The Missing Prince

Medrauta squeezed Viviane’s hand gently, drawing her attention.

“It seems the final song is about to begin. Shall we dance?”

Viviane nodded, a smile gracing her delicate lips. Her father had excused himself a few minutes ago, hurrying to undertake the mission that the princess had tasked him.

While she lamented the brevity of their reunion, she certainly wasn’t opposed to spending a bit more time with Medrauta alone.

Viviane turned to her knight as the two made their way down the mezzanine. “By the way, what were you and Lady Sakura talking about earlier?”

Medrauta was about to answer when she noticed a pink frenzy of motion rather uncharacteristically barreling towards them at top speed. “I’ll fill you in on the details later.”

“Medrauta! Lady Viviane!” Princess Gwenhwyfar called out to them. “Please wait!” Her chest heaved as she slowed next to them, barely managing to stop without crashing into Medrauta.

The silver-haired knight raised an eyebrow. “You’re certainly in a hurry. Something the matter?”

“I must ask you for a favor, Medrauta,” the princess said as she caught her breath. “It is of the utmost import and—”

“You dare ask me for a favor?” Medrauta almost laughed at the absurdity. “Make no mistake, Gwenhwyfar. Viviane seems to have forgiven you, but the searing heat I experienced that day still burns hot against my back. I have been cordial because you are the princess and you are the one who helped me become a squire, but that is all.”

Gwenhwyfar grit her teeth. While she wasn’t used to being addressed with such callous speech, she understood Medrauta’s sentiment quite well. She clasped her hands against her navel and lowered her head in a deep bow, drawing gasps from those who watched from afar. “...I apologize. It was excessive to maintain the attack until Lady Viviane agreed to surrender.”

“I do not accept your apology.”

“M-Medrauta!” Viviane exclaimed, tugging on her knight’s arm with a worried expression. While it was true that her first impression of Gwenhwyfar had been downright horrible, Viviane wasn’t the type to hold grudges, especially not when the princess herself was lowering her head.

“I am a knight.” Medrauta declared, her voice ringing with pride. “Protecting my lady is the reason I draw breath. I hold no grudges against you for attacking me.”

Gwenhwyfar looked up in shock. “I beg your pardon!? D-Did you not just say—”

“Indeed. The heat does not remind me of the pain I experienced that day, Gwenhwyfar. It reminds me of how you dared aim such an attack at my lady.”

“...I see.” Gwenhwyfar felt a pang of sadness in her heart as she truly understood the depth of Medrauta’s feelings for Viviane. She turned to Viviane now, clasping her hands above her navel once more and bowing for the second time that night.

“Lady Viviane, I apologize for the excessive attack I directed at you during both our first and second matches. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

“W-Wha!? Um, I... Y-You don’t really need to apologize, Your Imperial Highness! It was a match! E-Everyone knows you’re supposed to go all out, ahaha! And besides, it’s all water under the bridge now!”

“Hmph. Are you really going to forgive her that easily, Viviane?” Medrauta asked, crossing her arms.

“Medrauta! Stop it! Can’t you see she’s being sincere!?”

“Hm... I just can’t forgive someone who would dare attempt to singe even a strand of your beautiful hair, my lady.” Medrauta said as she ran her fingers through Viviane’s golden locks.

As usual, Viviane blushed at Medrauta’s sudden advance. “H-Hey! I’m being serious here!”

“...Must the two of you always flirt before my eyes?” Gwenhwyfar sighed. Despite Viviane clearly having long forgiven her, she felt somewhat disheartened that her genuine apology had been dismissed so quickly.

Medrauta simply smirked. “Well, since it looks like Viviane’s so eager to forgive you, I suppose it’d be difficult for me to keep holding a grudge. So, what’s this favor you need?”

“Galahad is missing.”

“So? Didn’t you say he was off with some girls? He’ll probably be back in the morning,” Medrauta shrugged. Honestly, she’d rather be dancing with Viviane than trying to find the lost prince.

“We cannot find him anywhere in the building, and as someone who has virtually unrestricted access to my chambers, he must be accounted for,” Gwenhwyfar directed the latter half of her statement to Viviane meaningfully.

“Ah.” Viviane nodded in understanding. “This is about that.”

“Yes. I gathered your father would have spoken to you about it. Will you please convince your knight of this task’s importance?”

“Of course, Your Imperial Highness. Rest assured that we shall spare no effort in finding your brother,” Viviane curtsied elegantly.

“I thank you deeply, Lady Viviane.” Gwenhwyfar returned the curtsy and then departed swiftly. There was a certain hurry in her eyes that told Viviane things were a lot more precarious than her father had seemingly let on.

