Thirst
"What do you mean by..."
"I'll be frank with you, Counselor. I have already been pushed out of the power struggle."
"You, Your Highness?" I feigned surprise, careful not to repeat my previous mistake. Since I already knew this, there was no real reason to be shocked.
"Yes. The imperial family is currently fractured over who will succeed the throne. I don't even know how many of my siblings have already been killed."
Stella lamented, blaming the mess on her father's pointlessly overactive libido.
"He should have at least designated a successor before his mind started to go. Though, I suppose we were all too young back then for anyone to make a proper judgment."
"Is that why you came to the Academy?"
"Exactly as you suspect. Officially, they claimed it was to 'gain experience in the wider world,' but in truth, I was exiled."
This was actually one of the questions players often had early in the game. No matter how prestigious the Academy was as an institution of higher learning, would an imperial princess really take classes alongside everyone else? Noble classmates were one thing, but commoners? Even if those commoners were talented, it made little sense. If education was the goal, the imperial family could have easily assigned a personal tutor from among their royal mages.
I could guess why Stella was suddenly bringing this up. She wasn't the type of person to show anxiety like this unless she felt her life was in genuine danger. The main quest must have finally triggered.
"But enough about the past. I recently contacted the imperial family to investigate the terror incident that occurred."
"Seeing as you've come to me for advice, I take it things didn't go well."
"Indeed. They told me to handle it myself. Damn it, does that make any sense? Claiming the imperial family is short on manpower?"
The imperial family was indeed in a highly precarious position, so their lack of manpower was undoubtedly true. However, even with limited resources, certain matters demanded priority. An act of terrorism targeting an imperial princess should have been thoroughly investigated, no matter what.
Yet, the imperial family remained idle. After all, once the next emperor was decided, they would only have to worry about what to do with the surviving siblings who lost the struggle. If another attack occurred and eliminated her, they would likely view it as a welcome riddance.
On top of that, the person attacked alongside her was the Watcher—a symbolic figure of the Church, which was currently at odds with the imperial family. From the empire's perspective, they would gladly welcome such an outcome with open arms. There was no way they would lift a finger.
...And it seemed Stella found the whole situation far too contrived.
"'Short on manpower.' Yes, of course. What they really meant was that they have no resources to waste on someone like me."
"You seem to suspect the imperial family."
"Of course I do. Things don't just happen to fall into place this perfectly. The terrorists vanished without even issuing a manifesto, yet the only party benefiting from this is the imperial family... Ha."
Orca's main quest was closer to cleaning up her own mess alone. But Stella was different. Her path was about surviving the endless crises thrust upon her by her status as a princess.
"The one currently holding the reins of the imperial family is my brother."
"You mean the First Prince."
"Yes. My relationship with him is quite terrible. I suspect the reply letter was his doing as well... What do you make of this situation?"
"Hmm..."
She had no friends. Or rather, she did have friends, but none of them possessed the power to resolve a crisis of this scale. Even if her friend was the daughter of a duke, it wasn't enough to interfere in the internal affairs of the imperial family.
That was likely why she had sought me out, grasping at straws.
I looked at Stella, whose eyes betrayed a flicker of anxiety, and spoke.
"You're cornered."
"...As I thought?"
"If you stay still like this... you might end up having an 'accident' in some dark alleyway."
"..."
I knew her brother well. He wasn't inherently an evil man, but he was utterly consumed by ambition. He was someone who wouldn't hesitate to murder his own sister for the sake of power.
He had already disposed of several siblings. If the player didn't select Stella as a playable character, or if her growth was too slow, she would end up dead as well.
In a situation like this, there wasn't much I could say to comfort her.
"Therefore, Princess Stella, the advice I can offer you is simple. Become the Empress."
"What?"
"I am telling you to stand at the very pinnacle of the world."
"Did you not hear what I just said? It's impossible. I have been exiled from the imperial court."
"That is precisely why it's perfect."
"...What do you mean by that?"
Stella understood her situation all too well. She knew she had been cast out, and she understood with agonizing clarity that her life was still in danger despite her exile.
