The Countess Palatine, Part 2

“…So that’s what happened! You really worked hard…”

The Countess teared up as the young lady told her story. Turning towards the cloudy skies outside, she placed her hand on the ice-cold window, seemingly gazing into the distance. “That youngster from House Altos met his end, I see. A shame. He was an exemplary noble, hardworking and just; given a few more years, he might’ve become an exceptional warrior, or even a great general. But he was just a bit impatient… and that killed him and his comrade.”

“Are you not going to arrest me?” The silver-haired lady asked as she observed the Countess’s reactions.

“…As a minister of the Kingdom, I would have liked to see you tried before a fair and just court. Given your circumstances and the law, you should be acquitted, or at least only mildly punished. However…”

“If the rumour gets out that Celestia has come back to life, through potential divine intervention nonetheless, it will renew the controversy about the execution of her five years ago. The popular princess, wrongfully executed, and now returned by the Goddess to the land as a divine ambassador… The seditionists will seize on this rumour, and someone might either use you to further their agenda, or see you erased. Either way, you will not get a fair trial… ouch!” The Guildmaster earned a heavy smack on his back for interrupting the Countess.

“Even if I am not Celestia?” The silver-haired lady asked, ignoring the ongoing violence.

“Even if you claim so. If you haven’t noticed, you look a bit like the Queen now that you have the same colour hair as her. If anyone suspected that Celestia is alive, and they opened Celestia’s grave only to find nothing there, all sorts of rumours will go wild. Then if you, a divine ambassador with an appearance similar to the Queen’s appears… ouch, Marguerite! I thought you got a bit more noble-like since we parted ways.” The Guildmaster protested.

“If you are still a self-righteous smartass like you were, then why should I act all ladylike? It’s just George.” The Countess fired back. “But as George said, our lady here will likely end up as a pawn of someone… or dead. That is not justice. I will not let it happen, not to our cute divine ambassador.”

The silver-haired maiden felt somewhat reassured. Nevertheless, the Countess’s words piqued her interest. Disregarding the discomfort, she asked:

“What does ‘divine ambassador’ mean?”

-----------------------

The Guildmaster had been talking nonstop for 15 minutes.

“…in the end, the Goddess’s ambassadors-”

“So, George, ‘divine ambassadors’ means otherworlders like me?” The silver-haired maiden finally interrupted him.

The Countess answered in George’s place. “Yes. ‘The champions of the Goddess, with her generous blessings, would bring salvation and hope to the land.’ Or something like that is probably what the Church would say. Those who come from another world were held in a high regard, for sure. But there hasn’t been a divine ambassador for several centuries, so they are more a mystery now… though, we know for sure that they are blessed.

“‘Those who passes through the Gates of Arcania shall be blessed by Her gracious light, a shard of Her wisdom, and of the absolute truth of the world.’ --- That’s how the Scriptures put it, which was corroborated by historical records: most divine ambassadors stood out because of their exceptional understanding of the world, possessing knowledge no one else had. Doesn’t it ring a bell?”

“That does sound like my ‘implanted knowledge’.” The silver-haired maiden conceded, despite her obvious annoyance at the suggestion of divine interference. “But is this ‘Goddess’ blessing’ also why you couldn’t recognise me when you first met me, Lady Marguerite?”

“Nah. It’s just that you give off such a different impression that Celestia did. Not just your different hair and eye colours, your different hair lengths, and your different demeanours. Even when she hid her appearance using magic and altered her name, Celestia was an upright and strict noble. She wasn’t a vulnerable and delicate lady, waiting for some white knight to protect her --- nor would she pretend to be so to hide her true, dangerous nature. Unlike you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” The silver-haired maiden subtly smiled at the Countess, as she grabbed her bone china cup and took a sip. The silky-smooth liquid was fine tea --- not dissimilar to a cup of well-brewed Darjeeling. She wondered how much money and effort was behind the tea’s golden colour and enticing fragrance, but her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the Countess’s words.

“Still. Inexperienced as that Altos youngster was, he was a Royal Guard, from the famously martial House Altos nonetheless. He was even supported by a veteran foot soldier. But they went down so easily, and you even had the time to set up the scene. You must be a monster on par with Celestia herself, no, perhaps even more…”

The silver-haired maiden noticed the slight trembling as the Countess finished the sentence. Was that an expression of fear, like the Countess’s old companion, George had felt? Was it anger or sadness for the young and aspiring nobleman she had slain? Or perhaps…

“How exciting! I was just feeling my skills were getting rusty. I was buried in paperwork and things like that. We should definitely spar with each other sometime!”

“If that’s what you want, my ladyship, then I am glad to help anytime.” The silver-haired lady replied calmly, having somewhat expected the flow of the conversation. “If possible, that is. I am still getting hunted by the Royal Guard and the ‘seditionists’, I imagine.”

“You don’t need to worry about the Royal Guards. The seditionists --- the so-called ‘Celestia’s Guards’ have claimed responsibility, and they probably won’t consider ‘Celestia coming back from death to exact revenge’ as a possibility.”

“Celestia’s Guards… My guards?” The silver-haired maiden said jokingly.

