.
.
This is what happened after Zachary broke up the fight between Gautier and Jacob.
They were sitting on the floor because the tables were flipped and the chairs were broken, a consequence of the princes' scuffle and Zachary de Arno's intervention, Mebuki and Gautier leaning against the wall and waiting in the corridor while Zachary spoke to Jacob.
"So what in God's name was supposed to happen between Bianca de Arno and Jacob?" Gautier asked. Mebuki shook her head.
"Uh, it's kind of a long story. You guys all saw how Jacob started obsessing over her when he ran into her after the rose garden. If I didn't intervene, he'd continue harassing her after the tournament. Eventually he schemes with Count Hugues and Aragon to attack the kingdom. Zachary goes out to defend the territory, but without reinforcements, and Jacob uses his absence to invade Arno."
"Why in heaven's name would he want to invade Arno?" Gautier said. Mebuki spread her hands.
"To get Bianca, I guess. And, uh, give the territory of Arno to Zachary's brother instead."
"And where was I?" Gautier asked. "I find it hard to believe I'd let Jacob run so rampant." Mebuki picked a piece of lint off her dress.
"Uh, you were actually dead."
Gautier flinched. Mebuki rubbed her neck. "You fell off a horse," Mebuki said. "They made Prince Albert the Crown Prince, which led to Jacob's coup attempt."
Down the hall, they watched as Zachary clapped his hand on Jacob's back, Jacob scowling slightly at him.
"I suppose I should thank you," Gautier said. "Thanks to your intervention, Jacob did not go down that path."
"Yeah, I told you. Jacob doesn't care about any of that."
"Does he know what happens?" Gautier asked. Mebuki nodded.
"Yeah, I already told him."
They both fell silent, watching as Zachary talked to Jacob.
xXx
.
"Would you like to see what happened?" Audulie asked.
They were back at Audulie's penthouse, waiting for Mebuki and Tomoko to come back. Jacob took the phone from Audulie and scrolled with interest, starting with the chapter of him making out with the random noblewoman before conspiring with Hugues again. He'd seen the pictures before - Mayumi had shown him the illustrations on her phone - but the dialogue was written in Japanese, he couldn't actually read it. But here, on his sister's phone, the comic was translated in their language.
Audulie watched. Outside, the sky darkened as the hours passed, Jacob's brow furrowing deeper and deeper as he scrolled through the chapters.
"This is upsetting," he murmured. He set the phone on the table.
"It seems even the authors of this world had a low opinion of you. Only a few cursory scenes which weren't enough to make you sympathetic," Audulie said.
"Haa." Jacob rubbed his head. Audulie shifted to look at him.
"...Did she not tell you?" Audulie asked. Jacob dully shook his head.
"Only the broad strokes," Jacob said. His eyes flicked upward. "That I would fall in love with Bianca de Arno and get beheaded."
"My condolences," Audulie said. They fell quiet again.
"Princess, we're back!" Tomoko said, the door opening. Mebuki and Tomoko were carrying shopping bags, smiling and laughing. They stopped abruptly at seeing the siblings sitting on the couch, looking positively distressed.
"Oh shit," Mebuki said. "Did you two fight again?"
Jacob wordlessly stood up and hugged her, while Mebuki threw a worried look at Audulie, who smiled sadly and shook her head.
"I think it is late," Audulie said, rising. "My secretary has gotten you accommodations at a nearby hotel, but if you'd rather go back through the rift, I shall send word to my security detail."
"Oh wow, thank you, Princess, we appreciate it," Mebuki said. Jacob's eyes were lowered. She took his hand.
The streets of Tokyo were uncharacteristically quiet. Neon lights, with bright swaths of light cutting across the darkened sidewalks from the lit windows of storefronts, everything in the city was bright and colorful and the exact opposite of what Mebuki had gotten used to in the village. Unlike in Sevran, she couldn't see the stars in the sky because of all the light pollution. An aircraft flew overhead, and Mebuki could see the reddish dot blinking as the airplane flew over them.
"I have always known I was the outcast," Jacob said, and Mebuki glanced up at him. His grip around her hand tightened. "I suppose it is a bit jarring seeing one's faults so bluntly illustrated."
"None of that stuff actually happened," Mebuki said.
"My dalliance with the Viscount's daughter did," Jacob pointed out. "As well as my conversations with Count Blanchefort and with Zachary de Arno before the joust." Mebuki remembered: Gautier had lied to Jacob and told him the king wanted to meet him in the throne room, keeping Jacob waiting while he and the king could meet Bianca and Zachary undisturbed in Audulie's rose garden. Jacob had grown upset at being ostracized again and confronted Bianca's father, who had requested they delay meeting Jacob.
"Yeah, well." Mebuki made a helpless gesture. "I stopped you from acting stupid."
Jacob scoffed. Mebuki leaned against his arm.
"Hey," she said, and she shook his elbow, getting him to turn to look at her. "Wanna see some modern condoms?"
"What?" Jacob's eyes widened. His face cracked into a blush. Mebuki grinned at him.
"I promise, they're way better than that stupid sheep intestine."
He ducked his head and laughed. Mebuki slid her arm around his waist and hugged him.
xXx
.
"Princess, how did you get a phone that translates everything into the kingdom's common language?" Mebuki said. She scrolled through the app, impressed that the manhwa wasn't in Japanese or Korean, but was translated into Sevran's writing system.
"I am rich," Audulie said. She spread her hands. "Of course I can get custom tech if I should so request it."
("Apparently you guys just speak Welsh; she had the comic scanlated by a kid on Reddit," Tomoko said.)