Before I start this chapter, I would just like to say Happy 2025 to everybody! Two weeks a bit late on that, but its the thought that counts.

:)

Not much to really say about this chapter, since its mostly set up for the next one but we do get some nice angst with Eclair once again.

Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback/critique.

With that said, let's get this chapter started!

Chapter 65: Calm Before the Storm

After spending so many months living at the fort, Malty could genuinely say that she was starting to like their new home very much. It was all dusty at first, but after some hard work the fort looked as good as new like it was never even abandoned! It was like their own personal hideaway from the world. The former Vallerie slaves that they rescued from the estate made the fort all the more lively since now it wasn't just her and Thomas living here and it made her feel good that she finally has more people to talk to. The fort was finally starting to feel like a proper home for her just like back at the castle.

But even she couldn't deny that the nights at the fort were long and boring. It had been about an hour or two since dinner and the little princess still couldn't force herself to fall asleep, instead just staring up at the stone ceiling of her room. Thomas had told her to go rest in her room after dinner to recover even though her wrist wasn't hurting anymore. She was happy that Thomas cared so much about her, but he could be so fussy over her at times, still she obeyed his orders and went to rest up in her room.

Malty was still thinking about the training exercise and what had happened earlier. The little princess felt a good that she was among the top ten who managed to get up the hill before all the others, which had earned her a hearty steak dinner and the next two days off from chores or training. But Malty didn't really care so much about the reward as she did about winning, and she did win. She hurt herself in the process sure, but Thomas always said that improvement never comes without some measure of pain put in. Perhaps this was hers.

She had pushed herself harder than she ever did before to win. Malty remembers feeling exhausted, tired, in pain from her broken wrist, but after it was all over she couldn't deny that it felt strangely worth it to win. Pushing herself father than ever before to accomplish that goal. Thomas had talked a lot about his training back in the Ranger Corps, about how the instructors were harsh but ultimately their goal was to see just how far they and the trainees themselves could be pushed to improvement.

A part of her wonders how much further she can push herself.

KNOCK!KNOCK!

The little princess's thoughts were put on hold as she heard a knock at her door. Malty was surprised by this since the only person she could think about who could be knocking on her door at this hour was Thomas but based on the knock itself, it seemed much softer compared to his and Thomas would usually speak up afterwards. This meant that it was someone else at her door.

Malty cautiously grabbed her dagger that she leaves on her table before approaching the door and slowly opening it. Revealing the knocker to be a familiar face that left her surprised but not in the unpleasant sort of way.

" H-Hi Malty..." Spark said softly as she stood in her doorway.

" Spark! What are you doing out so late?" Malty asked in a surprised tone at seeing her student at her door. Thomas didn't really enforce any sort of curfew per say, but the general rule was lights out after 10 at the latest since they usually rose early in the morning for training.

" Well...its not just me who's out here." Spark gestured to her side which made Malty step out of her room to see that it wasn't just Spark who was out late.

" Flint? Maya? What are you all doing out here?" Malty did a quick count and saw that it was all the others who were among the top ten that got up the hill today alongside her.

" Well, we figured since we all have the next two days off we should celebrate somehow." Maya said with a big smile.

" We were planning to sneak out to go watch the stars tonight." The dog-boy from earlier who came in second behind her said with a goofy grin.

" You should come with us Malty!" Spark encouraged.

Malty thought about it for a quick moment before deciding, its not like she's getting much sleep at the moment anyhow. And seeing the stars did sound like a lot of fun.

" Let's go." Malty said enthusiastically after quickly grabbing her traveling cloak and boots.

The group of ten started quietly sneaking their way out of the fort, Malty knew that Thomas didn't really leave his room all that often after going to bed except maybe to get some water from the kitchen so the risk of running into him was low. It was still better to be safe than sorry since she can't imagine he's going to be all too happy if he finds out that they snuck out of the fort to see the stars. Malty was certain she would be fine, the others...maybe not? She definitely didn't want Spark or her brother getting into trouble if nothing else.

The dog boy led them to western wall that overlooked a pretty high drop but it was close to the forest." Come on, we can get out through this way." The dog boy said as he began tying a thick rope to the wall and threw the other end of it down to the ground.

