Chapter 7: Summon the Madman’s Courage to Defend the Honor of the Empire!

That night, when the sky was darkest and the moon hung low, Mia woke to an uncomfortable sensation that made her quiver in her bed. As the sleep slowly faded from her mind, she realized that she recognized this sensation. It was an old friend, and she knew it well. Its name was...

U-Ughhhh... I-I need to go...

...Urgency.

The sandwiches with which she'd gorged herself during lunch had been especially salty, which led to her chugging profuse amounts of water at dinnertime. Now, all that fluid she consumed was back with a vengeance. After some squirming, she turned onto her side and tightly pressed her eyes shut, figuring she'd just ignore the sensation and sleep through it. Soon, she reconsidered.

If I fall asleep like this, I have a feeling I'll end up regretting everything.

Yielding to the call of nature, she got to her feet and, using a faint beam of moonlight as a guide, felt her way across the dark room toward Anne's bed. She was going to ask her to go with her to the restroom, but seeing the restful look on her maid's sleeping face, she reconsidered.

Come to think of it, Anne barely got any sleep over spring break, and it was all because of me...

Throughout the break, Anne had been looking after Mia, who'd been scared silly by the glowing figure she saw in the library and had trouble falling asleep afterwards. Night after night, Anne would stay by her side, singing her soothing lullabies. When those weren't enough, her loyal maid would simply spend the rest of the night with her. The thought that she'd been a burden on Anne gave her pause as the soft, steady breathing of peaceful slumber entered her ears.

I can't afford to wear her out too much. What if she gets sick? That would be terrible.

Mia was a saintly leader who had deep regard for her subjects.

I-I'd have to sleep in this room all by myself! That would be unacceptable!

Scratch that. Mia was just being her usual Mia First self.

On a side note, Saint-Noel Academy's curfew was nine o'clock at night, but Mia, being an exemplary model of a healthy, wholesome child, always crawled into bed an hour early at eight. She'd usually lie there for about an hour before the "I can't sleep!" realization and ensuing panic came about — at more or less the same time as regular curfew. Then, she'd spend about thirty minutes being tormented by the horrors of her own imagination before finally drifting off to sleep. In other words, even at the peak of her insomnia troubles, she was falling asleep about half an hour after curfew. She was actually getting plenty of sleep. Furthermore, once Anne switched from lullabies to her patented sleep-study method, Mia would be out like a light within minutes of getting into bed.

As for Anne, she'd spend another hour continuing to read to the sleeping Mia before getting some rest herself. She'd be up at five the next morning, giving her about eight hours of sleep a night. Of course, everyone is a little different when it comes to sleep, but chances are... if Anne were to get sick, it probably wouldn't be due to sleep deprivation. Such calculations were a bit beyond Mia.

"Hnngh... I guess I have no choice."

She put on her slippers and left the room.

In the dead of night, the hallway of her dorm was... not at all shrouded in darkness. The walls were adorned with firefly azaleas, and their glow, though dim, was enough for her to walk around without a lamp. There was an almost otherworldly beauty to the hallway and its floral illumination. On any other occasion, Mia would have appreciated it. Right now, however, it just made everything very spooky. She couldn't help but feel that hiding in the irregular shadows around her were those things she'd seen in Chloe's book, all waiting to jump out at her as she passed by.

"M-Maybe I don't need to go after all... I can probably hold it in until the morning..."

She was about to turn around when she felt a gust of wind on her back. The air of early spring was still chilly, and she shivered.

That was when she realized something — it was far too late to call it quits.

Ah... I see... I'm going to have to just suck it up and get myself to the restroom. Otherwise... I'll have an entirely different kind of trauma to deal with.

The thought of Anne hanging up her bedsheets to dry, stained patch and all, made her shiver again.

Nope nope nope! That's definitely not happening! All right, this is it, Mia Luna Tearmoon! It's time to summon the madman's courage and charge down this hall! she thought, trying to pump herself up for this immense undertaking. I am the Princess of Tearmoon, and I function as its representative! My shame is the empire's shame! With the empire's reputation at risk of being sullied, what else am I to do but bear arms and fight to defend its honor?!

With the tragic resolve of a lone knight riding into battle against uncountable foes, Mia faced the looming darkness in the hallway, and stepped forward. Fate, however, seemed to be toying with her, placing her destination — the restroom — in a location far from her room. It was technically an act of consideration by the school staff to ensure a princess's room wasn't next to a toilet, but right now, it sure felt like fate toying with her.

"Hnngh... Hnnnnnngh... It's so far... Why is it so far? And it's so dark too— Eek!"

Jumping at every flicker of a shadow and rustle from the wind, she made her way down the hall. The sheer stress of the experience probably shortened her lifespan by a few weeks, but she managed to reach the restroom.

A short while later...

"Phew..."

She came back out of the restroom and breathed a sigh of both physiological and psychological relief.

"In hindsight, it was a good thing I mustered up the courage to come here. Now, I can sleep comfortably..."

She trailed off as she looked up, feeling the fear come back to her as she realized she still had to make the return trip.

"...I have to do this all over again, don't I? B-But, I just have to go back now. I'll go quick and it'll be fine..."

Speaking to herself with considerably less panache than before, she stepped toward the darkness again.