Fears for the future

"What decrees did Ruler Istrel pass down?" Dia asked.

Farah, who was the only other person in the room, rubbed her shoulders. "The usual bullcrap. Weren't you listening?"

"No." Dia poured out a cup of water for herself. "Aunt Lumine was telling me some things when he was speaking, and I figured that he was going to spout some nice-sounding crap anyway."

"That's about it. Verbal promises of peace, something like 'I'll try to fill up my father's position', and an edict to chase down the Thief of Time. You'd think that we would know who actually did it, if the Emperor announced that particular edict, but oh no. Someone else who was not the Emperor announced it, and I wonder why."

Dia took note of her phrasing and chuckled wryly. That was quite the roundabout way of Farah saying that she didn't believe Tot was behind the late Ruler's passing, and it also conveniently highlighted her own suspicions as to who might have had a hand in it.

The Emperor's abrupt interruption probably had a role in all this too. Whatever the case, it was clear that Emperor Grandis was angered by this whole thing, to the point that the already-unprecedented ceremony was made very unnatural.

"Poor Ruler Istrel," Dia commented.

"Yeah. The other nobles aren't going to find working with him a palatable choice," Farah replied. "Not with the Emperor's implicit meanings. Of course, we might have all read it wrong, so I'm just going to keep my head down and go where the Moons shine. One must read the wind, if they are to survive…"

Dia recalled the sight of her father, who had been summoned on stage, and then at the unobtrusive Schwa, who were both kneeling to the same man. What plans did they have to avert the gathering storm? Nightfall and most of Istrel's subordinates as a duke had been gathered, along with their armies — Dia could not conceive of any means in which war could be avoided. To do so would be an utter humiliation for the newly-inaugurated Ruler Istrel; even if the Emperor was displeased at him, he would have to see the whole thing through.

The Moons must rise and fall, after all. If Ruler Istrel backed away at the last moment, he would lose a great deal of his authority. He had to know that. Why, then, was Aunt Lumine this confident?

In the first place, what was she even doing here to begin with?

The two of them sighed.

"Sometimes," said Farah, "even with all my skills, I cannot predict or guess what might happen next. The Emperor himself personally displayed his displeasure at Istrel. How do I factor that into my calculations?"

"Maybe with some meatballs, Milady." An old, pleasant voice came from the door.

"Lloyd." Farah smiled. "Yes. That'd be lovely."

"The next batch of brown sugar should be here next week latest," said the old butler. "But you'll be gone by then, right?"

"Yeah." A sigh escaped from Farah's lips. "I need to keep working hard. Don't worry, Lloyd. I have good, trustworthy friends. Who knows, one of them might know how to make a pancake like this."

"Maybe Lily? She's been making sweets as a hobby." Dia tilted her head.

"Sweets and explosives." Farah rubbed her nose. "She's a weirdo."

Dia eyed Farah, who went out looking as the person everyone called Princess Dia, and briefly wondered where she found the authority to call other people a weirdo.

"Maybe it's relative?" Dia muttered, confused. It was possible that the three of them had their own indices for people who dressed as their idols and people who didn't, so…

"What's relative?" Farah asked.

"No, nothing," Dia replied hastily. "Just a random thought about how…uh, the nobles are going to view Ruler Istrel. Like, if the war is over or averted or something."

"Considering that the three rulers usually stay out of politics that would affect a county, you ask a very good question. I don't personally have any expectation of the rulers. After all, I pay my taxes to the duke above me, who's now the new Duke Istrel, in exchange for their protection and exclusive economic benefits."

"The rulers don't affect you much, huh?"

"Unless they have some all-encompassing law, nope. It's the same for the dukedoms, but again, the three rulers don't really care," said Farah. "I suppose the new Duke Istrel will probably make a fuss or two, so we just need to keep him happy and what not."

"You sound like you're pacifying a child," Dia noted.

