Like a Thorn Stuck in the Heart

Your Majesty, I have to thank you again for setting up such a wonderful dinner banquet, Mia said. She was ready to fight now that her stomach was full. It was time to get in the ring, and she couldnt have been more ready to give a show that would knock everyone out. She also had her trusted helpers Ludwig and Anne with her. If it came down to it, Rania would probably side with her too. Then, on top of everything else, she had Tatiana as her ace in the hole.

Even the queen consort and her young son liked her after seeing how fiercely she attacked her food.

Ive got this in the bag! I cant possibly lose!

She thought she was a great general who had circled a force of 10,000 with a force of 100,000. Moments away from destroying the enemy totally, she looked at Yuhal with the confidence of someone who was sure she would win.

You are too kind, said Yuhal. This is the least we can do to thank you for coming to see us during the Thanksharvest Festival.

Mia said with a smile to the always humble king. You are too modest. Like Princess Rania and I, Tearmoon and Perujin have a connection. I also owe a lot to Princess Arshia. Ive always known Id attend. I only hope that my visit will make the mutual trust we already have in each other even stronger.

She used a bit of charm in her small talk, bringing up how friendly the two countries have been so far. It also made to coax the king not to work with Shalloak. She had hoped that her comment would do just that.

Mutual trust, you say Indeed, mutual trust The king, however, scowled.

Mia didnt like the way he looked, but she couldnt stop now.

Yes, thats the basis of our friendly relations. But I have to say that Ive heard some bad rumors lately that have made me very worried. There are rumors that the price of wheat sold to Tearmoon could go up because of a famine.

Is there? How strange. I dont know the first thing about that. Ive heard people talk about a famine, but isnt it true that no one can be sure if one is coming or not?, Yuhal asked with a fake look of surprise.

Lets get right to the point, Your Majesty. We both lose when we act like we dont know something. Surely Perujin has seen the signs by now. Am I wrong? Since last year, the amount of wheat grown has been going down. It is true that right now there is a chance to raise prices and make a lot of money, but people will go hungry if that happens. I cant say for sure where this idea came from, but if it came from that Shalloak guy, I must tell you that he is

She was about to say unreliable, because hes actually a big softie at heart!, but the king interrupted her with a laugh.

Hahaha, I see, I see. Princess Mia, your love for your people is a beautiful thing to see. How very noble of you.

His words surprised her. She could only blink back.

Saint indeed, he said. Kind and caring, and thinks about her people. You keep up a good picture. What you did last winter was also a really smart move. So much so that you even seem to have gotten my daughter to trust you with it. The way things went with the wheat earlier Princess Mia, you seem to be able to change hearts whenever you want. Given your age, thats an amazing skill. The young shouldnt be taken for granted, right? Hah!

Yuhal laughed softly and then asked, Is that it? To make sure that nobody goes hungry? That is a good reason why you want to tie us together. Did you think I would just smile and nod if you told me it was for a good cause?

Hm

Mia saw that his words were sharp. In fact, they had been difficult ever since she brought up trust between them. It wasnt a direct attack like a swords point, but more like a spike. Thorns. Too small and thin to get much attention. If what he said was the wheat, then this was the weeds. They were dangerous thorns that would cause her a lot of pain and trouble if she stepped on them without being careful. She had to be very careful and move slowly toward them.

With her danger alarms going off in her head, Mia reached her hand across the table, toward a big pile of fruits. As normal, the plan was for her to eat sweets to refuel her brain. She took a bite of some Perujin berries. Their sweet-and-sour taste woke up any parts of her brain that were still sleeping. Freshly sugared, she looked at Yuhal and Shalloaks faces with more concentration.

She had a thought: What if the empire had an even worse reputation than she thought? She thought that most people didnt trust the empire any more than they would trust a shady trader like Shalloak. Because of this, she thought that if she could get them to trust him less, it would tip the balance in her favor and keep them from betraying Tearmoon. Had she been too hopeful in her guess?

She chewed on it. If thats the case, it would be an extreme case of being too sure of yourself. The war was not won by making optimistic assumptions. Her band of 100,000 people turned out to be mostly new recruits and inexperienced first-timers. There were only a few real troops, about the same number as her enemy. They were about the same when it came to fighting power.

Worse still, she had ridden to this fight with no more of a plan than, Ill just swoop in and grab victory.

What a terrible mistake! This isnt a good sign!

She tried to think of a way out of this mess, but Yuhal didnt give her enough time to come up with a plan.

Trust? For the people? Theres no need to talk like this. If you want to make me do what you want, go ahead and try. Bring your army and make us do what you want. We both know Perujin isnt strong enough to stand up to you.

Ah, but that would be missing the point. If I use force to hold someone down, as soon as I let go, they will turn on me. Theyll turn against me when Im at my weakest, which is the worst thing that could happen. Grrr Stupid Tearmoon lords. Ive always known they were jerks, but I didnt think theyd do this much damage!

When she was suddenly put in a bad position, she quietly cursed her fellow aristocrats and worried about how their bad behavior had hurt her.

Thats not true, father.

Just then, reinforcements came from the last place she expected them to come from. At the entry to the banquet hall, a womans voice could be heard.

Arshia? Are you back?

The second princess of Perujin, Arshia Tafrif Perujin, stood in the doorway.