They said Fien was being confined, but seeing her bound with a coarse rope as though she were a criminal made Natalie cry out.

“Wait… wait!  I didn’t… mean it like—”
“Be silent.  It is a disgrace for an Imperial Consort to be defended by a mere young girl in the Inner Palace!”

Natalie, having been scolded by Fien, the person in question, shrank back.  Even the guards who had tied the rope around Fine recoiled.

The only one who remained unmoved was Cassandra.

“Those are admirable words, but the outcome will not change.  Take her away.”
“Maa… how cruel, Cassandra-sama.  I am on your side, after all.”
“How shameless.  The vixen consort speaks.”
“Was it not you who taught me what it meant to be an Imperial Consort?  When I first came to the Inner Palace and did nothing but cry, were you not the one who told me to push my older sister aside and become one myself?”
“Then… have you acted in a manner worthy of being Melonis-sama’s Imperial Consort?”

Cassandra spoke with a cold tone.  Fien gave a confident answer.

“Of course.  I would be delighted if my place of confinement could be with Melonis-sama.  Lately, I’ve not been receiving any replies to my letter—”
“Don’t let her speak and take her away!”

Cassandra raised her voice for the first time.  The guards reached out toward Fien.

“Do not touch me, you insolent fools!  —I can walk on my own.”

Smiling gracefully, Fien began to walk.  Then, without sparing a glance to Natalie or even Frida, she left the room with her head held high with dignity while being surrounded by the guards.

“Your Highness Natalie, Your Highness Frida, please take your leave.”
“…What do you intend to do with Fien-sama?”
“This is a matter of the Inner Palace.  Being the Imperial Princess doesn’t mean you can arbitrarily interfere.”
“Th-then… what about Jill-onee-sama’s… cooperation with the festival…?”
“I shall assume those duties in Fien’s place.”

Faced with Cassandra’s complete unwillingness to entertain discussion, Frida pursed her lips together in frustration and lowered her head.  Natalie felt the same way.  But Cassandra’s claim was correct.

A search of the room had already begun without a word from Cassandra, as though it had been planned in advance.

—I need something I can demand of Cassandra as an Imperial Princess.

“…In that case, let me see father.”

The end of Cassandra’s eyebrow twitched.  Natalie wasn’t certain, but pressed the issue, believing this was her chance.

“I will tell him about Fien-sama’s affair myself.  Let me see Father.”
“I did not grant you permission to enter the Inner Palace.  Despite that—who allowed you entry to here?”
“No one.  Don’t change the subject!  Even you don’t have the right to prevent me from meeting Father.”
“Guards should have been posted at the gate.”

Natalie’s breath caught as she realized what Cassandra was implying.  Cassandra remained curt.

“Even if you cover for them, it will not take long to find out who they were.”
“I-I forced my way past them!  The gate guards did nothing wrong!”
“Then please take your leave.”

Cassandra spoke without mercy.

“I would not recommend you involve yourselves in the affairs of the Inner Palace with the naïve resolve of being unable to sacrifice even a single guard.”

She spoke with the tone of a person who knew that saying such would make Natalie and Frida back down.

“Escort Her Highness Natalie and Her Highness Frida out.”

The guards Cassandra indicated with a jut of her chin surrounded them.  They were then driven out of the room as though being herded along and escorted all the way to the gate that served as the entrance exit for the Inner Palace.

“…okaa-sama… will be fine.”

Natalie heard Frieda murmur, as though trying to convince herself.

“She’ll be fine.  I… have to… think.  What was… okaa-sama… doing…?”

Natalie squeezed Frida’s hand.  Right.  At this point, the only thing they could do was think about Fien’s words and actions.

The guard behind them collapsed without warning.  Then the guard beside them.

“Who in the world—guah!”

“Natalie-onee-sama, run!”
“Freida!”

Freida, having shoved Natalie aside, was tangled up with the guard who had been knocked aside.  Natalie let out a small scream.  Blocking her path was an assailant dressed as a guard.  A dagger with red blood dripping from it was held at her eye level.  She swallowed hard.

“Your Highness Natalie, I have come to retrieve you.”
“…Me?”

Right now, for better or worse, the ones attracting attention were the Dragon Consort and the women selected for the Dragon Flower Crown Festival.  Unable to understand why she herself was being targeted, she asked back in puzzlement.  If the target was an Imperial Princess, then Frida, who was pinned beneath the guard and unable to move, should have been just as suitable.

The assailant’s eyes, however, remained on Natalie who had fallen onto her backside.

“There is no need to be afraid. If you would simply come with me—”

“Koke— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —!”

A crow resembling a battle cry resounded from the roof and a white mass shot over Natalie’s head like a bullet.  The assailant was kicked square in the face and went down.  Frida, having crawled out from beneath the guard, beamed.

“Sauté!”

The Dragon Consort’s gamecock planted its foot on the fallen assailant, spread both wings, and puffed out its chest proudly.

“Your Highness Natalie!  Your Highness Frida!  Are you unharmed!?”
“Jill…!”

Natalie almost burst into tears despite herself at the voice that came from behind her.  Guards, perhaps having heard the rooster’s cry, came running from the front.

However, before the eyes of the relieved Natalie, the assailant Sauté had pinned down coughed up blood.  Frida let out a small gasp.

—He had taken poison.

A small, uncorked bottle rolled across the floor.  Jill, who had come to Natalie’s side, picked it up.

“…Are you alright?  Are you injured?”

Jill was calm.  Natalie braced herself and nodded.

“I-I’m-I’m fine.  What… happened?  Weren’t you… at the Dragon Consort’s Palace…?”

Because the rapid turn of events felt unreal, she found herself asking something that hardly mattered. But Jill, who had helped Natalie to her feet, fell silent.

It gave her a bad feeling.

“…Something happened, didn’t it?”

Jill’s expression showed clear hesitation as she faltered.  Regardless, the Dragon Consort who could make decisions despite her small size, looked Natalie in the eyes and spoke.

“His Highness Maynard has arrived.  He is Kratos’ goodwill ambassador.”

Natalie did not quite understand what that meant, and her reaction was delayed. Maynard. That was her elder brother’s name.

Frida, who had been trying to stand with Sauté’s help, also froze.

“At present, His Majesty has summoned the Three Dukes and is gathering information.  For the time being, it was decided that a formal meeting will be tomorrow, but he seems to want to see Your Highness Natalie, so we were wondering what to do—”

The explanation reached her ears, but it refused to properly sink into her mind.

For some reason, all Natalie could think of was the beautiful flower crown her brother had made for her when she had wanted to play the role of the Dragon Maiden.

Just where had that flower crown gone?

---

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