Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume12 Chapter4 (section)

=== Part 1 ===

Around the time when Imperial Crown Prince Gil of Mephius managed to enter Ende, the disturbance which had divided Solon in two showed signs of growing even more heated than before.

It had all started with a tea party sponsored by the imperial princess, Ineli.

An armed group had suddenly burst in on it and had forcibly attempted to carry her off. It was said that they had acted on Empress Melissa’s orders. Now that her daughter had become the face of the crown prince’s faction, she could not afford to leave her be. Having barely managed to avoid being taken, Ineli flew into a rage. She too prepared to use armed force to counter-attack Melissa, her own mother.

Guessing what her actions would be, Melissa had swiftly taken soldiers with her and had barricaded herself inside the Dragon Gods’ temple along with her daughter Flora and a portion of the nobles who were recognised as belonging to the emperor’s faction. The situation was further complicated by the fact that Emperor Guhl Mephius had accompanied Melissa’s entourage to the temple.

The official story was that “His Majesty’s health is not favourable so he is visiting the elders at the temple in order to receive prayers and divine protection,” however, while it would have been usual for him to travel to the shrine with a considerable retinue, not a single person had seen the emperor’s procession. It seemed likely that Melissa and those connected to her had probably used rough methods to bring the emperor out of the palace.

The news had gotten tangled, and there were some false reports that it was the crown prince’s faction which had first used armed force. They had conquered the palace and forced the emperor into submission. The empress had opposed them and, in place of the emperor who had collapsed due to illness, she had gathered the loyal retainers and was bravely resisting from within the temple.

While the emperor’s and the crown prince’s factions faced off against one another, the emperor himself had not been seen or heard from once since entering the temple, while Crown Prince Gil was currently taking reinforcements to Ende.

As a result, the vague anxiety that everybody had been feeling soon boiled over and erupted in the form of violence. Starting with Solon, uprisings and disturbances broke out one after another throughout Mephius. In both the emperor’s and the crown prince’s faction, there were many who felt that – ''this is my chance to make a name for myself'' – and led their soldiers to take control of forts and villages, as well as those who moved their troops to stop them, reasoning that – ''suppressing them will earn me recognition''.

The emperor’s rule had been despotic, and there were a great many who were dissatisfied, such as those who did not have the emperor’s favour or those who felt that they had been pushed into an unfair position. Moreover, there was no shortage of younger sons of aristocratic and military houses who would not inherit as heads of their family, but who had distinguished themselves during the ten-year war with Garbera, yet Mephius was not a land suited to being divided amongst scores of people. Like a torrent breaking over the river bank, one after another they rose to action.

With the government having fallen into chaos, the influence of local authorities naturally came to the forefront. Thefts and assaults proliferated in the towns, and the number of bandits attacking along the highways multiplied. After the uprising in Kilro, the slaves’ excitement had started to cool down, but now flared back up again in the form of escapes and insurrections.

Of course, the capital did not just silently watch over all of this. General Odyne Lorgo, whom Gil had, so to speak, left in charge of the capital, dispatched troops to every area to suppress the disturbances.

Since the merchants of the port city of Birac had a strong sense of self-governance, that town was not caught up in the unrest, and the domain lord, Fedom, could instead take the initiative of mobilising Rogue Saian’s troops to assist Odyne.

Thus, it was largely the crown prince’s faction which was able to display leadership and the ability to take action.

The situation showed how much the emperor’s influence had declined, but those who were close to him were not about to let go of their vested interests, and formed a secret alliance. According to the rumours that drifted into the capital, they had been assembling troops centred around the governors of fortresses ever since the crown prince had left Mephian territory. They stirred up fervour by claiming that “the schemes of the crown prince’s faction are preventing His Majesty and the empress from moving. We will storm the capital and rescue them.”

Odyne, Folker, and the others had, of course, taken all measures to surround the Dragon Gods’ temple. Their encircling net allowed no one to pass inside nor to escape outwards; but since Emperor Guhl Mephius himself was within, they could not make use of violent means. Yet as long as ‘His Gracious Majesty’ remained safe, the emperor’s faction was not going to reign in its actions.

Ineli Mephius irritably took stock of this situation, in which Solon continued to be locked in a strange stalemate while sparks flew all around it. The angle of her eyebrows grew sharper by the day, as did the number of times she found fault with her ladies’ maids, the soldiers, and everyone around her.

Before long, she started suggesting that they should force their way into the temple.

“We should send soldiers in immediately. Even the ‘enemy’ couldn’t possibly use His Majesty as a shield. Isn’t this simply underestimating our ability to push forward?”

So saying, she repeatedly urged Odyne to use military force, but:

“If we use strong measures at this point, it might provide those inside and outside of the city with a just cause to turn their weapons against us. We would do better to await our chance,” he chided her each time.

Those who were causing disturbances all around were no different in thought than Ineli. ''I need to seize this opportunity to make a name for myself'' – all of them were bound with that almost obsessive thought.

And so it was that, in the end, Ineli used a portion of those who were likewise looking to curry favour with the imperial princess and, late one night, mobilised soldiers on nothing but her own judgement.

