Eric's Point of View

It is over.

Once Normand Tepet and the king fell and Alstair fled most of the royal guards surrendered. Many of them are young Tepet knights that have trained by Lionel's side at least once, and they too were probably nervous about the war. On top of that they were practically without any materials to work with, whereas Lily had flooded the room twice. Fighting water mages when you're standing knee deep in water is near useless.

The few knights they have from House Celeste were nowhere to see, but I was later informed that they were keeping the bridge open for reinforcements after they heard of what was happening. Whether they wanted to see 'Augustus' on the throne or truly believed that their hero would do no such thing unprovoked I don't know... but with the palace guards splitting apart the royal palace began to fall rapidly.

Even more so when miss Claire Talwen and a unit of Stanbell soldiers joined up with us. With at least two people able to apply healing magic consistently it was clear that most of any effort the palace guards put in would be wasted. By the end only the knights taken from House Salender stood strong and fierce and refused to surrender.

It was the first time I'd seen such devoted behavior from anyone within House Salender... and as we silenced their voices the other palace guards looked away in guilt.

We line up the prisoners on the center path of the great hall to keep them away from doors and escape routes as we get control of the situation in the palace. Alstair and Gilbert fled earlier, but I've received word that Gilbert has fallen by Augustus' hand. Any important people in the palace are being brought to the great hall as well, but they're still searching for both Alstair and the queen... and other than Gilbert's fall, I haven't gotten any updates on either Lionel or Lily's condition...

Even with all of this I'm putting away one of the most important matters.

The little girl in front of me... her blood stained pale violet dress has the clear insignia of the royal family.

She stands in front of the throne and gazes over the great hall with her violet eyes that sheen with a ghostly mist. Her behavior reminds me of when Lily first changed... and just like back then it makes my skin crawl with caution. It's that feeling of maturity where you don't expect it, and composure when she should be crying or trembling with fear. The way she withholds emotion.

Alstair was also a very composed child, but... never like this.

Furthermore, because of the giant and menacing soldiers Lily ordered to guard the girl, she looks like a toddler. She just barely reaches their thighs.

"Eric."

Wolfram calls as he walks up to me, casting glances to the little girl as well. Though, more than her to the ghosts... especially Lily's. Again, there's no doubt to me that they belong to Lily, because their weapons, armor and even their language is different. Not only that, but their weapons look exactly like Lily's. Though, shorter... yes, they're larger than Lily, but their swords are shorter than Lily's. Then again, she's carrying around a sword longer than herself and always swings it about like it weighs nothing to her.

I digress.

"Wolfram... you knew this would happen?"

I'm not a fool. Wolfram had asked me for permission to talk with Vitis just before Lily and I left. He must've convinced Vitis that Lily would be in danger. That's the only reason I can think of that would make them go against our orders.

Wolfram frowns at my words as he stops in front of me.

"I figured they might try something, but I wasn't sure," he says in a quiet voice. Apparently wanting to keep it between us. He's noticed the princess too.

"How did you figure so?"

I put Wolfram under a bit of pressure. I know of Alstair and Gilbert's less honest sides only after Lily pointed it out, but even then I had no idea they'd try to do something like that. Not even Lily did.

Wolfram looks about uncomfortably and ends with his gaze on Claire and Soleil who are taking care of the injured.

"You know how we talked about how Lily had talked about tattoos when we were kids? Well, it kind of went into fashion between all three houses. When an assassin was caught with a tattoo that didn't really have the hidden flaw each of us put in we started suspecting foul play."

He sighs.

"They'd apparently started getting lazy, so the assassins weren't actually initiated as part of our soldiers. They started doing that after, of course, but it was enough... with enough torture now that we could sort away their lies we eventually found their link to some house Salender spies. When Headal provided us with a hint that this lead all the way to the crown we were doubtful for a bit, but let's just say that it made too much sense with all of our history considered..."

A momentary feeling of nausea washes over me. Wolfram is saying this so casually, but if it is true then the royal family split House Stanbell into three and caused hostility between them... but why? I furrow my brows in thought and cross my arms.

"Silver."

He interrupts my train of thought with the answer.

"We would effectively have monopoly on silver within Ristaze. With it being tradition that anyone coming of age gets silver tableware out of what seems necessity at times, the price of silver would be a lot higher than it is now. We'd likely be richer than House Salender too. On top of our huge territory across the northern border I suspect we were simply a threat."

He glances past me to the princess with a cautious look.

"...Why didn't you tell me about any of this?"