“They are a secretive group of Albian nobles --- nobles from your homeland who claims the King’s rule is tyrannical. They cite the execution of Celestia, who was popular among Albian nobles and people, as the proof. They claim they would stop the King’s tyranny, but they just cause chaos and destruction everywhere. Some even say they are just a group of traitors sponsored by the Kingdom’s neighbour and nemesis, the Grunewald Confederacy.” The Guildmaster explained.

“The seditionists are problematic. They claimed responsibility for this incident because it damages the King’s prestige, but they would know someone else did it. If they are truly backed by the Confederacy, then they will have considerable resources at their disposal. That means they might be able to find and exploit you, which is something I have to prevent at all costs --- as a minister of the Kingdom, and as your friend.”

The silver-haired maiden had a complex feeling being called a ‘friend’ by someone she had met not long ago, but she was convinced by the Countess’ sincerity. “I suppose you have a plan then, my ladyship?”

“With Marguerite’s help, we can get you on a sealed carriage and a ship out of the country. If you go to somewhere like the Oriental State, even the Confederacy can’t do anything about it. Once you arrive, you can contact the local Adventurer’s Guild. I knew their Guildmaster personally, so I can give you a letter of recommendation and he will probably help you settle down… ouch!” The Guildmaster was hit again for answering a question not meant for him. The Countess then shoved aside her displeasure and returned the silver-haired maiden’s question:

“What do you want to do, Lady Yuri?”

Those words were simple, but to them the silver-haired maiden lacked an answer. The silver-haired maiden had always lived for someone else’s wishes: for her parents’, for General Stratford’s, for her commander’s, and for the big-wig politicians’, for her best friend’s and first love’s. She was a soldier: all her deeds, some of which brutal and inhumane, were either an instinctive attempt at survival, or an order.

She looked outside of the window, silently. The sky had cleared up and it was immaculate. As if they were jewels on a necklace, an azure moon, a crimson moon and a silver moon lined up in front of a bright, beige belt in the sky. The belt, with a dark, straight crack down the middle, curved slightly below the zenith and bent back towards the ground, forming a smooth arch that entrapped a large portion of the sapphire blue sky.

This world, blessed with a planetary ring and multiple moons, was not Earth where the silver-haired maiden’s soul had once resided. She no longer shared the same sky with those who she left behind. A sense of regret hit her, but among those complex feelings and memories, she had realised there was something she once wanted.

“School… I want to go to school. I’ve never been to school. I got into an university, but I died before I can attend…” She uttered this random, unreasonable request with an uncharacteristic shyness.

To her surprise, the Countess’ face lit up. “Really! That’s perfect, then! I wonder which academy you should go to… ah! How about the Royal Asturian Academy?”

“She will be discriminated against because she isn’t a noble, wouldn’t it? That academy is prestigious, but it is filled with arrogant noble brats.” The Guildmaster responded.

“Well, that won’t be a problem. She can already act like a noble. She can just become be a noble.”

“Wait, do you mean-”

“I always wanted a younger sister, you know. My shitty dad gave me a bunch of younger brothers, but not a younger sister.” The Countess turned towards the silver-haired maiden. “If you are fine with it, why not let me take you in? You can live a comfortable life here, and I get to spar with you every day!”

“There’s no way that would- no, actually… wait, it might actually work.” The Guildmaster attempted to protest, but seemingly changed his mind mid-sentence. “We still have the identification documents for an ‘Estella Sevilla’, whose real identity was only known to us three. With some work, we can reuse that identity. And since the de Marchas intermarried with the Royal Family throughout history, so it won’t be weird if someone that looks like the Queen belongs to the family. Marguerite’s late father was widely known to have lived a… colourful life, so it wouldn’t be odd if Marguerite ‘discovered’ the existence of ‘Estella de Marcha’ during her own adventures.”

“He was a piece of work, that was it.” The Countess said. “At least he would be useful to us this time.”

“Besides, if she is protected by the prestigious House de Marcha in the well-guarded Royal Asturian Academy, then she should be safe from the seditionists. It’s a genius plan.” The Guildmaster continued. “But Marguerite, are you really fine with that?”

“Of course.” The Countess Palatine replied with a convincing confidence in her voice. “Now, our silver-haired lady. May I hear your answer?”

“I am in your care, Lady Marguerite.” The silver-haired maiden replied.

“Don’t be so stiff! Just call me ‘sis’. You are family now, after all.”

…Family. The silver-haired lady --- now Estella de Marcha, thought about the meaning of the word in her head. She realised it was not the first time someone said those words to her; someone far younger than the Countess, someone far less straightforward and far more cheeky once said the same words to her, long before her exile to another world. And beside her was a man far less perceptive than the Guildmaster, yet far more straightforward. Her family.

…Lilia. Andrew. What would you be doing now? Estella de Marcha wondered, painfully realising they now exist in a place farther than the universe.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Thanks for reading! IRL work had been stacking up, so my updates were slow. I hope to maintain a steady pace of updates in the future, aiming for at least 1 chapter/wk. Hopefully you enjoyed it and please let me know if you have any feedback!

Next chapter, we are finally going back to Earth and a Britain that is oddly dissimilar to our own…