Chapter 68
“See you tomorrow, Tia.”
“Mm. Get home safe, Killian.”
Hiding his regret, Killian exchanged a warm farewell with Tia and headed straight for the Emperor’s office.
“What was it Tia said again? Something about… teeth? No, wait—ah! Strike while the iron is hot?”
He remembered her saying that years ago, while tying a string around Adele’s loose tooth.
That thrill when Tia smacked Adele on the forehead! And Adele, with her teeth all wobbly, had laughed and butted her head right back at her. Crazy thick-skulled girl.
Since that humiliating memory resurfaced, he figured he’d better raise the intensity of training.
Anyway! Whatever “iron horns” were supposed to mean, he’d long since figured out the gist—when you hesitate, just do it.
Killian came face-to-face with Sir Ain.
“You request an audience with His Majesty?”
“Yes, Sir Ain. Would it be possible? If it’s inconvenient, I’ll wait until His Majesty has a free moment.”
The Emperor’s aide, Sir Ain, pulled out his notebook and asked in a disapproving tone:
“May I ask the purpose of this audience, Young Duke?”
“I’m afraid that’s a secret, Sir Ain.”
Killian thought of the card he always carried at his chest, right over his heart.
Sir Ain narrowed his eyes.
“Hm. Don’t tell me you’re here to ask for a favor—like entry into the Imperial Knights?”
“Hah! No, I don’t think I’ll need any special favors for that.”
“Then… surely you’re not talking about your debut—”
“Apologies, but I truly can’t say, Sir Ain.”
“Che. Ahem.”
He definitely heard him click his tongue.
Feigning innocence, Sir Ain told him to wait and disappeared into the Emperor’s office.
“What’s he so sour about?”
Killian didn’t know, but all the more reason to be polite. He waited, heart pounding, rehearsing conversation after conversation with the Emperor in his head.
“Young Duke, His Majesty will see you now.”
“Thank you kindly, Sir Ain.”
Killian bowed and entered.
“Polite too, huh? Too perfect—inhuman, impossible to hate. Minus points. Tch.”
Sir Ain muttered as he scribbled something in his notebook. Killian guessed it was meant for him to hear, but with the Emperor before him, he couldn’t react. Sir Ain trudged past and stood behind the Emperor.
“I greet the radiant sun of the Empire, His Majesty Robis Mond. Killian of House Märchen pays his respects.”
“Raise your head and sit, Young Duke.”
Up close, the Emperor was as impressive as ever. When Killian was younger, he’d never once thought Tia resembled him—different hair, different eyes. But looking now, she was unmistakably his daughter.
“I am deeply grateful that Your Majesty grants an audience to one so rude as to come without notice.”
“Yes, I was surprised. I wondered what business you might have with me alone.”
Their eyes met.
In that instant, Killian nearly lost composure as every story Tia had told him—Drama King, Nagging Tyrant, Whiny Faker—flashed through his mind.
Barely suppressing laughter, he pulled out a single card from his chest.
“I thought so,” the Emperor murmured, nodding as if his guess were confirmed.
“I wondered when you’d use it. So you’ve finally decided?”
“Yes. There’s something I cannot achieve without it, Your Majesty.”
Killian placed the card gently on the table.
A Wish Token.
Seven years ago, at the banquet celebrating Tia’s appointment as Crown Princess, Killian had won the token by winning the quiz contest.
“Speak, Young Duke.”
Looking straight into the Emperor’s eyes, Killian spoke with courtesy, firmness, and earnestness.
“At the upcoming debutante ball, I wish to be Crown Princess Celestia’s partner.”
“Yes, very well—what? What did you just say? Did I hear wrong?”
“At the debutante—”
Before he could finish, Sir Ain cut in.
“He dares request to be Her Highness’s partner, Your Majesty. Perhaps extermination was the right answer after all….”
The sharp glare aimed at him was unsettling, but Killian steadied his breath.
“I had heard Your Majesty was to be Her Highness’s partner….”
“And yet! You insist! That you, Young Duke, should partner Tia? This is blatant—!”
“Treason. Some might call it a coup,” Sir Ain added, scribbling furiously in his notebook.