" Why don't we just go out through the front gate?" Flint questioned with a confused look.

" He locks it at night." Malty and the dog boy said at the same time, looking at each other surprised before she continued." He keeps the key in his room, so this is our best way out."

There were no disagreements there as all of them started making their way down the rope. Spark requiring help from her brother since she wasn't the strongest physically but nevertheless they all made it down without any problems. Malty let out a relieved sigh that they managed to make it out without any issue, though now that they were out they were currently standing in front of a dark forest that Malty couldn't see very far into. The light of the moon not providing much in the way of visibility.

" Um...did anybody bring any torches?" One of the boys asked after realizing just how dark their journey might be.

" I can do it." Malty stepped up and took a deep breath." As source of my power, I order thee, decipher the laws of nature to light the way. Candlelight! "

At that moment, a small ball of light appeared over their heads. It wasn't exceptionally bright but it was providing just enough light that they could see ahead of them, Malty felt a little proud as several of the others gasped in amazement at it, including Spark.

" That's so cool Malty! Can you teach me?" Spark asked politely.

" Sure! I don't mind." Malty nodded with a happy smile.

" Thanks princess, come on let's go." The dog boy nodded in gratitude as they walked off into the woods, all of them staying close together to avoid getting lost which wouldn't be that hard considering how dark the forest was.

The group walked in a close circle to avoid leaving anybody behind and Malty was on the right-hand side of the group, keeping an eye on the light to make sure it didn't go out while they were walking. But as they walked, Malty couldn't help but realize just how much taller the others were compared to her. The rest of the group was older than her by a few years, with the only person really around her age and height being Spark.

Malty was so focused on keeping an eye on their light source, that she didn't even notice herself bump into one of the others.

" Oof!" Malty grunts as she bumps into somebody's arm and upon recovery, she looks up to see that its Maya." S-Sorry..."

" Its okay. Try to stay close to me, who knows what might be out here." Maya said with a kind smile

" Okay..." Malty nodded as she walked closer to Maya, feeling strangely safe around her." Hey, um...thank you again for healing me earlier." Malty shared her gratitude again. She had broken bones by accident before during training with Thomas and sadly, he didn't have any skills that could heal a person. So she had to settle for old fashioned medicine which hurt a lot. Maya healing her wrists was a true gift at the time.

" No problem. Always happy to help the boss's kid." Maya said proudly. And Malty felt a bit warm at being called the ' boss's kid'. Though that did make her wonder something about the wolf girl's affinity for healing.

" Where did you learn healing magic anyway?" Malty asked the question directly. She can't recall Thomas buying any recent magic books or crystal balls for the former Vallerie slaves to learn from. Not like Thomas had any of them checked to see if they had any magical talent and to Malty's knowledge, Spark was the only one among them who had any magical talent and that was after she started teaching her new student.

Maya's face became tense at the question, before she flinched at what seems to be recalling a particularly bad memory. Malty was worried that she might have asked a bad question, but it was too late to stop it as Maya spoke to answer it." I...I learned it back at the Vallerie estate from some of the overseers."

" Really?" Malty was surprised by the answer. She never could have expected that the Vallerie overseers were the ones who had taught Maya her healing magic.

" Yeah, the guards felt it was easier to simply have one of us know some healing spells just in case we got injured...or after punishment." Maya explained a bit more with a pained expression on her face like she was remembering a bad memory." Those were hard days at the estate. If we weren't getting punished for screwing something up, than it was because we had stepped out of line. Had to get used to healing people...but there's only so much my magic can do."

Malty felt sickened by this information, she had known that what the Vallerie slaves went through was horrible but actually hearing it always made her feel not so good in her stomach. How many more slaves had gone through or were going through what Maya spoke about? It was a thought she didn't want to think about." I-I'm sorry you had to go through that." Malty said in a low tone.

" Its alright, at least its finally over. Thanks to you and the boss for freeing us." Maya said in a slightly more uplifting tone, as she ran her hand across Malty's hair and patted her on the head." You're alright kid."

Malty giggled happily at the affection, she was growing to like Maya more and more. Spark was still her favorite though.

