Nibbling on a very odd mix of dried mix and gooey mush, Dia couldn’t help but reminisce about the great meals she had back in Moon Mansion, and in her old life. Granted, it didn’t taste all that bad, but there was so much salt and lemon juice in her pre-packed meal that it drowned out the meatiness of her lunch.

It was definitely a step-up from trying to kill, skin and butcher an animal, though. Dia had theoretical knowledge on how to do that — courtesy of a few Experiential Potions she’d drank quite some time ago — but she hadn’t done it physically.

The princess was somewhat keen on trying, though. However, like most people, she had a healthy desire to keep herself clean as much as possible — staining her hands with animal blood and innards wasn’t what she would call clean. In the wilderness, where drinking water was a premium, this would necessitate a visit to a nearby stream…but that was, naturally, assuming that said stream was actually clean too.

“It’s not bad,” said Risti. “It’s too sour for me, though. What did Schwarz use? Lots of lemon and orange? Even the Moons themselves might dim from eating such sour food.”

Sticking out her tongue, she made some odd noises and gulped down some water. “The dried meat’s quite nice, though.”

“Agreed,” said Dia. “It’s not roasted, though. Steamed meat, I guess?”

“It’s steamed, yes. And then seasoned with liberal applications of salt and lemon juice,” Risti replied. “Still, Schwarz could have gone easy on the glutinous rice. There’s really no need to spray so much lemon juice on them, right?”

Folding up the packet of food, Risti stuffed it in a small component of her backpack. “You should hurry up too. And remember not to leave anything behind; some monsters might follow.”

Dia nodded. Finishing off the odd ration, she folded the packaging and stuffed it in her own backpack. For some reason, Risti was quite fixated on not leaving any traces behind, something that Dia herself hadn’t paid much attention to. It was an odd blind spot for Dia, now that she thought about it, but it was equally odd that Risti would place so much attention on something like that.

I don’t know all that much about her, though…maybe this is a good chance to know her better? Dia rubbed her nose. Given Risti’s supernatural skills at gathering information related to her target, Dia, who was that very target, had been loathe to interact with Risti anymore than was necessary. Part of that was her fear of being exposed; another part laid in how she really didn’t like that someone was a fanatic follower of hers.

That said, Risti hadn’t actually done anything bad with all that information she got. Her fixation on Princess Dia could be easily reinterpreted as someone who was just a fan of some prominent figures — famous Named who were especially charismatic and charming.

In sum, Dia felt a bit bad for judging someone who was essentially a fan in such a manner. After all, she, as a semi-public figure, was naturally subject to the public eye. People paying attention to people like her was the norm, and gossip of her deeds were fodder for the dinner table.

Clearing her throat, Dia said, “Right, I don’t know that much about you, do I?”

“Me?” Risti asked. “Well, I’m quite a boring person, so beyond what you know about me…there really isn’t much to talk about, you know?”

“That’s what you think,” Dia replied. “But in truth, everyone’s more interesting than they give themselves credit for. What you think is a small hobby might be really interesting given the right audience, no?”

Dia was living proof of that, having felt that her life as an heiress of the Lustre Dukedom had been very boring. Day in and day out, she would sit at a table and look over policies, making rectifications and changes where needed. After she was done, those corrected proposals would be sent to her father, who would then give his own input for her to learn form.

Occasionally, she would go and visit her peers within the dukedom. They would make some small talk, savour the other’s favourite tea, and then return with a bit more information. Other than that, she would head into town once in a while, either in her official capacity — which would be chaotic — or incognito, which was far better for her sanity.

All things considered, Dia saw nothing much of interest in her life. Nothing in the way of sweeping romances had happened — mysterious princes who made her heart skip a beat or two never showed up, nor were there any old men or women who were actually Chromatic Lords in disguise. Her whole life, prior to her escape, was entirely about paperwork and swordplay, with some little social interactions thrown inside.

It was positively dull, even from her own point of view.

Yet, against all odds, defying her conventional grasp of logic, there existed a few people who were so interested in her life, to the point that they would disguise themselves as her.

The same logic, therefore, applied to one of her own stalkers. Making sure to look as eager as a newborn puppy, Dia gazed at Risti, until the latter’s expression changed into a contemplative one.

“Fine,” said Risti. “Let’s see…I’m the daughter of Neo Cadenza, better known as the Blinding Apex.”

“Right, that’s your full name, no? Risti Cadenza.” Dia mused over that fact for a moment, and then nodded. “I just never got around to drawing that connection, even though I knew a bit about your background.”

“I don’t go throwing it around,” Risti replied, a little blush on her cheeks. “I am my own self; I don’t exist as my father’s daughter alone. That’s why I never introduce my full name — people just go ‘oh’ when they ask me about my background, and then forget about the full thing.”

“Is that how it works?” Dia asked.

“You could give it a try…or not.” Risti shook her head. “I keep thinking you’re the real Princess Dia at times, but the princess has been missing for quite some time. Do you have any way of contacting your mistress?”

Dia held back her urge to laugh, and then said, “She’s quite fine. No injuries and things like that.”

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Risti looked into the forest canopy. “It’s great that she’s safe…right, can you send a message to her?”

Eyeing Risti with a steady gaze, Dia shook her head. “That’s a very hard request…”

And a very easy one, given that the person in question is right in front of you. However, Dia wasn’t going to reveal her identity until Emperor Grandis officially pardoned everyone who was implicated in the death of Ruler Umbral. This was a secret she was never going to reveal until then.

“Oh.” Risti hung her head, before perking back up once more. “If everything blows over, can you get me into her palace? I want to express my thanks and everything.”

“That…I can do,” said Dia. “Yeah, I think so. Besides, the princess would be very pleased to meet someone who helped her…body double. You’ll probably be rewarded too, along with the other members of the Moon Lords.”

“Nice.”

“Anyway, what do you like to do?” Dia asked. “I know you’re a specialist in information gathering, but other than that, what hobbies do you have?”

“Me? Collecting and filing information—”

“That doesn’t count,” Dia interrupted. “Something unrelated to that. I know Lily likes to read novels, for instance, while Schwarz loves to try out the drinks from other taverns. Things like these, okay?”

Risti frowned. Pushing aside a low-hanging branch, she looked up at the sky and muttered, “Bird-watching.”

“Bird-watching?”

“Yes.” Risti took out a small cylinder from her pocket and smiled. “It’s how I got into this information-collecting hobby to begin with. When I was a child, I would follow dad around, and then…sit in a hut alone. He would leave some toys behind, and I came across this thing. It’s called a telescope.”

“A telescope?”

“Lets you see distant things easily,” Risti explained. “Try it out. See that fruit over there? Look at it through the telescope.”

Curious, Dia picked up the little tube and peered through it. The apple, which had been nothing more than a red speck earlier, was now brought up close. It was so close that she half-believed that she could grab it by extending her hand, and for a moment, a new world seemed to open up before her eyes.

“Wow.”

“Isn’t it?” Risti asked, her tone now a warm one. “It’s so cool! But yeah, I spent years watching birds with my telescope, and that’s how I got into the information-collecting business. After a while, you don’t just want to see the appearance of your subject, you want to understand it. Empathise with it. And…be it.”

“Is that why you’re dressing up as Princess Dia?”

“Guess!”