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“Your Highness, I want to formally thank you for how well you solved the problem with the Perujin.”

“Hm… Well, thank you, but it wasn’t that big deal to me. Really, I didn’t even have to do much,” Mia said with a lot of pride.

Don’t forget that she didn’t really do much. She picked some fruits, walked up a hill barefoot, danced, and met the father of her friend. That was pretty much it. For her, it was pretty much a typical summer break. And a pretty fun one, at that! Anyway…

“On a similar note,” Ludwig said, “about the question of becoming empress… To do this, you would definitely need the help of important people from other nations. In this way, getting along well with the Perujin should be very helpful. Even though Perujin is small, it is a close neighbor and friend. The backing of their royal family could very well tip the scales in our favor.”

The way people got along at Saint-Noel Academy was a small version of how nations got along in the cultural sphere that focused on the Holy Principality of Belluga. Relationships between students were often so close that they made it hard to breathe. This is a lot like relationships between people in the same country. Nobles did not only make friends with people from their own country. Mia had hoped to make friends at the school with people from all over the continent who could help her make connections across borders.

“Because of this, it would be smart to keep building relationships with powerful people in other nations until the day of your coronation.”

“True. After all, if I want to be Tearmoon’s first empress, I’ll need a lot of personal ties,” Mia agreed, hoping that the coronation would never actually happen.

“That said, I think it was very important that you were able to get Lady Rafina and Prince Sion’s backing. It let us make a statement to all the nobles at the Birthday Festival. It really was a stroke of genius.”

“Oh no, you’re giving me way too much credit.”

He was, but…

Now that I think about it… At this rate, I might not be so far from becoming empress after all. I mean, Miss Rafina has my back. Sion is also there, and he will be the next king of Sunkland. With that much political backing, it’s possible that…

The whole “empress” thing became a lot more interesting when she realized that most of the hard work might have already been done.

Well, that makes me think. I haven’t read the Chronicles in a while. I should go back and look again when I get home.

So, Mia and her friends went back to the capital.

At Saint-Noel Academy, Rafina Orca Belluga was in her private room with a book in hand waiting for a visitor. She had time to read a few good books before someone knocked on her door.

A young man walked in. He was full of the rough energy of a man who loves the outdoors. His long, black hair was tied back, and his strong, lean, but firm body was almost hypnotic to look at.

Rafina gave Lin Malong a smile.

“Hello, Malong. We haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“Yes, Rafina-sama, it sure has.” He held out his hand and smiled at her in his usual laid-back way.

“I’m sorry to ask you to come back after you graduate, but I’d really appreciate it if you could keep taking care of the horses.”

“That’s no problem. To be honest, I was starting to miss them too. Was planning to see how they were doing at some point. Also, the Equestrian Kingdom doesn’t always stay in the same place. It’s no problem to stop by the camp whenever we’re close.”

Rafina told him to sit across her, so he did. On his side of the table was a cup of skyred tea, which is a popular drink among Equestrians. He drank the slightly hot drink in one gulp and then looked at her. He didn’t even hesitate.

“…Well? Then let’s hear it. What’s the real reason you called me here?”

“Oh my gosh, what does that mean? Can’t a girl just have tea with a good friend?”

“Most girls can do it, but you can’t. I’ve known you for too long to believe you have spare time to drink tea with someone like me.”

“Is that right, Lin Malong, next in line to be chief of the Forest Lins, the most powerful clan in the Equestrian Kingdom? I think it would be good for politics if we just sat down together.”

Rafina let a short pause pass before she spoke again.

“But, I guess time is valuable, and I know you’re busy, so I’ll get right to the point.” She looked at him in a calm way. “Did you hear that someone tried to kill Princess Mia last winter?”

“Someone asked for the little miss to be killed? I didn’t know that,” he said, his eyebrows slightly raised in surprise. “The last time I saw her, she looked as healthy as a horse.”

“Thank the Lord, she got away without getting hurt, but her attacker was a man on a horse that could run faster than Kuolan, a Skyred Hare. He was also very good with a sword, and he was in charge of two wolves.”

“Huh, a horse as good as Kuolan and a rider who trains wolves.”

He had his arms crossed. His usual aloofness was gone, and a serious frown had taken its place.

“Yes, and I was wondering if you might know who the man is,” Rafina told her. She took a sip of her tea while looking at his face the whole time. “Because I remember hearing about a lost clan in the Equestrian Kingdom a long time ago…”

Malong nodded slowly.

“So, this past winter, huh? Bandits causing trouble near the edge of Sunkland might have something to do with it, then…”