Only the highest ranking members were informed about the assassination attempt within the water mirror’s headquarters. Zeshald was currently leading the divine arts militia against the Paula’s command. At the same time, Shinha calmly stood before the queen’s army, against the wall that had captured them. Although his army had been disarmed and he was clad in handcuffs, he maintained the composed atmosphere around him.
Thinking that he might have had some complaints, Yuusuke approached the king of Gazzetta. The queen had also approached Shinha along with two of her handmaidens and now stood directly before him.
Queen Rishause was a beautiful woman and her light blue, long hair only enhanced the tidy atmosphere around her. Her handmaidens were also quite beautiful and although they were twins and had identical looks, the air they carried around them was completely opposite.
If princess Violet could be compared to fireworks, queen Rishause gave off an image of a clear stream. Yuusuke had made a note of the fact that there are a lot of beautiful women in the Blue Garden. (TN: in Japanese the text read “Yuusuke had entered a record in the database of his mind…”)
Determinedly standing before Shinha, Rishause frowned slightly and started to speak with a strong? voice.
“You… what were you planning to do?”(Rishause)
“I was on my way to meet Risha. To my regret, our big moment has been spoiled.”(Shinha)
“War is but a moment of luck,” shrugging his shoulders as he said this. Rishause showed him a painful look on her face in reply.
“Why did you start this absurd fight?”(Rishause)
“It was not absurd, I just slightly underestimated the strength of the darkness god corps.”(Shinha)
That very strength was the “absurd” thing here. If not for that power, Shinha would have won and would not have been in the state he is currently in. They (Gazzetta) were not all united and the fact that the leader mobilized the army before his heir was born spoke a bit about that fact.
“Did you intend to attack me?”(Rishause)
“Never. My plan was to free you all along.”(Shinha)
“To free me? Are you saying that I am just a bird in a cage?”(Rishause)
“Don’t you realize your position? Or are you pretending to be as tough as always?”(Shinha)
Shinha acted as if he could see through the firm attitude that the queen had been displaying. Rishause sighed and murmured, “You arrogant man…”
“That may be right, however a king without pride can’t lead his own people.”(Shinha)
Shinha and Rishause spoke to each other as if they had been acquaintances. Listening to their conversation that was quite similar to a lover’s quarrel, Yuusuke decided to leave them be for a little while longer.
“Hey you, you have been acting rude towards her majesty for long enough!”(Queen’s handmaids)
Unable to endure Shinha’s attitude towards their queen any longer, one of the twin sisters, Masha, shouted at Shinha.
“We are old friends, right Risha?”(Shinha)
“We were. In the past.”(Rishause)
Still, Shinha’s shameless and carefree attitude, which he had displayed quite carelessly, along with the strong displeasure shown by the queen, had Misha fall for a feeling that was pretty close to jealousy and the handmaiden started shouting abusive remarks towards Shinha.
“[Artless] trash!”(Misha)
That instant a ferocious smile appeared on Shinha’s face forcing Misha to instinctively back off.
“Did you hear that, Risha. Even your closest retainers are like that.”(Shinha)
“…”(Rishause)
“Eh? Eh?!”(Misha)
Rishause was continuously biting her lips. Misha’s younger sister, Sasha turned towards her sister, who was looking towards the two with bewildered and confused look on her face and explained.
“Because her highness treats [artless] similarly to servants, she is striving to free them through her political measures.”(Sasha)
Even if the divine arts users and [artless] were allowed to live their lives in the city, both parties antagonized each other. They would have to break down their preconceptions towards each other in order for them to lead their ordinary lives side by side.
For that reason [artless] ownership was used as a stepping stone and hit first by changing it to protection policy. So, such an utterance by a person that is closest to the queen left a distinct mark on queen’s reputation. Realizing that Misha hurriedly turned towards the queen and hastily said.
“I didn’t mean it to sound like that! I was referring to his lack of respect towards royalty and his social position—”(Misha)
“I am also a king of Gazzetta, yet there is not a drop of respect in your actions~”(Shinha)
“You are prisoner of our country!”(Misha)
“Aaah, without even crossing swords with your country’s military once and having been done in by the darkness god corps of Fonclanc?”(Shinha)
“Ugh…!”(Misha)
Resolute arguments and facts were sarcastically countered and, furthermore, reinforced.
“By the way, the old man, commanding the water mirror, is also a person that was related to Fonclanc. Hmm, I thought this country was supposed to be called Blue Garden…”(Shinha)
“Grrrr…!”(Misha)
Rishause objected Shinha’s suggestive tone by slightly strengthening her own voice and spoke to calm Misha, who seemed to be on the verge of blowing up.(reminds me of the head popping scene in the kingsman)
“Fonclanc only lent us a bit of their strength this time.”(Rishause)
It did not mean that Rishause accepted the caste system that was the basis of Fonclanc’s social structure.
“You might be thinking of it as such, but what will really happen?”(Shinha)
Shinha questioned Rishause’s diplomatic skills and asked whether the queen will avoid king Esvobus’s reconciliation policy.
“Will you let the Fonclanc army or the leader of the water mirror stay, or will you make them leave?”(Shinha)
Hearing this, a dumb expression appeared on Misha’s face. Sasha also seemed concerned and slightly narrowed her eyes. After eventually driving out the supreme commander of Paula and taking the complete power within her grasp, wouldn’t she become the same figure head again only in the hands of a different puppet master? This was the true question hidden within Shinha’s words.
“I, I…”(Rishause)
This did not mean that Rishause was not being uncomfortable as she cast her gaze downwards to hide the shaking of her irises. She screamed in her heart that she did not have any other choice, that she had no other means of opposing Izapnar. The words fitting for a “bird in the cage”, as Shinha has called her, were running amok within her heart.
“So, what is to become of us?”(Shinha)
Having driven Rishause into the corner, Shinha completely changed the topic from the question he had asked earlier. Relaxing his shoulders and returning to his previous tone, he asked about the fate of him and his army. As they were currently imprisoned by Blue Garden, the queen was the person who would decide their fate.
“…In my name, I order you to immediately leave the territory of Blue Garden.”(Rishause)
Rishause, with her authority of the queen, ordered to release Shinha and his troops, and for them to leave her country. Her handmaidens objected to the queen’s decision to let them go just like that and urged her to reconsider, however the queen stood strong by her decision. Gazzetta’s army had not dealt much damage to Blue Garden and the soldiers did not seem particularly dissatisfied either.
Their army’s strength was intimidating, but in the end they were not able to do anything and became prisoners of war, thus part of the divine arts militia soldiers were happy with the decision.
“Shinha, I will definitely fulfill my father’s dream. Promise me you will not lay a finger on this country until I fall.”(Rishause)
“You mean… to watch over you? Very well, I will watch over your country for a while.”(Shinha)
Shinha arrogantly looked down on the queen until the very end. Although her handmaidens were scowling, Rishause relaxed, with the tension in her face becoming replaced by a smile.