To Be a Power in the Shadows! (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Putting the Kibosh on Rose Oriana’s Wedding!

I arrive in Oriana’s royal capital, a city of art and culture.

It’s famed for its uniformly colored buildings with their white walls and scarlet roofs, but at this wintery time of year, the roofs are buried under heavy layers of snow, leaving everything white as far as the eye can see.

The city is normally a bustling tourist destination, but unsurprisingly, there are no tourists to be seen. When people plan their vacations, they tend to avoid places that are on the brink of war.

Even the locals are tense.

Based on what I’ve heard, Perv’s marriage to Rose will give him the right to succeed the throne.

There’s no way I’m letting that happen.

I gotta go talk Rose out of this.

Step one? Getting into the castle, which is in a state of perpetual high alert.

“All right, gatekeepers, let’s see if you can keep up with the speed of sound.”

The skies are clear, there’s a fair number of pedestrians, and the gatekeepers are standing at attention.

It’s finally time for my hard-trained movement tech to shine!

Then, I hear a familiar voice. “Master Sha—er—Cid! What a coincidence!”

“Oh, hey, Epsilon. Fancy meeting you here.”

I stop on a dime and turn around. Behind me, I find an attractive elf with hair and eyes the color of a clear spring—Epsilon.

Y’know, now that I think about it, she did mention something about getting invited to the Oriana Kingdom to do a piano recital.

“It’s an honor to get to see you. I take it you’re here about the you-know-what as well?”

Epsilon turns and looks at the castle.

I assume she’s here to play the piano for the wedding. Man, anything sounds badass when you call it “the you-know-what.”

I put on the most serious expression I can muster.

“That’s right. I’m here for the you-know-what.”

Looks like we’re both here for the wedding.

“I figured as much,” she replies. “Would you like to accompany me, then?”

“What do you mean?”

“If I introduce you as my apprentice, I can get you in the front door.”

“Oh-ho.”

That sounds kinda fun, and if it isn’t, I can always slip away later.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

And with that, I enter the castle as the apprentice of “Shiron,” the pianist.

Thanks to Epsilon, I get waved right on into the castle. Once we’re in, I’m immediately captured by its gorgeously artistic decorations.

“They don’t call it a land of art and culture for nothing, huh?”

“It’s often said to be the most beautiful castle in the world,” Epsilon replies.

The two of us walk side by side through high-ceilinged corridors and exchange pleasantries with the people we pass.

“In Oriana, people respect the artistically talented, no matter what race they are or what their social status might otherwise be.”

“I see, I see.”

She leans in close to me, wraps her arm around mine, and whispers in my ear.

“All the praise I receive is thanks to you, my lord. You taught me everything I know.”

By my estimate, about 90 percent of her bosom is composed of slime.

Some things never change.

Day in and day out, Epsilon enhances her body with slime.

She uses it to pad her chest and hips, tighten her waist, and even lengthen her legs. It’s amazing what slime can do in the hands of a talented cosmetic surgeon.

Epsilon looks up at me coyly. “Tee-hee. Something on your mind?”

“Nah, I was just thinking about how you never fail to impress.”

I know full well how much precision and fine magical control it takes for her to maintain her figure like that.

“You’re too kind.” She squeezes my arm in delight, then lowers her voice. “I’m keeping an eye on the target to see what they’ll do.”

“…Good.”

Target? What’s this about a target?

“They haven’t noticed us yet. When the time is right, I’ll—”

All of a sudden, a gaggle of people all dressed to the nines chats us up.

“Goodness me, if it isn’t Ms. Shiron! You’re slated to give a performance at the luncheon today, aren’t you?”

“That’s correct, Duke Perv. It’s my honor to be debuting a new piece today.”

Epsilon returns his greeting in a well-practiced manner. The duke has a bunch of retainers shadowing him.

It’s him. Rose’s despicable fiancé.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Perv says. “I love how avant-garde all your compositions are.”

No duh, they’re avant-garde. They were written by a bunch of musicians who don’t even exist in this world.

“I was hoping Princess Rose would get to hear it, but I see she’s not with us today,” Epsilon notes.

“No, I’m afraid she’s fallen ill. She’s going to be taking it easy until the ceremony.” Perv turns to look at me. “By the way, who’s this?”

“He’s my apprentice,” Epsilon replies.

