”Haa…” Letting out a big sigh without meaning to, Mito reflected on the days that had passed.
A few days had passed since she lost the battle at Dalai Plains, was taken prisoner, and was brought to the Imperial Capital of Urgalia. Mito was locked up in a room in a spire in one corner of the imperial palace.
The room was surrounded by stone walls, with furniture like a desk, chair, and bed. Maybe to ease the feeling of being closed in, she could also look at the view outside from the window.
Overall it was old, but it was kept clean, and the sheets on the bed were new. Maybe the several potted plants were placed there out of consideration for Mito, who was a Silku.
Mito guessed this was probably a room for locking up prisoners of high status. There was a similar place in the royal palace of Selseta.
Her hands and feet were not tied, and food and water were given regularly. So far, there was no sign of the abuse or humiliation Mito had first expected.
”Still, it shall not remain like this forever, I presume,” Mito murmured to herself while gazing out the window.
Mito muttered to herself while looking at the view outside the window.
Even saying “the view outside,” all she could see was the tower across the way and the castle walls. It was painfully plain. But even so, just being able to feel the sunlight made her mood quite different.
Mito looked up and thought about what was to come while gazing at the clear blue sky.
The reason the Empire was not hurting Mito was probably because they planned to use her as a bargaining chip to rip territory or wealth out of the Kingdom of Selseta.
Given how greedy Urgalia was, their demands would surely be so huge that the Kingdom of Selseta would totter.
There was no way her brother the King would accept such negotiations. As for Mito, she did not want her homeland to be endangered because of her.
Sooner or later, her brother the King would cut Mito loose. If that happened, the Empire would also realize there was no point in holding onto Mito.
(Mito was prepared for that time to be her end.)
She did not know if she would be executed or given as spoils to a retainer with military achievements, but either way, Mito did not plan to quietly accept her fate.
When that time came, she intended to try to escape, ready to die.
As mentioned before, her hands and feet were not tied, so if she wanted to escape, she could put it into action at any time—of course, it was not easy.
The spire where Mito was held was quite tall, and even for a nimble Silku, breaking the window and jumping down would not end without injury.
It was not impossible to climb down by digging her claws into the stone wall, but the moment she broke the glass in the window, the escape would be noticed by the guards. Taking time to climb down the tower after that would be far too slow.
Thinking about this and that, escaping when the guards brought food still seemed the most likely. From what Mito could see, the people coming in and out of this room had no training in martial arts. Pinning them down would be easy—there was just one troublesome point.
When she was brought to this room, she had checked, but outside the wooden door that was the only entrance to this room, there was a sturdy iron grate, and beyond that was another door.
In short, this room had a double door. The reason the iron grate was made so it could not be seen was probably out of consideration for high-status prisoners.
The fact that her hands and feet were not tied must also be proof of their confidence that escape from this room was impossible. Because she understood that, Mito could not move carelessly either.
-And then, just then, there was a sudden knock-knock on the room door.
Before Mito could answer, the door was opened, and three people came into the room. All of them were covered completely from head to toe in black cloth, so she could not tell their age or sex.
They were low-ranking workers called shadow people, and nobles treated them literally as shadows, meaning people who were not there. The reason they did not show their faces or bodies and did not speak was so they would not be recognized as individuals.
The shadow people who entered the room began cleaning silently as usual. One of the shadow people also replaced the waste pot-the pot containing the prisoner’s waste.
Since shadow people also existed in the Kingdom of Selseta, there was no confusion on Mito’s face. She showed a bit of shame about the waste pot, but the shadow people did not notice, or perhaps noticed but did not say it, and calmly carried out their duties.
If it were up to yesterday, the shadow people would leave the room as soon as they finished cleaning.
But today seemed a little different from up to yesterday. The shadow people showed Mito the rope in their hands and motioned for her to put both hands behind her back.
Mito tried to resist for a moment, but judged that resisting here would only get her tied up by force anyway, so she quietly accepted the restraint.
The shadow people tied Mito’s hands behind her back and sat her in a chair, then fixed Mito’s ankles and the chair legs with rope, and quietly left the room as if nothing had happened.
Left alone, Mito muttered sarcastically.
