To Ask about his Older Sister
This refers to the events of the next day.
After spending the night in the carriage, Mia yawned and slowly got up.
“Hmm”
After stretching a bit, Mia lightly patted her stomach.
“It’s incredible. Ever since I started eating yoghurt, I’ve been feeling a little better.”
Anne, who had overheard Mia talking to herself, quickly sprung into action. After consulting Ludwig and Malong, she made arrangements for fresh yoghurt to be available even in the Empire. That was an entirely different story.
Mia’s right hand, Anne, often acted on her own volition to ensure that good food was available for the sake of Mia’s health—a relatively common occurrence.
Anne, Mia’s quick and agile right-hand person, spared no effort in her devotion to ensure Mia’s health and beauty.
Well, setting that aside…
Aima came over to visit Mia, who was feeling refreshed after waking up.
“Princess Mia, are you awake?”
“Ah, Aima-san. Good Morning.” Mia greeted Aima with a smile.
“The elder wishes to greet you. She wants to know if it is okay for her to come visit you here?”
“Oh ? She means to come here?”
‘I see. Asking me to come greet her would be considered disrespectful, so she wants to come herself and offer greetings.’
“Hmm. In that case, I shall come and visit her myself.”
Mia responded casually. Her carriage, built for an Imperial Princess, was extremely comfortable and suitable for receiving visitors. However, it was a bit narrow. It would probably be fine for a one-on-one meeting, but if Rafina, Malong, and even Abel were included, it might get cramped.
‘I suppose they wish to greet me first. Honestly, I would like to avoid that. After all, there are a lot of problems that have accumulated. The matter of the food supplies for the Fire clan, the question of improving relations with the Equestrian Kingdom, and additional questions regarding the Chaos Serpents also need to be addressed. To be dealing with all that alone seems a bit too much for me. I would also like Abel to be present when I ask questions regarding my future sister-in-law.’
So, Mia made a proposal.
“That’s right. Well then, I’ll call out to Rafina-sama and Malong-senpai, and we will go from here.”
“Hmm. Saint Rafina is fine, but that guy from the Forest clan….Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”
With a reluctant nod, Aima agreed.
Certainly, having received food supplies, the Fire clan could not ignore their benefactor. By an unexpected turn of events, the Fire clan members lost the opportunity for conflict.
Could they accept help from the Equestrian Kingdom, with whom they shared a complicated history? What about letting the Forest clan members into their village? Should they welcome Rafina, Mia, and the others, who were completely unrelated? The Fire clan was spared from worrying about all these concerns that would have naturally cropped up. Since Mia had begun to move, they were compelled to go along with the flow. And then, the children, who had no particular grudges, grew fond of the visitors. The rest unfolded naturally.
Having worked together and shared the same food, they grew to appreciate each other’s efforts, and smiles had naturally followed. The tension had faded away, and an atmosphere was created where it was difficult for anyone to say, “I absolutely won’t talk.”
‘Well, I’m not sure what will be decided after we talk, but it’s the Equestrian Kingdom that will do its best from there. That’s Malong-senpai’s role. However, it would be foolish to let our guard down. It would be a good idea for me to have my knowledgeable advisor accompany me.’
And so with such thoughts in mind, Mia visited the elder’s hut with Rafina, Malong, Abel, Ludwig and Anne.
When in trouble, the more people you can turn to, the better. That was the rationale behind her decision. Diversification of risk and responsibility was important. That was Mia’s motto.
On entering the hut, Mia found the old woman who had come to greet her last night, Aima, and another young woman waiting.
The old woman looked at Mia and the others. There were deep wrinkles etched on her forehead, her lips were tightly pursed and her gaze was sharp. On seeing her impregnable expression, Mia thought to herself, ‘After seeing her like this, she indeed seems like a difficult person.’
But Mia remembered what happened last night.
During the banquet, the old woman had eaten the food with great relish. She had eaten the same food as Mia, and had enjoyed it, all the while making noises of approval, such as “It’s hot!”. Mia didn’t miss that.
Furthermore, the old woman, who had become cheerful after seeing her clan members freed from hunger, was dancing merrily. Dancing!
Remembering all this, Mia became convinced.
‘Hmm. This person might actually be quite mischievous.’
Contrary to Mia’s inner thoughts, the old woman bowed deeply.
“I am Ka Roufa, the elder of the Fire clan. As the Chief is currently away, his younger sister Aima and I offer greetings on his behalf. Your Highness Princess Mia and Saint Rafina, we thank you for taking the trouble to come visit us.”
The old woman then turned her sharp gaze towards Malong.
“Also, we are thankful for the assistance from the members of the Forest clan. I would like to express my gratitude once again.”
Then, Roufa bowed again. Following her lead, Aima and the young woman also bowed their heads. The young woman appeared to be Roufa’s attendant.
After Mia and the others finished their self-introductions, the conversation quickly moved on to the main topic.
