Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume14 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 6=== 

Nefescal Palace at the imperial capital, Ostdakia&mdash;

"...Sigh, this is why I hate the palace."

At dawn, Fianna dragged her tired body to her bed and collapsed, sighing deeply.

A certain incident had taken place in the Alphas Theocracy recently. Representatives from the surrounding countries had been invited to the All Nations Conference to discuss countermeasures.

This incident was a sudden coup d'etat in the Theocracy. The mastermind, Sjora Kahn had taken over the palace of Scorpia in merely half a day's time and beheaded the Hierarch.

Currently, the Theocracy was split between the Sjora faction and the former-Hierarch faction, resulting in an intense civil war. The flames of internal strife were blazing with ever increasing intensity and starting to affect neighboring countries.

As a long-term trading partner of the Theocracy's, the Ordesia Empire could not stand aside and watch this happening without intervention. Hence, the All Nations Conference was held.

With a number of breaks in between, the conference had persisted late into the night.

The biggest reason for the conference's slow progress was the Holy Kingdom of Lugia, which used to persist in a harsh stance towards the Theocracy, now changed their tune and expressed support for the coup d'etat's mastermind, Sjora Kahn.

The major kingdom's unexpected attitude gave pause to the other delegates of the other countries, plunging the conference into turmoil.

Dracunia proposed the use of force. With the most trade going on with the Theocracy, the Kingdom of Balstan suggested supporting Second Princess Saladia Kahn. The shrewd Quina Empire feigned a bystander stance, hoping for more turmoil among the various continental nations.

After listening to so many opinions, the Emperor of Ordesia seemed to have difficulty clarifying an official position. Even among the imperial council, opinions were split between intervention and non-intervention factions.

Those wielding the greatest authority after the emperor, namely, Lord Conrad the prime minister, the family of Duke Finegas that stood as the biggest faction in the imperial council, and others were apparently proponents of military intervention.

(However, the nobles in the Arneus faction seem to be supporting the Holy Kingdom's proposal&mdash;)

What concerned Fianna the most were the intentions of her elder brother, Arneus.

In fact, the one presiding over this All Nations Conference was Arneus rather than the emperor.

There were also rumors that the emperor would abdicate soon, passing the throne to him.

However, even if it was related to this, the imperial council held a different opinion.

This was the question of Arneus' eligibility.

As far as his younger sister, Fianna, saw things, Arneus would make a poor king given his violent and merciless character. With a fool like him as the emperor, the Ordesia Empire would turn into food for the neighboring major powers within the blink of an eye.

On the other hand, there were nobles who hoped for a foolish and easily manipulated monarch to appear.

(That being said, this has nothing to do with me at all...)

Fianna shook her head quietly. Although there were also people among the nobles who wished to support Fianna, having recovered her power of the spirit contract, to become empress, Fianna had no such intentions at all.

"No matter what, it looks like the conference will drag on."

She sighed deeply again.

...Her anxiety stemmed from uncertainty over how things would turn out in the end.

(...I really want to go back to the Academy to see Kamito-kun and the others.)

Just as she was about to take off her tight-fitting formal dress to change into sleepwear, at that moment&mdash;

She heard light knocking at the door.

"...!?"

She paused in what she was doing and looked in the door's direction. The palace's female attendants were not permitted to enter this room. Fianna never expected someone to be visiting the Second Princess at this hour.

(...Also, there should be guards in the corridor.)

Fianna raised her guard and hid a spirit crystal beneath the hem of her dress.

Walking to the door, she asked quietly.

"...Who is it?"

"&mdash;It is me, Princess, Your Highness."

She heard the voice of someone unexpected.

"...Could it be you, Lord Conrad?"

Never expecting this, Fianna gasped.

Duke Conrad Batimas was the Ordesia Empire's prime minister, one who held the right to speak on behalf of the emperor on the imperial council.

"Princess, I wish to speak to you regarding some confidential matters. Would you be available right now?"

"...A-As you wish."

Despite some hesitation, Fianna decided she must not make the Empire's prime minister wait too long in the corridor.

Fianna opened the door with her key and discreetly looked outside.

"I am terribly sorry for disturbing you at this hour, Your Highness&mdash;"

An elderly man with white hair bowed his head politely.

He seemed to be alone without any attendants.

"Lord Conrad, please come in first."

"Yes, pardon my intrusion."

Lord Conrad stumbled into the room, walking with a cane.

Lord Conrad had often looked after Fianna during her childhood before enrolling in the Divine Ritual Institute. After Fianna lost her power of the spirit contract, he continued to treat her the same as before. This was the kind of rare noble he was.

Precisely because of that, Fianna's impression of him was quite favorable. However&mdash;

(...Confidential words for me from the empire's prime minister?)

...Somehow, she had a bad feeling about this.

"Who are the soldiers in the corridor?"

"The soldiers here are all my loyal subordinates because those of unproven origins must not come near you, Princess."

Lord Conrad swept his gaze around the room's walls in a circle.

"It seems that there are no spirits in this room?"

