Entering the throne room were three individuals: Munith, Rene, and Kyrat. Munith led the way, while Rene and Kyrat followed closely behind. Two Ortensian knights walked behind them.
Inside the room were two magnificent silver thrones adorned with blue drapes. Seated on them were the rulers of Ortensia, the King and Queen. Like Munith, they wore white-colored clothing. The King had on a white robe matching his grey hair, with a hastily put on dark blue military attire draped over his lean body. The Queen wore a white robe as well, and between the gaps of her robe, one could see a dark blue dress. Her bright brown hair contrasted with her cold and menacing demeanor. The sun has barely risen, thus the throne room is only lit by candles and lanterns.
Munith, Rene and Kyrat knelt on the red carpet, bowing their heads towards the rulers. The two knights stepped aside and stood by the pillars.
"Mother, Father, I have arrived," said Munith.
The king rubs his tired eyes and looks up at Munith with a mixture of surprise and concern.
"Munith? Aren't you supposed to be in Setus?" he asks, his voice gruff from lack of sleep.
Munith stood up and stepped forward. She looked serious as she spoke.
"Father, mother, I have something important to tell you. Kyrat and Rene can confirm how important this is."
The queen narrowed her eyes at Munith, clearly unhappy that they were summoned this early in the morning.
"And what is so urgent that it couldn't wait until morning, Munith? I assume this involves the war?" the queen asked, speaking in a cold and threatening tone.
Munith took a deep breath and looked straight at her mother.
"Yes, a boy who is also my friend, Feyt, has been forced to fight in the war."
"What?!" The king woke up after hearing Munith's words.
The queen nodded, her expression unchanged.
"I see. And who is the noble responsible for this?"
Rene stepped forward, raising his hand to his chest.
"I believe it was someone close to the knights, Your Majesty. It could be either Lady Lirik or Lord Ulricar."
The queen closed her eyes for a few seconds and then looked straight at Munith.
"Very well, I shall deal with them later. The three of you are allowed to stay here until the sun fully rises, then you shall leave for Setus immediately."
"Wait!" Munith shouted.
"..."
The queen stared at her daughter coldly.
"What?" she said in a cold, hard voice.
"Aren't you going to save him?"
Munith stared at her mother with an angry glare. She responded with a glare of her own.
The room became very tense instantly.
"What good can we do? The war will begin in a matter of hours. I will not-"
The king interrupted the queen. His face showed worry.
"Dear, we can at least-"
"Pause for a moment." The queen refused his opinion by raising her hand at his face.
"A-Ah."
The king lowered his head, looking dejected. The queen put her hand back on her lap as she continued.
"As I was saying, the war will begin in hours. You want me to stop the war just to find one single child? "
"That's not what I meant," Munith said, shaking her head.
"There's another topic I would like to discuss."
"Hmm?"
Without moving her head, the queen stared down at her.
"The 'Arch Tactician' has made a new set of plans that will ensure further chances of victory. Thus, I would like to request for both Rene and Kyrat to be sent to the frontlines."
Rene's eyes twitched, wanting to raise complaints, but he kept quiet. Kyrat was ready to be sent to the battlefield from day one, so he has no notable reaction. He was, however, a bit surprised to learn that Rene was the 'Arch Tactician' himself.
The queen narrowed her eyes.
"I agree to send Rene to the front lines," the queen said. "But who is the man with him?"
"Y-Yes! My name is Kyrat Sareid, a noble from Setus."
The king suddenly remembered something when he heard Kyrat's full name.
"...Sareid? Aren't you supposed to be here at noon? You're the one meant to lead additional knights from Setus arriving later, right?"
"Yes, that was my mission. But Feyt, the boy who went to war, is one of my students. I would do anything to bring him back, so I rushed here."
Kyrat stepped forward and bowed as deeply as he can.
"May I ask of you to send me to the battlefield as soon as possible?"
The queen maintained her air of superiority, she gazed at Kyrat without any noticeable movement of her head. However, she then closed her eyes and emitted a slight sigh.
"If Rene accompanies you, then I suppose it is acceptable."
The queen lifted her head and fixed her gaze on Munith's.
"Is that all? In that case, I must-"
"No," Munith interjected.
The queen's eyes flickered in annoyance as she rose from her throne. She had already granted her daughter numerous requests. "What else could she possibly want?" she thought. She settled back onto her throne and inquired,
"What is it?"
"I would also like to g-," Munith began.
