Detective Mia Cheats to Find the Culprit

Mia finally had some time to herself when she got to Count Lamprons house. She could finally read the Princess Chronicles without being bothered.

Its not Esmeraldas fault, but its hard to read this right now because shes always around

She quickly turned the page to the part about Sions death and read it line by line. Details had changed, as was to be expected.

Hm Well, thats not surprising, she said at the end of the first line. The question is what happened.

She had been able to keep Sion from getting into a fight with the bandits. Had that really fixed the problem? Or would Sion die in another way? She inhaled deeply and kept reading.

Soon, the words everyone feared came. The Chronicles say that Sions new fate was to be killed by poison.

That does show that the first bandit attack was probably meant for him. I mean, I guess its still possible that its just a chance, but

She stopped muttering when she got to a very important line. This time, the book told her who did it, which made her very happy.

Yes! This is great, oh my! Its almost as good as over!

After a moment of happiness, she realized what this meant and went back to thinking. The guilty persons name was Echard Sol Sunkland, which means

Sunklands second prince, Echard. Thats the little brother of Sion. Why him, of all the people?

It made no sense at all. As she thought about it more, her head hurt more and more. Mia had, for the most part, made an effort to get to know all the important people in nearby countries who were politically important to Tearmoon. This included royal families and peers. Echard, on the other hand, was only a name to her. She had no idea why he might have killed his brother.

Thisjust became a lot harder. If it were some random knight, that would be fine, but its the second prince of Sunkland

Until just now, Mia thought that if things got really bad, she could always use her last option, which was to use Dion on the bad guy. She didnt want to do it, but knowing that she could was very reassuring. But it wasnt anymore.

I mean, I never really planned to get that violent, so I guess its not that bad But there is a bright side to this. On the day of the murder, Esmeralda is going to the ball at the royal house. I can still try to stop it by being there in person and going with what feels right. It wont be easy, but it wont be impossible. But it will be close Hnnngh

She crossed her arms and thought so hard that, if the room were cold enough, steam would be coming out of her head. She fell face-first onto the bed after a period of hard thinking.

Nope! No, no, and no! No idea at all! What do I need to do? I wish I had something sweet right now. All done! Yes, I cant think without sweets!

She left her room to get something to think about. Something much better than fuel was walking down the hallway toward her at the same time. It was a thought engine.

What was I thinking? This is exactly why I brought Ludwig along!

She quickly did what she was best at, which was delegating tasks to a large number of people. She had, after all, arrived ready. She had Ludwig, who was smart, Dion, who was strong, and Citrina, who was poisonous. It would be silly not to use her many tools. She didnt wait any longer before she called Ludwig into her room.

Prince Echard, you say? asked Ludwig, who didnt understand.

Mia asked him the question as soon as he walked into the room.

Yes. Echard, Prince. He is Sions younger brother. Do you know anything about him?

Ludwig crossed his arms and looked serious. He shook his head after being quiet for a while.

I am sorry. I dont know of anything in particular that should be talked about. If its necessary, I can look into the situation.

Hmm Then, please do so.

Unfortunately, they wouldnt have time to do that, because not even a second after she asked

Mia-sama! Oh, Mia-sama!

The door flew open, and a startled Esmeralda ran in.

Moons, Esmeralda, whats wrong with you? You look as if youve seen a ghost!

Id be more likely to believe in a ghost! she stuttered. I saw the person Im supposed to marry, and itsits

Mia waited a second, and when she saw that Esmeraldas mouth was open but she wasnt saying anything, she sighed and pushed her.

Well? Im waiting. Who is it?

Its Its Ooooooh

Calm down, sweet moons. Moons sake, your name is Esmeralda Greenmoon. The Dukes daughter. There should be nothing in the world that would make you lose your mind like this.

P-Prince Echard! Im supposed to be marrying Prince Echard!

Huh?

Mia just looked at her with her mouth wide open. It was a very rude thing to do in front of Ludwig, but shock was more important than proper behavior. But if she had thought to look, she would have seen three open mouths in the room.

Ludwig was so shocked by the news that he didnt even notice Mias shock. Now was the first time that everything made sense in his head, and it hit him like a boulder. He finally got what Mia had been trying to do all along.

Echard Sol Sunkland, the second prince of his country, was to marry Esmeralda Greenmoon, the daughter of one of Tearmoons Four Dukes. Count Lampron, who is known for his strict views, was the one who helped make the deal happen How would the political power map change if the marriage went through?

It would make the House of Greenmoon and Prince Echard the leaders of a powerful group that would work against the alliance between Her Majesty and Prince Sion.

Mia and the Four Houses had already formed a united front, but the Greenmoons would tear it apart. Then, people who didnt like the empress could gather around the split house. Even worse, Duke Greenmoon had a son. If Mias bid for the throne fails, he would be next in line. Then the effects in Sunkland came into play. Sions cautious approach to expansionism would face a strong new enemy in the form of an alliance of conservatives that would be led by his brother.

So it makes sense that Her Highness asked me to find out about Prince Echard Now everything makes sense!

Ludwig chewed on his lip. His important discovery came too late.

If only I had thought about it a little more If I had just looked at Sunklands power map and internal situation one more time With hindsight, the timing and the players make it so clear. Why else would a noble from Etoiline and a noble from Sunkland talk about getting married now?

Ludwig hung his head in shame over his own mistake.

Please forgive me, Your Highness. I should have expected this. This is a horrible mistake on my part.

A mistake? Im not sure I get what youre saying, but

Mia looked at him with a raised lip, almost as if she didnt know what he was talking about. He took a bite, feeling both regret and thanks.

She plays the fool instead of criticizing me for my lack of skill

Im depending on you, Ludwig, so dont let me down.

When he saw her smile, he couldnt help but put his head down again.