135. The Scramble for Sisilia
"If I step in, countless disturbances will arise."
Sisilia was summoned to Lydia early that morning. Gazing at Sisilia—who was in her pajamas but utterly reliable—Lydia spoke gravely.
"Sisilia. You must move in secret to sway the hearts of the kingdom's people and the nobles. I have no one else I can trust but you."
Sisilia bowed her head and replied without the slightest hesitation.
"Understood."
That unwavering attitude symbolized trust. Sisilia could be such a tomboy at times—indistinguishable from a cat—but when she said she'd do something, she always followed through. Lydia felt a wave of relief.
"However, Your Majesty."
Sisilia lifted her head, her eyes sparkling.
"You must trust me completely."
Lydia flinched at that suspicious glint in her eyes but nodded reluctantly.
"Of course I trust you, Sisilnyang... but what are you planning?"
"That's—"
Lydia tensed. What on earth could her plan be, bold enough to demand the queen's full trust? It surely wasn't anything ordinary.
"A secret."
Lydia slumped in defeat.
"...You always give answers beyond common sense."
Sisilia didn't know it, but hiding things from the queen was treason.
Meanwhile, Sisilia moved busily. Because there were so many people seeking her out.
"Sisilia."
"Why are you doing this...?"
Sisilia was uncharacteristically flustered. The cheapskate Edward had invited her to a lavish lunch.
It's all my favorite foods.
And the menu was tailored precisely to Sisilia's tastes. Especially the fried eggs loaded with truffles—her absolute favorite.
"Thinking about it, I used to buy you these often when you were little, but lately we've hardly had moments like this."
Edward bobbed his head with an exceedingly kind smile.
"Eat up."
Sisilia was deeply suspicious. An invitation to dinner from a boss you had bad relations with. And with such excessive kindness. Her silver eyes flicked to the wine glass filled with grape juice.
"Poison...?"
"A girl poison can't touch, playing the victim."
"...True, but still."
Sisilia took a sip of the juice anyway.
"Cough."
She clutched her throat, staring at Edward in shock. Edward swallowed his wine with a meaningful smile.
"This has poison in it."
It really did! That sharp, tangy bite was poison from her memories.
"So mean."
How could he do something so cruel to the world's cutest little sister? Sisilia thought as she gulped down the juice.
"It reminded me of something you said in the past. That basilisk venom tastes pretty good. You said if you ever got the chance, you'd want some."
In truth, basilisk venom was just a fizzy tingle for knights of Windsor caliber. Like super fresh carbonation.
Sisilia was thrilled by the long-lost taste of Welch's grape soda.
Still...
It was just a passing comment...
Basilisk venom was a colorless, odorless poison. Poisons undetectable in any world were extremely expensive. And basilisks themselves were rare magical beasts.
"If you think you can buy my favor with something like this, dream on."
"...It's not red bean porridge, it's mung bean cake. You don't have to use fancy words."
"!"
Sisilia flushed a bit in embarrassment and picked up her knife. As she moved to cut, Edward's hand stopped her.
"You've always been clumsy with knives since way back. Always slicing right through the plate. I'll cut it for you—just eat."
"......"
With royally elegant movements, he sliced the egg and returned to his seat. Sisilia blinked, then carefully speared a piece of truffle and egg with her fork and took a bite. The rich truffle aroma filled her mouth, mingled with the egg's flavor and a subtle spice.
"!!!"
This was pepper. How expensive was pepper in the medieval era? No need to explain—it hurt just to say it.
"How is it, Sisilia? Feeling like you've got a whole mansion in your mouth?"
Sisilia dabbed her lips with a napkin, her expression clouded.
"Your way of treating a girl feels too practiced. It's off-putting."
"Haha, high praise."
"...Words Jerryway couldn't hear on his deathbed."
But Sisilia wasn't stupid.
"Don't think you can get what you want just by feeding me something tasty."
"No idea what you mean. I'm just treating my dear little sister to a meal."
Edward clapped his hands. A line of top chefs emerged like sausages, laying out an opulent array of desserts on the table.
Sisilia's eyes darted around wildly.
"This is ridiculous. Don't think you can bribe me with this."
"Preparing this while thinking buying my heart would be easier than lying down for Betty? It makes my teeth chatter just thinking about that captain."
"Hah, the more I think, the more unpleasant it gets. How can you treat me like that? I'm not an easy girl."
Edward smiled brightly.