“You have an apprentice? I can’t believe this is the first I’m hearing of it. Forgive me for asking, but does he have a permit to enter the castle?”

“He’s with me, so I assumed he wouldn’t need one.”

“We recently changed the rules, I’m afraid. There are rumors that an outsider managed to sneak into the castle, so we’ve been tightening security just in case.”

“I suppose I’ll have to send him out to go get a permit, then,” Epsilon says. She shoots me an apologetic look.

I nod. These things happen.

“Oh, there’s no need to go that far. If he plays a piece for us, that will serve just as well. I’m sure everyone is dying to know what the legendary Shiron’s apprentice is capable of.”

Perv is giving me nowhere to run.

Fine by me, man. Time to break out the “background character who’s kinda decent at playing piano” routine.

People flood into the hall when they hear that Shiron has an apprentice.

In the Oriana Kingdom, she’s hailed as the greatest pianist in the world. Her name carries a lot of sway.

When she burst onto the scene a few years ago as a complete unknown, her pieces took the world of music by storm. Their innovative artistry and her polished technical skill became the talk of concert halls everywhere.

It’s said that the world of fine art has two rising stars that shine brighter than all the rest—Natsume for literature, and Shiron for music.

When people hear that Shiron’s taken on an apprentice, it’s hard to blame them for sitting up and paying attention.

In the Oriana Kingdom, talented musicians are a big deal. Even if nothing’s official yet, nobles hoping to become their patrons latch on to every rumor and scrap of information.

For Oriana nobles, the renown of the musicians they have working for them plays a huge role in how they’re viewed by their peers.

That’s why the people looking at the black-haired, dark-eyed boy standing before the piano are so confused.

They have no idea who he is.

If this boy is truly blessed enough with talent for the great Shiron to take him under her wing, surely someone must have heard of him.

“I saw them linking arms earlier… He had himself sandwiched right up against that massive rack…”

“That lucky dog. What’s Ms. Shiron doing with a skeevy little nobody like him?”

“Look, she’s young, and young people make mistakes. That’s why it’s on us to show her a better path.”

There are tons of people who would be all too happy to trick a naive young artist and make bank off their talents.

The gazes resting on Shiron’s apprentice are already steeped in animosity.

As the air sits thick with tension, the boy plants his fingers on the keys.

“Moonlight Sonata, huh…?”

Why that piece, though?

Out of all of Shiron’s pieces, that one’s hardly the most notable or best respected.

And yet…

“It’s so beautiful…,” someone murmurs.

The music is sharp. Polished.

It’s like it’s carving away all the dregs of life one by one. The only things that can exist in his music are the things he lets exist there.

His audience is so enraptured by his performance, they close their eyes.

And when they do, the moon’s light fills the world.

When I finish the performance and rise from my seat, I’m greeted by a thunderous round of applause.

Heh-heh-heh, you see that?

Now, you know the power of a Moonlight Sonata specialist. I’ve practiced that piece in my head so much I could play it in my sleep.

I bow to the audience and make my way back to Epsilon, who’s clapping so hard I’m afraid her hands might explode.

“Oh, goodness me! I’m so moved, it feels like the deluge of tears will never cease! There isn’t a person in this room who’ll ever forget the moment they got to hear the world-famous Moonlight Sonata distilled to its finest form!”

Classic Epsilon. She’s a bona fide master when it comes to wildly over-the-top reactions.

Perv steps in and asks a question I’d rather he didn’t. “That performance was so exquisite it was like I could see the moonbeams stream down from above. I’m sorry I ever doubted you. Might you do me the honor of telling me your name, my young pianist friend?”

“He’s still in training, but I would be more than happy to introduce him to you once he’s ready to go out on his own,” Epsilon replies.

“Oh, but we’re all just dying to know who he is.”

Ah, right, the Oriana Kingdom has this patronage system that they’re super into.

“As a student, I really shouldn’t…,” I tell him.

“And there you have it, I’m afraid,” Epsilon says.

“A shame, that.” Perv bows. “Still, the performance was sublime.”

Suddenly, I spot a weird bulge in one of his pockets. It catches my interest, so I casually pull a quick one and yoink it.

It turns out to be a small box.

I peek inside, and hello, hello, hello. My good friend Perv, I do believe this is a ring.

Obviously, it must be his wedding ring.

It’s not like he’s gonna end up needing it, so I’ll do everyone a solid and pawn it so it doesn’t go to waste.