"No," the queen interrupted firmly, cutting Munith off before she could even finish her sentence.
"But I have valid reasons to-" Munith protested.
The queen's voice rose in anger.
"You are the First Princess of Ortensia! What business do you have on the battlefield?!"
"I can provide-"
"What. What can you provide? Moral support?"
"Of course not! I can-"
"Enough!"
The queen slammed her fist down on the throne's arm rest. The sound of the impact reverberate across the throne room. It silenced the room in a menacing way.
After a few seconds of silence, the queen lowered her voice slightly, but still audiably angered.
Munith persisted in her protest, but the queen cut her off once more.
"You will remain in your chamber until the war is over," she declared sternly.
Munith opened her mouth to object, but the queen spoke over her.
"Rene and Kyrat will depart for the battlefield at once. That is all."
With that, the queen rose from her throne and made her way to a door situated behind it, disappearing into her chambers. The room was left in stunned silence, the echo of the queen's anger still reverberating in the air.
Munith's head hung low, her teeth gritted in frustration.
"M-Munith," the king spoke up, attempting to console his daughter. "If you truly need to go to the battlefield, I can grant you permission-"
"No, father. I do not wish to anger mother further," Munith cut him off, mustering a smile.
"Thank you for your concern, but I shall retire to my chambers now."
Munith bowed respectfully to her father before turning to leave.
"I-I will accompany you, Your Highness!" Rene stuttered, still shaken by the queen's outburst.
The two left the room, leaving behind Kyrat, the knights and the king in the throne room.
Munith sat in a chair by the window, her frustration visible through the pout she wore. Rene approached her cautiously.
"Munith, are you alright?" he asked.
"Aaah~ My whole entire plan is going to the ditch~" Munith replied in a cute voice, pouting.
"..."
"Jeez~ Mom can be a real pain to talk with, you know?" she continued.
"...Yes, it would seem so," Rene replied sympathetically.
Munith gazed out of the window at the sun, which was halfway risen.
She stared at it for a few seconds before breaking the silence.
"This... really reminds me of my old life," she said wistfully.
"You mean, back when you were a God?" Rene asked.
"...It's nothing." Munith shook her head, dismissing the thought.
Rene knew he had to do something to comfort her.
"What should I do?" he asked.
"Hmm?" Munith turned her head towards Rene.
"Your plan is to kill the king of Denta as fast as possible, correct? Maybe I can-"
"There's no way you can," Munith interrupted.
Confused, Rene asked, "W-What do you mean?"
"Your Talents. They're really only good for protection. Can someone with barely any offensive force charge straight into the enemy camp?"
"Then, I can sneak-"
"There's no way you could. We don't even know where they set up camp in that dense forest," Munith replied with finality.
Rene attempted to offer a suggestion,
"I can interrogate one of Denta's soldiers-"
But Munith cut him off with a pointed question,
"Even if you reach the king, can you kill him?"
Rene was left without a response, silenced by Munith's logic.
Pilante, the king of Denta, won't be an easy opponent.
"Then, what can I do?" Rene asked, dejected.
"..." Munith remained silent as she watched the sun rise.
"Just get ready, Kyrat should be about ready to depart now," she said, finally breaking the silence.
"...Right away, Your Highness," Rene responded, bowing before leaving the room.
Munith, now alone, remisninces her old life as Yu'ra.
Her thoughts turn to her former mother, Li'to.
Once a problem child, always a problem child, huh?
"Dear, we can at least-"
"Pause for a moment."
"A-Ah."
Who said 'Pause for a moment.' The King says 'Dear', the Queen says 'A-Ah'... Who interrupted the King?
The queen paused him. Switched the sentences around a bit so it's more clearer.
Thanks for the comment!
Poor munith, i wish her well.
Thank you for chappy :3
He now has 3 OP body guards, his adult mind should protect him enough from trauma I believe, and this war will serve to train him. Get some medals of honor hopefully, the youngest knight who is friends with a noble's daugther, the first princess and the arc tactician. Both nobles directly involved should hopefully be used as an example for future corrupt nobles and their greed.
Once a problem child, always a problem child, huh?
depen on who you ask, TFTC
very interesting
"That's not what I meant," Munith said, shaking her head.
"There's another topic I would like to discuss."
"Hmm?"
"The 'Arch Tactician's......."
It seems there was a mix-up of who was speaking here
Thx for the chap.
Thanks for the chapter.