“We don’t need to destroy the temple. Once we’ve taught them a lesson, we’ll soon see how fragile the ‘enemy’s’ solidarity is. Defectors will start appearing one after another, and this ridiculous disturbance will come to an end.”

With those words, the cannons were placed into position and the temple was bombarded.
As the roar of cannonfire resounded, regardless of it being from the emperor’s or the crown prince’s faction, it sounded like Mephius’ death throes.

Fortunately, the aim was off and a unit under Odyne’s banner realised what was happening and was able to stop the bombardment after the second shot, so the episode had no effect other than to galvanise the emperor’s faction. The next day, a squad fired a volley of cannonballs at the capital’s ramparts in retaliation before being broken up by Solon’s guards as the townspeople huddled together and watched the thick, white smoke rising up.

It was while Solon was being shaken by chaos that a visitor arrived. A Garberan royal princess who had travelled by ship from Birac.

Needless to say, it was Vileena Owell.
 


The first to greet the princess was Theresia, who had formerly been her head lady’s maid in Garbera.

Vileena had previously left Solon after making a declaration, unbefitting of a princess, that “I am going to take some soldiers to subjugate Salamand.”

Theresia now bowed with a deliberately calm expression and asked, “Did you have a pleasant trip?”

The princess nodded with a smile.

“It was very pleasant. I unexpectedly got to see the skies of my hometown once more.”

“That is indeed very fortunate. However, it is rare for you to overturn the plans you have decided on, Princess. Even I was surprised that you had gone to relax in Garbera,” Theresia said with sarcastic admiration.

The old lady’s maid was, of course, given the details. That Salamand’s capture had gone well but thereupon, the princess had been shot at by someone and her life had suddenly been placed in danger; also that she had travelled to Phozon, the capital of their home country, but had remained inside the air carrier without setting a single foot beyond it.

But let us have no tedious repetitions. Looking at her mistress, whose hair concealed the tightly wound bandages, Theresia had the startling impression that she was looking at a wounded warrior who bore their injuries with pride rather than pain.

At the same time –

''Oh?'' – Theresia frowned slightly. The princess’ eyes were red. She must surely have been seized by homesickness after returning for a while to Garbera, thought Theresia, when…

“Fuwaaaah.”

“Princess…”

Vileena gave such a huge yawn that Theresia had no choice but to sharply reprove her.

“Have you not slept?”

“No, not for about three days.” Vileena rubbed her eyes.

Since Gowen had, of course, sent advance notice that the princess would be visiting Solon, Theresia was not the only one who had gone out to meet her, there had also been messengers from Ineli and the other nobles currently in the capital. Vileena merely exchanged formal greetings with them, however, and left afterwards with no one but Theresia, saying that “I’m going to my chambers.”

The chambers in question were the ones that had been allocated her when the crown prince had still been in Solon. Her manner indicated that she considered that nothing had changed from before and that this was her living space.

To their side, slaves going about their work at the port were about to pass by. They were carrying heavy loads on their backs. A man who looked like the port supervisor hurled abuse at them for being “slow”.

Vileena Owell cast them a vague sideward glance.

“Say, Theresia…”

“Hearing you say ‘say’ makes me feel uneasy.”

“What do you mean, ‘uneasy’,” for a second, Vileena puffed her cheeks, but her expression immediately went back to being serious. “My greatest source of pride is having been born into Garbera’s royal family.”

“I know.”

“However, if, for example, the townspeople here were to say, right in front of me, that that was nothing compared to their own pride and joy in being the sons or daughters of their own parents, I would not laugh at them.”

“Indeed.”

“Then what about slaves?” Vileena turned to look over her shoulder once again at the men moving every which way around the port. “Do they also feel proud of their origins and of their current selves?”

“…”

Theresia was about to answer something but instead remained silent. She understood that Vileena was not making a careless comment, and neither was she looking for Theresia to answer her.

“Lineage is a strange thing if you think about it. If you follow an unbroken line of births, you arrive at the same place for everyone. So what is it that makes me proud of being part of the royal family? Is it because I can see for myself the nobility of my grandfather, my father, and my brothers? Is it because of the examples, the honour, and also the nobility of my ancestors recorded in history books?”

Vileena turned to face forwards. The sky was faintly blue. Perhaps it was because of the disturbances that were breaking out all over, but messenger airships and air carriers were incessantly taking off and landing at the port.

“I am a royal princess of Garbera,” she quietly stated that obvious fact and continued walking. “I inherited that blood and carry that history. Both past and future. Right, my words aren’t mine alone, my body doesn’t belong only to me. If I go too far in prioritising my own wishes and values, and betray my lineage, I will be smearing mud over both the spirits of the past and the future of the royal family. Because...”

“…”

''Because I am a royal princess of Garbera''.

Vileena’s steps did not falter. Quite the opposite: she sped up, leaving Theresia to look at her advancing back. That was no doubt to not let her see the liveliness that was shinning brightly in her red and bloodshot eyes, but she had, literally, been a step too slow.

''Because… my blood and soul have to match that same integrity''.