"Your grace, I have returned with Princess Malty." Malty scoffed as the woman in the all-black catsuit knocked on the door of the room that court uses to counsel the queen. Although with the raise in monster activity, it was more of use as a headquarters for the strategies and reallocation of adventurers per guild instructions, but now she was here through her mother's whim hoping it wasn't to give her punishment for a number of things that came to mind, of which was her three recent purchases one being that required her to sneak out and visit a slaver's tent for her bird companion.

The double doors open that the woman was knocking on to reveal the queen of Melromarc herself Mirellia Q Melromarc. She took one look at her daughter and frowned, the fair-skinned woman took in Malty's appearance in stride. For the last three years, the girl had been a bigger headache than she could imagine. From the copious amount of free time she had spent with her Guard, she sneaked out of the palace to do gods know what now and then, and it all started the day she in her infinite wisdom decided to relinquish her claim to the throne. "I see you were training again, daughter." Mirellia said as she watched both her guests bend the knee.

"I would not say that, though I had an interesting interaction, your grace." Malty responded while bowing her head.

This action and her words if Mirellia didn't know better were unbecoming of her bratty oldest. She motioned for the both of them to stand. She did not know what this recent change was in her daughter, but the fact it did and her being left in the dark about it left a bad taste in her mouth. She looked over the displaced appearance of her child in intrigue, the teen was still in her chest plate and hood tunic and a sword at her side with a hilt and guard she did not recognize, and her messy red hair in a ponytail. She then met her daughter's eyes for the first time in several days. "Is that so, and I won't have my own daughter calling me that." Malty had gotten into calling her 'your grace' whenever she was dissatisfied with something that Mirellia either had a hand in or her authority could fix, but there was plenty of time to find out later. Right now however she had some business to attend to. "Come clean, daughter." Her purple eyes looked at Malty in surprise as her prideful daughter seemed to squirm under her mother's gaze. "Why have I been getting reports of you sneaking away at all hours of the night, and why have you been seen at a slaver's tent of all things?"

Malty dropped her head with a fearful frown on her face, as the nightmares that had left her that night she met her goddess were at the forefront of her mind. She took a deep breath and answered her mother. "Many errand your... Mother." She did not want to press her luck so she will tell her what she needs to. "If I may?" She put a hand on Moonstone as if to ask to draw her blade, sighing in relief when her mother nodded. "I found the description for swords like this one in my many studies." She drew Moonstone leaving it in the outstretched hands of Mirellia, who admired the craftsmanship of the blade.

"What is this blade?"

Malty did not know how to answer that question but after a few moments chose to tell a half-truth. "A relic from the past, I found it during my studies."

The queen examined the blade taking some experimental swings at it. "Interesting, and I assume part of the coin you've spent, a good majority went into this sword of yours. And what of the rest? You have been seen entering a slaver's tent yet you left on your own to my knowledge lighter in sending money."

Malty watched as the woman that brought her here grabbed Moonstone from her mother returning it to her. "Oh that, I was following a lead on something you might find very compelling." Malty said, sheathing her blade.

"And that is?" Questioning her daughter as Mirellia watched her squirm under her gaze. A side of Malty that she had little experience with. As if the girl is somehow different at the core of her being.

Taking a deep breath Malty called out a name that the queen did not recognize. "Filo." Although her voice had not deviated in volume, that single word seemed to resonate in the room. Mirellia wondered who she could be calling with that magic, was it the name of whatever she had gotten from that slaver? She did not have a long wait as the double doors that had been closed for them to talk in private now had a tapping sound coming from them. "You are going to have to open the door for her, she hasn't learned how to open them yet." Malty told the woman in all black standing next to her who bowed and went to open the door while the queen noticed a smile creep on her face.

The Queen did not have to wait long as a Filolial chick burst into the room looking at its new surroundings before making a beeline for Malty once the bird's eyes landed on her. Mirellia struggled to keep a straight face looking at how adorable the small creature was. She was then given a shock at how receptive her daughter that hated Filolial with a passion was. Malty picked up the chick into a gentle embrace holding it close with an equally pleasant smile on her face.

Turning to her mother the young teen presented Filo to her with pride and a smug expression, it did not bring a raised eyebrow from Mirellia. "I was looking for her." Malty saw the confusion on her mother's face. "She is the lead I was following, a Filolial Queen hatched from one of the eggs that the slaver had procured." She said as the princess held the bird close.

Mirellia was flabbergasted; she only heard of the species' queen from rumors but her wayward daughter had gone and found an egg of her own volition. The same girl that scoffed at her mother and sister's obsession with the birds was now holding one as if it was her child. Sighing the queen moved on, she will tackle this another time, hopefully, this was the in which she needed to understand her daughter's new behaviors. '"And what of the property you have purchased dear daughter?"

