The Kingdom of Koenig is divided into twenty-five different regions, each with its own traits and quirks.
Unclimbable mountains, the start of the desert, and the entrance to the never-ending jungle, all those dwell in the South.
Lush forests, spacious meadows, and fertile regions capable of growing many a crop exist in the Centre.
Taiga forests, hills full of vineyards, and a bitter tundra sit in the colder North. The kingdom itself is gigantic, and the regions reflect as such.
When it comes to politics, however, each region is governed by a lady or lord who governs over that domain. Those in power are elected by common vote, with each vote, regardless of background or blood, holding the same value.
You’d think that would mean there can’t be that many lords if only one can rule over a region, correct?
Incorrect. This election policy only applies OUTSIDE the capital. In truth, there are over one-hundred and eighty lords in the kingdom, with the huge majority inside the capital. The capital-based lords don’t govern over land; they own property and businesses as well as lording over investments and development. So, lordship is usually obtained through familial ties, blood, gold, or through reward.
The capital almost acts as its own independent country compared to the rest of Koenig. It doesn’t help that the population inside the city dwarfs the rest of the country. This also means everything costs more, so the standard of living of those at the very top, and at rock bottom, is akin to the way humans and cattle live. The slums in particular have a river of muck and excrement running through them due to the nobles refusing to expand the sewer system that side of the city.
Corruption is the result of such a centralised civilisation. All of that would change in the course of a single week…
“*Bleurgh*”
Blood and silver sweep through the room, like a volcano spitting out debris and unleashing a crimson flow of blood that… you get the picture. The sight inside the room is sickening, yet I remain composed to all the bodies that lie inside it.
I stand guard on the other side of the door, watching and hearing far too much through the keyhole.
All those who have entered, none have permission to leave, barring Anna. The order from Ashia was plain and simple, but we’ve interpreted it in a way she might like.
[All maids are scheduled for removal, just call out my name and the shadows will approach. None may leave the palace alive, unless Frost deems it necessary.]‘Do I regret getting involved? No. It’s only fitting considering how poisonous some of these maids really are.’
I’ve personally experienced two incidents involving poison with the maids inside this place, three if you include the Princess’s last memory. I may have taken a more lenient path before my own “poisoning”.
Now, I’m all out of fucks to give. Anna passed me the vial, I made the tea. We mixed it in together.
I’m far too focused to even consider taking the time to throw up. No one causes my Ashia ANY pain.
“W-What is g-going on, H-Headmistress?”
Despite the grisly sight inside the room, one of those scheduled for execution still breathes. It was upon my request that Ellie was left to last.
“These are the consequences for your actions, Miss Ramshackle. When you prod someone known for instability and paranoia, they tend to be sensitive.”
I’m uncertain of the angle Anna is looking for here, but what I can definitely tell from my position, Ellie is unbothered. She may stutter a tad, but for someone who just witnessed so many gruesome deaths, her reaction isn’t strong enough.
“I-I see. What does that m-mean for me then?”
“You know what this means. To go as far as drinking something you believe to be poison, your loyalty is commendable, but ill-placed.”
“I’d offer a chance for redemption. We both know it would be wasted.”
When Anna finishes her scolding speech, all manner of stuttering and fear disappear from her opponent’s face. Miss Ramshackle, this is the true woman beneath the persona.
“Y-You know... ya’ll take things far too personally. It’s only business. How did you know it was me anyway? I’m not the only one who’s blonde around here.”
“We didn’t, Miss Ramshackle.”
“You disposed of them on a whim!? Or is this an attempt to scare me into submission? This is madness!”
No, this is far from madness. Many faces among the dead were present when Ashia died in her second life. For the few that weren’t, I’m sure they had some ties with the nobility, or had blackened hearts. Ashia doesn’t strike me as a person to kill someone for the sake of loose ends.
“This is an unrelated matter to you; those servants are an insult to Her Highness. Thus, they needed to be dealt with.”
“An insult!? All this was the result of an insult? The rumours are true! The Princess’s insanity spreads like a plague!”
‘No, this is how reciprocal justice works. I’ve had enough of this now...’
Again, Ellie abandons any chance of returning to her act and continues spiffing from her high horse. I’m at the point of no return when it comes to others speaking ill of my wife.
“I never knew the Princess could be so stupid and unreasonable! She’s supposed to be representing the entire kingdom, yet she’s reckless enough to make an enemy of—”
“ARGH!!!”
Blood shoots from Ellie’s mouth and back as the treacherous maid notices the tip of a sword sticking through her chest. I’ve been waiting long enough to do this, so much so that I had to push that door open and creep over here at a snail’s pace.
Even though blood is literally gushing out of her gullet, she still can’t help but say more!
