Albion Rules the Wind 5 - or 'No, this is not a copycat of Noblesse Oblige' (Zero no Tsukaima, Wales' Twin!SI)
What happens when your friendship with a foreigner can easily be used to turn you and your family into suspected traitors?
Louise never had to deal with that sort of dilemma, not even within fantasy tales, up until that point. She had been long aware that the politics in Albion had been tense through the letters she exchanged with Scottish, the young man as honest and blunt as he could about matters without being too specific for the 'sake of keeping her out of worrisome secrets'.
Well, nothing had prepared her to face the fact her best male friend was now the King of Albion- and that he did so by usurping his father. At least, that was the official news spread by the royal family in Tristain, with Cardinal Mazarin having added notes to 'discourage a rupture of relationships between the two long-standing countries'.
Princess Henrietta had wanted so for the sake of denouncing her 'traitorous cousin', but the Queen had refused on the basis that the words uttered by Prince Wales and the explanation provided by the new government in Albion were clashing, with the latter providing proof that their claim was more valid.
Obviously facts hardly matter within the 'passion of politics' as her mother was quick to remark the situation, with her stance firmly neutral as she knew the De la Valliere were far from 'untainted' by the situation. Louise thought she would have blamed for it, but her mother rejected such 'silly notion'.
"No one could have predicted this deep of an escalation, but it is clear that drastic actions will have to be taken to take care of your wellbeing."
She had been aware of this much when she was pulled out of the Magic Academy, the principal had not made a fuss since he was made aware of the reasons why Louise could not be protected by potential trouble by her classmates.
Politics was cruel, her mother and Scottish had said so, but Louise still felt bruised by this experience. The hurt was inward, but it was like she had it on her skin, aching and burning like an injury fueled by her own upset.
Not only that, but she could tell that the situation was only going to get worse as her father had contacted reliable mercenaries to guard their domains as official groups were less inclined to do so.
Cattleya was to be relocated to a lesser domain that her mother owned outside of their main fief, to be sheltered to safety until the situation was 'calmer', while Eleanor just remained to act as a 'political protector' for their family's interests in the capital. She was being escorted around too, but that didn't mean that the worry was any less evident in their parents' faces when the topic came up.
For a while, it was just Louise and her parents at the villa but... even then, that circumstance was brief. Not even two weeks of this and they were greeted by a 'royal visit'.
Henrietta's visits usually brought her some joy, but Louise felt extremely squeamish when she learned that Prince Wales was there too. They asked to speak privately with her, but Louise did something that she had been advised by Scottish many times in this potential situation.
"I-I will only speak with my parents present there as this is their home and their right."
It felt 'demeaning' to some extent, but it was fair for Louise to admit ignorance in handling tough negotiations like this one. Despite their smiles and promises of peace, it was clear to the pinkette that her childhood friend had completely lost her head for the exiled Prince.
Wales was different when compared to Scottish. He was strong-willed, but extremely pretentious with the request they first made. It was no secret they didn't want to be friends right now, but rather wanted something from her. And the demand was... sickening to the core.
"You want me to... write a fake confession?" Louise felt half-ashamed for her voice's crack, yet the this- this was absurd.
The fact that Henrietta nodded and smiled at her as she said this was proof that something had gone wrong for her old friend.
Wales appeared 'baffled' by her question. "Fake? My fair Louise, the confession is the whole truth that my brother, Scottish, has been planning this for a while-"
"But it is not true," The pinkette argued, rebuking almost immediately the absurd notion that Scottish has been ambitious over the crown.
No, in Louise's mind and own recollection that wasn't the case. She could even go as far as admit that Scottish's decision to claim the crown was less about 'wanting' and more about 'being forced into the matter'.
Her response, however, got an unexpected reaction from the prince.
"Y-You truly are sold to my brother's lies? What manner of spell did he use to convince you? What did he do to bribe you? Love, money, a promise for a ti-"
Wales didn't finish that sentence as Louise's reaction was... sudden, abrupt and painful. A slap was hardly a tool for her to use, but for her to use void magic to achieve such feat at long-distance made the whole sight quite telling of how angry she was in having to rely on that power.
"You... Both of you- both of you dare to come here, in my house, and draw such heinous accusations upon me and my friend?!"
Her rage could be contained for so long before this sort of abuse came to let it out. And Louise was in roll much to Henrietta's surprise.
"L-Louise, this is unacceptable."
"Unacceptable is for you, my childhood friend- no, my first friend ever, to come here and leverage that position to gain a fake confession- because, if you haven't understood just yet, Henrietta, I didn't accept this visit because you are the royal princess."
This harshness seemed to make Henrietta reluctant but-
"N-Nonetheless, you can't just refuse the truth. My claim-"
"Your brother let you leave, and he would have been willing to avoid all of this if your father had not wanted to remove the organization of nobles that ruled with all Albion monarchs in years," Louise angrily stated, and she could sense her mother's agreement in a nod she saw from her side. "He was given a chance to back down, to follow reason, but he had to dare fate and he lost."
"Y-You-"
"I also will remind you, Henrietta," Louise said as she stood up, angrily glaring at her squirming childhood friend. "That our kingdom relies on a similar system. Are you sure this is what you want to be seen as? A tyrant?"
Anger and despair ruled in that visit, but ultimately Louise's mother decided to cut it all shortly. Still, Louise felt miserable even as they left as the pinkette now knew by personal interaction that diplomacy was not going to patch anything in this occasion.
So, she ultimately found herself talking with her parents and-
"I- I think it would be best that for now I consider Scottish's offer."
The two adults spared her surprised looks, but those were muted by curiosity and their own brand of concerns. The 'offer' was one that Scottish had loosely mentioned early on through their messages, but that he made more evident in the latest one she got: he offered her asylum, same for her family, within the chance that their friendship led to some displeasure of the kind she was going through at the moment.
Louise doubted that her family would just accept, but Louise... She needed to get out of that place because she was evidently the source of chaos within her own family.
"This will not solve the rumors, my child," her father argued quietly, while her mother... frowned.
"That's now what she is looking for. She seeks safety and it would let us have less to worry about."
"If we ignore the fact we are sending our youngest daughter to that young man, Karin," The blond man argued flatly, causing the woman to scoff. "Are you not concerned that he may be trying to do more than be friends with our daughter?"
Karin rolled her eyes. "As much as I am curious to see if our daughter also plots to grow closer to the new king."
Louise's face burned beet red at that assumption. "I-It's not like that but... I wouldn't mind. He's honest and well-meaning."
"And a king without a wife," Karin added much to the growing chagrin of her husband. "Alas, the boy will not trouble her."
Louise ultimately was given permission to write Scottish to organize for someone to pick her up and help her to Albion but...
"W-Why are you here?!"
Scottish frowned, slowly shifting out of the saddle he had set on his dragon's back. George looked as happy as usual, especially as he recognized her.
"Why shouldn't I be here to retrieve my good friend?"
"Y-You- people wants you dead."
"Or deposed. That doesn't change the fact I can't trust others to pick you up. Plus, you are my guest, so it is my duty to help you."
Louise wanted to snarl and rant at him for being such an idiot, for putting his life on the line and... and yet she just sobbed against his chest as he hugged her, and allowed him to pat her head.
The flight was also peaceful despite how despicably illegal it was for a foreign king to just fly alone to pick someone like her and bring her to his home.
When did her life became like a fairy tale!?
AN
Louise is a maiden in love... but she may have some competition. In the form of Scottish's other cousin.