Malty held Filo closer, the bird looking up at her in confusion. That was the toughest question that she could answer. Not only did she not want to answer it but there was an underline fact that the answer unlike the others will lead to the discussion of the presents of the shield in a couple of years and how she would know of something that was manageable now being so bad that the kingdom will summon all four heroes despite the treaties and diplomatic ties that it has. Her foolish father had no clue what mess he had on his hands, although this was part of her selfishness she had to make sure that everything played out as it was supposed to, at least all of it until the hero summoning. "Can I not answer that Mother?"

"Why child? Is there something about the subject preventing you?"

The princess only sunk further into herself, a worrying outcome for the queen. Malty's mind was ablaze with solutions to this current situation, all came back to her father so she decided to make use of his foolishness. "I would like for this to be a private matter between the two of us. If you don't mind."

Taking the hint Mirellia dismissed the servants that had busied themselves around the room including her faceless errand woman that had fetched the princess for her. Afterward, they were left alone, but not before she dropped the act of her duty closing the distance between them, grabbing each shoulder of the teen. "Is there a reason for this all that you can not speak of it with others? Is it necessary to say that from the time that you have relinquished your claim that you have changed in both mind and body... Malty." She felt her daughter flinch under her. "So it is true. Then I would like to know what occupies your concerns, dear girl."

"Do you love Father?" Malty asked, still holding on to Filo as if her life depended on it.

The question took her mother off guard, and a great volume of things entered her mind. Each one was more dastardly than the next. "Of course, I do, what brought this on dear girl?" The woman's purple eyes reflected the sadness of her daughter's.

"Because if I say what is on my mind then it might affect the way you will see him from now on, and that is not a thought that I want to entertain." The girl looked down at her curious bird with a sad smile on her face. Though her feelings on the situation were not her concern she had to at least keep history on its course even if it meant throwing away what she had been working towards even before that day. Melromarc even if she is on the throne or her sister Melty needs the shield on its side if the others are anything to go by. So she will scheme, bring light to the church of the three heroes, and claim the shield for herself. She just needed more time and her mother's protection, because when the time comes for Melromarc to summon the heroes under the other nations' noses she will need to make sure that all of the snakes moving beneath the surface had been dealt with. "There are people who stand to gain from your loss." She heard a small sound of shock from "People who will turn father against us." She put on the best act she could imagine, and tears started to fall. "Those who would see both you and Melty dead and install me their puppet, I don't know how many they are or what their plans are but..." she looked into her mother's eyes. "The throne, that is meaningless if everyone's gone and I am nothing but a slave to my father's cohorts." She had the queen hook line and sinker. "I tried to do it on my own but I couldn't... I need help don't I?"

That was a lot of information to process at the same time but what Mirellia did understand was that her husband and king, this king who was involved with people who plan to seize the throne for themselves and are planning a puppet government with Malty as her heir. "Is what you speak true?" She held Malty's cheeks so she could see the truth of the situation partly from her, not that she did not believe her, it's just that her daughter had a pension for telling tales that were advantageous for her and in her position.

"If I was lying what would I have to gain from it, I love both you and Father there is no way that I would use you against each other in a one so large." Malty's tears were a steady stream. Then her thoughts turned to a quote from the world of her shield, though she will have to paraphrase it for her situation. "If I had to go at this world alone I would rather earn my freedom in a disadvantaged position than rule while in bondage." She made her conviction come through in her speech.

"And what would you have me do?" The queen was not fully convinced, but Malty's words had their intended effect.

"Nothing, let me join your Queen's Guard." Malty said as her mother released her face, she knew why she would ask for this. She needs soldiers loyal to her, her sister, and her mother when the time comes when the waves are here and the heroes summoned. She needed manpower that was free of the church's influence. Gustav's men were a start but as they saw her she couldn't ask much from them.

"I'm sorry?"

Malty explained further. "As thing stands I require the evidence to put this plot to like, as well as allow for me to work directly with you without drawing suspicion on us. We do not know the number of collaborators so that will only hurt us if it is left unattended." She then unsheathes Moonstone presenting the blade to the queen on a single knee and her head down. "Please Mother, though we can do this officially later, bestow me the power to save our family from ruin."

Mirellia looked between her daughter and her strange sword before relenting. "You will only report to me of your dealings and I will require that you climb the ranks as quickly." She took the sword knighting her daughter. "This is not one of your games Malty so I will expect you act like it. You are an official knight of my guard my dear daughter."

Though she did not show it her internal smile was as wide as it could be, not only would she have the most harshly trained fighting force on hers and the shield's side for the waves, but now she had the perfect excuse to go after a certain raccoon girl that will find herself at the side of the shield. She can now keep her a harmless child rather than a rival for that same man's affections or the very least loyal to her. "But of course Mother, that is only natural." She spoke, thinking of the need to improve her clerical skill to deal with the girl's needs considering how demi-human slaves are treated.