“F-Frost? You think this will m-make any difference?”
“You think I care about any of that? This is personal.”
“Turn away, Madam. Don’t waste your time looking at trash.”
Nothing more needs to be said as Anna handles the rest by slicing her throat after I turn away. Blood continues to pour into this bloody portrait; the gore inside this painting would make even a killer’s stomach churn. This room is nightmarish.
…
And yet, I’m numb to all the death that lies around me. That terrifies me more than any sickness.
Is this all because it involves Ashia? All my fear and disgust go out the window when someone insults her? How far would I go if someone truly hurt her?
I just killed someone directly and witnessed so much blood pouring out into this room. I can even taste the iron just from the stench of blood. But my stomach is fine!?
The moment my adrenaline and anger die down, I know I’m in for a world of pain. For now, I can only focus on the one pure thing left in all this madness.
“Would we have gotten anything if—”
“No Madam, she would’ve kept quiet. Remember, there is no need for you to—”
“Please don’t start, Anna. All three of us are in this together.”
Neither of us can help but cut the other off. All this death only leads to unanswered questions, questions that only Ashia can answer.
While we deal with matters inside the palace, outside in the capital, a bigger mess is being cleaned up. Ashia already knows everything she needs to, so when we’re finished here, I’m climbing up one of the towers and watching. I’m told there will be fireworks…
“Anna… this is definitely the correct course of action, right?”
My sickness is slowly returning, and so is my conflicting nature. I knew this novel would test my resolve, but I didn’t think I’d be resorting to mass murder this quickly.
“Having second thoughts, Madam?”
“Of course not. I trust both of you one hundred per cent…”
“It’s just… I don’t understand you. Ashia hasn’t told you this, but those maids have treated her far worse than you can imagine.”
That’s one secret Ashia wanted me to keep. Anna cannot know about her past lives. For someone who already cares about the Princess far too much, all it would do is cause unnecessary pain. She’s never found it in her to tell Anna, and wants it to remain a secret.
I feel like Anna deserves to know. Then again, Ashia’s faith means more to me.
“You aren’t aware of everything she gets up to, yet your loyalty is unwavering? Why?”
"…"
Anna pauses for a moment, as if even she doesn’t know the answer. I understand she has the Loyalty trait maxed out on the highest tier, yet that would’ve had to develop over some time. No one is born with undying loyalty.
“Madam Frost, this is far greater than just getting rid of those who dislike you or Princess Ashia. Think more on this, isn’t it weird how she treats her servants?”
“Do you mean well? Somewhat like friends? Wait…”
I… think I get it. This novel exists in an era where status is key. The way the Princess acts, it goes against the very nature of this world.
‘It’s as if Ashia is inviting the trouble…’
“A perfect servant shouldn’t be heard or seen. Yet, those inside this palace, it’s nearly impossible to find a decent one.”
“You can’t be that bad at your job, Anna.”
Anna hides a chuckle from my joke, yet she seems to take it far more seriously than she should.
“You have no idea, Madam. All maids inside this palace have mixed loyalty, especially those recently transferred. I was once the same, but my loyalty is no longer what it used to be.”
This cannot be true, right!? Anna, the maid of pure loyalty, isn’t loyal!?
“You were disloyal!? How can this be!?”
“Yes. A few years ago, my undying oath would’ve been to the King. However, now my loyalty lies divided between Her Highness and yourself. I’m as flawed as my coworkers.”
I… don’t know how to react to this! For Anna to put me in the same bracket as Ashia, it warms my heart and makes me feel fuzzy inside. It’s either happiness or sickness, I can’t tell which!
[MIND'S EYE][First Name: Anna][Family Name: Whitehall][Affection: 50/100][Traits] [»][Gender: Female][Class: Servant][Age: 29][Trait Rarity] [»][Loyal] [Þ][Stubborn] [Þ][Perfectionist] [Þ]
Spoiler
[TIER][Legendary] [5*][Excellent] [4*][Great] [3*] [Good] [2*] [Average] [1*] [TYPE][Combat: †][Magical: ℑ][Passive: Þ] [collapse]
‘She must be protected at all costs! Now, I’ve two women to kill for…’
“Everyone is flawed, Madam. The maids Her Highness bring in tend to have more obvious flaws. In the past two years, she’s been hoarding disloyal members, keeping all of those that may harm the family in reach of a blade.”
All this time, this is why she told me to only trust Anna. She’s been collecting terrible maids like trading cards, ready to burn them up the moment their value plummets.
It’s like that old phrase. “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” I understand the meaning behind it, but it’s ridiculous for any sane person to actually attempt it!
“Is she seriously trying to get herself killed!? How reckless is that?”