I use Epsilon’s slime boobs as cover while I quietly fish out the ring, but I end up feeling kinda bad for Perv, so I decide to at least return the box to where I found it.

It wasn’t without its hiccups, but I successfully passed myself off as Epsilon’s apprentice. Now, I’m in the castle’s music room.

“Would you two like some tea?”

“Later, perhaps.”

I keep an eye out for an opportunity to slip away as I pretend to help Epsilon with her rehearsal, but the castle’s maids are sticking to us like glue.

I could run so fast they wouldn’t see me leave, but that would be pretty suspicious of me in its own right.

“Master Shiron,” I say, “we’ve come all this way. Would it be all right if I took a look around the castle?”

“Oh, that’s right,” Epsilon replies. “I’d forgotten it was your first time here. Go ahead. It’ll be a good experience for you.”

Thanks to our mediocre ad-lib, I successfully escape—

“I can give you a tour!”

—but one of the maids butts in, and my success turns to failure in a heartbeat.

“I’ll be fine on my own, but thanks.”

“Oh, please, you’re Ms. Shiron’s apprentice. We could never neglect you like that.” The maid’s hair is madder red, and a smile spreads across her face like a flower coming into bloom. She walks over to me. “Please, follow me.”

“You’ll be in good hands. Margaret is a veteran,” another maid offers. “On some days, she’s even entrusted with working in Princess Rose’s room.”

Apparently, little miss madder hair is named Margaret.

Margaret sidles right up next to me. “It’s my honor to serve.”

Eh, this is fine. I can just ditch her midway through the tour by pretending to take a wrong turn.

Plus, I do kinda want to ask her about Rose.

“…All right, lead the way.”

“Take care,” Epsilon says.

I sense a wave of hostility, and when I turn around, I find her smiling and glaring daggers at Margaret.

“And this is the Oriana Castle’s famous rose garden.”

My guide leads me to a magnificent collection of rose bushes.

Even though it’s winter, the garden is warm, and its multichromatic flora is in full bloom.

“There’s an artifact installed underground that regulates the garden’s temperature.”

“Oh, huh.”

I usually couldn’t care less about flowers, but the contrast between the white snow piled up on the castle and the vivid flowers in here is striking enough that even I’m impressed.

Margaret turns back and looks at me. “A-and might I mention—your performance earlier was heart-stirring!”

“Nah, I’m sure it wasn’t all that.”

“No, it was! Before long, I’m sure you’ll be one of the greatest pianists around! That was the best rendition of Moonlight Sonata I’ve ever heard!”

“Ha-ha-ha. I still have a lot to learn.”

“Not at all! Ms. Shiron is being too hard on you!”

“I dunno about that…”

“She is, I’m certain of it! Someone with your talent is wasted on her.”

“I definitely don’t know about that.”

“I couldn’t help but overhear Earl Parton, and he said that you caught his eye! If you worked as a pianist for an earl, your annual salary would be at least one hundred million zeni.”

“Wait, a hundred million? And that’s every year?”

Margaret nods with a gleeful smile. “Marquis Newwealth had high praise for you as well. Your seventy million–zeni salary with him would come out a little lower than the earl’s, but the concerts the marquis holds are attended by many of the biggest names in music. If fame is what you’re after, you definitely want to go with the marquis!”

“One hundred million zeni, you say…”

Honestly, becoming a musician might not be a bad path to take.

I mean, pianist by day, eminence in shadow by night? I do like the sound of that.

The problem is, I’d have to start practicing stuff other than Moonlight Sonata.

“A-and there’s also, um…my family!”

“Huh?”

“You could come work for my parents! The starting salary is usually only fifty million, but I’m sure I could get Dad to pay you seventy!”

“You’d do that?”

“I would, absolutely! I would move heaven and earth for you. What do you say?”

“Huh?”

Margaret grabs me by the hand and leads me behind a rosebush.

She lowers her voice and whispers in my ear. “Just between you and me, I’m on very good terms with both Earl Parton and Marquis Newwealth, and my family puts a great deal of trust in me as well. If you leave everything to me, I can make things go just the way you like.”

“Huuuh?”

Margaret presses my arm against her chest.

These puppies are 0 percent slime.

“What will it be? I recommend my family, of course. There, I could be by your side every step of the way.”

She tilts her head and looks up at me coquettishly.

