The Daughter of Evil - Volume 3 - Chapter 3.21

Chapter 3, Section 2-Full Moon Visitor; Scene 1
Praeludium of Red, page 170-176

✥ Kyle ~In the Lucifenian Palace, “Hall of Mirrors”~

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The next afternoon, Yukina came to visit the palace just as she said at the banquet.

“You’ve traveled quite a long ways to get here, huh?”

I looked down on Yukina as she bowed to me. It was natural, considering our respective statuses, but seeing this girl who was once so innocent that she caused her father trouble respectfully adhering to etiquette like she was now made me feel quite severely the passage of time.

The two servants behind her bowed as she did. Their entire bodies were concealed with cloaks, and they wore wooden masks. It was hard to think of a fourteen year old girl going on a journey by herself, so perhaps they were people hired on as bodyguards? Even so, they were dressed quite strangely.

Honestly, I’ve been just surrounded by masked people lately.

“It is good to finally talk to you again. It has been quite a while, has it not? I am increasingly delighted to see that you are in good health, Your Majesty. Today–”

“That formal address is more than enough. I don’t mind if you face me.” At my words, Yukina raised her head. “I think your features have come to resemble Lady Mikina.”

“My mother? I don’t much think that way myself, but…”

“I disagree, I think you look just the slightest bit more like Lady Mikina than Keel. …Well then, is it alright if I ask you something before we go into the main topic?”

“What about?”

I pointed at the servants behind her.

“These people behind you. They have a very interesting way of dress, don’t they?”

“Ah, them…they’re Almoga Mobarez.”

Almoga Mobarez? I had heard of them. If memory served me…

“That’s the name of those few citizens of Asmodean who work as mercenaries.”

“That’s right. The very same. I met up with them during my journey.”

My personal bodyguard standing next to me–Clive–took a step towards them.

“Oi! You lot. You’re in the presence of royalty. Take off those masks.”

One of the servants responded to that in a very faint whisper, “According to our laws we cannot expose our real faces to other people. We beg your pardon.”

“Laws!? I’ve never heard of that. In this country you follow our rules–”

I put an arresting hand on Clive’s shoulder as he threatened them, his face red.

“It’s alright. These are the company of none other than Yukina. We can let it slide.”

“…As you will.”

Clive reluctantly stood down.

Even so, she’s brought some very strange people with her.

I couldn’t believe it so suddenly, but it seemed that the talk of Yukina running away from home and traveling to several countries for the past year was true.

“I don’t really mind. Actually it’s appropriate–there are people like them in the palace right now.”

The Special Maneuvers Task Force…They still hadn’t found the ‘witches’ yet. For the moment they had returned to the palace.

I readjusted my position on the throne.

“Well then, shall I hear your business here?”

“Right. I’ve come here as Keel’s representative today.”

“In Keel’s place?”

Yukina began to speak, putting a bit more strength in her manner of speaking than she had before.

“Your Majesty has put an embargo on the country of Elphegort recently, yes?”

“It’s not a complete embargo. Trade with Marlon is still permitted. I had thought it wasn’t putting Keel at a disadvantage?”

The embargo towards Elphegort both functioned as a punishing measure on the government and the king of Elphegort who wouldn’t make his position clear on the situation with Marlon, and at the same time had the goal of advancing my economic rule by enforcing trade with my country.

“My father oversees the flow of trade in the whole Evillious region. Even if it brings him a temporary benefit, he’s concerned about the possibility that if this embargo continues it’ll result in a stagnation of the marketplace.”

I listened to Yukina’s claim, nodding along.

However, there was a big inconsistency in her story. I decided to press her on it.

“But wasn’t it Keel who suggested the embargo in the first place?”

“Huh!?”

A look of panic crossed Yukina’s face.

“I-is that so? Sorry, I’m just here as a messenger so I don't…”

“This is an economic matter as well, so why are you here? Isn’t the plan for your little brother Shaw to inherit Keel’s business?”

Yukina had a twelve year old brother named Shaw. I’d heard that Keel had been considering making him his heir, so Shaw was currently in the middle of studying about trade at his father’s side.

“Sh-Shaw is still just a kid! So I came this time…

…She’s not making a lot of sense.

But, well, I could get the gist of this scenario. Apparently Yukina thought that I hadn’t realized that she’d run away from home.

I knew that she wasn’t Keel’s messenger, but rather she was just dropping by during her journey. However, she was worried that I’d find her out and contact Keel. …Fairly certain that was it.

She talked about her little brother as being just a kid, but she was after all just a fourteen year old girl herself. She probably wasn’t thinking about such a minute detail.

Would it be kinder to keep pretending that I haven’t figured her out?

Yukina continued making excuses, sweat dripping from her brow. I interrupted her.

"Well, understood. I’ll just talk to your father directly when I get the chance.”

“R-right. You’d really be helping me out by doing that…”

I would end up feeling bad for Yukina, if I continued the conversation any further. I switched topics. “By the by, is this the first time you’ve been to this palace, Yukina?”

“Now that you mention it, it is. My father never took me along when he was attending the banquets here.”

One could call Keel’s judgment prudent. If he had brought Yukina back then, she’d probably get beheaded by that displeased Riliane. I’d heard rumors that she had even executed children younger than her without any mercy.

“While you have the opportunity, you should look around the palace. There are a lot of interesting things here. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration for your novels.”

“R-really!? I can!?”

In the space of a second Yukina’s eyes began to sparkle.

I see, perhaps the reason for her braving the danger of Keel finding out her location to come here was because she’d wanted to inspect the inside of the palace.

“Indeed, I don’t mind. Aside from the armory go anywhere you like. I’ll tell the soldiers.”

“Then I’m gonna go!”

Before she’d even finished speaking Yukina darted out of the Hall of Mirrors with her notepad in hand.

My my, grown up though she may be, some things haven’t changed.

The masked servants that she’d left behind slowly stood, bowed to me, and left the room.

“Clive.”

“What do you need, my king?”

“Make sure to tell everyone that Yukina is to be allowed to move freely within the palace. And then…send a carrier pigeon to Keel.”

“A carrier pigeon…?

"Tell him Yukina’s come to the Lucifenian palace.”

“Is that what you wish?”

“I do want to aid in her adventure. But Keel is an extremely doting father. He’s likely to die of loneliness if she makes him worry too much.”

And that really wasn’t much of an exaggeration.

“I understand, I’ll get on it.”

“It’s Keel, so perhaps he’ll be able to grasp the situation in his own way.”

After Clive told something to his underling soldiers, they began to walk off in separate directions.