Oh look, Ren's doing another SYOC wheeze. Anwyay, hello all! I wanted to dip my toes into Fairy Tail and had this idea bouncing around for a while, and I wanted to give it a go! I'm sure you guys have all noticed if you've been here before for my fics, I do tend to update in "bombs" over the course of a couple of weeks. So yeah!
I have a server for the fic where all the big information is included, like a total count of what kinds of magic and characters I've been sent, as well as information about the dark guild that will be opposing White Lotus. The rules for submissions and the sheet are on the google doc I've linked on my profile, which you'll need to scroll down a little to find, so please refer to it there! And if you want in on the server, please send me a DM and I'll send you a temporary link!
01
White Lotus
One year ago
Ka Empire
"Second Prince Ling, third child of the Emperor, son of Consort Min." The Grand Secretaries peered down at the princes and princesses gathered at the Emperor's throne. The throne room was silent, deathly so, and only the voice of the Emperor's aide and the Emperor himself filled the room. Two of the Emperor's children had already been called upon, their ordeals given, and they waited patiently at their posts before the Emperor. "Step forward and receive your ordeal."
It was a painfully slow process, especially when there were twenty children to get through. The younger of the children were forced to wait longer, dread harder, as the ordeals of their older siblings filled the silence. How difficult would their ordeal be? Weren't they better suited for this sibling's ordeal? Why did the Emperor give them this ordeal, when another one was better suited for them?
Prince Ling, thirty-two years old and already having married his fiancee and expecting his first child, stepped forward and bowed before the Emperor. Like all the others before and after him, Ling greeted the Emperor with the respect and grace deserved of a man who was descended from greatness. One would never know that Ling was a womaniser who harassed his wife's maids with the way he conducted himself.
In fact, no one would ever know just how terrible each and every one of the Emperor's children were from this event alone.
Ling joined his older siblings in kneeling before the Emperor, making space for the next of his siblings to step up and receive their ordeals. A simple ordeal, his was—travel to his wife's family and assist in managing the land with his father- and mother-in-law, though it wasn't as simple once you peeled back the layers. Ling's in-laws knew he was unfaithful to his wife, and they knew he harassed her maids—one of them was her own cousin, raised like a daughter and sister among her family, and they'd been furious when she was sent back home after being "caught" trying to seduce her adopted sister's husband.
It wasn't an ordeal. It was a punishment. All of their ordeals were punishments, in a way.
First Prince Ajisai, the eldest of the Emperor's children, was to help fund the Empire's researchers to better help the people with magic tools and non-lethal magic. Ajisai was notoriously pro-war, believing that researching medicine and strategies was useless when all you needed was a sword and a fist to get the job done.
First Princess Tsutsuji, the eldest of the princesses, was to expand her business beyond the confines of the elite among Ka nobility. Tsutsuji was infamous for enforcing her perfumes' exclusivity, going so far as to make buyers sign contracts to not lend, give away, or donate the perfume to those who ranked lower than danshaku. Her perfume was not made for "the poors."
And that trend would follow for all of the children, no matter how innocent or guilty they were of arrogance.
"Third Princess Botan, eighth child of the Emperor, daughter of Consort Koihime."
The princess with one eye stepped forward, bowing low before the Emperor, and graciously accepted her ordeal.
Go to the nations of Nguyen and Kuhri and facilitate peace talks between the two as allies to the Ka Empire.
An impossible task for someone who never cared to investigate the reasons for things being so dire, only caring about solving the outcome as quickly and as rationally as possible.
"Sixth Prince Oniyuri, ninth child of the Emperor, son of Consort Elizabeth."
The prince who looked the most foreign, being the son of a princess married into the Empire from Fiore, stepped forward and bowed low to the Emperor. He was well known among his siblings for having no interest in the throne, instead dedicating his time to joining the imperial army as an ally for the next in line for the throne.
The forests in Mu's eastern region are crawling with demons, but we don't know what lies beyond. Carve a path for the noble Xin clan of the Mu Empire to explore the region beyond the forests.
Not the worst ordeal for the prince, but those among his siblings knew why it was a punishment—he was biding his time to take his mother back to Fiore to visit her family, and to show his younger brother their mother's homeland. There was no telling how long it would take Prince Oniyuri to pave a way to the other side of the Demon Forest in Mu's east.
"Seventh Prince Ginkgo, tenth child of the Emperor, son of Consort Orihime."
Another prince stepped forward. A quieter prince, one who didn't make himself known. He wasn't in exile to his own palace like some of the others; no, he preferred the solitude and quiet of the library he hid within. Some people didn't even know he was still alive twenty-three years after his birth was announced.
Attend diplomatic meetings and social events as the Emperor's proxy. Etiquette classes for such a high position will be provided.
A nightmare for an agoraphobe like Prince Ginkgo. And lo and behold, the prince was trembling and hyperventilating as he joined his smug elder siblings in the line of kneeling.
The aide moved down the list, but there was a pause. A palpable silence. The sibling who was after Ginkgo in order of birth was not present, and everyone was keenly aware of why.
It was hard to call on Crown Prince Lian when he'd been dead for a year now. All eyes drifted to one of his siblings, the one born to the same mother, and the tension in the air grew thick. Unspoken accusations, glares hidden behind fans in each officer's hand, snickers exchanged silently between the elder siblings. It was all because Crown Prince Lian had died trying to protect his younger sister, and that nothing of value would've been lost if she'd died in his place instead.
Mei knew these stares well. Before this past year, it used to be stares of envy and adoration—her mother had been the Emperor's favourite consort, despite having his first wife as his empress all this time. After giving birth to an exemplary son like Lian, expectations were high for his sister three years after his birth.
And then she went and got him killed, all because they had started rumours about her magic and how powerful she was. They had made her out to be a shrewd woman hiding steel beneath her silken dresses. And the wrong people wanted a taste of the very power the courts speculated she held.
The aide gave Mei a distasteful look, but moved on to the next child.
"Fourth Princess Nari, twelfth child of the Emperor, daughter of Consort Boram."
One of the children of the Sojeon consort stepped forward and bowed to the Emperor.
Investigate the poisoning of one of your cousins in Sojeon as a representative of Ka. King Geon is more than welcoming of one of his family members helming the investigation.
Bullets of sweat fell down Princess Nari's face. It was no secret that she was high on the list of suspected culprits, what with her cousin boldly making her intentions of becoming the Emperor's newest consort known throughout both Sojeon and Ka. And with a new consort came a new sibling, and a new sibling meant more competition. Not even the newborn triplets were out of the running to inherit the throne today.
