The morning after the rain was especially fresh and clear. The sunlight had not yet grown fierce, bright and pure.
Bred for their extraordinary qualities, the dragon-scale horses shimmered with silvery-grey light as they carried proud-chested riders down the broad avenue. The lift and fall of each hoof was as elegant as a dancer's step.
Behind them rode Natasha, wearing a golden crown and bearing the nation-protecting divine artifact, the Sword of Truth, receiving the adulation of her subjects from horseback. At her back were gathered all nine dukes, followed in turn by nobles great and small.
Upon reaching Nexes Palace, the nobles dispersed toward the chamber that housed the Noble Assembly, waiting for Her Majesty to preside over her first noble council.
Natasha returned to the queen's private chambers with a composed expression. She activated the Divine Arts array, shielding the palace's inner core from any prying eyes beyond its walls. Then, with Camille's help and that of two handmaidens, she removed her full suit of armor and changed into a black court gown, pinning the Hoffenberg family crest and a white paper flower over her chest.
After signaling the two handmaidens to leave with a glance, Natasha let a trace of fatigue surface on her face. "The pressure is immense. I don't know who is an enemy, who is a friend, who is a supporter I might win over. Compared with familiar Vorlite, this place is far too foreign and oppressive. Out there — outside the array, without the Divine Arts barrier — I didn't even dare speak what was in my heart. Lord Ktenonia, the 'Heart of Time,' is responsible for the outer perimeter of Nexes Palace and the security of all Lantard."
The implication was clear: she did not trust Ktenonia.
"You really didn't have to accept the throne. The situation in Holm is many times more complicated than Vorlite, and you're an outsider on top of that — lacking real support, easily drawn into plots and rebellions, just as easily standing on the wrong side and plunging into the abyss." The normally taciturn Camille rarely spoke so much at once, her gaze carrying a soft, maternal warmth. "Whether you lean toward the Arcane Magic Council, the Church, or try to balance both sides, every option will bring you tremendous trouble."
Natasha gave a bitter smile. "I know. Even if I could harden my heart and disregard Grandmother Heather and the many members of the Holm royal family, allying with the Church to suppress the Arcane Magic Council still might not be enough to counter them. Their strength has expanded far too rapidly. To contain them would require not only the Holm Kingdom but also the united front of Briana, Klaite, and Galler. And I would inevitably face opposition and rebellion from the progressive nobles — possibly even a fracturing of the kingdom itself, plunging it into civil war and reducing Holm to ruins."
"If I lean toward balance, the Church will certainly press me, and I must also consider the Violet family — consider Father. They are all in the heart of the Church's strongest influence."
"If you understand this so clearly, why did you make such an unwise choice?" Camille asked, a note of gentle reproach in her voice.
Natasha shook her head, her expression resolute. "What excuse could I use? If I openly refused to assist the Church, that would be a serious 'abandonment of faith,' punishable by the Holy City of Lans. The Violet family would be weakened both openly and covertly. That's why, when I heard the news, aside from the surge of feeling in my heart — and truly not wanting to leave Father — I was also thinking of using that very excuse to decline. Perhaps someday I would come to the Holm Kingdom, but certainly not now. Unfortunately, Father suggested I come, and he let me know of Mother's regret."
"Since I can't find an excuse to refuse, and I carry the Hoffenberg blood in my veins, then I'll shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the Holm Kingdom. I don't want to see civil war tear Holm apart, turning the home Mother cherished into hell. That's the resolve I came here with."
"Besides, I am a devout believer, the head of the Hoffenberg family, and the head of the Violet family. The Church should, within certain limits, respect my wishes — just as it has before."
"Natasha, that was before. If the situation in Holm reaches a critical juncture, how could the Church possibly consider your wishes? They would simply demand that you sacrifice yourself for the Lord." Camille felt that Natasha's earlier explanation had been reasonable enough, but her latter declaration sounded a touch too formal, too written.
Natasha smiled and spoke with conviction. "If my wishes are to be entirely disregarded, I would rather sacrifice myself. The Church's inability to freely interfere with royal authority was a covenant made before the Lord centuries ago between both sides. If the Church violates that, they become heretics — the target of every noble's enmity."
Camille looked at Natasha, straightened her collar, and said softly, "Then what do you plan to do? What do you ultimately want the situation in Holm to become? What direction do you see for yourself?"
"I… there are many things I still don't know. I can't yet confirm my own thinking." Natasha looked somewhat lost at being asked.
Camille regarded her seriously. "Then figure it out as quickly as possible. Whether you lean toward the Arcane Magic Council, the Church, or maintaining balance, you need to make up your mind soon. Only then can many things be arranged in advance and potential dangers avoided early."
She was referring to matters back in the Vorlite Principality.
"I understand. I will settle on a governing philosophy as quickly as possible, so that I can issue decrees in an orderly fashion and gradually eliminate opposition. But that requires a deeper understanding of the situation in the Holm Kingdom. The only thing I can say for certain right now is this: the most progressive nobles absolutely do not want the Church to be purged entirely, and the most conservative nobles certainly don't want to return to the state of royal power from centuries ago. Well, except for people like Gorden who have given themselves completely to the Church. So, for the time being, I intend to maintain the balance." Natasha nodded in agreement with her own assessment.
Then she turned to the mirror and gazed at the purple-haired woman in the black court gown. She touched the Hoffenberg family crest on her chest and said to herself: Before any of that, I need to figure out my own faith. What does the Lord truly mean to me? What is the relationship between the Church and the Lord? Only by understanding myself can I set plans for the future, can I advance to the eighth rank and wield the Sword of Truth, no longer a powerless weakling facing a Legend without the ability to resist. And what Cardinal Saer de is truly thinking, what he truly wants — that is still far from clear…
She had not told the Grand Duke about the crisis of faith, nor had she told Camille. Apart from Lucian, only Fernando and Heather — through the incident of Francis summoning the Heavenly Mountain projection that Lucian had reported — could guess at a small part of it. The same was true of the Saer de matter.
"Alright. You should go to the Noble Assembly now." Camille opened the chamber doors.
Natasha glanced at the mirror one last time and saw the purple-haired woman's stunning beauty concealing a flicker of hesitation and sorrow. A thought suddenly struck her: Now that I've come to Holm and become queen, I can't even visit Grandmother Heather at the Royal Magical Tower, nor can I go to Altor to see his remarkable mage tower or the atomic research institute he's always talking about. Every move I make will be dissected by attentive nobles for hidden meaning. If I did those two things, there would be no question — it would symbolize a complete turn toward the Arcane Magic Council.
And they can't very well reach past Lord Ktenonia to see me… The physical distance has grown shorter, yet the real distance has only become greater.