detested trickery, and held the ideals of chivalry in high regard. Therefore, he felt he had to speak up. To be moved by a young girl's words and betray her with silence was nothing short of disgraceful.

"Your Majesty, please lend an ear to the young lady's words. A princess of tender age and foreign blood took it upon herself to find a peaceful solution to this incident. She exposed a nefarious plot that had been brewing within our borders, and she stopped the King's Sword from drawing the blood of the king's people. What she did was nothing less than spare us the tragedy of slaying our own kin."

Remno was a kingdom that revered martial prowess. It followed that when the kingdom's leading knight had something to say, even the king would listen.

"Bernardo... You..."

Hushed silence fell over the room at the king's hesitant response, as though the collision between the ministers' anger and Tiona's outburst had spun into a great storm of emotion, and they all stood within its eye. Tension hit a peak, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

Everyone except Ludwig, who'd been waiting for this exact moment.

"Your Majesty, and Your Graces and Lordships, I implore you to listen to what I have to say... I implore you, for the sake of the Kingdom of Remno, to carefully consider what it is you should be doing at this point in time. To ask yourselves, what will best heal the wound this kingdom has sustained?" He pressed a finger to the bridge of his nose and, with dramatic flair, slightly adjusted the position of his glasses. "And to consider with me both the benefits of convicting your own people for their crimes... and not doing so."

And thus began Ludwig's meticulously and painstakingly planned counterattack, which would provide him with enough leverage to move the calcified boulders of tradition that weighed down the hearts of the king and his ministers.

The miraculous tale in Remno that began with the Great Sage of the Empire, Mia Luna Tearmoon, was now entering its final chapter.

While Ludwig and Tiona were working overtime trying to persuade the reigning authorities of Remno, the miracle maker — Mia herself — was also busy.

Busy melting into a puddle on her bed, of course. Upon returning to Saint-Noel, she'd promptly deflated from the exhausting journey and entered recovery mode. Which involved doing a lot of nothing. Only after lounging in bed for three whole days did a thought of any significance occur to her.

"Oh, right. I should probably thank everyone for everything they did." She sat up and scratched her head. "I could get each of them a present... but that sounds like a lot of work. Maybe I should just host a victory party or something..."

It definitely wasn't because a party would involve sweets, and she was craving said sweets. That definitely wasn't it. It would be wrong to suspect that all the stress she'd endured had worn her out, and she felt a desperate need to reward herself with an epic sugar soiree.

"That's right. This is to show my appreciation. It's a thank you party. Definitely a thank you party..."

After establishing a convincing pretext, she began pondering her next problem.

"Hosting a victory party is fine and all, but it's going to be hard to figure out a good menu. Hm..."

Her pondering led her to her friend and fellow princess, Rania of Perujin Agricultural Country, whom she viewed as an expert in all things sweet.

After listening to Mia recount her experiences in Remno, Rania first made it very clear that she was profoundly relieved to see her back safe and sound. Then she smiled.

"I think I might have the perfect thing."

"My, what is it?"

"It's actually something our country recently developed. It's still sort of experimental, but we call it the emperor melon, and it is simply exquisite..."

"Hm! More! Tell me more!"

"It's the product of extensive selective breeding aimed at maximizing its sugar content. It does have the downside of going bad really fast once it's mature... but when it's just ripe enough, mmmm... That moment when you put it in your mouth and it melts into pure bliss, it's like a little taste of heaven. It's sweet enough to give candy a run for its money, but it's also got this fresh melon aroma that fills your nose, along with just enough sourness to balance it out. It's a gift of nature crossed with human ingenuity and condensed into melon form."

"Ahh... Ahhhh... Splendid. That sounds absolutely splendid!"

Mia's expectations for this exquisite Perujin melon slammed into the roof, smashed through, and kept going up.

"But like I said, it's only good for a very short while. If Your Highness wishes to use it, it'll have to be eaten the same day it's brought in."

"I see. Which means once the date for the victory party is set, it can't be moved. Hm, that doesn't sound like that much of a problem..."

She was only inviting a handful of close friends, so their attendance could be confirmed beforehand. Once they found a date everyone was okay with, it should be fine. The only potential problem lay not with the people but the melon itself. In other words...

"Oh, but... If it's so good, I assume it must cost a fortune."

By now, Mia had become a compulsive penny pincher, and she'd long since internalized the fact that delicious things were also expensive things.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Consider it a gift in celebration of Your Highness's safe return," Rania said with a gentle smile that must have seemed nigh on angelic to Mia. "I'll tell my people it's for a tea party that's going to double as a showcase of our agricultural products."

Their meeting left Mia in extremely high spirits, feeling like all her problems had been solved.

"Mmmm, I can't wait to try that exquisite Perujin melon!"

Just as she began entertaining fantasies of biting into a big juicy slice of sugary delight, she received an invitation from Esmeralda to a tea party that was going to be attended by children of three of the Four Dukes. To her teeth-gnashing frustration, it was planned for the same day as her victory party.

"Argh, what a terrible coincidence..."

As a political nod to Perujin, Rania had been announced as the official host of the victory party, and Esmeralda was going to blow her top if she found out that Mia had turned down her invitation in favor of a party hosted by a princess from such a small country. At the same time, rescheduling was not an option.

It'll be difficult to postpone the victory party because of that exquisite melon, and Esmeralda's probably going to refuse to change her tea party's date out of sheer stubbornness...

Mia held her head in frustration.

"Ugh, why in the moons does Esmeralda have to make things so hard? What am I even supposed to do? I swear, I can't believe that girl sometimes!"

Mia's affection for Esmeralda fell by ten points.

"Hmm... Hmmmmmm..."

For some time, she groaned audibly as she pondered her options. Then it hit her.

"Oh, I know. Why don't I just change the premise? The purpose of the gathering can be to recognize Tiona's accomplishments and reward her efforts."

She quickly ran over to her desk and dug through the piles of reports that were strewn haphazardly across its surface.

"I'm pretty sure Ludwig sent me a letter about how Tiona did a really good job..."

She still felt some lingering animosity toward the girl, but she was willing to put that aside for the sake of her victory party.

"After all, it's the duty of rulers to confer appropriate reward on those who serve them well. This is the kind of reasoning Esmeralda will have to accept! Yes! What a brilliant idea!"

So, Mia hummed happily as she penned a letter to Esmeralda declining the invitation to her tea party.