Tia had once told Killian that he mostly wrote nonsense anyway….
“Is that so?”
“Without doubt.”
Killian pushed the Wish Token forward again.
“It is my wish, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor, after rubbing at his furrowed brow, finally burst into hearty laughter.
“Ha! Ha! My beloved Tia has been raising a tiger cub. A tiger cub indeed.”
…He emphasized “cub” a little strangely.
“As expected, Tia is extraordinary. She has an eye for people. Don’t you agree, Sir Ain?”
“Unmatched discernment. On that note, perhaps now is the time to proclaim her a sage—”
“Excellent idea. Make it happen.”
Ah! This is what Tia meant.
Watching the two, Killian felt a strange familiarity. Finally, risking his life, he cut in.
“Your Majesty?”
“Oh, Young Duke. Still here?”
“I wish for a definite answer. This is the very Wish Token Your Majesty granted to the winner of the Crown Princess’s quiz competition.”
The Emperor glanced at Sir Ain.
“Has he always been this sly?”
“He seems to have changed strangely.”
“Could it be Tia’s doing?”
“Quite possibly, Your Majesty.”
“So Tia has the power to utterly ruin a man as well. Remarkable. She truly is my daughter. I’m so proud.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Very well, Young Duke. Hoo…”
The Emperor pressed a throbbing temple vein until it looked ready to burst, then nodded.
“A man must keep his word. What was it Tia said again? If a man says one thing and another—something falls off.”
“Something falls off!”
Killian knew that phrase! Tia often quoted it after reading cheap pulp novels.
As he berated himself for daring to interrupt the Emperor—
“Yes, that’s it. But tell me, Young Duke.”
“Yes?”
“Do you actually know what ‘something’ means? I checked every imperial dictionary—couldn’t find it. Some new slang, perhaps?”
“No, Your Majesty. I only know what Tia told me: that ‘something’ is just… something, and that’s all there is to it.”
“Good grief….”
“Indeed….”
The Emperor and Sir Ain both sighed, pressing their foreheads. Instinctively, Killian knew—this was his cue to leave.
“My clever, bright, brilliant daughter Tia—a true alchemist of language, able to express so much with a single word. Isn’t it astonishing, Sir Ain?”
“There is no one in this world more creative, more genius, more transcendent, more outstanding, and more deadly than Your Majesty.”
…One of those words didn’t seem right.
Killian almost corrected him, but seeing the two men’s eyes glaze over, he wisely slipped out of the office.
*
Back in Achilles, Jeron changed clothes and sat at his desk.
He was tired, but too much work awaited.
He had to track down the child of Nothen Märchen and Olivia Alberto, though no clue existed. He also needed to find a teacher for the notoriously rough Adelaide Lewendif, the Marquess’s daughter.
A note lay on his desk, apparently delivered while he was at the palace.
It said there’d been a major incident in the Alberto knights’ order seven years ago….
“No, what happened fourteen years ago is what I need to know.”
The result didn’t please him. He shoved the note into a drawer with a grumble.
Come to think of it, it had been exactly seven years since he first met Tia.
“Has it really been that long?”
He barely remembered his life before Tia. Probably nothing worth remembering. Pushing away the thought, Jeron began drafting candidates to infiltrate the temple.
After all, whatever Tia wished was always his top priority.
*
“Wow! Your Highness, that looks amazing! You look incredible!”
Liz squealed.
“Really? Better than Sir Briven?”
“Of course not. Our Teddy Bear’s charm can’t just be outshone like that.”
For the record, Liz and Sir Briven had been in a “maybe-maybe-not” relationship for seven years straight. She never listened when told to just knock him over already. So frustrating.
“Ew. Teddy bear? He’s more like a grizzly! Do you know how fierce and scary Sir Briven is?”
“And that’s exactly his hidden! secret! charm!”
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue, brushed off the ceremonial knight’s uniform I was wearing for the first time in my life, and stood before the mirror.
“I do look pretty good.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I never thought trousers could suit you this well.”
Beaming, Liz asked how I wanted my hair done.
“Just tie it up high. That’s cleanest, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll do it like that.”
“Mm. Thanks, Liz.”
She busied herself combing my hair down.