The group kept walking for a couple more minutes, Malty focusing on maintaining the light so that they wouldn't get lost. They had walked in a more or less straight line and they weren't exceptionally far from the fort, so they should be able to make their way back without any issue. She had no problems keeping up with the group since Thomas had been training her for years to build up her stamina but Malty was getting a bit concerned by how much further they would have to go to see the stars.

Thankfully her concerns were addressed when they came upon a small clearing in the forest where there were some very tall trees around. They were some of the tallest Malty had seen that they easily stood out among the forest

" Alright boys and girls, we have finally arrived at our destination." The dog boy announced as they stopped in front of a large tree that was wider than even Flint, who was the biggest among them. The dog boy giving said tree a gentle pat.

" It is a tree..." One of the boys pointed out.

" Great deduction Ash. Any other proud conclusions you want to share with the group?" The dog boy snarked with a smirk, to which Ash responded by showing his middle finger. Was that supposed to mean something? Malty wasn't sure outside of Maya giving Ash a dirty look." We can climb the tree to get a better look at the stars."

" Seriously? We couldn't just find a nice hill to watch them?" Ash said with a befuddled tone.

" Look its the best I could come up with on short notice, alright?" The dog boy admitted as the group looked among each other.

" We've came all this way. Might as well make it worth something." Flint shrugged as they all approached the tree to get ready for the climb.

Malty silently walked up to the tree and looked up at just how tall it was and upon closer inspection, Mein could see that the tree was ironwood which meant that it should be able to handle their ascent. The tree looked quite sturdy with firm roots, along with plenty of branches traveling from the bottom all the way to the top. It was a bit difficult to see from the bottom, but Malty could see some very thick branches near the top that should be able to support quite a few people's weight. Malty had climbed plenty of trees before, with her learning from Kat about the best way to scale a tree but this was probably the tallest tree Malty would ever climb.

" You need a hand princess?" Ash asked in a somewhat teasing tone as he seemed to interpret her waiting for fear.

Malty took that as a challenge and started climbing the tree without waiting a moment longer. She recalled all the tips and tricks both Kat and Thomas taught her when it came to climbing. Pace yourself, don't climb too fast or you risk exhausting yourself before you reach the top. And always make sure to have a good grip before you release the last one and pushed yourself up. Malty followed those lessons as she grabbed onto branches and pushed herself up, scaling the tree at a pretty good pace.

" See? The princess is already doing it. Come on! We're burning moonlight here." The dog boy ordered and Malty looked down to see the others starting to climb the tree.

Malty paced her climb, grabbing the branches of the tree to pull herself up. Her breath steady and consistent as she wasted no movement or stamina to scale the tree, she willed herself not to look down while climbing since she knew that she would probably get disoriented just looking at the height from here to the ground. Malty was fairly certain a fall from this height wouldn't be deadly, but it would hurt. A lot.

Thankfully there were no major issues as Malty reached the top in record time, pulling herself up onto a thick and wide branch that was able to support her weight. The little princess let out a breath as she steadied herself on the thick branch which was wide enough that she could stand. She glanced down to see the others finally reach the top as they settled on other thick branches below her, but there were still a few who were still climbing up to her. Maya being among them.

" Mind giving me a hand?" Maya asked as she reached out her hand to Malty, to which she quickly grabbed and used all her strength to help pull her up. The wolf girl grunting a little as she pulled herself up onto the branch beside her." Ah, thanks kid. Never been too good at climbing."

" No problem! I'm sure you'll learn." Malty said encouragingly as she sat down beside Maya as the two of them took a moment to catch their breath.

" Not gonna lie, this view certainly makes the climb worth it, huh?" Maya asked with a smile as she pointed out at the wide view of the forest. Malty nodded in agreement as she quite liked climbing. It made her feel like she was on top of the world and she could anything she put her mind to.

Malty glanced up at the sky and saw how many beautiful stars there were out tonight." Look at the stars! They are so pretty!" Malty pointed at the sky where dozens of white light stars were shining from the black sky that lit it up.

" Yeah...they really are." Maya agreed with her, as they spent the rest of the evening coming up with dumb names for the stars.

