A Hand Raised in Anger
The next morning, at the regular council meeting, Carmel was absent once again. As the meeting drew to a close, I reported Wilter's resignation to Pehart.
"Wilter... Yes, what a pity. He was an outstanding knight... But overcoming defeat will only make him stronger. Adversity builds a man, after all."
A surprisingly decent sentiment, coming from Pehart. Well, not that the man in question is here to hear it.
"We cannot leave the position of the Direct Guard Commander vacant. We must find a suitable replacement immediately."
"Hmm, quite right. Do you have a suitable candidate in mind?"
"Vice-commander Keibara is a strong candidate. He has assisted Wilter for a long time, so he should be capable of filling his shoes. Of course, his swordsmanship falls far short of Wilter's..."
"I object! The Commander of the Direct Guard is not a position that merely handles administrative duties! As an exemplar of knighthood, they must possess outstanding martial prowess and tactical brilliance. I believe Keibara lacks the capacity to serve as commander."
This was going to drag on. The two ministers continued their debate. Pehart cleared his throat and asked for my opinion.
"Enough, both of you. Sera, what is your opinion on the matter?"
"In my opinion... why not leave the decision entirely to Commander Filgret?"
"To Lord Filgret? But Princess, the Commander of the Direct Guard holds equal rank to the Commander of the Royal Guard. Surely that is a bit..."
"But since the Royal Guard won the Festival of the Sword, even if they are of equal rank, doesn't the Direct Guard now fall under Commander Filgret's jurisdiction? If he selects the candidate himself, operations and communication will proceed much more smoothly. Furthermore, a knight's true caliber is best judged by a fellow knight."
"M-mm... However..."
I wasn't saying this just to plant one of my own people in the Direct Guard. From an operational standpoint, it was simply the most logical approach. Still, the ministers' reluctant reactions were undoubtedly because Filgret was of low noble birth and a staunch royalist. The Grave family hadn't been on the nobles' side either. They had likely hoped to use this opportunity to plant someone from a high noble house into the Direct Guard.
"Then, Princess, while we shall leave the final decision to Commander Filgret, would it be acceptable for us to at least recommend candidates?"
Recommendations... I had no reason to refuse that much. As long as Filgret held the final authority, mere recommendations were harmless.
"Of course. Would that be acceptable, Father?"
"Hmm? Ah, yes. We shall do as the Princess suggests. We will leave the judgment to Filgret, but I encourage you all to freely recommend any talented individuals you see fit."
With the matter of the Direct Guard Commander settled, the regular council meeting came to an end. I immediately headed toward Carmel's chambers. Given her absence from the meeting, her mood had to be incredibly foul. The reason, of course, was that her carefully laid conspiracy had gone up in smoke. My purpose in visiting her was simple: to feast my eyes on her defeated face.
From the far end of the corridor, the sound of shattering and breaking echoed. It was coming from the direction of Carmel's chambers, without a doubt. As I hurried closer, I found the maids trembling in terror outside her door.
"What is going on? Has something happened to Mother...?"
"Princess Sera...! Please, stop Queen Carmel! At this rate, Shinia is going to...!"
Looking closely, one of the maids was sobbing, her cheek swollen and flushed red as if she had been struck. I flung the door open and stepped inside. The scene within was horrific. Carmel stood with a venomous expression, clutching a slender switch. Before her, Shinia knelt in nothing but her undergarments, her arms raised high in punishment. Angry red welts were slashed across her chest and thighs.
No matter how charming her villainy could be, it was impossible not to feel a surge of anger at such a sight. I strode forward and thrust myself between Carmel and Shinia.
"Sera... How insolent of you, barging in without knocking."
"What do you think you are doing, Mother?"
My voice came out much lower than usual. Something hot and volatile was churning deep in my chest.
"Can't you see? I am disciplining an insolent maid. This is hardly a matter for you to interfere in."
Shinia couldn't even meet my eyes. Her spirit seemed completely broken by the physical abuse.
"And what exactly did Shinia do?"
"The tea was too hot. I nearly burned my tongue. Harming the royal body is an act of high treason. She should consider herself lucky to get off with a mere whipping."
