[Daughter of House Sparda –Part Five]

The door burst open without warning, and in rushed the First Captain of the Royal Guards whose role had become more of a professional kingdom spy than an actual Captain over the months. The two men who sat across each other with the desk full of papers and books stacked on top of a map looked up in surprise at the intruder who looked wild around the eyes, a face full of a mixture between urgency and excitement.

"Claude! Verge! Come with me, quick!" Dante declared, already turning around and beckoning his brother and friend to follow him out of the King's Office.

"You're back already?" Vergil sprang to his feet, confused at what news his brother could possibly bring.

It had been ten months since their little sister had been sent off to Kiyo as a hostage, and three months since the last update that Dante had gotten. Three months ago, Dante had come back with the calming news that Acela was doing well, and that her hair had grown back out to mid-length, and that she was safe. There had been nothing much remarkable, and the kingdom of Kiyo had not seemed to be planning anything against Claude or Acela. That had been calming news three months ago, but it had not done anything to erase Vergil's itch and desire to invade Kiyo immediately to take his sister back from the Third Prince Cales.

In fact, Vergil had wanted to ride on the fastest horse Claude had to offer and murder Acela's husband the moment he found out that the Third Prince of Kiyo was the exact same man previously named Cales Nelson. It had taken ages of persuasion and even imprisonment for a short two weeks for Vergil to finally calm down and bid for his time of revenge. Besides, Dante had reported that Acela did not seemed harmed in any way.

"I didn't even make it into Kiyo proper." Dante revealed, looking back with relief to find that his brother and friend had both not questioned him and instead heeded his order to follow him immediately. It was one thing for Vergil to just drop everything to follow Dante, but even Claude –the king –had not questioned his reasons and simply just jumped up to chase after him, waving away questions from concerned guards and all in the corridors. "Something has happened there, and we need to go and witness it first-hand."

"Something happened? Is Acela in danger?" Vergil's worry was understandable.

"I'd keep the surprise but I think you might murder me before we reach Kiyo, so no, Acela is safe. You don't have to worry about her life being in danger, though if what I have heard is anything to be trusted, somebody's life is already gone and someone else's life is in grave, dire danger." Dante's answer was paired with a happy grin that didn't give much away, but at least there was reassurance that their little sister was safe.

"Are we going to like what has happened?" Claude asked, half suspicious, half-worried. Vergil could not blame the man; Claude was responsible for the entire kingdom unlike the Sparda siblings. Anything that happened in Kiyo surrounding Acela could be a bomb to their inter-country relations.

"I'm not sure about you, but I sure love what has happened." Dante's grin seemed to suggest as if there was something worth celebrating over, but neither Vergil nor Claude wanted to trust the First Captain just as yet. Dante tended to have a lower threshold for things worth celebrating about: the man practically used celebrations as excuses to get drunk and make purposeful 'accidents' with women. "But I hope your ass is ready, Claude. We're going to do some hard and fast riding to get into Kiyo as soon as possible."

The king could hardly complain: he had secretly been wishing for a reason to rush out of the palace like this ever since he ascended the throne. Sneaking out was practically impossible now that he had much more guards holding him to his office, and Claude definitely missed the freedom he once had as a mere Crown Prince. Still, there was only a pair of twins in the entire kingdom who could give him reason to charge out of the palace without first getting the royal procession ready, and he was currently dashing towards the stables alongside them.

The three of them rushed to their own horses –the best of the kingdom –and were off charging out of the palace gates in an instant –the guards frantically opening the gates to let them through on Vergil's authoritative orders.

No word could be shared as the three men set their horses into fast-paced gallops, the Sparda brothers never once slowing down to ask if the king could withstand such hard riding. Dante's warning about Claude's ass turned out to make sense, because by the time they reached the gates of Kiyo, his thighs were already feeling as if they had turned into brittle wood and his ass... well, he wasn't going to sit very comfortably for the next few days.

Still, the air of celebration hung strangely in the air as Dante led their tiny party of three to the front of the early-morning queue from their side of the gate. They had ridden for almost the whole night, and Claude hoped that there wouldn't be much more.

"Let us through." Dante told the guard. "We're on the clock."

"You're fine since you've crossed the border so many times, Lord Sparda, but for your companions..." The guard answered, faltering when his eyes landed on Vergil and Claude.

"Yes, they are exactly who you think they are. We're in a rush, so let's just keep things quiet and open the gates." Dante confirmed, and the guard hurried to bow low to Claude before running to get the gates opened.

"I-I heard what happened in Kiyo when I reported for work today." The guard told Dante, having more or less guessed the reason why the King, the First Commander and First Captain were rushing to cross the borders. "L-Lady Sparda has really done something remarkable."