Mein opened her eyes with a small gasp, the first thing she ends up seeing being the ceiling of her room. It takes her a few moments to get her bearings, slowly rising up to sit upright on her bed as she rubbed her eyelids to push away any remaining drowsiness and sleepy feeling. She had been feeling a bit tired after breakfast and retired to her room to take a quick nap, though considering the dream she just had it had clearly not been a quick nap at all.

Was that a crazy dream I had or was it a real memory of my time with those demi-human kids that Thomas rescued? Its hard to say.

She had been thinking quite a lot in recent times about those demi-human slaves that Thomas rescued from the Vallerie estate that night all those years ago. A lot of thinking about that group. What happened to them, where did they go after Thomas parted ways with them, and many more that made her mind go to uncomfortable places about the repercussions of Thomas's actions now.

Perhaps all that thinking was bleeding into her dreams now. She did notice she was having them much more frequently when she slept, it made her wonder if that was simply an effect of the Mark on her mind.

Sneaking out with the others to watch the stars...did that really happen? She couldn't perfectly recall any memories she had with the former Vallerie slaves with the exception of Spark and a scant few others. Its been years since she even thought about them until now with the recent incident with the Hound Lord. Though she can faintly remember naming one of the stars ' Starlight' back during her days at the fort, but whether it was during a night out with those kids or just something she did on her own was difficult to say for her certain.

As she thought about the dream, her mind drifted off to Naofumi and Raphtalia. Mein wasn't too proud to admit that those two had certainly had an effect on her ever since she met them not that long ago.

Maybe all the time I've been spending with those two made me dream about going stargazing with those demi-human kids back in the day. Its completely possible that dream didn't happen at all...maybe.

The princess turned agent drudged up her memories of her time at the fort with Thomas and the former Vallerie slaves, but all she could truly say she remembered were some scant memories of teaching Spark and training sessions with them. She hated just how conflicted she felt over that dream, because if it was real...that made things complicated for her feelings quite a bit, as if they couldn't be anymore in a mess.

Melromarc had more than enough reasons to hate the savage animals from Siltvelt for what they did to their nation during the Great War. Pillaging, raping and burning their people. Mein wasn't alive at the time of the war but she had read plenty about all the atrocities the animals of Siltvelt committed against their people, one of the most heinous among them being the 'breeding stocks' which was just as horrible as one could imagine by the naming alone. It was practically expected that the royal family would share a similar distaste and hate towards said animals for what they had done to their nation.

Father certainly didn't shy away about his hate towards the animals from Siltvelt for what they had done to their people, and despite what her presumptuous bitch of a mother might claim about wanting to be 'progressive' and be equal to the demi-humans living in Melromarc, she has made no real effort towards improving the lives of those same demi's that she supposedly cares oh so much about. Mein couldn't deny that she wasn't that much different from her own parents until she met Raphtalia.

Or had she been? Once upon a time ago, when she was a child who didn't yet know how ugly the world could be? When she was just a happy kid who wanted to make friends with everybody she met, demi-human or not? Those demi-human kids possibly being some of the few normal friends she made. Such thing sounded so abnormal that it might as well be treated as a flight of fancy, depending on whether that dream was even true or not.

She didn't know anymore and that was the most frustrating part.

Mein let out a breath as she stood up from her bed, feeling like she was no closer to an answer and was just getting more restless as a result.

Fuck this, I need to do something. Anything to get my mind off this.

Mein wasted no time grabbing her armor, weapons and gear before leaving the room behind. She already had just the place in mind to help her get her thoughts in order.

In her twenty years of life, Mein had learned plenty of ways to blow off steam. It was practically a necessity for her back in her childhood when she had a lot of energy that needed an outlet to release it. Training with Zellus was always a good way to release some built up energy and restlessness, Outsider knows that her old coach had his ways with getting her invigorated for a long day of training and eager for the possibility of one day kicking Coach Zellus's ass. Setting things on fire was also good way to relieve stress and help get her mind right.

But running or hitting something was always the tried and true method for her. Mein chose the former since hitting something just didn't feel the same when it wasn't alive to try and hit her back. And Mein wanted to train her speed some more, she had gotten a better handle on it in recent days but she still felt like she wasn't in perfect control of her speed. Yet. She would rectify that problem very soon.