Mei had been present at the party in Sojeon when Nari's cousin began to swell up and almost choke to death. If not for the apothecary who knew to make a hole in her throat to breathe through, the poor girl would've died. And, oh, how convenient it had been that Nari had been feeling faint and had returned to her family's castle to rest during the remainder of their time in Sojeon.
Finally, her turn.
"Fifth Princess Mei, thirteenth child of the Emperor, daughter of Consort Lin."
Mei stepped forward and bowed low before the Emperor. It was a scene she'd grown used to in eighteen years, something that came to her as second nature whenever the Emperor was in the room. He was never Father, he was only ever Emperor Kigiku. She'd called him Father once, when she was too young to understand her position, and she'd been gently scolded by her mother for trying to place the Emperor in a lower position than was fact. He should be Honourable Father. He should be Emperor Father. He should never be just Father like the common folk called their parents.
What was so honourable about this man, she wondered? He never stopped his eldest son from tormenting his younger siblings and tarnishing the late Crown Prince's name. He never punished his eldest daughter for gauging out Botan's eye for the crime of being prettier than her. The favouritism he'd shown Mei had only been because Lian was so special, and he'd expected Lin's other child to be just as special. A spare for his heir.
Too bad his heir had gone to great lengths to hide his little sister's talent, and only taught her the royal magecraft in secret. Lian wanted no one, not even the Emperor, to take advantage of his sister and make her miserable.
If the ordeals being given out were punishments, Mei already knew what hers was. Who else would be tasked with such an ordeal, if not the one responsible for Crown Prince Lian's death?
Hunt down the one responsible for Crown Prince Lian's death and bring him, dead or alive, before the Emperor.
In other words: You caused this mess, so you can be the one to fix it.
Mei bowed her head low and accepted the ordeal graciously. Even if she hadn't been dealt this ordeal, she would've done it anyway. Her precious brother, the only one truly on her side and not rotten to the core—he was gone because some people decided to speculate what made her favourable to the Emperor. Because rumours conflated her importance and painted a target on her back. A target Lian gladly took on himself in order to protect her.
His murderer needed to pay for killing him so painfully.
The Emperor's eyes lingered on her as she joined her elder siblings. Mei didn't dare look at his impassive face. She hated the disappointment and disinterest hidden behind his gaze.
"Ninth Prince Ryeon, fourteenth child of the Emperor, son of Consort Jiyun."
A contentious name, especially among the court. The infamous prince whose mother made him cannibalise a Dragon Slayer in order to obtain their magic, only for his mother to be sentenced to death after Lian exposed the abuse she subjected the prince to. Ever since Jiyun's crimes came to light a few years ago, the Emperor made an example of her and warned the other consorts of the consequences of harming the Emperor's noble brood.
Only their siblings could abuse each other, apparently.
Prince Ryeon, a mere twenty-four days younger than Mei, stepped forward and kept his gaze cast downward. Even though he'd been a victim of his mother's abuse, he was still punished with a soft exile to his palace, never invited to official events or permitted to leave the buildings his mother once oversaw. This ordeal would likely be the first time since his exile that he'd be allowed to leave his palace for any reason.
Freedom, if Mei ever saw it.
The Emperor's aid smirked as he read the ordeal out. He clearly took amusement in the ordeal, given the nature of it.
There are reports of a dragon roaming in the mountains of the Northern Continent. Take a ship up north and honour your mother's wishes by slaying a dragon.
Ryeon's face lost all colour as he clenched his jaw. He quietly bowed and joined his elder siblings.
Mei wasn't one to feel pity for her siblings, but she did empathise with Ryeon. Lian, her precious older brother, equally split his time between his duties, Mei, and Ryeon, and always grumbled about how unfair Ryeon's punishment was. And now he was told to honour his mother? His mother, who abused him and forced him to commit a grave sin? It was too cruel.
But it was none of her business.
The ordeals continued. Another sibling joined them. Another name was called out.
"Eleventh Prince Yarrow, sixteenth child of the Emperor, son of Consort Elizabeth."
The nine-year-old blond stepped forward. Unlike his siblings, he wore clothing distinctly from Fiore, embracing his mother's culture over his homeland's. He was small, and Mei remembered when she'd been that small. Everything made you feel powerless at every moment of every day.
It has come to the Emperor's attention that you've a talent for painting. Your ordeal is to open an exhibition for the nobility of Ka to observe before your coming-of-age ceremony, and sell no less than five pieces at the exhibition.
Yarrow's face turned a very bright shade of red as he stared up at the Emperor in horror. His brother, Oniyuri, quickly hissed under his breath and tapped the ground where he knelt.
Yarrow scurried over to his elder siblings, tears brimming in his eyes, and knelt low alongside them. A positively mortifying ordeal for a mere nine-year-old.
At least he had time to prepare before he came of age. But with how tenacious his elder siblings were, there was no chance he'd be able to finish his ordeal before they completed their own. And with so many of the princes and princesses being from families among the Ka nobility, there would be no shortage of sabotage to prevent even a single painting being sold. No doubt his brother and mother were forbidden from buying his paintings, too.
The list continued on, the siblings who had yet to even attend public events called upon, until the triplets—the youngest of the Emperor's children—were the last to be called upon. Their nannies bowed low as they held the swaddled newborns in their arms, and the Emperor's aide was gentle as he informed them of the triplets' ordeals: Achieve their milestones as normal and grow up healthy until they are able to make decisions for themselves.
A warning was levelled at their mother, who stood with the other consorts. "A reminder," the aide said, and he was more stern this time, "that a repeat of the former Consort Jiyun's behaviour will not be tolerated. The wetnurses have been hand-selected by the Emperor and will report even the slightest intention to harm the children of his most noble blood."
Consort Trang was trembling, and she wasn't much older than Mei—her nineteenth birthday had coincided with her children's birth, and she's only lived in Ka as a consort for a year. No doubt she'd been informed of Jiyun's crimes by the maids as a warning to not cross the Emperor.
Even his most useless children were of higher importance than her. Her, a mere dancer from Nguyen that he'd taken a liking to.
The Emperor's twenty children were dismissed in short order, and the aftermath of the ordeals was instantaneous.
Prince Ling's wife was smug as she bundled herself up and followed her maids to the norimono they prepared for her. Prince Ling himself was anxious as he joined the guards in his retinue riding the horses at the front of the procession, and it was obvious to anyone who witnessed his departure that Prince Ling would fail his ordeal. His goal wasn't truly to manage the land with his father-in-law, but rather to atone for the disrespect he'd dealt to both his wife and adopted sister-in-law.
