A gentle breeze blew in from the west.
King Thorpel III of Muria was sitting in a sunlit forest with his ministers. Tree spirits circled him, sending cool wind in his direction, and rabbit beastfolk wearing aprons served tea and sweets.
On either side of the tree stump he sat upon were a giant red mushroom and a purple one, standing like pillars, giving the scene the impression of a throne.
"I imagine that arrogant Julius's face was quite a sight to behold."
The king took a sip of tea and smiled softly.
"As expected, he flared up in an instant. Though, I wasn't exactly surprised."
The ministers chuckled among themselves.
"But do you think they'll let the girl go so easily?"
One of the ministers voiced concern. The king replied with vigor.
"Of course not easily. But eventually, things will go the way we want them to."
"And what makes Your Majesty so certain?"
"You all know she's an outcast there."
"Hmm…"
"Even if she learns magic well enough, we can't trust those old men of Sibareth. I'm sure they're making other calculations behind the scenes."
"Exactly. Which is why we must act first."
"That's it. She's probably confused about everything right now—this is the perfect moment to pull her to our side."
One of the ministers popped a cherry-shaped confection into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
"I'm not sure that young lady will come to us so easily…"
"We've got nothing to lose, Bill. I don't trust Julius. His ambition is on a whole different scale from Minophon. Even the way he's turning a blind eye to those Sibarethn refugees causing chaos in Muria—it's all part of his scheme."
The nearby spirits of light fluttered their wings nervously, startled by the comment. The ministers adopted more serious expressions.
"So that's how it is. Then…"
King Torpel blinked his sky-blue eyes and adopted a grave tone.
"Yes. That's why we must act. If those heartless gemstone monsters—especially the king and queen—join forces and try to invade Muria…"
Everyone fell silent in shock. The once warm and cheerful atmosphere gave way to a heavy stillness. Only the carefree animals continued playing—a hedgehog and a squirrel playing hide-and-seek darted under King Torpel's long cloak.
The king reached out and wrapped his cloak gently around the squirrel. One of the ministers, watching this, spoke again.
"And Lady Mithys…?"
"I know where Mithys is."
One of the ministers gasped, choking on his snack.
"She's alive?! Then why haven't you brought her back?"
"She doesn't want to come. And we don't force people to do things they don't want to. That's not our way."
"Still, I would prefer Lady Mithys over that human girl…"
The king downed the last of his tea and stood. As he did, the squirrel rolled out from under his cloak and was caught by the hedgehog.
The king wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said cheerfully,
"Well, let's wait and see how this all plays out."
In the lavish, oversized bedchamber of King Minophon, Julius, Jakiel, and several elders stood quietly. The king was asleep, his breathing labored and coarse.
Jakiel was the first to speak.
"I believe it is not such a bad proposal."
"Jakiel!"
Julius glared at the Grand Vizier in clear displeasure. But the old man remained composed, his voice calm.
"Just as they said, no one has ever encountered a human who emerged from the water where a fairy underwent molting. All the relevant records are in Muria's libraries."
"And what of it?"
"They claim their training would be more effective. What's so wrong about that?"
Jakiel's silver-gray eyes shimmered gently. A few elders exchanged whispers, but straightened up quickly when Julius shot them a glare.
"You speak far too casually. Our neighboring country has the gall to demand our queen candidate be handed over as if she were a mere pawn."
Julius snapped, and Jakiel feigned surprise.
"She's not even a queen—merely a candidate. Why make such a fuss?"
"Candidate or not, their demand is still an act of disrespect!"
At that moment, King Minophon let out a faint sigh and opened his eyes.
"Your Majesty! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Let me…"
Attendants rushed in and helped the king sit up.
"Is Foreign Minister Alaba present?"
An elder with a turquoise gemstone in his forehead bowed deeply.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Report on the status of the Sibarethn refugees in Muria."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Currently, 15,660 Sibarethn citizens have illegally migrated to Muria. There have been reports of five arson cases, fifty thefts, twenty robberies, and three murders—all committed against Murian citizens."
"And the property damage?"
"A mountain was destroyed due to slash-and-burn farming. Fifteen Murian residents have been displaced from their homes and farmland."
"Naizman fared better, if I recall correctly?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. About half those numbers."
"Very well."
The king turned to face his gathered officials.
"So, Muria is saying they only want to educate the girl?"
"That is correct. They are requesting no other form of compensation."
"…Hmm."
Julius quickly interjected.
"To suffer this much damage, yet ask only to educate her? It's definitely no ordinary training. They must have some hidden agenda…"
"That's enough, Julius."
"Your Majesty?"
"Let her go to Muria."
At those words, the peridot in Julius's forehead flared violently.
"Why…?!"
"You were the one who didn't want her as queen, Julius."
"…I did say that, but…"
"If she is not to become queen, then what's the problem with her going to Muria?"
Julius found himself at a loss for words.
"We'll know Muria's true intentions once the girl returns."
"In other words… use her as bait to resolve a messy diplomatic issue. That's what this is, isn't it."
Jakiel gave him a narrow glance, his eyes thin slits.
Julius stormed out, fuming. As he arrived, his maid Anna lowered her head and began preparing to serve. Julius watched her for a moment before suddenly speaking.
"Have you ever thought of changing your hairstyle?"
"My… hairstyle, sir?"
"I don't like the way it looks now. Change it to something I prefer."
A flicker of rebellion lit in Anna's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
"As you command."
Julius summoned the handmaids and gave his orders without hesitation.
"Cut her hair to neck length."
"What?!"
The maids gasped. In Sibareth—or even in all of Naizman and Muria—no woman wore hair that short. Even Anna raised an eyebrow in shock.
"What are you waiting for?"
"But, Your Grace… we've never seen such a style. We don't even know how—"
"Like this."
Julius raised his hand and conjured a massive peridot orb the size of a full-length mirror. It shimmered and slowly became transparent, revealing a faraway scene.
Inside the orb, a colorful street appeared, full of unfamiliar clothing and bizarre hairstyles. As the orb zoomed in, it focused on a woman with a short bob brushing her neck.
"Now do you understand?"
The handmaids peered into the orb and murmured among themselves in amazement. Anna trembled where she stood. Julius dismissed the orb with a flick of his hand.
"Why haven't you responded?"
"Y-yes, sir. I'll begin right away."
The maids grabbed the reluctant Anna and dragged her away. Once they reached the room, they forced her into a chair despite her resistance.
"Let go! No one is allowed to touch my hair!"
"Shut it, you bumpkin. You ought to be grateful to serve His Grace."
They wrapped a cloth around her and pinned her in place, then began cutting without mercy. As her long, flowing hair fell away in clumps, Anna began to cry quietly.
"You know… that image we saw in the orb earlier…"
One young maid whispered to the older one cutting Anna's hair.
"Hm?"
"Wasn't that where the new queen candidate came from? I think her hair looked like that too… I only saw her once, but I remember now."
The older maid hesitated for a moment, surprised.
"Now that you mention it… I haven't seen her around lately. I wonder where she's gone."
The older woman said nothing and continued snipping.
Later, Anna appeared in front of Julius with swollen, teary eyes. Her hair had been cut neatly to her neck. Seeing her, Julius's mood eased slightly.
He reached into the air again and summoned something new—blue jeans and a white T-shirt. He tossed them at Anna.
She flinched and stepped back.
"From now on, wear this when attending to me."
Anna's swollen eyes widened in shock.