Thankfully Silver Keep had a nice open courtyard for training among others for her to run around in. She had already been given a whole day to rest after the night she had breaking into a noble manor and telling Eclair about the secret of her dearly departed uncle. And it was just her luck that when she arrived at the courtyard to do some training, she could see that it was almost entirely empty as the Bow Hero had taken most of the former residents of Ebonheart city out to raise their levels and stats some more. The newly recruited Silver Hands may not be able to get up to the skill of a proper knight, but they will at least be useful for fighting common monsters during the Wave.

The courtyard was mostly empty...save for one singular person who seemed to be busy beating the ever loving shit out of a wooden practice dummy with her sword.

Mein has gotta say, that the Lady Seatto still looks good despite the sweat coming down the side of her face or the uncivilized way she was beating the sit out of the wooden practice dummy before her like it had offended her personally. Like there was ever a 'civilized' way to kill somebody. Eclair delivered cut after cut, each slash choreographed and tempered with years of training and due diligence. Just like her own movements in a way.

It didn't take an inspector to figure out why Eclair was ruthlessly slashing at the dummy: She was still thinking about what Mein had told her two nights ago, Lord Reichnott's bastard and how it was someone she knew who was close to Cute.

Mein couldn't blame her for trying to blow off steam this way, she's done it herself plenty of times. And especially after receiving that kind of news about somebody you looked up to had done something unimaginable. The princess turned agent briefly considers leaving to let Eclair work out her aggression on her own but she was never good at leaving on somebody else's terms.

Well, I'm already here. Might as well make myself known.

Mein approached the Lady Seatto who was so focused on her training that she didn't even notice her. Eclair delivering a series of slashes that would surely kill a man, leading up to the Lady Seatto slicing the head of the dummy clean off its shoulders with a beautiful arc.

" Good swing, but your footwork is a bit out of place." Mein couldn't help but comment making the Lady Seatto turn to her in surprise.

" Your maj- I mean, Mein. My apologies, I didn't even notice you there." Eclair caught herself before she could continue with her words. The Lady Seatto had enough smarts not to address her by her royal title in a place where there could be anybody listening in. Sure, the courtyard was empty but one can never be too cautious, the walls have eyes and ears as they say.

Mein glanced over at the headless training dummy with a curious look on her face." I think the poor dummy has certainly been punished for whatever crime they have committed Lady Seatto." Mein said in a small, joking tone to lighten the mood.

Eclair let out a small chuckle at that as she looked at the training dummy before her." Apologies for that display, I was merely...trying to get my mind off something." Eclair confessed with a troubled expression on her face. The two of them both knowing what she was referring to that it didn't need to be said.

Lord Reichnott's bastard, Jean, Cute and so much more.

" And how is that going?"

" Not well." Eclair said with a sigh as she picked up the severed head of the dummy and placed it on a nearby bench for disposal later. A silence washing over them as Eclair seemed focused on her blade, looking at her own reflection in it.

Mein couldn't help but feel a measure of sympathy for the heiress turned Lady. She could practically see the weight of the information Mein told her was still on her mind, very much. Hell, it was still weighing on Mein's own mind the information she uncovered. Sure, she didn't exactly have the highest opinion on Lord Reichnott beforehand but she never took him for a man who would cheat on his partner with how he was praised for being devoted to his wife prior to her death. One could argue that there are certainly WAY worse things a noble could be caught for but she doubts that comment would help much here.

Mein felt sorry for Eclair, so she helped the only way she knew how.

" If you are looking for a way to get your mind off something, hitting a defenseless dummy is not the proper way to do it." Mein commented as she walked over to the dueling ring." How about some proper sparring?" Mein offered. She knew that Eclair had talent for swordsmanship just like her and if there was anything any self-respecting swordswoman would like its some good old fashioned sparring.

" I...I would appreciate that Mein." Eclair nodded in surprise at the offer. It seems her hunch was right.

" Excellent." Mein smiled a little as she walked into the dueling ring with Eclair by her side.

They both stand at the ready, both of them getting into their respective stances as they stood not too far away from each other. Eclair getting into a defensive position, while Mein assumed an offensive posture. The agent had always preferred offense over defense most of the time, since it allowed her to get up close and personal with her speed. It seems Eclair had preferred a defensive technique which fits well into her role as a knight who defends the innocent.

