Chapter 18: Mia... Steps in Something

For eight straight days, Mia fought fate tooth and nail, doing everything she could to resist it.

The morning after hearing Bel's story, she told the school she felt unwell and requested time off from all her classes. Then she spent the rest of the day in bed drowning in tears of misery and despair. Thus concluded day one.

The next day, Abel and Sion, along with some of her other classmates, came to visit her and express their concern about her health. Feeling particularly adored, her ego had a field day, and her mood improved a little overall. Thus concluded day two.

"It's too early to be giving up! I need to calmly and carefully analyze Ludwig's words!"

The thought revived her motivation, and she started searching for another way out of her predicament. Thus concluded day three.

The ensuing day, she was seized by a craving for sweets, so she popped by the cafeteria, resuming her attendance of classes in the process for camouflage. Her brain, out of shape from the extended break, struggled with actually learning, and she retired to her bed early with wispy fumes of overexertion emanating from her head. Thus concluded the fourth day.

And that accounts for half of her eight-day-long battle.

The next evening, after almost five whole days of extreme unproductivity, Mia's little gray cells miraculously woke from their lifelong hibernation and put together a working theory. Behold, Mia's master plan!

If I beat Rafina in the student council election, history will change. The condition is: I must beat her. Clearly then, the important part is that Rafina doesn't become the student council president! In other words, it's not actually necessary for me to run in the election. As long as I can find a candidate who can beat her, things will work out fine!

Upon reaching that conclusion, it was as if a gale of clarity blew away the fog she was wandering through and revealed a path forward. She stepped eagerly onto that path.

On the sixth day, she promptly put her plan into action. When it came to saving her own skin, she would spare no effort. The candidate she had in mind was Prince Sion. Considering the amount of adoration and respect he enjoyed, she figured he could surely give Rafina a run for her money. This was surprisingly sensible for an idea of Mia origin. After her days-long rest, her brain was finally recharged enough for action. Once the final lecture of the day ended, she immediately made her way to Sion's classroom, humming cheerfully as she went.

Mmmhmhm, not only will I avoid receiving any death glares from Rafina, I'll also add a whole ton of work to Sion's plate. What a brilliant idea! Sweet moons, am I ever good at this!

Each grade in Saint-Noel was divided into two classes. Tiona and Chloe were in the same class as Mia, but Sion and Abel were in a different one.

Speaking of classes, I wish they'd put me in the same one as Abel. Sion too— not that I care about his feelings or anything! But I mean, if he really wanted to be in my class, I guess I wouldn't mind if we were all together... After all, even he'd probably feel lonely if we left him in a class all by himself.

Every once in a while, Mia's inner tsundere would rear her head.

"Excuse me," she said to a group of girls near the entrance to the classroom.

"Yes? Wha— Oh! Princess Mia!"

The girls jumped a little at the sudden appearance of a school celebrity. Mia smiled politely at them.

"Good afternoon. Would any of you happen to know where Sion is?"

"Huh? Oh, um, yes. Prince Sion, um, went to practice his swordsmanship."

"My, how diligent. I suppose I'll find him at the training grounds then?"

"Maybe? I'm not sure— Oh, but I saw Prince Abel with him," said another girl, who hastily appended this information about Abel in a whisper.

Mia lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Is that so? Abel was with him, you say... In that case, they might be at that other place instead..." she mumbled in contemplation. When she looked up, the girls were all staring at her in wide-eyed shock. "Hm? Is something the matter?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing."

"...Really? Well, all right then. Thank you for your help."

She showed them a polite curtsy and walked off.

After Mia left, the girls traded furtive glances.

"Hey, did you hear what she just said?"

"I totally did! She called him 'Sion'! No 'Prince'! Just 'Sion'!"

"You think they're, you know... together?"

"But wasn't she cheering for Prince Abel during the swordsmanship tournament? She calls him 'Abel,' too."

"Two princes! Which one is she going to go for?"

A round of squeals erupted from the girls, and their subsequent chatter would place Mia at the center of school gossip.

Oblivious of the rumors swirling around her, Mia strolled to the training ground and took a quick look around. As expected, they weren't there. She then made her way to the stables, thinking they might be practicing their swordsmanship on horseback.

"Hm, still nowhere to be found."

Just then, she heard a voice behind her.

"Hey, if it isn't little Miss Tearmoon."

She turned to find a tall figure standing over her with a horse brush in one hand. He gave her a wide grin.

"My, Malong. It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Good, good. Have you done any riding over the break?" asked the leader of the horsemanship club, Lin Malong.

"I certainly have. So much, in fact, that I might be a better rider than you by now," she answered with feigned seriousness.

That got a hearty laugh out of him.

"Gahaha. Confident, aren't you? Wanna race me later then?"

"If it pleases you. I won't lose though," she said, matching his grin, before putting a finger to her chin and quizzically tilting her head. "By the way, would you happen to have seen Sion and Abel around here?"

"Nope. I've been here, tending to the horses since classes ended, so..."

"That leaves one more place then." She nodded to herself. "Thank you very much, Malong. I'll see you later then."

"Sure. Oh, watch your step, little lady, 'cause that's where—"

Squish.

"Eh?"

The unpleasant sound was accompanied by the viscerally repulsive sensation of something moist and mushy giving way underfoot.

What was— Oh no...

She really didn't want to look down, but she had to, and when she did...

"Ahh... Ahhhhh..."

She let out a grief-stricken groan.

My... My shoes... Ugh...

Mia was no dainty prude who knew nothing but a cloistered palace chamber. Having spent the last few years of her previous life in a dungeon, she was no stranger to filth. That experience was why she could walk through the slums without batting an eye. Therefore, she wasn't going to make a scene just because she stepped in... stuff. It wasn't like she'd hurt herself, and her shoes hadn't sustained any permanent damage either. All in all, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Still, the realization of what just happened came with an unpleasant shock that soured her mood. With her head hung, she sullenly left the stable and plodded down a small path behind the school. It wound its way forward like an animal trail in a forest. She kept following it in the knowledge that it led to the sandy beach where she'd once watched Abel practice his sword swings. Soon enough, her view opened up into a mesmerizing expanse of white sand and blue water.

"Ahh... This place is always so beautiful."

The sound of waves lapped gently at her ears, rolling fronts crashing against the shore before retreating to reveal wet sand glimmering under the soft springtime sun. Against this serene backdrop stood two princes, swords drawn and eyes locked.

"As I thought, there they are..." she muttered, her cheeks puffed out in displeasure.

I swear, Abel can be so dense sometimes. He really doesn't understand how girls think. I was hoping to make this our own little secret place. Just for the two of us.

She strode forward but paused midstep. With her foot raised, she looked from her shoe to the shore and frowned, imagining her brown-stained footprints dotting the pristine white sand.

"That... would be a rather unpleasant sight," she muttered. After a moment's consideration, she sheepishly took off her shoes. "There's nothing strange about this, right? It's a beach, after all."

Then she ran barefoot through the sand toward the two princes.

"Oh. Princess Mia."

The first to notice her was actually Keithwood, who stood with his back against a giant boulder near the shore as he watched over the two princes. Upon seeing Mia, he lifted an eyebrow and walked out of the boulder's shadow.

"My, Keithwood. Good day to you."

She placed her hands on her skirt and greeted him with a polite curtsy.