“But what about Master Shiron…?”

“Ms. Shiron is a hog who wants to keep her adorable apprentice all to herself. Just earlier, she was glaring at me like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Don’t you worry about a thing. Just leave it all to me, and I’ll back you up with everything I have. How does that sound?”

So, this is how they play things in the Oriana Kingdom.

“By the way, I heard you were Princess Rose’s maid?”

I slip gracefully from Margaret’s grasp.

I’ve got no plans to go down the path of the musician just yet.

“What? But…how did you—?”

“Where is she, I wonder?”

Margaret petulantly puffs up her cheeks. “Interested in Princess Rose, are we?”

“Who wouldn’t be, with all the rumors flying around?”

“For the record, I despise Rose Oriana.”

“Huh.”

“I was her personal maid up until she transferred to that academy in Midgar. She was always a little odd, but she was kind, and smart, and loved by all. That’s why it stung so badly when she betrayed us.”

“What’d she do?”

“She plunged the kingdom into chaos, that’s what she did. Nobody acknowledges her as the rightful queen anymore.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Don’t tell anyone I said that, though.” Margaret gives me another sunny smile. “Now, you wanted to know where her room was?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m afraid…that’s a secret.”

“Figures.”

I knew there was no way she would just up and tell me, but a guy’s gotta try.

“I mean, of course I can’t tell you. But… But, but, but… Maybe, since it’s you…”

Margaret squeezes my hand and looks deeply into my eyes.

She brings her face right up to mine. I can feel her breath as she speaks.

“Princess Rose’s room is on the top floor of that tall spire over there. This can be our little secret.”

She just up and told me.

Sharing a secret with someone is a classic con man trick. If you’re in the market for getting someone’s trust and getting it fast, I highly recommend trying it.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t tell anyone else, okay? You’re the only one who can know. Just you, okay? You know, because you’re so special.”

And trying to make me feel special, too? This girl’s putting on quite the show.

“I-it really would mean a lot to me if you at least came and visited my parents.”

“I will definitely, absolutely consider it.”

“Hey, what’re you two doing back there?!”

I turn in the direction the shout came from and find an angry-looking guard glaring at us.

With all the hand-holding and eye-gazing we’re doing, we probably make for quite the eyesore.

“All right, you little creep, you’re coming with me.”

“H-he’s Ms. Shiron’s apprentice—!” Margaret cries.

“I wasn’t asking you! And you,” the guard says, turning back to me, “get your ass over here already!”

His face is as red as a tomato, and he’s pissed as all hell.

“I think I’d better go with him,” I say to Margaret. “You just wait here, all right?”

“I’m so sorry about this. If he does anything to you, anything at all, you tell me, okay? I hate that man’s guts.”

“You do?”

“I always catch him staring at me. It creeps me out.”

She glares at the man. Her gaze is filled with heartfelt loathing.

“Don’t make me say it again, you!” he roars at me.

“Coming!” I jog over to the guard.

“Over here.”

“You got it, boss.”

The guard drags me behind a nearby building.

“You have any idea who I am? I’m Kevin. The guard.”

As he introduces himself, he grabs me by the collar.

“Nice to meet you, Kevin the guard.”

“You think this is funny? What’re you supposed to be, some sorta musician? Must be nice, huh?”

“I’m sorry.”

Apparently, Kevin is real peeved.

“We’re out here protecting the country, you know. You people call us dark knights ‘barbarians,’ but we’re the ones putting our lives on the line for you. So why is it you guys are always the ones who get the pretty girls waiting on them hand and foot?”

“I’m sorry.”

Sounds like he’s got a lot to get off his chest.

With people like these, the best strategy is to just apologize over and over while you think about something else.

“C’mon, piano boy, gimme your best shot! Let’s see how good your precious music is at taking down a filthy barbarian dark knight!”

“I’m sorry.”

I found out where Rose is, so I really wanna go visit her.

“Ha, what a joke! A musician can’t beat a dark knight, and you know it! The arts aren’t worth shit!”

“I’m sorry.”

Margaret can’t see us from here, so now’s my perfect chance to pretend to get lost.

“I don’t ever wanna see you around Margaret again, you hear? Me and her, we’re in love with each other!”

“I’m…sorry?”

“What, you got a problem with that?”

“You’re…in love with each other?”

“You’re damn right we are! She and I pledged a vow!”