The both of them took a deep breath before Mein made the first move, going for an upper cut with her blade that Eclair managed to block. She followed it up with two additional strikes on the left and the right that were blocked as well. The Lady Seatto didn't just stay stationary and let Mein make swings at her, as she retaliated with her own slashes that pushed Mein back a few feet as she blocked the attempted sword slashes with ease. Uncle Uther had certainly trained Eclair well in the ways of defense and offense, more suited for battlefield combat than one on one dueling but she was still holding her own.

The Aldori Style being hailed as the best swordsmanship style remains undisputed, but it was technically more suitable for one on one dueling rather for open combat on a chaotic battlefield against multiple opponents. Loathe as she is to admit it, the Seven Heavenly Virtues style from Siltvelt is better suited for open combat as several of its forms can aid one in defeating or defending against multiple opponents.

Thankfully Mein knew how to do both.

It was while they were sparring that Mein noticed that her reflexes and speed felt much more...refined. More in control. Tempered. She had no issues blocking or parrying Eclair's attempts to break her guard and she was able to more swiftly counterattack and put Eclair on the defensive. Eclair's movements almost felt slow to her. That was when it hit her that she was moving fast, faster than she was able to before. She could control just how fast she needed to go to strike back and defend.

This must be the fruits of all my training. I'm finally getting more control over my speed!

Mein thought proudly as she continued pressing her attack against the Lady Seatto.

They continued this steady rhythm of blocks, parries and attempted slashes for a few minutes. Mein wasn't really putting her all into this fight since it was supposed to just be a simple spar rather than a full-on duel for honor. While the first princess couldn't deny that she could get scarily competitive even during training, she knew when to keep her fighting spirit in check when the situation calls for it. And she could tell that Eclair's mind wasn't fully into spar either. Her movements slowly becoming more reactive rather than actively trying to fight back.

With a single arc of her sword, Mein hit Eclair's sword with extra strength and sending it to the ground with a loud clunk. That seemed to be enough to snap the Lady Seatto back to reality as she looked at her sword that had been embedded into the ground by the blade. Mein took no pride in it since it was clear that Eclair was not fighting at her best at the moment or even in a training mood.

" Sorry about that..."

" Its alright, it appears my mind is still elsewhere." Eclair admitted as she picked up her blade with a sigh.

Mein felt a bit bad as it was clear that training wasn't quite taking her mind off of things that she hoped it would. No, this requires a more subtle touch.

" Perhaps we should stop here and rest." Mein suggested." And maybe you would like to talk about what is troubling you? Bottling it up does you no good, if I may say so."

Eclair seemed to think about it for a moment with a conflicted expression, almost as if she was torn between talking about it or not. But after a moment, she made her decision." Y-Yes, of course, I wouldn't mind." Eclair nodded." The lounge area is private enough...and its soundproof so we may speak openly." The Lady Seatto whispered that last part to her.

The famed Silver Keep may be renowned for being the stronghold of the Silver Hand's, but to say it was a simple fortress would already be an understatement to the structure. The ancient seat home of the old Boleteria kingdom was practically a palace, city and fortress all rolled up into one. It wasn't hard to imagine why they were able to keep back the savage beastmen north of Griffin Spine mountain range at bay from the rest of Melromarc. No matter how much the rest of the ungrateful toads in court may say, even they cannot deny the impressiveness of Silver Keep.

Mein has to admit she can't quite remember whether she's been in this lounge area before since its been a while since her last visit to the Keep, but she will say that it was quite nice. The lounge room was neither too big or too small, it felt like it was at just the right size to entertain a number of guests to the Keep with fine wooden furniture, windows for natural light and beautiful green carpentry that reminded Mein a bit of the palace.

One can say what they will about the Seatto's, but one cannot deny they have good taste in interior designing for their Keep.

The princess turned agent took a sip of her tea and let out a sigh at the sweet taste of the drink. Eclair had one of the servants bring them tea after their short work out and probably also to help calm Eclair's nerves. Though based on the troubled look on her face, Mein wasn't sure that it was working.