"That's my Acela." Dante grinned. "But I'm sorry at the same time. You're not going to find work out here soon. I will put in a request for you to join my Royal Guards when we return."

"No problem, Lord Sparda. Please go safe. And my well wishes for your sister." The guard bade quickly as the gate finally opened wide enough for the three of them to pass.

The furious ride continued while Vergil's thoughts stewed. There had been a strange air of celebration ever since they reached the border. For some reason, the expressions hanging on the citizens of Kiyo that they rode past were happy and delighted. Even those dressed in rags –probably the homeless –looked relieved at the new day. The gathering of crowd in the capital of Kiyo was certainly a strange sight, but the three of them did not slow until they reached the castle of Kiyo.

"We have arrived: the Lords of House Sparda, and King Claude." Dante announced to the castle guard.

"We have been waiting. Please, come in." The guard answered reverently, and the gates opened without second questioning despite their unannounced visit. Surprised, Vergil and Claude exchanged confused glances, but neither could come up with an explanation of why Kiyo was suddenly so welcoming of their intrusive presence. Even after Acela had been sent over as hostage, the kingdom of Kiyo had never once extended friendliness to anyone from their kingdom, and yet now they were opening their gates wide for them...?

Their confusion deepened as they found servants waiting for them at the castle doors to lead their horses away and to escort them further into the castle, greeting them with respect and reverence as if they were esteemed guests.

"We're not going to the audience hall?" Dante asked, clearly comfortable with the layout of the castle considering the amount of times he had appeared within its walls acting as a representative.

"Lady Sparda is still attending some matters and will come for your Highnesses and your Majesty in the waiting room." The servant offered.

"When did I become the 'Majesty' of Kiyo?" Claude asked in confusion. "And did I hear you right? Did you just address Dante and Vergil as 'your Highness'?"

"I understand you confusion, your Majesty. Lady Sparda will explain everything to you in due time." The servant deferred, and since there was no promise of a straight answer, Claude simply chose to wait as they finally arrived at their destination. What surprised them was an individual inside the waiting room who had stood up to greet their arrival, surprise equally stark on his face by their arrival as they were at his presence.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Despite all that Dante seemed to know about the situation, he seemed to have not expected seeing the Duke in the room.

"I would like to know the answer myself." Duke Sparda answered honestly. "I received an urgent message from the palace of Kiyo saying that I needed to ride on the fastest horse here. I rushed here thinking Acela might be in trouble but I was escorted to this waiting room. What are you doing here? And you too, Claude. Is a king of a country supposed to leave his palace without notice like that?"

"Acela might be married to Kiyo, but she is still a citizen of my country. Besides, she is like a sister to me. When Dante said we had to come here immediately, I didn't think further." Claude answered, smiling despite the strange situation. "Still, I'm glad to see you, Duke. It has been a long time since you have showed your face to me."

"There hasn't been much need with Vergil and Dante serving by your side. This old bag of bones is worthy of staying out of your way silently in my Dukedom." The Duke answered. "As long as I do not hear news of you turning your father's country upside down."

"I'm doing my best not to." Claude followed the members of House Sparda back to the couches in the waiting room. "But I'm a little afraid that whatever your daughter has done here might shake things up. I'm not sure what's going on myself, but the air of celebration around here is strange. Dante doesn't want to tell us what is happening around here either."

"Hey, let the main character tell you her story herself." Dante raised his hands in innocent surrender when three pairs of eyes turned to him suspiciously. "Don't kill the messenger. Besides, what knowledge I have is from the rumors I heard from my contacts at the border. My information could be wrong."

"But Acela is fine?" The Duke had to ascertain, breathing a soft sigh of relief when his son nodded quickly.

Left with nothing to do except for wait, the four men conversed nervously with the hopes of distracting themselves from worry as the time passed. Outside, the sun rose higher in the sky, and for some reason, the sounds of celebration seemed to be louder outside.

It was a good hour before the door to the waiting room opened again, and all the men jumped to their feet.

The servant looked apologetic while he bowed.

"Lady Sparda delivers her sincere apologies, but she has called for your Highnesses and your Majesty. Please, follow me." The servant expressed, but the men could not spare anymore time for questioning, dashing quickly to obey.

"If anything has happened to Acela, I'm this close to using my sword on someone." Vergil warned to nobody in particular.

"Calm down, Vergil." The Duke expressed, though the worry could not be erased from his face as well. "You know Acela. She knows how to take care of herself. She is a Sparda."

"Y-Yes." The servant seemed hesitant to join the conversation. "Lady Sparda has proven very well which family she hails from. The name Sparda will be carved in Kiyo's history from today onwards in memory of what she has done."