“But Margaret said she kept catching you staring at her.”

“Every day, we reaffirm our love by looking at each other from across that flower garden! I gaze at her, and Margaret looks away bashfully! But she’s so into me, she can’t help but snatch glances anyways! Oh, my sweet Margaret… Why, she’s lovelier than the flowers!”

“So, you just look at each other?”

“True love doesn’t need words!”

“Have you ever talked to her?”

“I talked to her just now, didn’t I?! I mean, sure, it was for the first time, but you could see how head over heels she was for my manliness!”

“Uhhh…”

“What, you got some sorta problem with that?”

“I was just, uh, blown away by how free and unorthodox your relationship is. I can see that what you two have really is true love.”

“That’s what I’m sayin’. Now, don’t you ever talk to her again! I’ll tell her you ran off, so go on and scram!”

You’re the man, Kevin. Thanks to you, I’m finally free.

“Y-y-yessir! I wish you two all the happiness in the world!”

After letting out an incredibly forgettable yelp, I head off to visit Rose.

Rose sits by the window and looks despondently up at the heavens. It’s almost as if the ash-gray winter sky is a reflection of her own heart.

Rose agreed to marry Perv in exchange for her mother’s safety.

She managed to save her mother. However, she has no idea if she’ll be able to save the kingdom.

The Shadow Garden will probably make a move before long. Although she had her reasons, the fact remains that Rose disobeyed a superior officer. She has little doubt that they’ll brand her as a traitor.

And the Cult of Diablos is going to make a move, too. They’re definitely up to something.

The Oriana Kingdom is about to become a mere stage for those two powerful forces to clash.

However, Rose is under house arrest. She’s helpless to do anything but stare at the ashen sky.

“Cid…”

Whenever she feels like things are too much to bear, she thinks of his face.

Tap.

Someone knocks on her window.

She heads over and looks outside, and when she does—

“It can’t be… Cid…?”

—she sees the very boy she’s been dreaming of.

Her cheeks flush as she stares at the dark-eyed, black-haired youth.

She wonders if she’s dreaming. She was so sure she’d never get a chance to see him again.

“Rose…”

She can feel the heat in his gaze. Even just looking at each other is enough to convey the depths of their passion.

She’s positive that in that moment, he’s thinking the exact same thing she is.

Her heart feels like it’s going to beat out of her chest.

She wants nothing more than to hold him tightly to her and to run away with him.

But she can’t.

“…Get inside already. It’d mean big trouble if anyone spots you.” She forces herself to act cold and detached. “Why? Why come? Why do something so dangerous?”

“I needed to see you. I became a pianist’s apprentice so I could sneak in.”

“You would go that far? For me…?”

She’s on the verge of bursting into tears.

He crossed national borders, won over a famous pianist, and infiltrated the castle—all for her.

She can only imagine how much he must have gone through on his journey.

The sheer amount of work it would’ve taken to get an apprenticeship from a pianist skilled enough to get into the castle is almost unthinkable.

“I wanted to talk to you about the wedding,” he says.

“Th-there’s nothing to talk about…”

She loves him, and that’s why she has to push him away.

The two of them are doomed to never be together. The least she can do is keep him out of harm’s way.

“I mean, it’s not actually happening, is it?”

There’s a pleading look in his eyes. He wants so badly for her to deny that it’s happening.

He wants her to say that he’s right, she isn’t marrying Perv. She’s marrying him, instead.

“I-it’s true, all of it. I’m marrying Duke Perv of my own free will.”

Her voice trembles.

Tears finally start streaming from her eyes.

She turns her face and wipes them away before he has a chance to notice.

“No…”

He sounds like he’s just been told the world is ending.

Rose screams internally.

Having to hurt the boy she loves like this cuts her to her core.

“What was it all even for, then?!” he cries.

He’s talking about the fateful day when he and Rose pledged their love to each other. Now, Rose has broken that pledge.

“Please,” she chokes. “Just move on and forget about me…”

The tears won’t stop.

She can’t bear to hurt him any more than she has already.

“No. I refuse to give up.”

“Oh, Cid…”

“What happened to you, Rose?! This country looks down on dark knights, but you didn’t let that stop you. You became one anyways. Nobody supported you or understood you. It must’ve been lonely, but you followed your dreams anyways! You and me, we’re the same.”

“You mean…you went through the same thing?”