Because of that, she was unable to view her circumstances objectively.
...Well, how many people in this world can actually look at themselves objectively? I certainly can't.
"You are alone, Stella. Left entirely to your own devices."
"Yes. And you expect someone like me to become the Empress? There's no way—"
"And? Have you gone blind? Have you lost your hearing?"
"..."
"I see it the exact opposite way, Your Highness. Coming here was your chance to seize an opportunity."
"...An opportunity?"
As proud as Stella was of her imperial blood, she was acutely aware that she had ended up here because she lost the power struggle.
That was why, upon realizing her life was in danger, she hadn't even thought of fighting back. She had only sought me out in a desperate bid to survive.
But as her status as a playable character proved, this situation wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was highly advantageous.
"In the imperial palace, you must have been constantly watched, your actions severely restricted. Every time you wanted to do something, you were likely blocked."
"How did you..."
"But what about here? The imperial family doesn't bother to keep a close eye on this place, do they?"
The imperial court tended to vastly underestimate the Academy. But the Academy was actually teeming with highly capable individuals. In fact, quite a few of those employed by the imperial family were Academy graduates.
"You are forgetting what you already possess, Stella. This place is not your grave—it is your cradle. A cradle where you can grow."
"But how? Even if the instructors here are capable, they cannot compare to the resources of the imperial court."
"Hmm, very well. Would you mind looking at this glass for a moment?"
I picked up the glass filled with water from the table and poured some onto the floor. When it was about half empty, I set it back down and asked her:
"Now, what do you think of this glass?"
"...What is this all of a sudden? Are you going to tell me to be grateful that the glass is half full rather than half empty?"
"Ahaha... You're quick on the uptake. But no, that's not it."
"It's not?"
While that would have been a perfectly fine lesson, it wasn't what I wanted to convey.
"Whether the glass is half full or half empty... does that really matter?"
Whether you view the same situation positively or negatively isn't what's important. What matters is the simple fact that there is half a glass of water.
"Because whichever perspective you choose, it is still enough to quench your thirst."
"..."
I handed the glass to Stella, who was staring blankly at it.
"Instead of dwelling only on your disadvantages, why don't we look for your advantages?"
Being exiled to this place and losing access to the inner workings of the imperial court were undoubtedly disadvantages. That was the empty half of the glass.
But there were also clear advantages.
"There is an abundance of talent here. After all, this is the Academy."
"...What do you mean?"
"It means you have infinite possibilities."
While it was true that the imperial family held overwhelming power—second only to the Church—that didn't mean they saw everything. Even if the Academy gathered the finest talents from across the nation, only a select few would ultimately succeed. The imperial court never bothered to sift through the sand for gold dust; they preferred to buy the refined gold that someone else had already processed.
"Make friends here, build connections, and establish your own faction."
"My own... faction..."
"Compared to the polished gold of the imperial court, the people here might seem like mere gold dust hidden in the sand. It will be difficult to gather them."
But gold dust is still gold. If you gather and melt it down, it becomes the exact same precious metal. It might take a little time, but in the end, it would shine just as brightly.
"You have everything you need, Stella. Vast stretches of sand, and the gold dust hidden within it."
"..."
"I understand that the pressure from all sides has left you confused. But you possess far more than you realize."
I whispered, my voice quiet but crystal clear, ensuring that the intensely focused Stella wouldn't miss a single word.
"You are going to take the crown."
If it was the Stella I knew, she could do it. She was someone who would overcome every hardship and tribulation to stand alone at the pinnacle of the world. And if she joined forces with others, it would be even easier.
"Clear away the noise cluttering your mind, and let go of all your perceived weaknesses. What do you see?"
Stella was still staring at the glass, but I could feel it. The light in her eyes had changed.
"Trust me, Stella. You have more than you think."
As Stella took a sip of the water from the glass I had handed her, I spoke.
"You will become the Empress."
As she stared at the glass for a long moment, I offered a playful joke.
"Well? Are you still thirsty?"