Great festivals were occurring on all the major cities of Eldia. The capital was no exception, its feasts being the most bountiful. Conquered peoples and Eldians alike celebrated in unison, temporarily forgetting about their differences. The sounds of many foreign instruments and chants filled the streets. Meanwhile, on the royal castle, another celebration occurred with only the nobles, the titan clans and the military upper echelon being invited.
— Was dealing with the crowd too tiresome, my queen? — Sören asked as he approached Hildegard while wiping his wine-coloured toga.
She was outside the main hall on an annex balcony. She leaned on the balustrade, carelessly looking in the distance. The light of the full moon illuminated her braided blond hair and pale skin, which contrasted with her elegant purple toga. The crown hanged from her left hand.
— Oh, the Armoured Titan. Sören Brandt, is it? — She asked inattentively. — Thank you again for coming to my aid some days ago.
— It was my honour. Mind if I join your highness?
— It depends. I've been deep in thought lately, so I think it will be good to be pulled back into the regular world.
— I just want to ask you some questions.
Hildegard stared at him blankly. Strangely enough, he stared at her the same way. She smirked and held back a little laugh, covering her lips with a hand.
— Why did you let those rogue Marleyans alive even after they slayed some of our men and almost killed me?
— First off, we were intruding on their territory. When the people who caused the downfall of your civilisation appear at the doorstep, of course you'd overreact.
Sören nodded in comprehension.
— They fed me and gave me a roof to sleep under. Granted, they didn't know I'm an Eldian. Think of it as a repayment to them.
She turned her eyes towards the ground. Her lips were shaking a little.
— Plus, I'm not fond of the bloodshed. I can't bear to think people died because of me, no matter if they're subjects of Ymir or not.
— Your highness does know we're the chosen people, right? — He asked as he crossed his arms.
— I know this is a test question. We're alike, you and I. Your demeanour and your eyes are also…
Sören interrupted her by touching her shoulder. Suddenly, a memory flooded into their minds. A younger Klaus argued with Anders. It was late in the afternoon and they seemed to be on a war camp, both seated around a wooden table. Other people, familiar and not, were also there. They were circled by multiple titans, who stood awaiting their next orders.
— Anders, I beg of you! Let me handle this! — Klaus asked in a desperate tone.
Some moments of silence followed. The atmosphere was tense. Anders screamed, making the titans fall to the ground. Humans came out of their napes. The other people in the camp protested, but Anders simply raised his hand slightly, making them all silent again.
— Very well, do as you will. I'm interested in your non-killing method.
Sören took his hand away from Hildegard's shoulder. They were both startled, looking wide-eyed at each other.
— Did our touching trigger a memory of the previous bearers? — He asked.
— It seems so. Do you want to see the rest of it? — She said while extending her arm.
Sören took her hand, and they once again reminisced a memory, but this part appeared to occur a little later, perhaps half an hour after the first. Titans devoured the remaining enemy soldiers, who uselessly ran away, tried to defend with their shields, or speared and slashed the giant hands that effortlessly picked them up. Klaus had markings around his eyes, indicating he had transformed earlier. King Anders was standing beside him on the middle of the battlefield, or rather, on the middle of the slaughter.
— I knew it would come to this in the end. — Anders remarked.
— But why? They had no reason to keep fighting!
— "It is better to die fighting than to live captive" or so goes their saying. — Anders put his hand over Klaus' shoulder. — I hope you understand now.
At a loss for words, Klaus stared at him with teary eyes.
— It's already too late. Eldia will never be able to redeem itself. For now, keep fighting for our people. — Anders said bluntly, but with a hint of sadness on his voice.
Sören released Hildegard's hand. They looked sympathetically at each other.
— I take it we'll inevitably go through the same, no matter what our ideals may be.
— Perhaps we won't if I can take measures about it. For now, do as is expected of you and dance to the tune. — She said with determination.
Hildegard put the crown on her head again and went back to the main hall, where she was saluted by some minor nobles. Sören remained on the balcony to look at the stars and process his thoughts. He felt more of a connection with his uncle after seeing this memory, even though Klaus' power was passed on to him. What about the next heirs? If geography or another factor halted the expansion of Eldia, perhaps they would only have to worry about internal strife.
Hildegard mechanically smiled and replied to questions by the other nobles. She lost count of how many people had bowed to her and kissed her hand. All of them were like peacocks, each trying to be most impressive person with their extravagant clothing. Then she sighted someone familiar amidst the crowd. It was Eckhart Fritz, her cousin and betrothed. King Anders and Rena had arranged their marriage since they were children, as was the custom with the royal family and most nobles. His eyes suddenly met her gaze. He walked through the horde of nobles to meet her. With impeccably elegant hair and clothing, he made quite an impression among the nobles.
— It is such an honour to meet you again, Hilde. Or should I say, your highness. — He said in a deep bow, almost too formal.
— A pleasure to meet you once more as well. How are things going on the frontier? — She asked politely, though she was not interested in the answer.
— We're doing great work alongside Ingvild, the Female Titan. I mostly manage the bureaucratic side of things while my brother leads the soldiers, but I still go to the battlefield occasionally. Last month we quelled a rebellion…
It was as if his words had no sound. Hildegard looked into his deep blue eyes and nodded, just like she would do when listening to a conversation, but she was dissociating again. "I think Octavia would've liked this celebration. I'd ask her to test my food before eating so that she'd have a chance of tasting these fancy dishes… By Ymir, how I miss her!" She interrupted his babble.
— Eckhart, come closer.
He leaned in and Hildegard kissed his lips. Once, twice, thrice. There was no thrill whatsoever. She often overheard the slave girls talking about their lovers, about kisses, and sex. She thought the kiss would feel good, but it was simply lips touching. Eckhart's face was entirely red. He desperately fixed his shining golden hair.
— Hilde, it's not wise to do this while everyone else is around! See, they're looking at us! — He said in a low tone.
— We're betrothed. There's nothing wrong about that. — She replied.
— Erm… I think I heard someone call me right there. — He was clearly flustered and lying. — We'll talk later.
A simple touch by a person she never talked much to had brought many more emotions than a kiss. Were the slave girls overreacting? Or did Sören have something special about him? They certainly shared similar ideals. Hildegard definitely had to get to know him better.