— — — — — —
All at once, La Folia sprang up from the sofa, her face almost pressed against the glass as she stared down at the figures below.
"Your Highness?"
Justina, who had been standing nearby, hurried over, surprise written all over her face.
"That person… no, those two people…"
La Folia's eyes were wide, her expression tense, with a hint of panic creeping in.
She knew the Third Primogenitor, Giada Kukulcan, well enough. This eternally youthful girl had personally overseen a joint war with the North American Union a few years ago, nearly crushing their border forces. As one of the most dangerous beings in the world, Giada's true appearance was carefully documented in Aldegyr's archives.
And yet, just moments ago, a purple-haired twin-tailed girl stepped out of the car before the Third Primogenitor—
"If our family records aren't wrong…"
La Folia bit down on her lower lip.
The ruler of the Dynasty of Destruction. The Second Primogenitor. The Fall Gazer.
Aswad Guul Aziz.
The Second Primogenitor, ruler of the Middle East, who hadn't shown himself for more than a decade.
The face matched perfectly.
The Second and Third Primogenitors visiting the Fourth Primogenitor together?
Why hadn't Aldegyr's intelligence agency reported anything at all?
A secret meeting of three Primogenitors. What on earth were they planning?
The more La Folia thought about it, the worse her expression became.
The very foundation of the Holy Ground Treaty Organization, which maintained world peace, was the discord and mutual hostility between the Primogenitors. The three great Primogenitors never associated with one another. When they met, it usually ended in a clash. That was common knowledge.
In recent years, aside from the sudden founding of the Fourth Primogenitor's nation, the world had largely moved toward coexistence and peaceful development.
But if three Primogenitors joined forces…
Even the Lost Warlord wouldn't be able to withstand that.
At that thought, La Folia suddenly turned to look at Kanon.
Her abrupt movement didn't startle Kanon, but it did make her worried.
"L-La Folia, your face looks really pale…"
"I'm fine."
La Folia opened her mouth as if to say something, then simply sighed. "Maybe… you really did guess it right, Kanon."
"Guess what?" Kanon asked, puzzled.
La Folia's lips twitched, and she gave a bitter smile.
"His Majesty Ryo Yagami really hasn't put any restrictions on you."
"Huh…?" Kanon looked even more confused. One moment yes, the next moment no. It was impossible to follow.
On the other side, La Folia directly issued an order to Justina.
"Justina, contact Grandmother immediately. Urgently. We misunderstood the situation."
"Yes!"
As Justina made the call, La Folia bit down on her thumbnail, her face filled with unease.
She finally understood.
Ryo had never intended to stop Kanon from leaving. He didn't even mind La Folia taking Kanon away with her.
Because from the very beginning, the stance he'd taken wasn't about taking something from Aldegyr. Quite the opposite. He was asking what Aldegyr planned to bring to him.
The reason he'd allowed her to investigate freely, allowed her to take Kanon, came down to one thing.
The three Primogenitors aside from the First were planning to join forces.
"No… the First Primogenitor might even be involved as well."
The more La Folia thought about it, the more complicated her expression became.
Four Primogenitors working together. That was power enough to steamroll the entire world and establish an empire ruling over the whole planet. It was a strength that could decide everything.
And all Aldegyr could do was pledge loyalty in advance, buying itself a ticket to survival.
So that was it. From the start, the Fourth Primogenitor said he wasn't coveting anything from Aldegyr, and he really didn't need to. No matter what Aldegyr did, in the end, they would still have to kneel and beg Ryo for mercy.
What Aldegyr truly needed to do was throw out insane offers, desperately trying to buy a chance to live.
When that time came, forget about Kanon. Even she, La Folia, would probably be begging Ryo to drink their blood.
The later you realized it, the more brutally you'd be fleeced… what a sick sense of humor that man has.
La Folia's mouth twitched violently, her face full of speechless frustration.
"Your Highness, the Queen Mother has picked up," Justina said, handing her the phone.
La Folia took it and spoke before Musette could say a word.
"Grandmother, the Fourth Primogenitor is preparing for a secret meeting with the Second and Third Primogenitors."
"La—" Musette barely managed to get out the first syllable before choking on it.
A secret meeting of three Primogenitors?
Was she still asleep?
La Folia added calmly, "They're already at the Keystone Gate. They've checked into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hotel. They might even be right next door to me."
She didn't need to check. She could already feel two terrifying presences passing through the same floor and heading upward, stopping just above her.
"…"
Musette was silent for a long while, clearly digesting the situation.
Then she said, "What do you plan to do? Never mind. You decide. You're the first in line to inherit the throne, after all."
After Polifonia, La Folia would ascend the throne. Perhaps she would even be the last queen.
Knowing her grandmother had grasped the situation, La Folia smiled bitterly.
Because Musette Rihavein clearly had no solution either.
A secret meeting of three Primogenitors. Even an idiot could tell it was something huge. Especially when they weren't even bothering to hide it. Anyone with half a brain could guess their goal.
What could possibly require three Primogenitors working together?
Obviously… this planet.
"I understand."
La Folia sighed, ended the call, and handed the phone back to Justina.
"What exactly is going on?" Justina asked uneasily.
La Folia looked like a condemned prisoner walking to the execution grounds. Anyone could tell something was terribly wrong.
"Something earth-shattering. Forget it, you wouldn't understand," La Folia complained.
Justina immediately dropped to one knee.
"I am willing to share your burdens."
"I told you, Justina, you— hm? Wait."
La Folia looked down at her valiant cousin, studying her more closely.
"Actually… you might really be able to help."
Her gaze turned oddly suggestive, making Justina slightly uncomfortable. She chalked it up to nerves, took a deep breath, and said, "I will do everything in my power to assist you."
"Good. No, very good."
La Folia smiled and patted Justina's shoulder, her smile sweet and her tone oddly affected, "Justina-neesan."
"La Folia… we're on a mission now! Speak officially."
"Ok~ Justina. Nee. San."
Justina got goosebumps all over from that syrupy voice, "Please just tell me what you want me to do."
"I want you to go request an audience with Ryo Yagami."
La Folia said it with a bright smile.
"Ok." Justina nodded, feeling relieved.
"At midnight."
The soft addition made Justina blink.
"Midnight as in…?"
"Preferably wearing as little as possible. No, actually, our Aldegian knight uniform is quite nice too. And I hear the ladies at the palace say men find it especially attractive."
Watching La Folia mutter to herself, Justina's face started turning pale.
"La Folia, what exactly are you asking me to do?"
"What do you think?"
La Folia said shyly. "You just need to say four words to His Majesty Ryo. He'll understand."
"Which four words?"
The sense of dread in Justina's heart was practically solidifying.
"Make me feel good."
Justina's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.
"If that doesn't work, I don't mind including Aunt Kanon either."
Justina's face was deathly pale.
La Folia clenched her teeth and continued,
"And if that's still not enough, my younger sisters could join in too. They're twins, after all. Maybe His Majesty would like that even more."
"Your Highness…" Justina's lips trembled. "Are you… selling out the country?"
"How could you think that?" La Folia's gaze sharpened.
"B-but—"
Before Justina could finish, La Folia muttered to herself, "Selling out the country wouldn't even be enough."
"At this point, if I don't end up as queen, wouldn't I be the one getting ripped off?"
Justina froze.
After a long moment, she burst into tears.
.
.
.