Prince Ajisai and Princess Tsutsuji loudly declared that they'd finish their ordeals within the year, though to varying degrees. Mei heard that Prince Ajisai had spent most of his preparation time boasting that he was better than the late Crown Prince and that his "rightful place" was being restored to him. It was no secret that Prince Ajisai and Empress Oiwa loathed every consort that came after the Emperor had brought a Nine-Tailed Fox as his bride, and it was also no secret that Prince Ajisai loathed Lian when he'd been alive. Lian had earned the respect of those around him at merely fifteen years of age, while his adult brother still tried to sabotage him with petty tricks and bullying tactics before backing off out of fear of losing his supporters. Princess Tsutsuji was less entitled to her position, though still just as arrogant. She maintained that, because she was half-Nine-Tailed Fox, it made perfect sense for her to be Emperor after the current one, as her reign would last twice as long as her siblings', if not three times as long, and a long-lived Emperor was not one to be underestimated. Besides, she would add with a flick of her hair and a swish of her fox tail, she was the prettiest of the Emperor's children, so it made complete sense for the prettiest to be next in line for the throne of a nation that prided itself in its beautiful flora.
Both very superficial reasons to be named the new heir.
Princess Nari locked herself in her palace and refused to go to Sojeon to investigate her cousin's poisoning. She broke all manner of vases and tore her dresses apart in an attempt to delay the outing, but eventually the Emperor ordered that she have new clothes set aside for her at Sojeon, and she could travel by boat in her nightclothes for all he cared. She even went so far as to chop off her hair and plant poison in her meal, yet failed to realise that the Emperor had already had her meals checked by various staff in her palace before serving it to her. In the end, after a gruelling two months of trying to convince the Emperor she'd gone mad, Princess Nari was sent to Sojeon to "help" find the person responsible for poisoning her cousin.
For her part, Mei struggled. The leads she had were superficial, but it was better than nothing, she had to remind herself. She knew what Lian's killer looked like, the device he'd used to kill him, and the way he dressed suggested he wasn't from anywhere in the Eastern Continent. A foreigner with scruffy brown hair and unkempt stubble, lightly tanned skin and a messy trouser and dress shirt combo. A large glove encompassing his right arm entirely, with a hole on the palm from which he syphoned magic.
She started with wanted posters and firsthand accounts, but the soldiers she met with all told her the same thing they'd told the royal investigators a year ago—he'd used a magic tool to teleport away before he could be caught, and all they knew was that Mei was his original target, not Lian. Everything they knew, Mei could already surmise herself. It was frustrating to hit the ground stumbling instead of running as she started her investigation.
It was frustrating not knowing where to go next to get justice for her brother.
Ten months ago
One of the mother's ladies in waiting, Tamae, paid close attention to Mei's efforts while she was still in the palace. She was only a decade older than Mei, but she'd been working in the palace since Mei's birth, starting out young due to her family selling her to the palace in order to earn money off her hard work. Tamae supposedly never minded, because Lin always treated her well and kept her family from trying to haggle a higher pay for tending to the Emperor's favourite consort, but Mei always found it unfortunate that they'd deemed their youngest daughter so useless that she was better off earning money for them than being some lord's second or third wife.
Tamae was quiet, always helping organise the paperwork and testimonies, and Mei was shocked to find out how resourceful she was at negotiating. Spending eighteen years in the palace as a lady in waiting made one savvy to negotiations and threats, she found, and Tamae never denied it.
"I've asked Prince Yarrow to composite a sketch of the murderer to distribute," she reported to Mei one day. She hadn't even been ordered to do it, just quietly did it on her own without telling Mei. Mei had been more surprised that Yarrow had agreed to it, or that he even had enough skill to make such a detailed sketch. When the sketch came back a week later, it was almost a perfect recreation of the killer, and Mei hadn't even given any input to guide him.
"He didn't have to…" Mei mumbled.
"If I may be so bold, My Lady," Tamae told her. "Crown Prince Lian was beloved by many of his siblings. Prince Oniyuri respected him as a warrior, while Prince Yarrow was able to confidently pursue his painting thanks to Crown Prince Lian's encouragement. We shouldn't be basing his standing off of how his eldest brother and sister treated him."
She supposed they shouldn't. But then, after another week, Mei was surprised a second time by Tamae.
"My Lady, I had one of Princess Tsutsuji's handmaidens make copies of the sketch!" she cheered one day. A whole stack of papers tucked under her arms, and three guards carrying twice as much in each of their own hands behind her.
Mei was shocked as she watched the guards drop the papers on the desk she'd been sitting at. Her mother, Lin, was close to tears at Tamae's efforts.
"How did you…?"
Tamae beamed bashfully at the mother and daughter as she bowed her head slightly.
"They wouldn't do it at first," she reported. "I asked nicely and tried to be polite about it, but they were so rude. So I just reminded them that the Emperor was likely to reward anyone who assisted in finding his heir's killer, and similarly would punish those who deliberately obstructed the efforts. And then I showed them—"
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small Lacrima. A simple one used for recording, but not for very long in comparison to other types.
"This!" Tamae looked proud of herself as she set the Lacrima on the table. Immediately, the voice of one of Tsutsuji's handmaidens filled the room, declaring that she was glad Lian had been killed, because it meant her mistress had a chance to earn the Emperor's favour now. And then a bold declaration that she'd sooner burn all the copies of the killer's face than make more to help find him. "She was very agreeable once I said all of that."
Lin was hugging Tamae tightly with tears in her eyes as Mei stared down at the stacks of papers. It was uncanny how useful Tamae was proving herself to be, despite living so quietly among the palace staff for Mei's entire life. Her most vivid memory of Tamae was of her bandaging up scrapes on her knees from falling over whenever she trained with Lian, always in the background until Mei hurt herself and started to cry.
She supposed she was hurting now too. And Tamae had seen that as clear as day.
"I didn't think to ask Sister Tsustuji's handmaiden to make copies," Mei told her. "I knew she used her magic to make fliers for her perfumes, but it never occurred to me to ask for the sketches to have copies made."
"Now you can search even farther, My Lady." Tamae beamed at her, and it was obvious she was refusing to take too much pride in her work. This was still her mistress's ordeal, after all. "Beyond the palace walls and maybe even the borders."
Lin gasped and brought a hand to her chest. "We should send one to the Xin clan!" she insisted. "That murderer might've fled to the Demon Forest to get away from the guards!"
Mei nodded. She picked up a small stack, and she bundled them all together in a thin box for transport.
"Jingyi said that his family has a magic tool for copying instructions and newsletters from the capital of Mu," Mei explained. "If I send just a few to him and ask him to make copies to distribute in his family's territory, they'll surely agree."