"...Yes, I deployed a barrier of sorts."

"Very well, then I shall cut straight to the chase."

Lord Conrad nodded lightly, staring intently into Fianna's eyes.

"Your Highness, I wish to support you as the next empress."

"...Eh?"

His words were not unexpected. Rather, Fianna knew that there could be no other reason for the Empire's prime minister to pay her a visit at this time.

However, even so, she still could not suppress the wavering in her heart.

"Lord Conrad, I&mdash;"

"Your Highness, please look at this."

Lord Conrad interrupted Fianna's reflexive refusal and took out a scroll from his bosom, opening it in front of Fianna's eyes.

"...This is&mdash;"

Written on the scroll were the names of many people with traces of blood on them.

Fianna pretty much had some impression of every name. They were aristocrats wielding power and influence in the Ordesia Empire.

"Indeed, this is a blood-signed petition from the various nobles supporting your bid to become empress."

"...Eh, no way..."

Including the prime minister, there was a total of twenty-four names recorded on the scroll. This represented roughly a quarter of the imperial council. There were this many nobles who hoped for Fianna to ascend to the imperial throne.

"Indeed, Arneus is my foolish brother. However, to ask me to become empress, this&mdash;"

"If Prince Arneus were to become emperor, the Ordesia Empire shall be set on a path headed to ruin sooner or later. He can be regarded as nothing more than exploited by nobles in the Arneus faction. There is nothing worse than this&mdash;"

Lord Conrad lowered his voice and whispered to Fianna.

"Because Prince Arneus has the Holy Kingdom secretly backing him."

"...The Holy Kingdom?"

Fianna asked involuntarily.

If the Holy Kingdom of Lugia were to cast its shadow over the Ordesia emperor, indeed, it was only natural for Lord Conrad to worry as the prime minister.

(...Arneus' opinions in the All Nations Conference has been unnaturally in line with the Holy Kingdom this time.)

...It was a plausible suggestion. Ever since the end of the Ranbal War, the Holy Kingdom had started eyeing Ordesia greedily.

"Does His Majesty know of this?"

"Most regrettably, Prince Arneus has won His Majesty's deep trust. Rather, it would be better to say that His Majesty himself has the possibility of falling under the Holy Kingdom's patronage&mdash;"

"Unthinkable..."

"I believe that His Majesty has not taken a forceful stance against the Theocracy on this occasion may be partially due to consideration for the Holy Kingdom's wishes."

Lord Conrad's gray eyes stared intently at Fianna.

"Between you, who has already graduated from the Divine Ritual Institute, First Princess Linnea and direct descendants of imperial lineage who are in the line of succession, Princess Fianna, you are the only one who was selected by the imperial family's spirit."

"...But as the most suitable successor? Are you sure you are not mistaken?"

"Please berate me if my words offend you, but for the sake of our homeland's future, I am willing to incur your resentment, Your Highness."

"An empress will face opposition from the surrounding nations. The Divine Ritual Institute has decreed that princess maidens who serve spirits are forbidden from involving themselves in politics."

"There are past precedents of empresses in history. In Dracunia's case, a spirit ascended to the throne. Alternatively, if Your Highness would select a husband from among the Empire's nobles&mdash;"

"...No, absolutely not...!"

Fianna cried out reflexively.

(...Because I have someone I love already!)

"...Princess?"

"N-No, well..."

Fianna's face turned red. She coughed deliberately for obfuscation.

Lord Conrad hunched his shoulders and spoke as though lecturing.

"...Indeed, it is only natural for Your Highness to feel hesitation. This requires time for you to contemplate."

"I shan't become the empress."

"The time has simply not come yet. This is fine for now. Well then&mdash;"

Lord Conrad interrupted her and took out something from his bosom.

It was ''spirit crystal'' glowing with ominous light, as red as blood.

Fianna had seen this spirit crystal before.

"&mdash;Don't tell me this is a Bloodstone!?"

An extremely rare type of spirit crystal, on the level of national treasures, the Bloodstone could only be mined from Astral Zero's sanctuary.

This was the same type of spirit crystal as what Fianna had stolen when she fled from the imperial palace. However, the spirit sealed in her Bloodstone was lost during the battle against Jio Inzagi.

The prime minister placed the ominously glowing spirit crystal lightly into Fianna's palm and closed her hand.

"This is something that can protect you. Please keep in on your person at all times."

"Protect me?"

"The nobles in the Arneus faction wish to assassinate you, Princess. Dame Greyworth's word no longer holds sway over the imperial council. You must protect yourself properly now."

"...How ironic. Back when everyone called me the Lost Queen, no one ever thought to take my life, because I was not even worth killing&mdash;"

Fianna bit her lip and spoke in self-deprecation.

"Whether friend or foe, there is no longer anyone remaining in this palace who underestimates you, Your Highness."

The prime minister shook his head and reached for the door.

"&mdash;See you later at the imperial council."

The door closed with a dry noise.

Fianna gripped the Bloodstone forcefully.

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