Chapter 193 – Princess and conjecture

I, Ninaev Fairy, have learned that my fiance has gone missing.

I am quite shocked by this news.
Prince Hicked has gone missing amid the large-scale rebellion happening in the kingdom of Migha.

…After questioning his subordinate and receiving the message that he wants me to cut him off, I start gathering information.
Still, the kingdom of Fairytrof has not completely stabilized.
We are moving on from the controversy about Alice being made into the miko, but there is still a lot to be uncertain about.

I have few too many pieces under my control, but some information about him reaches me.
He has been gaining control of more beast people, and has been gathering beast people prostitutes.

People are calling him, ‘beast fetishist prince’, ‘the prince who detests beasts’, and ‘the conqueror prince’.
I do not know if this is in any way related to the rebellion going on in his country, but apparently he started taking action because of my harsh words.

Prince Hicked used to say he could not go against his father, and there was nothing he could do.
I think he is no longer serving the kingdom of Migha.
We have not seen each other since I yelled at him, so I am not certain, but judging by what that visitor said, I think I can assume Prince Hicked is following his own will.

If he is missing, it could very well be because that is what he wants.

The miko was with beast people, and Prince Hicked killed one of them.

The miko disappeared somewhere, and Prince Hicked chased beast people under his king’s orders.

If Prince Hicked is indeed acting of his own accord and defying his father, he could be tied to the slave revolt.
He was following orders, but he did enslave people of other races.

I feel like it makes sense if he really is helping them.
I may be wrong… But I feel like that is the truth.

This would make him an enemy of the king.
Someone who defied the king’s orders.

I feel like what awaits him at the end of this road is fighting until he dies.
The two opposing sides will not stop until one is victorious, and even if Prince Hicked did disappear on his own, he is still defying the king.

Will he win? Will the kingdom of Migha win? Those are the only two possible outcomes.

Is there anything I can do to help him? He told me to abandon him, but I cannot do that.
So what can I do? It is not a good idea to turn my kingdom or myself into an enemy as well.

Can I support Prince Hicked without showing hostility towards his country… No, the better option is to help the kingdom of Migha as it falls into chaos.

The miko was with beast people, that much is certain.
I have no way of knowing if she is still alive, but I assume a being such as the miko would not easily die.
Or maybe that is simply what I want to think.

Would it be possible to support Prince Hicked for the sake of making an ally out of the miko?

The kingdom of Fairytrof was wrong once.
We took Alice in as the miko, the twin of the real miko.
All the more reason to support the real miko.

The great temple was made responsible for the mistake, but the government is also responsible, especially for promoting Alice as the miko.

I will tell my brother Jourard that the miko is with beast people, and suggest that we should be somewhat involved in the strife in the kingdom next door.

I feel this is the best way to help Prince Hicked and not cut him off.

But this is a double-edged sword.
Taking action for the sake of the miko comes with its own problems.

We will be using the miko as a justification.
We have no way of knowing what will happen if we use the real miko in this manner as a means to take action.

Also, if we get involved in the strife in the neighboring kingdom, Alice will not be unaffected.

If I get permission from my brother Jourard, take action, and fail, Alice may be ruined alongside me.

Being a princess means being responsible for a lot of people’s lives.

Not wanting to let Prince Hicked go is basically a self-indulgence on my part.
Should I really involve the whole country? Is there any need? I have to think about this carefully, and make a decision.

Eventually, I do make a choice.

—Princess and conjecture

(The princess does not want to abandon her fiance, and after a lot of thinking, she makes her decision.)