They had to agree. The only reason a family in Mu had agreed to marry the sister of the Crown Prince was because they needed help from Ka to keep their men supplied with food and weapons whenever demons breached the border of the forest. There was only so much the capital could send to them before they also ran their resources thin.
Mei's search finally left the borders of the Ka Empire—no, the borders of the royal palace. It was a step in the right direction.
Perhaps it was a consequence of Tamae's threats, or perhaps it was a shrewd attempt at a truce on her part, but no sooner had the copies been sent to Mu for the Xin clan to distribute in the east, Consort Daji stopped by Mei's palace with great fanfare.
Mei's palace was in disarray as they organised all of Consort Daji's favourite things, going so far as to hurriedly change the colours of the drapes in the sitting room to suit her tastes, and Mei was tense beside her mother as they both bowed before the Nine-Tailed Fox. Never once in her entire time at the palace had Consort Daji visited anyone, preferring to stay in her own palace and occasionally leaving the capital to return to her clan of foxes in the wilderness of Ka for celebrations and solstices. Everyone in the palace was always beneath her, for they were all silly little humans playing their political games, and she was a majestic fox who had no need for mind games and alliances when she was stronger than everyone else by leagues.
And yet, here she stood, her ladies in waiting behind her with gifts to present to Consort Lin. She glanced at the interior of the palace before looking at the mother and daughter, and then, with a flick of her hand, she opened her fan and hid her face behind it.
"My condolences for your son are long overdue," she said airily, like she didn't truly mean it. "I've come to pay my respects."
"We are greatly honoured by the presence of one so great as you, Madam Fox," Lin said carefully.
"Yes, of course. I suppose I haven't made much of an effort to interact with my fellow… sister wives," Consort Daji responded. "I plan to rectify that today. Will you be showing me to the sitting room, or will we be having tea in the gazebo in the garden?"
A thinly veiled insult for daring to make her wait. Lin hurriedly invited Consort Daji inside and guided the group to the sitting room. The insults didn't stop there, though. At every turn, Consort Daji had something to say.
"I see you took inspiration from my own decor," she noted. I see you copied me, she meant.
"I see you also enjoy this kind of tea," she noted. I see you dare to request my favourite tea for yourself, she meant.
"How quaint. I have the same sculpture in my own sitting room," she noted. How tacky. You got a cheap knockoff to copy me, she meant.
For someone who felt the petty squabbles of high society were beneath her, Consort Daji was a natural at the insults that were thrown by competing noblewomen.
The longer she lingered, the more anxiety welled up in Mei's stomach. She'd no doubt that Consort Daji's real reason for showing up was related to Tsutsuji's handmaiden and the recording Tamae had made, but they couldn't just outright accuse her of it. In terms of rank, Consort Daji outranked Lin by virtue of being the second wife, while Lin was merely the ninth wife. They were so far apart in stature that Lin could never dare to question Consort Daji about anything, and only hope that a higher ranking wife would side with her if they ever came into conflict.
Mei, however, was of the most noble blood. The most Consort Daji could do, Nine-Tailed Fox or not, was scold Lin for not teaching Mei better. Direct retaliation against the mother of a prince or princess for their actions was common sense and etiquette among the wives.
So when Consort Daji took a sip of her tea, lowering her fan, Mei asked, "What business do you have with this humble Fifth Princess and the Honourable Ninth Wife?"
Consort Daji didn't lower her cup from her lips, but she did level Mei with an almost amused stare. She pulled the cup from her painted lips, licking ever so slightly, and she let out a soft giggle.
"Goodness, Consort Lin," Consort Daji drawled. "Did you not teach the Fifth Princess not to interrupt anyone during teatime?"
Instead of letting her mother answer, Mei jumped in, "I'm sure the Honourable Second Wife knows that I am busy with my ordeal, and that it's no coincidence that you've shown up after my mother's lady in waiting had an altercation with Sister Tsutsuji's own handmaiden."
She set down her teacup. She picked up her fan again and flipped it open once more, but the amusement was still in her eyes.
"Straight to the point," she mused. "I never was one to enjoy high society manners, anyway."
Consort Daji blinked, slow and owlish, and tucked some of her pink hair behind one of her human ears. Her fox ears flicked twice, quickly and almost too miniscule to notice.
"It's come to my attention that my daughter's handmaiden has committed a grave error," Consort Daji explained. "I'm not stupid like the other wives. Kigiku adored the Crown Prince, and he barely tolerates the Empress's brat disrespecting his memory. My Tsutsuji isn't like the rest of you—she's both of noble blood and a powerful fox. She may not have inherited the magic of my clan, but she will no doubt have the same longevity and reverence among the common folk."
Consort Daji looked down at the tea. She closed her eyes for a brief second, thinking things over, before she went on, "An alliance, if you will, Fifth Princess. I so hate to see my darling Kigiku so sad over his lost heir, and it was rather cruel to place all of the burden of capturing the criminal on a child. You were smart to make copies of the man's face on paper, but I've suspicions that mere copies of paper won't be enough to find the man. So I offer a deal. I ensure that my daughter's handmaiden keeps making copies, and even makes copies of important information to distribute as early as possible, and my daughter has the information posted in her shops throughout Ka and Mu. She'll be taking her business to the Ishgar peninsula first, so I'll also convince her to post the information in her stores there, as well. And in return, all I want you to do is remind the Emperor that the Honourable First Princess helped in finding his beloved heir's killer."
Mei stared at her. She sat up straighter.
"You want me to help Tsutsuji gain enough favour to be named the new heir," she said.
"I didn't say that, per se," Consort Daji drawled. "But it wouldn't hurt anyone, would it?"
She gave Consort Daji a slightly quirked brow, the best kind of dubious look she could muster without breaking her mask, raising a single brow.
"Sister Botan begs to differ," she noted.
"Oh, the Third Princess? My Tsutsuji was just doing her a favour, honest." Consort Daji's eyes narrowed to slits as they stared holes into Mei's face. "She was so scared to take her own eye out when she got her hands on that prosthetic Heaven's Eye. Tsutsuji just… helped her go through with the deed."
An obvious lie. Everyone knew it'd taken months for Botan's mother to find that eye for her, and Botan had specifically requested it when she'd realised she could use her prosthetic eye for Eye Magic. An eye made from a Lacrima—it had to be specially made from scratch by the time Botan had made that realisation.
But Mei wasn't going to pick a fight over it. She let out a slow breath and stared at Consort Daji.
"The only credit I will give her is the fact that her handmaiden printed posters to distribute," she said. "And I'd like to remind you that we have recorded evidence that we had to threaten her to do it, and that she levied slander against my brother."
Consort Daji was amused. She closed her fan, snapping it shut in one motion, and she regarded Mei and Lin with an almost knowing expression.