“I said the same thing, Madam. She intended to use herself solely as bait. What she didn’t realise is that her enemies know of a more impactful target.”
“And that would obviously be…”
“Yes. It’s you, Madam Frost. The marriage that rocked the capital. We’ve been sticking too closely to the original plan, so now we’ve been forced to act early.”
I wanted to enter this palace and see if I could be of some benefit, most of which to Ashia. If my presence screws up everything Anna and Ashia have been building towards, then what’s the point?
Anna immediately seems to pick up on my slight frown of guilt, though.
“Don’t feel guilty about it, Madam. You should feel proud.”
“Proud?”
“Yes. Tonight, Princess Ashia uses force, but keeps just a sliver of reluctance in case it's needed. You are the reason for that..."
"Although, her compassion may not be needed. If those that scheme held intelligence, they’d have grovelled the moment you two walked down the aisle…”
Bang! Bang! Clash! Fire roars and sparks shoot off all around the building. Even with the lack of glass windows and doors, the heat is intense inside the forge. It would cause many men to sweat, but not one who has a heart as cold as ice…
“Ya don’t have to linger like a bad smell, laddie. I’ll treat your blade as well as I treat my woman.”
“…”
Waiting for his blade to reach completion, the unamazed man watches the blacksmith work. Keeping care of your equipment can be the difference between life and death! In this case, the difference is negligible. The sword was already in pristine condition.
There isn’t much he cares about, but that sword is like a child to him! If that “incident” really has neutered him, it may be the only child he can have…
‘Huh!? Is that… HER!?’
His attention quickly shifts from his lov— blade, when a pair of emerald eyes shine through the opening, backed by a golden head of curls.
In his hurriedness to confront the woman, he throws himself through the spot where a window should be, stumbles several times getting up off the ground, and even hits his head on the wall when rising to his feet!
Nothing matters more to him than justified revenge in this very moment! He’s now able to reach out to his attacker…
“YOU!!!”
“Hello? You appear to be in distress, stranger. Have we met before?”
…
His anger internally explodes! For someone to treat his sacred area with such recklessness, then to dare forget about their meeting!? This woman must share in his misery!
“Prepare. For. Pain.”
The bitter man grabs his sword to aim at the clueless woman… but finds his back empty. What buffoon forgets his sword!?
Instead, his dagger is quickly raised to the woman, but her reaction only angers him more. She refuses his threat, only continuing to walk forward and keep looking away.
“Acknowledge me, you arrogant bitch!”
In a flash, the woman turns, practically leaping at the man, even causing her hood to fall back. Her speed surprises him, so much so that he’s completely caught off guard by the attack.
Her hand finds its way gripping onto his collar, and yet she remains calm and distracted, still looking elsewhere.
“Bitch? Arrogant? Understand, I’m not one for humouring grown-up children. There are far more important things going on in this world than your ego.”
“S-Shut up! I’ll cut you down for this!”
Again, she looks one way, only to turn and face the other! Just how disrespectful can one be to another!?
“Can you not smell that? If you would be so kind as to put this feud on hold for now. We must investigate.”
“WE!?! What is so important that you keep looking away!?”
“Fire, someone has lit a fire. I’m unsure where. It’s as if we’re in the middle of a burning forest. The smell comes from every direction…”
[Chores]
Spoiler
In the early hours of the next morning…
“No. No. No. No. No. No! NO!! NO!!! It’s not happening! Get another fool to help! This is the exact reason why you don’t use poison!”
“…”
Entering the gore-infested room, one woman is full of emotion, while the other struggles to find any emotion. Both care little regarding the morality of the scene; far more care is put into what comes next.
“I can handle the new assignment and wear the gear that comes with the gig, but that means I’m done with this shit! I’ve already helped Ashia enough. Get the shadows to clean this up!”
That’s where the problem lies. The visitor is content to deal with the occasional body or two, not an entire room filled with festering maids!
“Their cleaning is insufficient for my standards. Look, I don't have the time right now. Madam needs a bath, and I presume Her Highness will want a clean when she returns.”
“Just make Frost wait and get them to bathe together! I’m not hacking these up while you embrace the pleasures of flesh!”
…
“You do realise I’m straight, Miss?”
“As am I… I think? My memories are hazy, but I can definitely remember an incident or two. Or did it happen three times…”
“It doesn’t matter! My point still stands!”
Now the purple-haired visitor looks confused and questions far more than she should. She’s always had a thing about making others uncomfortable, but Lady Anna is resistant to all forms of fun!
“Only one of us needs to be here, so I suggest we toss a coin. You can make the bet; I’m content to allow lady luck to fight my battles.”
“…”
“Look unimpressed all you like, Anna. I can tell you’re considering it…”
[collapse]