She was taking out her frustrations again, using the pettiest excuse to vent. When I thought of how terrified Shinia must have been at the accusation of treason, another wave of anger surged within me.
"Cease this barbaric behavior, Mother. It is entirely unbefitting of a member of the benevolent royal house of Rustie."
"Hmph, benevolent..." A flash of pure contempt crossed Carmel's eyes. Of course, it wasn't as if I actually believed my own words either.
"If the benevolent Princess Sera is so deeply moved... perhaps you would like to take her place?"
Her voice was ice-cold. If I accepted, Carmel would not hesitate to strike me, pouring all the resentment from her previous defeat into every blow.
Just then, Shinia, who had been trembling in silence, cried out.
"N-no! Princess...! You mustn't do that...! I-I was the one who made a mistake... *hic*... It's all my fault..."
A mere maid had no right to interrupt a conversation between the Princess and the Queen—especially not one currently undergoing punishment. If I actually backed down now, Shinia would suffer an even worse fate for daring to open her mouth. Shinia had to know this. Yet, she had squeezed out every ounce of courage from her terrified heart to speak up. I had no intention of treating her devotion lightly.
"Insolent girl..." Carmel glared at Shinia with murderous eyes. She might be planning something far worse than a simple whipping. Knowing Carmel, she absolutely would.
To be perfectly cold-hearted, it was actually to my advantage for Shinia to remain Carmel's personal maid. The more Carmel abused her, the more desperately Shinia would feed me information. Dangling the hope of eventual escape while exploiting her pain—that was the most profitable scenario for me.
But one cannot live solely by calculating profit and loss. I stared straight into Carmel's frigid eyes. Even if we got through this moment, the abuse would resume the second my back was turned, as long as Shinia remained under her command. To save Shinia, I had to remove her from this place entirely.
Of course, that didn't mean I should just give in to Carmel's demands. If she realized that tormenting a maid could get her leverage over me, that would lead to the worst possible outcome. What was needed here was a decisive, uncompromising response. I had to make it crystal clear that such behavior would only work against her.
I raised my right hand and slapped Carmel across the face with all my might.
Slap!
The sharp sound echoed through the room. Carmel's face went completely blank. It seemed to take her a moment to process the burning sensation on her cheek and understand what had just happened.
"Y-You... struck me...?" Carmel, Shinia, and even the maids peeking through the crack in the door were utterly paralyzed with shock.
"You... hit me...? How dare you..."
"Those who do bad things must be punished. If it is what it takes to correct your dreadful manners, Mother, I will gladly strike you as many times as necessary."
"Y-You...!" Unable to contain herself, Carmel raised her hand. But despite the aggressive motion, her right hand froze mid-air. Her face was flushed with a rage far greater than when I had first entered the room. Compared to what she had done to Shinia, a single slap was barely violence at all. Yet, Carmel ultimately couldn't bring herself to strike me. Her hand trembled violently before she slowly lowered it.
"This will not be brushed aside, Princess Sera. If you think you can commit such a heinous act of filial impiety and walk away unscathed, you are sorely mistaken."
Her voice shook with suppressed rage. The reason Carmel didn't retaliate with a slap of her own wasn't because of any mature restraint. It was because... she was afraid of me. Every time she had clashed with me, she had suffered a crushing defeat, paying for it with agonizing shame and humiliation. Those memories were not easily forgotten.
Slapping an elder—and her stepmother, no less—was an incredibly bold move. It was not how I usually operated. Carmel had likely assumed there was a trap waiting for her. Furthermore, a person like Carmel could never comprehend that I had acted out of genuine anger for a single maid. That incomprehension would only deepen her suspicion. She must have decided it was better to use my "filial impiety" as a political weapon to construct a new trap, rather than blindly falling into whatever snare she thought I had laid.
I picked up the discarded maid uniform from the floor, draped it over Shinia's shoulders, and took her by the hand.
"Let's go, Shinia."
"P-Princess..." Though still terrified, Shinia followed my lead out of the room. Behind us, Carmel's murderous gaze burned into our backs as we walked away.