”So one cannot face a captive princess without binding her hands and feet. I am unsure who approaches, but they must possess remarkably little confidence in their own martial capabilities,” Mito scoffed quietly.
Mito mocked the cowardice of the unknown person like that, but a little later, the moment she saw who came into the room, she gasped in surprise.
The one who entered the room was Arses Urgulius, the Emperor of Urgalia, whom she had met only once at Dalai Plains.
On this day, Mito was told by Arses that the negotiations between Urgalia and Selseta over her fate had ended badly.
It was the same as being told from the enemy’s mouth, “You no longer have value as a hostage,” and in a way it was equal to a death sentence, but Mito showed neither surprise nor fear. Rather, she felt pride and joy that her brother the King had not been swayed by emotion and had made the right decision.
With both hands and feet tied, Mito looked at Arses as if challenging him. It was clear from the content of their conversation at Dalai Plains that the boy emperor before her was not someone to let your guard down around.
”I am grateful for your candid disclosures. Tell me, did the Emperor himself enter this room to execute me personally?” Mito inquired smoothly.
”Execution?” Arses repeated smoothly.
”I possess no value as a hostage. Surely keeping me imprisoned here indefinitely serves no purpose, does it not? Would it not be wiser to execute me to eliminate loose ends?” Mito pressed politely.
Hearing that, Arses gave a mean little chuckle.
Then he said,
”If that happened, it would be great for the King of Selseta. After all, he could use Urgalia’s hands to get rid of his troublesome royal sister,” Arses countered with a quiet chuckle.
”…Do you presume to insult my brother—or rather, His Majesty?” Mito demanded, her eyes narrowing.
Mito glared at Arses with a sharp look, but the other only shrugged with a brazen attitude not fitting for a boy.
”I hear that in the Selseta court, there are voices saying that the royal sister, not the young Crown Prince, should be the next king?” Arses observed nonchalantly.
”Complete absurdity. I have never once coveted the throne. His Majesty comprehends this fully as well,” Mito retorted without hesitation.
”But it is a fact that there are voices wanting the royal sister for the next succession. From now on, every time the royal sister achieves military merit, those voices will grow louder. If the Crown Prince had ability and popularity beyond the Silver Arrow of Selseta, there would be no problem, but asking that of a three-year-old child is impossible,” Arses argued calmly.
Having said that much, Arses added more.
Even if the Crown Prince had talent surpassing Mito, to show it he would have to actually go to the battlefield. It would be roughly ten years until the Crown Prince became an adult. Even if he first went to battle at eleven like Arses, it would take eight years.
During that time, in the Kingdom of Selseta, conflict among the court nobles over the next succession would continue. As king, he surely could not just sit by and watch.
Here Arses wore a nasty smile again.
”For the King of Selseta, a sister with high prestige is a spark that could split the country. Thinking ‘use the enemy nation’s hands to remove her’ is not especially strange. Isn’t that right?” Arses pressed, offering a faint smirk.
”…His Majesty bears the fate of Selseta upon his shoulders. Should His Majesty render a verdict for our nation’s tranquility, I shall dutifully obey,” Mito declared with firm resolve.
”Admirable resolve. But as for me, I have no reason to move exactly as the King of Selseta wants. I will not execute you, royal sister,” Arses stated flatly.
Hearing that, Mito felt relieved in a corner of her heart for just a moment.
There was no lie in the resolve she had told Arses. But that did not mean she wanted to die. There was no one anywhere who could blame Mito for feeling relieved to know she would not die.
Of course, that relief was soon overwritten by caution. Mito narrowed her eyes and questioned Arses while staring at him.
”…Pray tell, what do you intend to do with me?” Mito questioned sharply.
”For the time being, you will stay in my country. If the people of Selseta know the royal sister is alive, they will feel relieved. At the same time, dissatisfaction with the king who abandoned the royal sister will grow,” Arses outlined coolly.
”Should you scheme to employ me to plunge Selseta into chaos, I shall sever my tongue and perish this instant!” Mito threatened, her eyes flashing with defiance.
”And you think I would dutifully inform Selseta of that death?” Arses countered with a scoff.
Arses said while raising the corner of his mouth mockingly.