“I have a dream that nobody could understand, so I get how you feel better than anyone.”

Rose can tell exactly what that dream of his is. She doesn’t need to hear him say it to know.

The two of them are dreaming of the exact same thing. Cid’s dream is Rose’s, and Rose’s dream is Cid’s.

That dream is for the two of them to be wed in holy matrimony.

Even the mere idea of a low-ranked noble like him marrying an Oriana princess is too ridiculous for words.

However, Rose refuses to make light of his feelings.

Those feelings were born of the love they had for each other.

“I understand your dream, Cid! Even if the world turns its back on you, I’ll always respect it!”

“You might, but society never will. They’ll call me an idiot, or a nutjob, or they’ll tell me to grow up already. The masses don’t look kindly on people like me.”

“Let them say what they like! None of that changes how pure your feelings are!”

“Rose…”

Rose can feel the passion smoldering in his gaze.

True love doesn’t need words. She can tell how he feels just by the way he looks at her.

“You and I, we chose to follow our dreams,” he says. “We didn’t care what obstacles stood in our way or who mocked us. So why’re you giving up on your dream now?!”

Rose’s voice cracks. “I—I’m…I’m not…”

“You stabbed your fiancé and killed your dad, the king. And I’m not gonna ask you why you did that. You know why? Because I believe in you, and I believe that you did it because you were heeding your convictions and following your dreams.”

“Cid…”

“So, I have to know. Why abandon your dream now?”

“I…”

“I mean, you ran your fiancé through, and now you’re marrying him? How is that not giving up on your dream?! You fought so hard for it! So, why? Why give up now?!”

“………”

Rose bites her lip. She has no answer to that.

She knows better than anyone that this isn’t how she wanted her life to play out.

However, what option does she have but to sacrifice herself to keep the people she loves safe?

“Just forget you ever met me!” she cries. “As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters!”

“I’ll never give up. Not even if it means turning the world against me.”

“I don’t have anything more to say to you. Please, just leave…”

Rose shoves Cid out the window and locks it behind him.

Then, she crumples with her back to the wall and starts sobbing.

Why should two people who love each other as much as they do have to get torn apart like that? Why can’t her dream of marrying him come true?

Rose weeps at how cruel destiny is. At how cruel reality is.

A short while later, there’s a knock on her door.

“Coming.”

She wipes her tears dry and opens it.

Duke Perv comes in.

“I thought I heard voices.”

“A-as you can see, I’m the only one in here.”

“…Hmm.”

Perv pushes her aside and inspects the room.

He looks under the bed, opens her closet, and glances out her window.

“So you are,” he remarks.

Rose breathes a sigh of relief. “That’s why I said it.”

“I can see you’ve been crying. That must be what I heard.”

He caresses Rose’s puffy red eyelids with his finger.

She swats away his hand. “Don’t touch me!”

“Come now, that’s no way to be. We’re about to get married, you know.”

“Only on paper.”

“Know your place!”

He slaps Rose across the cheek.

She glares at him. “………”

“Don’t forget—Queen Reina’s life is in your hands.”

Rose hangs her head and bites her lip. “…Yes, sir.”

“That’s what I like to hear. As long as the marriage goes through, I can guarantee nothing will happen to her.”

He wraps his arm around her shoulders.

Her cheek twitches.

“Now, I hear they finished your dress for the big day. Isn’t that exciting? Let’s go try it on, shall we?”

“…Yes, sir.”

Rose bites down harder on her lip and allows Perv to escort her out of the room.

Then…

“Ah, so that’s what’s going on.”

The room should by all rights have been empty, yet an average-looking boy with black hair and dark eyes stands there all the same.

He helps himself to the room’s tea set, pouring himself a cup before reclining on the sofa.

“Her mom got taken hostage, huh?”

He crosses his legs and begins wolfing down the pastries he finds on the table, in an act of base thievery.

“Well, that makes things nice and simple. Damn, these things are choice. Where do they get off, squandering the taxpayers’ hard-earned money on luxury snacks like these?”

After chugging down more tea and stuffing his cheeks full of pastries, he draws the curtain on his elegant little one-man tea party.

With a few nonsensical final words, he leaves the room. “Whew. Don’t you worry, good people of Oriana. I avenged your misspent taxes for you.”

A short while later, a completely innocent guard named Kevin will get suspended from his duties for stealing food.