Vergil already knew that nobody except the person herself was going to give him a straight answer of what his sister had done, and so he kept his question silent.

"You've been calling her Lady Sparda for a while now." Claude observed. "Was she not married to your Third Prince Cales Kiyo? Should she not be addressed as Lady Kiyo, or at least Lady Acela?"

"Lady Sparda never allowed anyone to call her anything else other than Sparda. She was determined to make everyone remember the name Sparda the moment she stepped into the castle." The servant explained. "She refused to acknowledge to anyone calling her anything else except 'Lady Sparda'."

"For some strange reason, that sounds exactly like my daughter." The Duke commented with a proud smile. "If anyone has the perfect mix of stupid stubbornness from Vergil and ridiculous actions from Dante, then it has to be Acela."

There was no time for either of his sons to protest before they emerged to a balcony, overlooking a crowd of citizens gathered below on a square. It seemed to be some sort of square meant for royal announcement, and all four of them seemed to be standing on a balcony meant for the royal family of Kiyo to witness the announcement for some reason.

"Lady Sparda will make her announcement soon. Please wait here." The servant explained, then left subserviently.

"News sure travel fast in Kiyo. They are already celebrating even before the announcement." Dante observed, but the secrecy prevented Vergil, Claude or the Duke from knowing what he meant.

There was not much time to ask, however, before the main character of the day appeared.

Acela stood where the King of Kiyo should be standing, looking down upon the crowd with a smile on her face. For the first time in 10 months, Vergil landed his eyes upon his sister, extremely glad to find that she looked as healthy as ever. Her hair was significantly shorter than the day she left, but she was still well. She was also dressed in light armor and certainly not the feminine dress befitting of a Princess. At her hip hung the sword that Vergil had gifted her.

"Citizens of Kiyo, thank you for coming to attend to this announcement." Acela greeted in a loud voice, hushing up the crowd immediately. "Many of you must have heard the rumors and come to confirm the details that we now announce officially."

Acela stepped aside, and was joined by a familiar-looking man.

"My Citizens of Kiyo, before you stands your new King." The man announced, and Vergil realized the identity of the man –the man who had been the Crown Prince, the First Prince of Kiyo. "Yesterday night, my brother, Third Prince Cales, was revealed to have conspired with Royal Advisor Link Vestia and have committed the treasonous act of patricide after attempting to coerce my father to sign a deed of abdication of throne to Prince Cales. My father is dead. Lady Sparda casted aside her marriage and displayed loyalty to a kingdom that is not hers and assisted me in the capture of the traitors yesterday night. And here, I stand before you as the new King Kiyo."

Vergil, Claude and Duke Sparda exchanged expressions of deep confusion. There had to be more details to the story that what was currently being announced, but none of them could confirm more in their current position.

"I, now-named King Tristan Kiyo, hear my citizen's collective call. I am ashamed to call myself brother to the Traitor Prince Cales, and son to the tyrant late king. I do not deserve this seat that I have been pushed forward for. And hence, in my very first and last decree as King Tristan Kiyo, I hereby abdicate my throne. Citizens of Kiyo, please bow in greeting to your new leader, Queen Regent Acela Sparda."

The cheer was deafening as Vergil stared at his sister smiling. Her gaze travelled over her new citizens, then slowly travelled to their small party standing in the balcony. It all made sense; why they had been led to the balcony meant for the royal family. Somehow, Vergil had become the royal family of Kiyo.

Still smiling while the rest of the Sparda family –and Claude –remained in speechless shock, Acela unbuckled the sword hanging by her hip, raising it up high.

"This sword was given to me as a parting gift when I left my country to marry Cales Kiyo. This sword represents all that my family means to me. It represents the power of the House of Sparda, and with this, I promise to all that the name Sparda will bring respect and peace. I was once a homeless, penniless orphan on the street, but with the blessings of the late Duchess Sparda who exchanged her life for mine, the love of my father the Duke Sparda, my brothers, the First Commander and First Captain and as well as my unofficial brother, King Claude, I now stand before you a Regent Queen." Acela announced happily, the glint of victory unmistakable in her eyes.

"Unbelievable." Claude muttered to himself. "I sent her as hostage to bide time for us, but she made herself a regent queen instead."

"If anyone can turn a hostage into a country's ruler, it's my sister." Dante seemed to have shaken off the shock rather quickly, grinning with pride now.

"Father, Brothers, Claude." Acela addressed them directly now, grinning widely at them from her position. Unmistakably, the crowd began to realize that the men standing on the balcony were the very men in topic mentioned by their new regent queen.

"Thank you for taking me in. Thank you for teaching me what it means to be a Sparda. I hope I have made all of you proud today by proving to you that I am a daughter of House Sparda."