"Sisilia."
"What."
"Help me out so I can accept the demon race's proposal."
Sisilia whipped her head away. Then, mumbling timidly, she said,
"...Fine."
Edward's lips curled into a sly grin.
After finishing the meal with Edward and heading out.
"Isn't that Lady Sisilia? I'm Count Leminan. Care for a meal?"
"I'd like a quick word. You're the vice-captain of the Windsor Knights, after all."
"Marquis Evian summons you. He orders us to escort you politely."
Sisilia discovered a horde of cat feeding stations. Free food, of course—and each came with heartwarming gifts.
"Really, too much popularity is a problem too."
Sisilia sighed and kept walking. By now, it was late at night. She had tons more noble meeting requests, but canceled them all. Curfew time, after all.
"Welcome back, mi... um, what the hell are all those ridiculous piles?"
"Gifts I accepted."
Sisilia strode grandly into the mansion, surrounded by the maids as she recounted the day's events.
"How much do the nobles like me?"
By the end of her long tale, the maids' enthusiasm had cooled.
"You had such a great day. Congratulations!"
The oblivious Ruby spoke up, and head maid Mari placed a hand on her shoulder. Silently, all the maids shot Ruby looks that said,
'Newbie, stay out of this.'
Ruby quietly stepped back, just as the maids were about to shatter Sisilia's happy delusions.
"Those are bribes, Sisilia."
"!"
Chiron approached with hands clasped behind his back. The maids all bowed and retreated. Chiron stroked the head of Sisilia, who floated question marks above hers.
"I should have warned you sooner. Sorry about that."
Chiron spoke in a calm tone, but his eyes were icy.
"I never imagined something like this would happen right after my retirement."
The knight among knights, Chiron. No one was unaware of his name, reputation, or character. Offering bribes to Chiron was unthinkable. Naturally, the same applied to his daughter. That's why no nobles had dared bribe Sisilia before—but now that he was retired, things had changed.
"You're blameless. If anyone's at fault, it's the foolish nobles who dared offer bribes to my innocent, naive daughter."
"To think they'd do such a thing to such a fragile child. What happened to the nobles' brains?"
Chiron seethed with quiet fury. The maids listening in real-time had eyes shrunk to dots. They glanced behind Sisilia. Four wagons full of stuff had been dragged in.
All by Sisilia with one hand.
...Fragile?
Chiron spotted the wagons too and remarked nonchalantly,
"Anyway, you brought quite a haul."
Sisilia, wrapped in a blanket by the fireplace, warming herself. Chiron sat beside her hesitantly and spoke slowly.
"You've had a hard day. With me away, the worries I had are starting to happen one by one."
Sisilia yawned. It was already midnight. Bedtime for skin care.
"As vice-captain, this sort of thing will only increase."
"I'll turn them down next time."
For reference, Chiron knew about the queen's order to Sisilia—even before she mentioned it. Other nobles saw Chiron as retired from the front lines, but his influence remained strong.
"Being dragged around everywhere must be troubling."
Anything else aside, agreeing to Edward's request was fraught with issues. Siding with Edward meant defying the queen. Ignoring him would ruin their relationship. And in the Windsor Knights, a fallout with the captain spelled big trouble. Chiron believed some distance was necessary.
But beyond suggesting she return the other nobles' bribes, Chiron offered no further advice. Sisilia was a proper vice-captain. She wouldn't defy the queen over tasty food. He trusted she had her own thoughts.
"Whatever else, I'll always take your side, so don't worry."
Sisilia beamed.
"Me too."
"You rascal."
Chiron patted her head.
"So if you ever need me, just say the word. I can still move a few commanders and grand nobles."
Said casually, but it wasn't casual. There were only four commanders total. And five grand nobles. "A few" meant most of them.
If Edward was quantity, Chiron was quality.
Sisilia quickly assessed the power dynamics. But she smiled faintly.
"No. I'll try not to borrow your strength, Dad."
"Think you can manage? It'll be a tough fight. Over half the central nobles are already under Edward's sway."
Sisilia already had a plan mapped out in her head. All that remained was execution. When it was done, the empire would fall into the kingdom's hands—and the demons would suffer a blow preventing immediate war. Of course, without defying the queen or breaking her promise to Edward. Not just killing two birds with one stone, but four.
The foundation started with,
"Can I go to the academy tomorrow?"
For the first time in ages, by visiting her favorite noble lady.