A Hint of Rebellion?

"So you accepted his proposal?" Luka asked her little sister after she put down her teacup. "And now he went back to Voreous to tell the King?"

Miku nodded slowly, confirming the news. Two days after the proposal, Ace went back to his kingdom in the east to tell his father about the proposal he made for Miku, the third princess of Blanche.

Luka smirked then laughed softly. "What made you accepted his proposal? Honestly, I doubt you will accept anyone. It has been always like that since then. You always rejected political marriage proposal."

Miku did not give a response to her sister. There was no way she would tell her the truth. She accepted Ace because she wanted to end things between her and Kaito who was Meiko's fiancee in the first place. The adultery they committed was their little dirty secret. Only Mikuo and Mew, Kaito's and Miku's personal attendants, knew their secret. Without them, it would be too hard for the couple to find a way to spend time together without being noticed.

She knew what she was doing was wrong. Now, she had to put an act to end things before getting worse.

Fortunately, Kaito had not shown any moves about how Miku was avoiding him. Also, the news of Ace and Miku engagement was still made no public because the peace treaty between the two kingdoms was still in progress. To avoid any further conflict, Ace went to see his father. The secret had given a benefit on Miku's side. As long as Kaito did not know about her engagement, she was sure he would not do anything reckless.

Miku was not betrothed even in her twenty. Usually, a noblewoman would be betrothed since they were ten or the latest on their eighteen. The wedding with their fiancee usually happened latest on the noble woman's age of twenty-two.

However, Blanche's princesses' cases were slightly different. Both Meiko and Luka had their engagement in their thirteen. Meiko's engagement was annulled when she was eighteen because her fiancee was killed in a war with the Voreous kingdom. Then, she engaged to Kaito on her twenty but could not do the marriage because she had to temporarily replace the King due to King's poor health condition. Different from the eldest princess, Luka's engagement was a pure political engagement. There was no affection between her and her partner because they both aware it was only a business for their family. However, with the same reason, she had not had her marriage due to King's condition. Both princesses chose their duty first because they know how this Kingdom meant to their father.

Miku and Miki were slightly different from the two oldest princesses. Both Miku and Miki claimed that they did not want a political marriage. The youngest princess was so vocal with her idea of opposing political marriage. Mainly, because she had fallen in love hard with a youngster, a commoner who work in a blacksmith that handle the weaponry for royal knights. However, the third princess, Miku, opposed the political marriage because she believed an engagement was meant for a lover who trusted each other. She was known for the single princess, mainly because she had never been in a relationship, or that was known by society.

"Do you have any regret?" Luka asked again. She studied her younger sister silently. She knew how stubborn she was when it comes to a political marriage.

Miku slowly shook her head and looked at her sister's eyes. "No, I won't. I just think he may be the one for me."

Luka was sure it was not due to love for Miku accepting Ace's proposal. Luka also knew Miku was not the type that would accept one's offer just because she felt he was the one, but then again, Miku was a beginner in a relationship. Maybe it was the time for her to feel love at the first sight.

Luka smiled again. "Oh, you are more innocent than I thought you might be. If you think he would make you happy, then be happy."

Miku smiled and looked at her trembling fingers. She could not let Luka see through her.

After their morning drink, Miku with Mew, accompanied by two knights went to the town. Today was the day she would go out of the palace to see the capital and visit her uncle, Tonio. She would go to Griffin manor in the capital once in two months to visit the Griffin family.

"Mew, how about we take a walk to the market on the way there? It has been a while since I walk to the town, hasn't it?"

As soon as Miku spoke, Mew ordered the knight to wear a brown hoodie, meanwhile she and Miku would wear their red hoodie.

After the carriage stopped, Miku and Mew blended with the crown while the knight silently followed them like a shadow.

The capital, Ilwent, was a city full of life. The market was open till the sunset and then a night market would take place until the moon reached its peak. There would be a festival each month and people would sing and dance together. However, to the tragedy that recently happened, the festival was postponed to the next month, even so, the city was still lively.

"No! Let me go! That is my money! I didn't take it from you!"

A woman's scream caught the princess attention. After the scream, people gathered to the source of the scream but no one really tried to solve the problem.

Miku rushed to the crowd, followed by Mew and her knights.

There was a tiny girl struggled with two big muscled men who yanked her hand. The girl wore a blue shattered robe. She brought a basket full of herbs. When she jumped to pick money from the muscled man, her hood fell off revealing beautiful golden hair. Her eyes were blue like a lake.

"Yes, keep saying that! But that does not hide the fact that my purse was in your basket! That was the money to buy medicine for my wife!" the man took her basket and throw away the herbs inside the basket. "You must be hiding other things in this basket right! You little thief!"

"No!" the girl cried.