"Even if you only let her take credit for one percent of your ordeal," Consort Daji conceded, "it's more than what the others can say."
"Brother Yarrow can claim five percent of credit," Mei pointed out. "He willingly made the sketch and got it near-perfect to the killer's appearance."
"Yes, but I'm not worried about a child who likely won't be able to finish his ordeal by the time he's of age." Consort Daji smirked. "He was like a little mouse caught in a lion's trap. So scared of bearing his soul to the world in the form of the most critiqued method of all—the arts."
"So you're fine with one percent if it's not someone like Brother Ajisai getting more credit, then."
"You're very astute, Fifth Princess. Let's just say anyone older than you is a threat to my Tsutsuji's claim, and we'll call it a truce from there. I've no doubt the others will sabotage their own ordeals with their arrogance, but everyone younger than you received rather… simple ordeals, you could say. Yours was the last of the punishments."
Mei worked her jaw. "Brother Ryeon," she started.
"Yes, yes, his ordeal is to honour his abysmal mother's wishes and slay a dragon with his Dragon Slayer Magic she forced on him," Consort Daji said dismissively. "But if you put a second of thought into it, there's only rumours of a dragon, and he received no time limit. He could spend his whole life outside of the palace and living freely before he decides to check on the dragon's existence."
She supposed Consort Daji was right. Even though it was practically an insult, the way it'd been phrased, Ryeon was still able to run away from his palace and isolation and live a life he wanted, not the one he was trapped in. Mei wasn't sure if that was what he wanted, but she wouldn't deny how envious their younger siblings likely were at the idea that Ryeon could just run away from the Ka Empire and not be hunted down as a person of international interest.
She sighed softly, and she nodded once. "One percent," she repeated. Consort Daji nodded in agreement, pleased with the outcome. "But if I find a way to broaden my search myself, I won't give her credit for that much. I'll only give her credit for copying the paper to distribute."
A gentle sigh, but not a displeased one. Consort Daji flicked her fan open again and rose from her seat, and her tail swished behind her.
"I suppose your shrewdness comes from Kigiku," she said, and it was something that sounded like it was supposed to be a compliment. But Mei wasn't too fond of being compared to the Emperor, not when Lian was the one who came closest to resembling him out of all his children. "Very well, then. I suppose we can keep the comments my Tsutsuji's handmaiden made a secret, too?"
"Only until I deem them necessary to expose."
Her eyes narrowed at Mei, and it was clear she was crinkling her nose at the young princess.
"You'd make a wonderful fox, dear," she drawled. And then she turned on her heel and left.
Lin was a trembling mess as the maids hurried over to clean the table and return the sitting room to its previous state. Consort Daji had never visited before, and like her daughter, she was a ruthless wife who had no competition among the other consorts. Even the Empress left her be and let her take control of gatherings if it suited her whims, and here she'd just been, negotiating with Mei while Lin feared for her daughter's safety.
Mei helped soothe her mother to rest once the physician arrived to give her some medicine. She drifted off to sleep in her chambers, her hand tightly gripping Mei's despite the medicine relaxing her significantly, and she was out like a light by the time the maids finished returning everything to its rightful place. It was just Mei and Tamae in the room with Lin, and Tamae was gently wiping the sweat from Lin's forehead with a damp cloth.
The last thing Mei wanted was to give Tsutsuji more credit than she deserved. Her handmaidens had tarnished Lian's name when asked to help find his killer, and Tsutsuji cared more about her perfume business than finding a murderer. Even if Consort Daji asked her to put the signs up in the Ishgar Peninsula, there was no way Tsutsuji would take it seriously enough to actually gather information. And then there was the issue of Tsutsuji holding the information over Mei's head in order to sabotage her ordeal. Why would she give Mei any information in order to complete her ordeal? Why wouldn't Tsutsuji claim credit entirely for herself by solving the crime on her own?
It was no different to handing her the brownie points on a platter.
Mei held her face in her hands as she let out a low sigh. She supposed the only way to prevent Tsutsuji from taking the credit was to do the heavy lifting of searching the Ishgar Peninsula herself. The problem was that Mei didn't really… have many options for expanding her search.
"This is a nightmare," Mei mumbled.
Tamae looked up from Lin's position on the bed, and she moved back to the basin of water to soak the cloth again.
"If I may, My Lady," Tamae said quietly. Mei looked up from her hands and nodded once, and she could feel the exhaustion in her face. Consort Daji had taken more out of her than she'd hoped. She watched as Tamae wrung the cloth dry and dabbed at Lin's face again. "It seems like the fundamental you're lacking in your ordeal is allies. Normally you can find allies in those who share a common enemy with you, but… With all due respect, Consort Daji has no enemies. And I so hate to disrespect those of most noble blood, but if the way First Princess Tsutsuji has treated Third Princess Botan is any indication, she won't be helping you for the sake of bringing that man to justice, but to further her own position. And… I shudder to think what would happen to Consort Lin if someone like First Princess Tsutsuji earned the Emperor's favour."
Mei hummed in agreement. "It doesn't take much to make her harm someone, does it," she murmured.
Despite Consort Daji's insistence that Tsutsuji was "helping" Botan, everyone knew the true reason. Tsutsuji had announced it herself the day she'd gouged out Botan's eye. She hadn't done anything to offend her or cross her whatsoever—someone else had just said that Botan was growing into a beautiful young woman, and that she'd soon rival Tsutsuji as the prettiest of the princesses.
It was hard to forget Tsutsuji's announcement that she wouldn't tolerate hearing any of her sisters were fairer than her, the eldest of the princesses.
"I suppose my next step is finding allies in the Ishgar Peninsula, then," Mei surmised. "Though I suppose it won't hurt to search the rest of the Eastern Continent as well… Jingyi's family doesn't have much reach beyond the border of the Demon Forest."
"I hate to be negative," Tamae said gently, "but you're already eighteen, and your only allies were your brother and Lord Jingyi. Compared to your elder siblings, your foothold in even the Ka Empire is shaky at best."
Mei sighed and pinched at her brow.
"So I start from scratch, then?" she asked.
Tamae stepped away from Lin's bed and tucked some grey hair behind her ear. She hurried over to Mei's side of the bed, and she knelt low to look her mistress's daughter in the eye.
"My Lady, I'm sure your relatively unknown position can be used to your advantage," she insisted. She raised her fingers one by one, counting each point she posed. "No one knows what magic you possess, which means no one can link you back to the Ka Empire from the Ishgar Peninsula if they don't even know what the royal family's magic is to begin with. Being away from the prying eyes of the continent will afford you anonymity in a foreign land, and assassins won't be able to find you as easily—let alone your siblings. You're not as famous as First Princess Tsutsuji or First Prince Ajisai, and that's perfect for espionage and investigating that man without being sabotaged."
