While her husband and the kids dance and enjoy themselves downstairs in the ballroom, Diamond is in audience with the Empress in her throne room.
The Empress begins:
— "Diamond, my old friend. I've heard your territory has flourished greatly since you made peace with the Gliants."
— "You have the eye of a Griffin, Your Majesty. Nothing escapes you on this earth."
The Empress rises from her throne and walks slowly toward Diamond. Her pace is almost poetic.
— "Come now, Diamond, I'm not divine. You reminded me of that quite often at the Academy. And you proved it more than once… "The hot-headed girl" — that's what my friends and I used to call you. I still remember that duel like it was yesterday."
The Empress pauses. Her smiling face grows more wrinkled, more serious. Then she continues:
— "It was the most humiliating moment of my life. I, who was already being hailed as a sovereign power… got crushed, lectured, by a girl from the countryside… a girl just admitted to the Academy… a girl two years younger than me."
— "Please forgive my insolence, Your Majesty. I was still young back then and—"
— "Brave!"
She says, locking eyes with Diamond.
— "I've admired you ever since, even if we've stood on opposing sides more often than not. You had so much charisma, and you never once treated me as someone special. Just another student who needed to learn proper manners..."
A pause.
— "Let's drop the formalities. Let's speak as friends."
Diamond smiles gently but replies:
— "Forgive me, Your Highness… but I cannot indulge you as such. You are now a sovereign worthy of every praise. You've become the ruler I must serve—but more than that, the one I want to serve. You are the light that illuminates the Excissil Empire."
The Empress is moved by her subject's words. She tries to hold back her tears, but they escape despite her.And truly—imagine hearing such praise from the very person you admire the most.She wipes away her tears as quickly as they fall, then continues in a calmer tone:
— "Very well. Your marquisate has improved significantly. I've read the reports, but I'd rather hear it from your own mouth."
— "Your Majesty, I would first like to emphasize the problems. We may be facing a real threat."
— "A threat, you say?"
— "You're aware that the lands have turned barren—starting with the Phype Empire. Their people have been fleeing into my marquisate for nearly four years now… As a noble, I couldn't ignore their suffering, so I welcomed them onto my land. But I fear that Phype may use my compassion as a pretext for war."
— "Yes, that would be the logical next step. But you've managed to keep things peaceful so far, haven't you? Your crop rotation strategy is working. I even decided to implement your methods across the entire empire this year. But… accepting citizens from another nation is a risky mistake—one that could doom us all. And I worry just as you do. Still, I've come to understand that this war would break out sooner or later."
— "That's exactly what worries me the most, Your Highness. I wonder if it hasn't already begun."
— "What do you mean by that?"
— "With all due respect… don't you think, Your Highness, that inviting the noble class and their entirefamilies to this celebration was a bit… extravagant?"
— "I admit, it surprised me too. I only asked for something grand, and I left the rest to the Event Ministry."
At that moment, Diamond lets her servant's mask fall—and the Empress immediately senses her concern.
She asks:
— "You mean to say… there's a traitor among us?"
Then, from Diamond's pocket, a magic circle glows with a bell-like chime.She pulls out a wooden tablet that closely resembles a smartphone. Intricate rings are etched into the surface, linked together like a circuit. Diamond channels her magna into the circle—and a voice bursts out of the tablet:
— "Your Excellency! Your Excellency!"
— "…Calm down, Shire. I hear you."
— "I can hear you too! I can't believe this piece of wood can carry my voice over such distance!"
— "Shire! Why are you calling me?"
— "…Yes! Your Excellency! The marquisate is under attack."
— "WHAT?! What do you mean, under attack? By whom?!"
— "It's the armies of Phype, according to the guards. They're launching a blitz. Their knights have entered the northern region and are overwhelming our forces. The real problem is—they're now attacking head-on. I'm struggling to assert strategic command. The soldiers hesitate, and…"
— "I understand. Have you already alerted our neighbors?"
— "Yes, that's already done."
— "Good. You know that under no circumstances should the enemy seize the marquisate, right?"
— "Indeed, I do, Your Excellency."
— "I promise you—I'll be there as soon as possible. Hold fast."
The Empress is simply fascinated by this new technology. Because no matter how far magic has come, real-time communication between two distant regions of space remains a monumental challenge.
— "Diamond! Can you tell me about this device?"
— "Your Majesty! This is called a "telephone." It's used to speak across long distances. But I truly don't think we have the luxury of time for explanations."
— "That's true indeed."
She pauses. The weight of the situation begins to sink in. Then, finally, she asks:
— "Diamond… why does our enemy truly want to seize your marquisate?"
— "Your Majesty, the marquisate holds vast reserves of provisions… Enough to sustain a war. And we possess agricultural, industrial—and quite possibly, magical—expertise of a very high level."
— "Advanced industry? Advanced agriculture? Why haven't I heard of this before?…"
— "Information takes far too long to reach you. I imagine it's even worse for them. Based on my estimation, they started planning this two years ago. And the traitor among us has done everything to delay any message from reaching your ears."
— "Then… the De Rush marquisate is a vital asset. We must do absolutely everything to protect it."
— "And our only solution is to send either me, or Rubi—or both of us—back there."
— "But how? The marquisate is two days away at full gallop. Two days… that's an eternity in a blitz war."
Diamond exhales deeply. She looks lost. This is a war of speed and precision. And both she and the Empress know—they're running out of options.
Unless…
— "Your Majesty, I may have a way to bypass all of this. But my solution must remain absolutely secret."
— "…Whatever it is, I'm listening."
Diamond sighs again. She bows first—then straightens up, her expression now hardened with resolve.
— "We need to bring my daughter Anna and Rubi here. And do it in such a way that none of these guests notice a thing."
— "Your daughter?…"
The Empress pauses, studying Diamond's face. Then she continues, eyes fixed firmly on her:
— "I see. I have an idea. And in any case—we must act now, even if it's only to salvage what's left of your territory."
The Empress and Diamond exit the chamber. They bring along everyone who matters from the royal guards. Once they reach the ballroom, the royal guards approach the two princesses, along with the entire family of the Marquise. Once everyone is in place, the Empress shouts:
— "Stop this ball. No one is to leave this hall. We have one or more traitors among us. All generals, with me."
The guests scramble back to their seats in total panic under the pressure of the guards. Whispers erupt throughout the room:
— "Who could possibly be the traitor?"— "A traitor? Good Inamie… Are we at war?"
The Empress's strategy forces the guests to distrust one another. These are intelligent people—trapped by their own minds. They all think the first to protest will be considered suspicious. So they have no choice but to stay put until further notice.
That way, the real traitor can't make a move while the Empress handles the current crisis. After all, she's convinced the traitor isn't from the army—since the military has no really direct ties to legislation or politics.
Now, the emergency war council can begin.
Inside the throne room are the generals:
A certain Hikian: Commander-in-chief of the infantry.
Already known, Tales: Grand Sage of the Knowledge Faction.
Rubi: Commander-in-chief of the Order of the Knightresses.
A certain Majjid: Commander of the Royal Guards.
The three Supreme Generals, elite imperial strategists and highest-ranking officers: Medus, Zeta, Rock.
Marquise Diamond, governor of Rush—the most concerned party.
Princess Zyon, now learning the harsh realities of imperial life.
And Anna...
Anna steps forward. She's curious. Her gaze falls upon the strategic map laid across the table. All eyes turn to her.
She's just a child.
She hesitates, stunned. But it's her mother who instructed her to be part of this.
…