Moving quickly, Viviane led Medrauta out of the building that housed the ballroom and onto the vast academy grounds. The moon hung brightly against the otherwise black canvas of the sky. It was a starless night, and a chilly wind swept through the air.

Upon seeing Viviane shiver, Medrauta drew her lady a little closer to herself, providing the warmth of her body. “Is it truly such an urgent matter? I may not be a great dancer, but I would’ve loved to share one last dance with you before the night ended.”

Viviane nodded and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Yes. It concerns our country’s security. The short of it is that someone had issued an imperial order without the princess’ consent while the emperor had taken ill.”

“...Seriously? How’s that even possible? They’d have to have both the seal and the parchment.”

“Exactly.”

Medrauta’s eyes lit up as she connected the dots. “Ah... That’s why we’re looking for the prince.”

“Yes. The imperial knights are probably scouring the town for the servants she brought too. After all, today was supposed to be a day off for them.”

“What a mess...” Medrauta sighed, casting her gaze at the towering shadows of the academy buildings. “So, where do we start?”

“Hm...” Viviane stopped in her stride as she paused to think. “Perhaps the classrooms? Even if the princess dispatched knights, I doubt they would’ve checked there.”

“The classrooms?” Medrauta frowned. “Why the classrooms?”

Viviane shrugged. “I don’t know... It’s just a good place to start, I guess?”

“No, no. Remember what the princess said? He got dragged away by a bunch of girls.”

“Yes? And...?” Viviane tilted her head to the side in confusion. “I don’t see how that has to do with anything.”

“Alright, Viviane. Say I invited you to my room at this hour. What would you think?”

“What would I think...?” Viviane pondered the idea for a moment. “Well, not much, really. Perhaps you had something to show me in your room?”

Medrauta heaved an exasperated sigh. “...I just can’t let you out of my sight, can I? Viviane, there’s only one thing people do at this time of night when they’re alone.”

“...What?”

Medrauta leaned in close and whispered into Viviane’s ear. The moment she did, the noblewoman stumbled back, nearly falling over if not for Medrauta catching her. Her face was completely red, making her stand out even in the dark.

“S-Shameless! H-How can you even s-suggest something so shameless, Medrauta!? That is not what people do! B-Besides! The prince was just leaving the gala, right? H-He never got invited to anyone’s room!”

“Well, not as far as we know, no. But I think that’d be a better place to start looking,” Medrauta said. “He certainly wouldn’t be in his own room, or the imperial guards assigned there would’ve reported in already.”

“S-So you want us to search the girls’ dormitory...?”

Medrauta nodded. “Yes. Specifically the one for the nobility.”

“What if the girls were knights...?”

“Then we’ll search the girls’ barracks if we don’t find him.”

It was as simple as that. Medrauta and Viviane made their way to the dormitory where the ladies resided. It was a building that was extravagant both on the inside and the outside. Of course, Medrauta had been here more than a few times, so there was no wonderment to be had for her.

Viviane didn’t think that this search would bear any fruit. More accurately, she didn’t want this search to be successful. After all, if Medrauta was right, then it would mean that the prince was utterly depraved.

S-Seriously, Medrauta! What are you even thinking!? That’s the type of thing people do after marriage! Viviane thought as she knocked on a door. She thought she’d heard some sounds coming from behind, but her only answer was silence.

Refusing to give up, she knocked once more, louder this time. Again, there was no response.

“I know you’re in there! This is an official inquiry by order of Her Imperial Highness Gwenhwyfar, the Princess Imperial!” Viviane announced. She was stretching the truth a bit, and she didn’t even have an official document to support her claim, but words like that were usually enough to get someone to open up even if only out of curiosity.

To her credit, it worked.

The door flew open, followed by a voice that was biting and harsh.

“Who dar—Viviane.”

Standing before Viviane was Isabella Rosenhall. She wore a nightgown that looked hastily thrown on, and her skin shone with the sheen of sweat. Her hair was messily arranged, and she seemed to be breathing quite hard, as if she had been undergoing some sort of strenuous physical activity mere moments ago.

Yet, that wasn’t what Viviane had been taken aback by.

Instead, her eyes were fixed not on Isabella, but the man standing in her room, just barely a few feet away from the door. His shirt was uncharacteristically ruffled, and his pants had clearly been a last-minute addition to the rest of his messy attire, but he was unmistakably the person they were looking for.

Galahad August di Kyrrako.

The prince.

“...I-It can’t be...” Viviane choked. Her head swam. She simply couldn’t believe her eyes.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs to her left echoed through the hallway.

“Hey, Viviane. I didn’t find—Oh.” Medrauta stood behind her lady as she stared into the room. She’d suggested the possibility earlier, but even she hadn’t actually thought it’d be the case.

“Well, that’s fuckin’ scandalous, ain’t it?”