"Well, you generally want to pacify your superior." Farah laughed. "I don't think the new Duke Istrel will shake things up, so that's alright. If he had any intention to, it's probably gone now. The Emperor's showing would probably force them to re-evaluate their entire game plan."

"Even the upcoming war?"

"…Maybe not that," Farah replied, before patting her shoulder. "Relax. Let your mistress deal with the war and everything. It's not something you need to care about. Focus on staying alive. Things will work out in the end…and besides, you did sign a contract with me, you know. If push comes to shove, I'll be able to cripple the Istrel Dukedom or whatever new name it's going to take on for a few days."

"Let's hope it doesn't come down to that, then." Dia forced out a smile.

Unfortunately, Farah was sorely mistaken about one thing, and it was the fact that she was actually the real deal. Whether Dia liked it or not, this whole war thing was intimately tied to her and her family. Even if she didn't want to worry about it…

Holding her head, Dia got up from her chair. "I'm going back to my room. My head's hurting. It might be from that ritual spell or something."

"Oh, okay. Sure you don't want some of those meatballs?" Farah asked.

"If you find them too bland, I have some sour cream as dips," Lloyd added. "Adds a whole new kick to it."

"Tempting, but I'll probably have them when I wake up or something," Dia replied. "I'm very tired for some reason. Might skip dinner too. Mind relaying that message to my aunt?"

"Sure." Farah paused. "But before you go off, why not grab a cup of tea? Lloyd's chilled teas are a treat."

Dia didn't want to seem impolite, so she nodded. "I'll have a cup, then."

Ice cubes clattered merrily a few seconds later, as the old butler set down a cup emitting faint white mist in front of Dia. Dia sniffed it and smiled. "This is nice."

"Thank you for your praise." Lloyd smiled, and then returned to Farah's side. "It is a good beverage for those who have many considerations on their mind. Sometimes, all one needs is simply to distance themselves from the situation at hand…and this cup goes a long way in doing that. Farah has benefited from this a lot, but it's a shame she has to leave…"

"Can't you go with her?" Dia asked, curious. "Given her stature, it's natural for her to have an attendant when travelling."

"Well, someone needs to hold the fort here," said the old man. "And I am indeed getting on in years. Although I want to meet the rest of her friends, I am simply too old to be moving around much. I couldn't even muster up any thought for the duration of Theatro Amimi earlier."

"He's getting on in age," Farah replied, her voice sad. "And we don't have many lifestones…"

Dia thought for a moment. She didn't have any either, but she had a hunch that either Claud, Schwarz or both of them actually had quite a few low and middle-ranked lifestones.

"Have you asked Claud or Schwarz for some help? I think they might have some low and middle-ranked lifestones."

Farah twitched, and then turned to her butler. "Lloyd, have you reached saturation for low and middle-ranked lifestones?"

"This old sack of bones hasn't had any, but—"

"Then it's decided. Call in my council. We're going to shuffle things around You're going back with me." Farah lowered her head. "You've worked hard for a very long time too. It's time you took a break or something. Licencia is a great place. You'll like it there too."

"…Milady, you aren't abandoning your responsibilities, right?" The old butler eyed his master.

"Like I said, it's easier to earn money there. Why don't you come over and take a look?" Farah laughed.

"Yes, milady."

At those words, Farah's shoulders visibly loosened, before turning to Dia. "Truly, the bystander sees best. I was so involved in this that I didn't think about the lifestones Claud and Schwarz probably has."

"They'll definitely give you a good price, so don't be stubborn," Dia replied.

"This isn't the time to be proud," Farah replied. "Man, am I glad I offered you that cup of tea."

Dia laughed, and then set down the empty cup. "I'm going off now. A sleep sounds nice after all this. I'll probably be…up tomorrow morning. Or afternoon."

"Okay. I'll tell your aunt about it."

Getting up from her chair, Dia returned to her room, where she promptly plopped onto her bed.