Miku rushed to the scene but Mew grabbed her hand.

"It is dangerous, your highness," Mew whispered to Miku.

"But-!"

Screams were broke out from the scene, but those were different voices.

A young man, slightly taller than the blonde girl kicked two muscled men. The young man stood before them and looked at them disgustingly. He made a big appearance scene with the carriage he kicked to pass the crowd. His eyes were piercing and giving chill that the crowd went silent, even Miku felt the deep pressures just from his gaze. However, he wore back his hood fast and kicked the people around them and draw a dagger. Then, they ran away from the crowd.

"Mew, instruct the knight to follow after them! But don't hurt them!" She ordered Mew, then the black-haired lady blended with the crowd.

"Go after them!" scream the muscled man

Miku ran toward the muscled man. "Stop!" she screamed and revealed her hair.

"Yo-Your Highness princess Hiver!"

"I order you to stand back, I will investigate this issue further."

"Bu-but they took away my money!"

Miku took her red purse and give it to the men. The men were dumbfounded when the purse with several golden coins landed on their hand.

"I hope this amount would cover your loss, if the amount is not enough, please wait until we are finished to investigate this."

The big guy nodded and bowed. "Tha-thank you, Your Highness."

Slowly the crows had dispatched thanks to the patroling knights. When Miku saw her attendant, she ordered Mew to walk closer to her.

She reminded the scene that so fast in a blink of an eye. Not only the scene he made, but the young man's whole appearance caught Miku's attention. In a glance, she recognized the similar face he had with the girl behind him. They shared a similar face and the same colour of hair and eyes.

"Wait... Mew... the ear... the young man's ears are pointy, aren't they?"

"Oh... you also noticed that, Your Highness?"

Miku nodded. Even though it was a glance, but she saw clearly the shape of his ears. They were short pointy ears, the ears of dwarves.

"It seems the rebel group, the dwarves made their moves again," Mew whispered then looked at Miku. "Your Highness, it is better for us to use carriage from this point, concerning what just happened earlier, and about the dwarves, I will try to investigate it."

Her visit to the Griffin House was shorter than usual. She reported to the head of Griffin House, Tonio Griffin, about what had happened in the market regarding two people that she suspected as dwarf race. By reporting what happened there, it meant she would have another responsibility as a princess since she dealt with criminal cases and wellbeing in the capital.

Each princess had its own responsibility of the capital and a region in the Kingdom. Meiko dealt with political issues in the capital and administered the North region, the fief under Griffin Duchy. Luka dealt with the economic and cultural issue in the capital and administered South and Southeast regions, the fief under Lancester Duchy. Miku dealt with criminal case and wellbeing issues and administered East region, the fief under Louise Duchy. Last, Miki dealt with the cultivation issue and administered the West region, the fief under the Argent house. However, both Luka and Miku supervised Miki as the princess was just debuted not long ago and the region was under Miku and Luka responsibilities.

After dinner, Miku went to her study and read the reports from Mew's investigation.

The dwarf was a race that lived on the west side of Northgale continent. They usually lived in the forest or near mountain area. The history recorded dwarf was like a human, mostly worked as a miner. However, they have slightly different biological structures from a human. They had short pointy ears and short height like a teenage human. They lived in Northgale long together with human. They even lived among human in the age when Blanche was still a small kingdom and in a part of a raging war, but then became rebels that tried to take down some town in the western side of the Blanche Kingdom.

Miku only knew the existence of the dwarf race from the book. She had never watched them because she never went to the outskirts of the west region even though the region was her responsibility before she handed it over to Miki.

The report said there was no radical movement from the rebel group, nor the two suspects she saw in the town were part of it. They were just dwarves who trespassing to the capital to get medicine for their family.

"So... they trespassed to get medicine in a capital? Were not they lived in a west side of Northgale, near a small Kingdom called Galian?" Miku muttered herself.

Indeed, Blanche was known for its medical treatment and medicine even though their rulers passed away due to mysterious disease. The mysterious disease made psychiatrists do a lot of research to develop their medical knowledge.

"So... there was nothing suspicious about them?" Miku asked Ted Averon who stood before Miku's desk.

Ted, still bowing to Miku replied. "No, it seems they are really just travelling to the city."

"So they lived in the capital?" She asked again while closing the report she got from her knight.

"No, they came from west land, the outskirt of Blanche," Ted answered. "It seemed... they came her through magic."

Miku squinted her eyes. "Do you mean like teleportation?"

"Yes."

She paused for a second. If the magic is involved, this would turn ugly as magic was forbidden in Blanche. It would be best to act calmly when it comes to magic. Even though she did not believe magic at first, but the meeting with the fairy slightly changed her. When there was a case about magic, usually it turned out to be just an ugly eye trick. She decided to put the case on hold for now.