When Wolfram looks to me it's with that same cautious look.

"I intended to at first, but honestly you had enough to deal with in keeping secrets, and you were already cautious of the crown prince. Besides, you never told me about Lily."

I wince a bit at his retort.

"Young Lord Eric Celeste, Lord Stanbell representative of House Silbell and House Windhall, Lord Listere, Young Lord Soleil Listere and Miss Claire Talwen."

Despite her tiny size the princess speaks up with a loud and clear voice as she gazes over us with those ghostly eyes.

"My name is Emilia Blyenberg Schwarthertz, first princess of Ristaze."

She takes a moment to let that sink in for all of us. Wait... Blyenberg? If I recall correctly then that is not the queen's maiden name.

"I thank you for your assistance in dethroning my corrupt father and brother, and saving the hero Child of Scorog from the terrible fate they wished to bring upon him."

I feel my stomach clench together in discomfort as I start looking over the piece of the puzzle that is this princess Emilia.

Why did I have no idea that she existed. Of course she wouldn't have been presented to the public before the age of five... but they should at least have announced it... not that I recall if any such thing was done with Alstair. However, it makes me feel uncomfortable.

Why is Headal supporting her?

Some of the ghosts that ended up joining the battle belong to Headal. Their insignia is clear. Some of them are dressed as you'd expect bodyguards. Their armor is mostly ceremonial. That said, several of them aren't dressed as soldiers but as diplomats... the probability of the princess being manipulated by Headal is too high to disregard.

I don't trust her, and as it is, it would be easier to simply send her away. Because of the king and Alstair, House Celeste is no longer bound by loyalty either.

The only reason I'm not speaking up or doing anything about it is because of Lily's giant and menacing soldiers that still look as though they haven't had enough despite visible injuries. They remind me of how Lily acts whenever she goes onto the battlefield. Reckless and with only a mission in mind.

Princess Emilia looks over us with a calm confidence as she begins to speak again.

"I understand that all of you have experienced much pain under the rule of my family. Be it lowering your heads to avoid destruction, doing things you never thought were right or losing family members dear to you... and for some of you over and over."

At those last words she looks to Soleil.

"I want to change this," she adds with a serious, almost angry expression on her innocent face. A thick tension spreads in the room. Some from her speaking badly of her family, and... in other cases from people knowing that she's saying the truth. Soleil looks vicious.

"Uwaaah~ you're so good at presenting yourself. When I was your age I still tried to hide behind my mother whenever we had to meet someone new."

Claire's bright and sweet voice cuts through the tension. She steps up to the little princess with an adoring and gentle look in her eyes as you'd expect from a mother. Without any regard for the political situation or facade Claire approaches Emilia as you'd usually do a child.

For a moment I can't tell if she's a fool or if she's trying to make Emilia seem more human to everyone observing her.

As for Emilia, she's shocked. She stares around the room in a fluster before stopping at Claire like a terrified fawn.

"I bet all of that was really scary, right? Don't worry, it's over now. Onee-chan will protect you," Claire adds in the sweetest motherly tone I've ever heard, not that mother gives me much to compare with.

...Then Princess Emilia begins to crumble at her words.

I end up staring at them dumbfounded as the little girl who was clearly just putting up a tough facade starts tearing up while clenching her tiny hands in her skirt. Emilia's blonde locks fall over her shoulder as she clings onto her composure desperately as though someone is telling her she's not allowed to cry.

Claire reaches out for Emilia with a gentle open hand, and in that moment it is as though this was the role she was meant to play all along.

A click sounds.

"Chikai. Sagatte."

One of Lily's soldiers sneers at Claire and looks down at her with clear disgust, even going as far as looming over the kneeling Claire who is dumbstruck at the display of hostility.

"Eh? Uhm, what? Could you say that again?"

Claire asks while blinking. As a response the female soldier growls, but when the answer comes it's from Asher.

"She is telling you that you are too close and should step back, together with a warning that if you do not then she will cut you down."

The hall goes quiet.

Claire gets up with shining eyes, asking what the rest of us really wanted to know right then:

"How do you know?!"

Asher gives a wince at her question and glances up to the soldiers.

"...Because Lord Augustus' dead bodyguard speaks the same language, a bits of ours."

...dead? Wait-

"What do you mean, Asher?"

Claire's brows furrow, but Asher just lowers his head.

"...Since when?" is all I ask him. This is another currently unspoken problem with princess Emilia. There's a kill order on all people blessed by faeries of darkness. An order that has been done dutifully for more than two hundred years.