" I suppose there's no point beating around the bush here. How have you been...taking the information I gave you?" Mein decided to just be straight with Eclair and not dance around the issue. The Seatto lady appreciated honesty if nothing else when it came to talking about sensitive matters.

" Not very well, if I'm being honest." Eclair confessed as she rubbed her tea cup gently." Learning that Uncle Reichnott had done that was...difficult to process to say the least. I never could have imagined in a thousand years that he of all people would have an illegitimate child and that child was somebody who had grown up with Cute all along. That was difficult to hear and even more just to wrap my head around it."

" I can certainly see why." Outsider knows that Mein herself was shocked by the information and she wasn't even that close to Lord Reichnott. She can't imagine what Eclair is feeling like right now.

" I always knew that one day I would have to take over as the Lady of House Seatto, it would be hard but I hoped my father would still be here to help guide me." Eclair continued with a sad tone as she stared into her cup of tea." But it seems like ever since I took over as Lady Seatto, I've been learning that a lot of the adults I looked up to as a child were not nearly as noble as I thought they were. Now everything has become so damn messy that I don't even know where to begin."

Eclair wasn't naming anybody in particular but Mein knew who she was talking about: Mother and father, after Mein basically smeared their image in Eclair's mind. And now Lord Reichnott has been added to that list of broken pedestals.

" When we were children, we looked up at our parents and the adults around us with bright eyes since they were usually the ones who guided and protected us." Mein spoke from her own experience." Take my father for instance, when I was but a young girl he always seemed so much more than just a hero and wise king. He almost seemed like a superhuman that could do anything he put his mind to...but as I got older, I began to see that he was simply a man who was just doing what he thought was right during a time of turmoil and conflict. Nobody's perfect Eclair."

" Perhaps." Eclair said longingly as she took a moment to think." I know this may sound idealistic, but I had always hoped that maybe my House and Uncle Reichnott's were the exception from all the backstabbing and selfish nature of the rest of the court. But if Uncle Reichnott was capable of doing something like that, what does that say about my own House? My father and our code?"

Mein stayed silent at that, briefly lost in thought. She knew that many commoners likened House Seatto and House Reichnott as one of the few 'good' nobles who care for their people, and for all intents and purposes, they wouldn't be wrong since those two were practically saints compared to some of the self-serving rats in court. Jaune's family were also among that number for being one of the more honorable houses.

But as the saying goes, nobody who plays the Game hands are totally clean. That was one of the first things Thomas taught me.

" Do you think Lord Reichnott was a bad man?" Mein asked almost quietly, much to the shock of the Lady Seatto.

Eclair was shocked at that question as her gaze shifted from her tea cup to Mein's in an instant. Her reply was much quicker." No! No, of course not."

" Then what do you think about Lord Reichnott now?" Mein pushed it a bit further.

" I think...I think he made a genuine mistake and he tried to make up for it the best way he could. Maybe it wasn't exactly the best idea making Jean Cute's personal bodyguard but still he at least tried to make things right." Eclair let out a sigh." But I still don't know how to feel about any of this."

Mein thought about her next words carefully before she spoke." And that's okay to not know how to feel Eclair. Somethings take much longer to process and you shouldn't feel rushed to come to any specific conclusion." Eclair was silent so Mein chose to continue." When we were children, we used to look up at the adults around us for guidance but as we grew older we came to understand that they are flawed people at their core wo make mistakes too. My advice? Focus on the good they did and learn from their mistakes."

Eclair silent, which made Mein think that perhaps she needed some time alone to collect her thoughts.

" Take some time to think about, don't feel like you need to come to any singular conclusion about your feelings and don't overthink it too much. Chief God knows that we already have enough things to worry about." Mein advised as she got up from her chair and gave Eclair a comforting pat on the shoulder before turning to leave the lounge. But just as she about to leave the room, she heard Eclair's voice call out to her.

" Y-Your majesty?" Eclair's voice made Mein turn back to the still seated Lady Seatto." T-Thank you for doing this. I think I needed to hear that."

" It was my pleasure Eclair." Mein smiled genuinely at that." Oh, and one other thing Eclair? Just call me Malty. All my friends do."