All good points. Mei leaned back in her seat and stared at the ceiling.
"I can't waste time attending high society," Mei insisted.
"What if you didn't, though?"
She glanced at Tamae and frowned. "How so?"
"Even though her eldest leaves much to be desired in terms of tact, you can't deny that Consort Elizabeth is kind and generous to all of her stepchildren." Tamae winked at Mei almost playfully, but quickly blushed and set aside the playful expression. It seemed being confident and energetic wasn't suited for Tamae's meek personality. Though then again, Mei thought, she'd done a lot this past month that Mei wouldn't have normally guessed she would. After all, she could never imagine skittish Tamae threatening one of Tsutsuji's handmaidens so boldly. Though if she thought about it for a moment, she could see Tamae casually playing the recording and letting the handmaiden's own statements do the talking. "She used to be a princess of Fiore, and I hear Fiore is the largest gathering of mage guilds in all of the Ishgar Peninsula. People from far and wide father in Fiore for all manner of things, but the guilds are the greatest attraction."
A guild… Footing in Fiore… It wasn't a bad idea.
But Mei still pursed her lips. "I'd need to lodge paperwork and find members to make the guild official," she insisted. "A guild can't just consist of myself."
"Then I'll join your guild," Tamae said simply.
Mei stared at her. She was silent for a moment as she stared, trying to read Tamae's expression, but all she could see was an earnest obligation to help and make Mei's life easier.
"What do you get out of this?" she asked Tamae eventually.
Tamae huffed a laugh and tucked some hair behind her ear. She turned her gaze to Lin, and she smoothed out some of the blankets next to them.
"I hope I'm not being too forward with this," Tamae started. "It's just… I've been in Consort Lin's palace since I was ten years old, and you were born not long after I was sold here. I was the youngest of my sisters, but when I saw you for the first time, I couldn't help wondering if what I felt was the same thing my sisters felt when I was born. Even though I'm just a mere handmaiden from a lower class noble's family, I couldn't help viewing you and Consort Lin as part of my precious family. And your brother was so kind to me, even when I made mistakes, and it just…"
Tamae chewed her lip and tried to force a smile.
"If you're going to move heaven and earth for Crown Prince Lian's justice, then I'll help you move it too," she decided.
That same earnestness as when she'd made her offer. Mei lowered her gaze, bringing a hand up to fiddle with her hair, and she glanced at her mother instead.
"Mother would be awfully lonely without you," she reasoned.
Tamae let out a sheepish laugh. "Consort Lin would be more worried about you being lonely," she said.
Yes, that was true. Lin was already a doting and hovering mother when Lian was alive, and now that he'd died after an attempt on Mei's life? It was no stretch of the imagination to say she'd likely beg one of her ladies in waiting to go with Mei to the Ishgar Peninsula.
"I suppose an extra set of hands can't hurt," Mei said eventually.
Nine months ago
Yarrow was cautious when he saw her enter the Emerald Palace's courtyard. She couldn't blame him, especially since this was the place where he and his brother, Oniyuri, lived quietly with their mother, Elizabeth. Most people didn't visit the palace due to having little interest in the pieces of Fiorean culture she'd brought over to decorate her palace with, but Mei heard rumours that the soldiers from the imperial army would occasionally visit to spar with Oniyuri in his free time.
Still, Mei herself showing up was a strange occurrence, and she understood why Yarrow was so cautious when he saw her. He all but dropped his paints in his surprise, spilling some onto the wood flooring of the veranda, and Yarrow was pale as a ghost as he watched her from afar.
Poor thing was frightened of her. Mei turned away from him quickly when she saw some ladies in waiting passing through the hall.
"My apologies for not sending word sooner," Mei told the head lady in waiting once they spotted her. The women bowed their heads low and told her that they'd inform their mistress of her arrival, but to expect to be turned away for showing up so suddenly. Mei couldn't fault them for the response. Being the seventh wife and one of the few wives from outside of the Eastern Continent, it made sense that she'd be more cautious of sudden visitors showing up unannounced.
Yarrow hadn't moved from his spot after cleaning up his paints. He only shifted to hide behind an open door along the veranda, staring at Mei with wide eyes, and not for the first time, Mei noticed how out of place he looked among the Ka architecture. She was sure, once she entered the Emerald Palace, it'd look more like something from Fiore—but for now, Yarrow looked less like a prince of Ka and more like a passing tourist from a noble family in the west of the continent.
The head lady in waiting returned, and though she looked dubious, she bowed low and informed Mei that Consort Elizabeth would see her. Mei let out a sigh of relief. She almost wished she'd brought Tamae with her, and Tamae had offered, but she wanted to make sure someone was watching over her mother while she was still in the palace.
The inside of the Emerald Palace was nothing short of a whole new world. One could never tell from looking from the outside in, but Consort Eizabeth had put in so much work to remodel the Emerald Palace and remind her of home that it'd almost pass as a holiday house for Fiorean royalty in Ka.
Consort Elizabeth sat in the sitting room with little cakes and freshly brewed tea in front of her. Mei almost felt like she was on the same side as Consort Daji had been not too long ago, harassing a poor woman for something to benefit herself. But she'd be more gracious than Consort Daji, she reasoned. She wouldn't try to earn brownie points through manipulating her siblings on their ordeals. She was just asking for a favour relating to her own ordeal, not interfering with Yarrow or Oniyuri's ordeals in the slightest.
Although, all things considered, it wasn't like Oniyuri particularly disliked Lian. He was one of the few Mei hadn't seen tarnish his name following his death, and he'd regularly sparred with Lian after Lian was given the Emperor Requip by the Emperor. It… couldn't hurt to send a letter to Jingyi and ask him to watch out for Oniyuri—purely for the sake of Oniyuri's mother and brother, of course.
She wasn't even sure Oniyuri even liked her, so it was best to just silently lend him aid once and be done with it. And if he took issue with it… Well, Mei wasn't exactly sure what her plans were once she got her hands on the son of a bitch who killed her brother, so she could probably figure out where to go based on how ready Oniyuri was to jump her.
When she saw Elizabeth, it was easy to tell she was from Fiore. With her honey blonde hair tied in a milkmaid braid, bangs pinned out of her face with decorative hair clips, she had a look to her that evoked the image of a matriarch who kept her composure even under pressure. Unlike the other consorts, Elizabeth wore clothing from Fiore as opposed to the fashion of the Eastern Continent, and it was obvious that the Fiorean fashion suited her more than the Ka fashion. She wore a stunning dress with off-shoulder sleeves in a bishop style, with a gold and emerald brooch decorating the middle of her bodice's neckline and a gold belt around the waist of her dress. She wore a gold and emerald diadem atop her head, with emerald earrings hanging from her ears, and around her neck was a golden tubogas chain with a single, remarkably polished emerald cut into a teardrop hanging from its length.