Asher looks up at me with his violet eyes.

The risk was always there... but I never thought it would happen since he already had a blessing. If anything both Asher and Soleil are extreme rarities.

"Lord Augustus stepped into the area of the cursed mausoleum on his own to chase down a criminal. When I found out I headed in to ensure his safety... by the time we returned it had already happened, Lord Eric."

I see nothing but sincerity in his eyes as he responds to my words... he's aware that his life is dangling by a thin thread. As for Claire, she looks confused. Probably more so since the rest of us seem to understand better than her.

Wolfram lets out a hum.

"That explains how you knew the position of our scout and that we were even here," he says softly.

"I wasn't told anything other than orders and that Augustus' safety would depend on it until I reached the scout. The ghost guiding me was supposedly an older sister to princess Emilia... It wasn't until later that she informed me that princess Emilia had sent Lord Lionel Tepet to help Lord Augustus."

The puzzle pieces of the situation slowly begin to fit into place... The reason Asher had gone. The appearance of Lionel. The appearance of Claire and Wolfram as well as the reinforcements. They'd been working like glue to connect everything together.

Without them the timing would have been off...

I look back up to princess Emilia who has mostly managed to regain her composure while Claire was distracted by Asher. She looks back at me with a small nod as though she think she knows what I'm thinking.

She looks back over everyone present.

"You all had your own plans and wishes for the future. Things I connected together to allow for a new future by the help of those once betrayed."

Now where I know she's partly faking it Emilia seems less terrifying, but even so her body language shows an uncanny confidence as she speaks.

"This rule has been as a house of cards for far too long, and now it has finally crumbled in response to their cruelty..."

She takes a breath, and despite being 'cursed' the small princess seems to shine as she continues.

"I want to make an honorable country!"

Her voice rises with that.

"The corruption that lingers in the shadows shall be cleansed. Our ways shall be fair and no longer shall prosperity be isolated to the capital and house Salender!"

Emilia's hand stretches out as if to grasp a future far ahead of us.

"I want to make a country worthy of the heroes that have protected it!"

She grasps it.

"It shall blossom in the light of honor!"

Her ghostly violet eyes seem piercing as they look over us once more. When she speaks her voice is softer, kind and sincere.

"But I cannot do this alone. I am merely a guide to show you a path to walk, and the change must be born from your hands. Let's work together to make this the truly beautiful country it could be."

All eyes are locked onto her small figure, some wondering if she can be trusted and others simply stare in shock.

Honestly, I want Lily to take the throne... but I'm no fool. I know Lily well enough to say that she would never accept it. Lily doesn't belong in a courtroom. She belongs by the front line where her light can show clearly... furthermore, since Lily's soldiers are guarding Emilia I shall take it as her blessing.

Since Headal diplomats are here as well I assume they give their blessings for this rule too.

I kneel down.

"As you wish, your Highness. The loyalty of House Celeste shall be yours."

I feel Wolfram's eyes on my back before he too kneels next to me.

"I, Lord Stanbell representative of House Silbell and House Windhall declare our loyalty to Princess Emilia Blyenberg, for your blessing of Lord Augustus, the Child of Scorog."

Wolfram adds an important clause into his declaration, but with it I see the doubt begin to fade from the faces around us. Wolfram erased 'Schwarthertz' as he said her name. Ordinarily it would be rude but-

"...House Listere swears loyalty to Princess Emilia Blyenberg," Soleil's father speaks up.

"Your highness is, as us, victims of your family. We believe your highness will not bring the pain that she herself has suffered."

...What is he referring to? The child ghosts going to Normand and the king? Lily's soldiers had ended up blocking the view from this side... but if that was...

I shake it off and look to Claire who still looks dumstruck and bewildered. Her gaze shifts to Wolfram and I with a snap as though we were traitors. To her our loyalty should likely only belong to 'Augustus'. 

"House Tepet swears loyalty to Princess Emilia Blyenberg."

Lionel steps in through one of the side doors with Lily next to him. They're covered in blood.

"Lord Gilbert Salender and Crown Prince Alstair Schwarthertz have fallen!" he declares as he kneels down... and by his side Lily kneels as well.

Staring worriedly at Lily, Claire seems to give in and finally kneels as well.

"I, Claire Talwen swear loyalty to the crown..."

"For Ristaze!"

Emilia yells at the top of her lungs, and though only us Lords and Lady swore out fealty, the great hall echos with the voices of soldiers and palace guards as well.

"For Ristaze!"