Just that was enough to tell Mito what Arses meant. Mito’s death would be hidden, and she would continue to be treated as alive. Arses intended to throw the Kingdom of Selseta into confusion that way.
To Mito, who bit her lip in frustration, Arses said as if pressing the point home.
”Also, if the royal sister goes against my will and chooses to die on her own, I will execute every single Selseta soldier taken prisoner at Dalai Plains. If the royal sister cares about the people of Selseta, do not make a careless decision,” Arses warned firmly.
”You…!” Mito spat out, trembling with anger.
Mito glared at Arses with the look of someone seeing a parent’s enemy.
The boy emperor accepted that gaze head-on, then suddenly said something strange.
”Well, the talk up to here was just the preface. The main topic starts now,” Arses noted evenly.
”…The primary matter? Could there possibly be anything further?” Mito asked guardedly.
”It is about how the royal sister will be treated from now on. I will say it straight: I want the royal sister to bear my child,” Arses proposed directly.
Hearing that, Mito was stunned for exactly the time it took to count to ten.
After a little while, she asked back with a look doubting the other’s sanity.
”…I beg your pardon? What did you just utter?” Mito asked in utter disbelief.
”I said I want the royal sister to bear my child,” Arses repeated without missing a beat.
”…And you honestly believe I would ever accede to such a request?” Mito challenged incredulously.
When she asked again, Arses laughed loudly as if enjoying Mito’s reaction.
”I think it is not a bad story. If the royal sister becomes pregnant with my child, the child born in time will carry the blood of Urgalia, Selseta, and Silku. If the blood of my country enters the royal house of Selseta, there will be no need to attack Selseta from now on. We can put an end to the long conflict between our two countries,” Arses explained smoothly.
”…This is utter preposterousness. Ultimately, you simply seek to subjugate my homeland via a political union!” Mito spat back contemptuously.
Mito spat that out, then continued with contempt in her eyes.
”Furthermore, I now comprehend why you bound me prior to our audience. Initially I assumed you feared being taken hostage, yet I was mistaken. Had I refused, you intended to violate me right here, did you not? Quite expected of Urgalia’s sovereign. You inherited the blood of your marauding ancestor. Attempting to seize everything by brute force is precisely why your people remain branded as barbarians centuries post-foundation!” Mito condemned passionately.
Mito threw harsh words at Arses as if shouting.
She knew that saying this would not end without cost, but even so, she could not help saying it.
In response, Arses looked at the raging Mito with somewhat amused eyes and spoke.
”Then may I take that as a refusal of my proposal?” Arses asked, amused by her fury.
”Most certainly! Who in their right mind would bear your offspring!?” Mito shouted indignantly.
”Hmm. If the royal sister had nodded, I intended to release every single captured Selseta soldier, but you still refuse?” Arses countered, dangling a temptation.
Hearing that, Mito clenched her teeth so hard they almost shattered.
It was as if cold water had been poured over her head boiling with rage, and her thoughts cooled whether she wanted it or not.
”That… is simply…” Mito faltered, her voice wavering.
”Ah, and there was also Ney. Recently Ney has been quite busy with night duty, but if the royal sister joins the night duty, Ney’s burden should become much lighter,” Arses mentioned casually.
”Y-You vile creature…!” Mito gasped out, her anger boiling over.
If people could be killed with a look, Mito would surely have easily killed Arses at this moment.
But of course, people cannot be killed with a look. Mito, with her hands and feet tied, had no way to break the situation by force.
Reject Arses’s proposal and abandon her subordinates and Ney, or accept Arses’s proposal and save her subordinates and Mito.
There were only these two choices Mito could make now.
And the choice available to Mito Selsetia, royal sister of Selseta, was only one.
Trivia:
- The double-door setup with the hidden iron grate reveals that the Empire anticipated Mito’s escape attempts and designed the room specifically for someone with her abilities, showing they studied Silku prisoners before.
- Arses mentioning Ney’s night duty burden suggests Ney is another captive being used for sexual purposes, and Arses is threatening to add Mito to that arrangement as leverage.
- The fact that Arses first fought at eleven and Mito’s brother became king with a three-year-old heir implies a recent succession crisis in Selseta, possibly meaning Mito’s brother took the throne young too.