She looked every part a royal consort of Ka, even if she didn't dress like a Ka noble.
Elizabeth was calm as she sipped at the tea in her hands. An ornate set made of gold and glass, with pink tea visible through the gold vine decorations. Mei recognised the scent of it when Elizabeth motioned for her to sit down—Noon chai, a tea imported from Kasmira, towards the south of the continent. Mei had yet to try it, but she'd heard it took on a mix of sweet and salty flavour profile.
It was awkward and quiet at first, Mei sitting across from Elizabeth as the consort sipped her tea casually. She wasn't sure how to start without sounding too forward, especially in a way that didn't make out she was threatening Elizabeth. Unlike Consort Daji, Mei genuinely wanted to leave the Emerald Palace in good standing with Elizabeth.
But she wouldn't have to come up with a way to start the conversation. Elizabeth did it for her.
"Did you run into Yarrow on your way in?" she asked.
Mei blinked and nodded once. "Yes," she said carefully. "But he kept his distance, so I didn't see any point in putting him on the spot."
Elizabeth hummed and swirled the tea in her cup. "Better than most of your siblings would do," she mumbled almost derisively.
Mei was a little taken aback by the tone, but she supposed she had no right to be so surprised. Oniyuri became as strong as he had because Ajisai had spent a lot of time beating him up in sparring matches, and Yarrow was practically a recluse like Gingko thanks to Ajisai turning his gaze to the young boy once it was apparent Oniyuri wasn't an easy target anymore.
So she hummed in agreement, not confident enough to paint herself as better than her elder siblings, and she sipped at her own tea quietly.
Eventually, Elizabeth set down her cup and folded her hands on her lap. She stared at Mei with an unreadable expression, features carefully poised in an unemotive mask that would take more than just Mei's own wits to crack.
"What can I do for the Fifth Princess today?" Elizabeth asked. "Surely you're busy with your ordeal—too busy to visit for a simple cup of tea on a whim."
Mei nodded once. "I'm actually here regarding that, Honourable Seventh Wife. I've made plans to expand my efforts through networking with a guild, and given that the most famous of guilds come from Fiore, I came seeking your opinion on which guild would be the most worthwhile to join for my goals."
Elizabeth was mildly surprised by the question. She hummed, bringing a finger to brush at her chin in thought, and she leaned back in her seat slightly. Genuine consideration, the silence stretching out as Elizabeth seemed to consider not only whether or not to help Mei, but also which guilds were worth falling in with.
She finally seemed to make up her mind, and the cold, cool expression on her face gave way to a more warm, friendly one.
"I know of someone who could help you in Fiore," she decided. "Someone by the name of Sydney Romero. She's a member of Blue Pegasus. Rumours say that, due to her sickly body, she crafted puppets to possess and send throughout the Ishgar Peninsula for missions to help people."
"So I should look into Blue Pegasus?" Mei asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, no, I don't think you should. I simply think seeking out Sydney would be the best option for you once you arrive in Fiore."
The older woman rose from her seat, and she gestured for Mei to follow her. Without delay or even a word to Mei, Elizabeth began to walk deeper into her palace and led Mei towards her personal chambers. Along the way, handmaidens and ladies in waiting bowed low in their presence, and Yarrow's hiding place changed to keep up with the duo as he seemed more… awestruck now.
The door was closed behind them as Elizabeth motioned for Mei to take a seat beside the desk on one side of the room. It was set up like a consultation office, and Elizabeth sank into the lavish chair behind the desk with ease. She pulled a pair of glasses from her desk, perching them on her nose delicately, and she pulled a number of items from the drawer: A light pen, paper, and a quill and ink set.
She drew the symbols of guilds with the light pen in the air, and circled the symbol of Blue Pegasus pointedly.
"These are the most famous guilds in Fiore," she explained. "Similarly to the Ka Empire, the King must authorise the establishment of a guild in Fiore for it to be considered legal and legitimate. Jobs are filtered through the government and handed out to guilds under exclusivity contracts, and it's what separates legal guilds from unregistered ones. The funding for jobs comes straight from the government after the person posting the job pays a fee and has their job evaluated on several levels. One must consider the amount of Jewels a job is worth, as well as where it falls on a scale of Normal, S-class, SS-class, and ten- or hundred-year jobs."
She was writing it all out diligently as Mei watched and absorbed the information. For a consort so quiet and dedicated to her own preferences, Elizabeth was knowledgeable where the others would prefer to be conniving.
"You'll come to find all of this out yourself, so I'll save the lecture. But the point I'm making is that these guilds in particular are the ones you'll have the best chances of collaborating with," Elizabeth went on. "Fairy Tail is reliable in terms of outsourcing, and the guildmaster is agreeable. I've no doubt he'll listen to your struggles and send some of his best mages to support your ordeal. Then you have Mermaid Heel, an all-female guild. Despite their more ladylike activities and appearances, they're a rather capable guild. I do think your best bet is with Blue Pegasus, though—for allies, I mean. Bob is a former member of Fairy Tail and believes in fairness and sincerity, and he's close friends with Sydney Romero as well. If you can't find Sydney, finding Bob is your next best option to pass a message onto her."
Mei nodded along with her instructions. It made sense. It seemed like the most common denominator was Fairy Tail, but that Blue Pegasus was where her best ally resided compared to the relative unpredictability of who the guildmaster of Fairy Tail would pick. From the way Elizabeth had phrased it, too, Mermaid Heel was a good third choice for allies if she hit a wall with both Blue Pegasus and Fairy Tail.
But the way Elizabeth had said Mei would learn it all herself… She didn't mean what Mei thought she did, did she?
Cautiously, Mei asked her, "So beyond looking into allies in Fiore, my next step…?"
"Oh, you'll be registering a guild of your own."
Mei blinked at her. She stared, shocked, and fought to keep her expression neutral.
"H—Honourable Seventh Wife, I'm still just a child—"
"That's irrelevant in the grand scheme. You turned eighteen this year, yes? By the time you get approval and a building to call your guild's headquarters, you'll be nineteen. For all the good it does, bureaucracy is still bureaucracy." Elizabeth smiled at her. "If you get applications for your guild, you can vet valuable allies to help you track down the Crown Prince's killer. And if it turns out the killer is affiliated with an illegal guild, or even a independant guild, you need all the help you can get."