"Then... what about the thievery?" she asked again.

"Some of our knights reported that the thief was not the young girl, but a theft from the slumps."

Miku ordered Ted to stand up. She rose up after wrote a letter and put it into an envelope. "Then ... proceed this case with the usual procedure, and give this to my teacher, Duke Yuuma."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Ted bowed his head and went outside from the study. Just in a short time she encountered magical things. The fairy, magic, and King's mysterious disease and death. Everything of that was nonsense but they happened right before her eyes.

"Is this really a time for me to believe the power that beyond human?"

She should have known, the trip to Griffin house several days ago was a bad idea. Whenever they go there, Mew would go with Tonio to a secluded room, his study. They said they would discuss something important. No one would dare to go closer to the room even the Duchess and his children. Even Miku who technically had a higher social status did not dare to peek into the room. There was a strange uneasy aura and her breath would be shortened. She thought she had a problem with her breath but now she realized it was strange.

Miku put down her tea and rose up from her sofa. "What? You are going to resign from your position as my personal attendant?" Miku squealed as she heard the sudden news from the black-haired lady.

Mew took a deep breath then looked at her princess' eyes. "Yes, Your Highness," Mew answered. She walked closer to Miku when Miku turned her head from her. She took her hand and caress it lightly as she was caressing a little baby.

"I'm sorry to do this Miku. Originally, she was a spy who works under me. But, she also becomes a midwife and nanny for the princesses because it was necessary for her job," Tonio answered while messaging his temple.

"Do you mean to infiltrate? Then... did you spy, I mean reported to my Uncle about everything I did?" Miku asked. Miku thought it made sense for Mew and Tonio to discuss something important.

She paused for a second while remembering how Tonio and Mew always together in his study when she visited the manor.

If Mew is a spy... then she may have a potion or poison that made people difficult to breathe... It explains my condition

Still, she felt a little disappointed. She should know that you could not expect anything from anyone even from someone who knew you better.

"No, Miku. Her role as your nanny and attendant, and her job working with me are necessary but those two things are different. She pledged loyalty to the King as a nanny because it was the King's order. She works under me because she had a debt to me. Both King and I agreed that she would fully work under me again within two conditions. The first is if all princesses have had their own debutante party, and the second is if there is a movement of the rebel group in the western," Tonio tried to explain the situation in the simplest way so Miku would understand. He spoke slower than he usually did and used a soft tone as he was talking with a whining little kid.

"Then she was a double agent?"

"You could say that."

Miku closed her eyes and lowered her head. When she thought about it again, she thought everything about Mew would make sense if she was a double agent. She was diligent and smart. She was too good for a nanny and attendant. She always wondered whether she might be a spy or a special force. If she worked under Griffin House who had the strongest military power in the Kingdom, she might be one of the people who fight for the Kingdom's safety.

"I understand," said the princess. "Even though I would lose my best attendant, but my Uncle needs you for the sake of our Kingdom, right?"

Meiko, who arranged the meeting then smiled toward Miku for her understanding. "I know you would have a big heart to understand this situation. For this case, I have arranged a new attendant for you."

"You have arranged it? That was fast, Meiko."

"Oh, she was a recommendation from our Uncle. She was the daughter of Count Gale, her name is Rui Salesian Gale. She was a half Blauw."

"Oh... is that so? Then... if she was your choice, she must be good."

The moment she heard the name of Blauw Kingdom, she knew she could not escape her sin. A new maid who was half of Blauw might be a reminder from God that Meiko might aware of the adultery she had committed and she would sentence her sooner or later.

But... I could not refuse it right away in front of her face if I don't want her to be doubted.

"Hey Rui, why do you must infiltrate the palace as a lowlife?" asked a man with black bat wings on his back. His eyes were red like a flame in a dark night.

"If that Holy being did not put a barrier to the princesses, I do not need to do this. But, it would make things fun, right?" The woman demon called Rui answered while trying on a maid uniform.

"Well if you are already sure about it then I guess I could not stop you. Then I would go to do my things. Call me if you have trouble dealing with that Holy being."

Rui rolled her dark red eyes. "Alright. But, I have the fallen one on my side. I think she would be delighted to help me since we are the best friend for as long as I can remember."

"Right, since you are the one who brought her fall."

"Yes, I cant wait to meet her, my dearest friend, who lives inside a mirror."

To be continued

A.n

hellooo after a very long hiatus, I come back hehehe

and yessss, we have a new character here, welcome Rui and two mysterious dwarves! heheh guess who they are?

anw, if you found any mistake, feel free to tell me on review or PM, I'll appreciate it

thank you so much! happy reading, happy reviewing, and don't forget for your love to the story!