" Thank you, then Malty." Eclair nodded her head in gratitude.

Mein was still smiling as she left the room, her thoughts drifting off to more mundane matters like finally taking Raphtalia out for that hunting trip she's been promising. Its been a long time coming after all.

Another day later of prepping and it was finally happening.

Spare rations, water, tents, blankets, maps of the local area, shovels, daggers, rope, cooking supplies, medical kit, extra weapons. Yup, got everything we should need.

The first princess had to admit that out of all the functions of the Mark had given her, Inventory was by far one of the most useful. It allowed her to carry literal heaps of equipment and supplies that would otherwise slow her down. She can certainly start to understand why the Legendary and Star Weapons are revered for their power, on top of making life easier for the wielder. In Mein's case, she found it very useful though a part of her did wonder where all her items were being stored within her Mark exactly. Then again, Naofumi could do pretty much the same thing with his shield so maybe it was best not to think about it.

She had just finished performing a check of all the supplies she and Raphtalia would need for their hunting trip. They would be away from Silver Keep for a few days at latest, so Mein made sure to pack for any eventuality since you never know when you might need to sew up a wound or grab a quick snack to keep energy up. After she was done, she headed to the stables to grab the filorial that she used to travel to Reichnott county. The bird had proven a reliable steed and she looked more than happy to see Mein again as the princess pulled on her reins to guide her to the main gate.

She waited there for a few minutes before she heard the sounds of two sets of footsteps, one lighter and one heavier approach from behind. Mein turned her head to see Naofumi walking to her with Raphtalia at his side. The little raccoon carrying a small bag that was slung over her left shoulder.

" Good morning Raphtalia, did you bring everything I told you to take?"

" Yes, I packed all the essentials...well, Master Naofumi helped me do it but I got everything!" Raphtalia said a bit more confidently.

" Good, you don't want to pack too much otherwise it will slow you down." Mein advised. She had the benefit of having her Mark's inventory to make things easier, but the same can't be said for Raphtalia.

" Are you sure you two are going to be okay out there on your own?" Naofumi asked in a bit of a concerned voice.

" Oh don't worry, we'll be fine. We'll be out of the party for a while, but we'll rejoin as soon as we get back." Mein said confidently as she and Raphtalia left Naofumi's party, before joining together as one separate party of two. This was mainly so just in case Naofumi tries to portal anywhere, they won't be dragged along for the ride while they are out in the forest.

" Alright, well just stay safe you two."

" O-Okay!" Raphtalia nodded her head in understanding.

" Come on, we're burning daylight here." Mein helped Raphtalia onto the filorial before getting on herself, letting the little raccoon wrap her one good arm around Mein's waist to steady herself. Mein wasted no more time as she gave a simple tug of the reins to get the filorial to start running at a decent speed.

It was just a simple hunting trip, what's the worst that could happen?

It will not in fact be a simple hunting trip and the worst absolutely will happen. I'm not a man of great subtlety but I think even I'm laying the foreshadowing down thick on what's going to happen and I am very excited for what happens next.

:P

Hope you all enjoyed the dream sequence that Mein had in this chapter and her own conflictions over whether it was real or not. Which I think is in line with her character as somebody who is very much in conflict with her past to say the absolute least and is also the focal point of this entire arc where she confronts a piece of her past that she thought she had left behind.

I'm torn on whether to confirm or deny that the dream is true, but I think for now I will leave it up in the air for you all to decide.

Now let's respond to some reviews shall we?

To codywhite162:

Thank you for reading!

To EXCUBITORE:

Oh yeah, Malty is absolutely going to get MUCH stronger during this arc. Malty may not like the Outsider, but at this point even she cannot deny just how useful his powers are and how they give her a huge advantage over people. I will not pretend that there will come a point in this story where the number of people who actually seriously pose a threat to Malty will get smaller, and I wasn't lying when I said earlier that only a Star Hero or Legendary Hero can stand a chance in a fight with an Agent.

Corvo definitely proved that power could be used for good, but Thomas is in many ways the reverse of Corvo. What Malty does with her own uncheckable power is anybody's guess at this point.

With that said, I will see you all in the next one.

Angel Out.