Elizabeth began to draw more charts—this time a figure that represented the killer, and she made branches that led to two more figures, one with a crown and one without, alongside other figures connected to other branches with question marks next to them.
"There's every chance this man didn't only kill just the Crown Prince," Elizabeth reminded her. "He was wholly prepared to make a quick escape, and he specifically came to Ka to target you because of those awful rumours about your magic. From the reports I've read, the gauntlet he wore to harvest Crown Prince Lian's magic and kill him looked too refined to be his first attempt. There's every chance you might find people who also want him brought to justice, and if they're members of your guild—which I'm sure the Emperor will acknowledge during the course of your ordeal—they may be able to add more crimes to his sentence once he's brought to Ka as honorary members of the Empire."
Ah, that made sense. It wasn't the first time people from outside of the Ka Empire were made honorary citizens for prosecution. Mei recalled, four generations ago, a family from Nguyen was made honorary citizens after their daughter was kidnapped and taken to Ka to be murdered by a corrupt noble, and the Emperor at the time had made them honorary members of the royal family to make the noble's sentence heavier. If he hadn't, the noble would've gotten off with a slap on the wrist by simply paying off the fines incurred for what couldn't be proven as a deliberate, premeditated death.
Mei wasn't sure about the fondness the Emperor had for her, but if it was related to Lian, he would no doubt induct the guild as an honorary guild serving the Ka Empire. And every single person who'd been hurt by this man could testify as a legitimate witness or victim against him before the Emperor.
"Yes…" Mei mumbled. "That could work…"
"I'll begin penning a letter for my uncle to read over," Elizabeth told her. She set down the light pen, and Mei stared at the guild symbols as they lingered in the air. Elizabeth began drafting up a table for a budget and minimum requirements for a guild, and when she was done, she slid it over to Mei. A paltry two hundred thousand Jewels to register the guild was easy enough to convert from the Empire's currency, but the costs of constructing a new building would be where Mei struggled the most. She certainly had money to burn, but it wasn't ideal to go through as much of her treasury as possible just to make her hypothetical guild a reality. "I can lodge the application on your behalf. Do you have a name and symbol in mind? The guild will be issued a magic stamp tool upon completion, though if you don't have a symbol in mind, I hear you can buy one and apply the symbol later."
A symbol… What did she even want to call her guild, to warrant a symbol that made people think of it? She could name it after herself, make a plum the symbol—but that felt self-absorbed and ostentatious. If she made the name and symbol too obvious, the killer would likely go into hiding after recognising Mei from his brief encounter with her.
But it had to be something significant to her. Something meaningful.
Mei pointed to the light pen. She asked quietly, "May I?"
Elizabeth nodded as she drafted up a letter to send to her father.
With a scrutinising gaze, Mei picked up the light pen and cycled through the colours idly. A design that was relevant, yet not on the nose. Something that everyone could unite under the banner of, but it couldn't be about Mei. Something that represented the ideals Mei wanted to uphold.
Was it really any question what the symbol would be, when it was Lian's ideals that Mei strived to live by?
She drew a mock symbol in the air, drawing five petals of a lotus flower in white light, and Mei chewed her lip as she stared at it. It was rudimentary, not obviously a lotus flower, but it was how Lian had taught her how to draw them as children. They'd sign their secret letters to each other with the flowers their names represented—Lian a lotus, and Mei and plum blossom—and she remembered practising as much as she could to get it right whenever Lian was away from her and Lin for his official duties.
Elizabeth looked up from the letter, glancing at the lotus flower, but she paused and gave it a second look. She took off her glasses, smiling at Mei as she studied the drawing.
"It's lovely," she said. Mei nodded once, silent, and Elizabeth was contemplative as she looked back down at her letter. "I assume 'lotus' will be somewhere in the name. You know, I hear that the colour of mourning in Ka is white, rather than black. If your guild is going to be named in honour of the late Crown Prince, why not call it White Lotus? The guild that mourns the Lotus Prince."
Such a nice ring to it. Mei sucked in a deep breath, fiddling with the light pen again, and she nodded once more. White Lotus sounded perfect. It was a perfect way to show the world that this guild was made for the purpose of Lian's justice.
"You'll need a guildmaster to handle the finer details," Elizabeth reminded her. "I assume you'll be taking on the role? It'll be good practice for when you finish your ordeal and compete for the throne."
Mei blinked at her. "I… don't want the throne, Honourable Seventh Wife."
Despite such a revelation from the ambitious Crown Prince's sister, Elizabeth's reaction was rather muted. Mei supposed that made sense—her eldest son had no interest in leading the Empire, and Yarrow was far too young to be considering inheriting the throne from his father, who was in his sixties already.
She did seem a little dismayed, though. Elizabeth slid her glasses back on, and she muttered, "What a shame. Oniyuri always felt you were a strong contender after the late Crown Prince."
Mei highly doubted that. The week following Lian's public funeral, Oniyuri had all but stormed into the Moonstone Palace and challenged Mei to a spar that ended in burns on Mei's body. The physicians and healers in the palace were lucky to heal her in time, but Oniyuri had been banned from her palace after the Emperor caught wind of it. It was the last show of care the man ever had for Mei, and it was all because Oniyuri had demanded they hash it out with their fists, and he'd gotten too carried away with his Fire-Make against defenceless Mei.
His opinion of her very likely lowered drastically after that day.
"Regardless," Mei said, trying to change the subject. "I don't want to lead my guild, either. A guildmaster would be limited to the region they're based in, and I have to be the one to bring that man to the Emperor. I can't—" Mei clicked her tongue, letting her composure slip for the briefest of seconds as a flash of annoyance crossed her face. She was reminded of Consort Daji's request all of a sudden. "I can't let anyone take the credit for more than they deserve."
Elizabeth hummed. "I see," she mused. "Your hand's been forced, then. Without a guildmaster, the guild can't be registered officially through the King of Fiore. You count towards the minimum required member count, but there still needs to be a leader."
She sighed. "What if I just…" Mei started, only to stop and realise that, surprisingly, the answer was right in front of her. Someone who wouldn't try to take all the credit, but someone reliable and on her side. And she was already going to come to Fiore with Mei anyway, as well as the one who suggested making a guild in the first place. Mei looked at Elizabeth with a brief amount of hope in her eyes, and she went on, "What if I just made one of my mother's ladies in waiting the guildmaster?"
Elizabeth let out a giggle. "Such a novel way to keep the guildmaster on your side," she joked. "Do try to reassure her that her position over you won't affect your relationship upon returning to Ka, dear."
And with no further comments, Elizabeth signed Tamae's name as the guildmaster for White Lotus.
