“You missed breakfast and lunch.”

Dia, who had just slept for a day and a night, rubbed her eyes blearily, before turning to Farah. “I think I was tired out by that ritual spell or something. I rarely sleep for this many hours on end. It’s nearly twenty-four hours.”

“Yeah, I went to check on you. If not for the fact that you were tossing and turning, I would have thought that something happened to you,” Farah replied. “I hope you had a good rest, at the very least.”

“Kinda.” Dia rubbed her nose. Having all kinds of nightmares about a burning city wasn’t really reassuring; it would have been better if she hadn’t had any dream at all. “It’s almost dusk, right? Shouldn’t you be preparing for Ruler Istrel’s visit?”

“The preparations are done,” Farah replied. “We’re just waiting for Ruler Istrel to show his face.”

“What preparations did you make?” Dia asked.

“Oh, my staff paid a whole bunch of people to stand at the sides of the planned route. They’re going to cheer madly, toss confetti and clap madly.” Farah tilted her head. “It’s something new, but Lloyd told me that this is a method that can butter up to nobles very high up on the totem pole.”

Dia tried to imagine the sight of her walking down a decorated, brightly lit road, which was flanked by rows and rows of cheering people. Her imagination spun in overdrive a moment later, as the scene came to life. Surrounded by families that were holding bouquets and babies, she drifted through the road, a floral scent in the air.

“Dia?”

The mirage popped like a bubble, and Dia found herself back in the dining room. The only things that could even come close to flanking her were two plates of food; the one on the right had meatballs, while the one on the left had two pieces of toasted bread.

“Something wrong?” Farah prompted.

Dia thought back to the nice, cozy feeling she had when she imagined the scene of been cheered for, and then made a wry smile. “Yeah. Maybe I found my goal in life or something.”

“Your goal in life?” Farah tilted her head.

Dia glanced at the countess, and then abruptly remembered that she had three fanatic followers. Being cheered on meant that this number was likely to increase, and she definitely didn’t need an official Dia fan club or whatever was super popular nowadays.

The feeling of being cheered on, however…

“Meh. I’ll think about it if we ever actually get close to that,” Dia muttered.

“What are you talking about?” Farah reached out and placed a hand on Dia’s forehead. “Hmm. No fever. Or is it something in the mind? Did Theatro Amimi affect your mind or something? Or did that long nap addle your mind?”

“I’m fine, thank you very much.” Dia extended out some mana and tossed a meatball into her mouth with it. “I just thought of something unimportant. That’s all. So, everything’s ready?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Farah closed her eyes for a moment, and the air seemed to hum. Opening her eyes once more, she said, “We should start preparing. Ruler Istrel will be teleporting to the designated area in thirty minutes.”

She paused. “Sorry. Did I say ‘we’? I meant ‘I’.”

“…Didn’t you just say that all preparations were complete?” Dia asked.

“I need to look the part, right?” Farah asked. “Can’t go around meeting the new boss’s new boss looking like a random mercenary or someone who just woke up. Like it or not, showing off the impeccable side of me will be for the best.”

“Alright, have fun,” Dia replied. “This should be the last stop for Ruler Istrel, right?”

“Yeah, he’s returning home after this visit. He’ll continue his tour in the other two dukedoms tomorrow and the day afterwards,” Farah replied. “Why?”

“Well, I was thinking it would be nice if he encountered one of those darkened monsters, you know,” Dia replied. “If they gave him a jump or two, we might just see a sovereignty-wide initiative in hunting down those buggers.”

“Keep dreaming.” Farah looked out at the window. “Alright. I’m going up to change. See you after this bothersome task.”

“Bothersome…” Dia rolled her eyes as Farah ambled out of the dining room. She didn’t need to be there, nor were the people of Farah County required to show up for Ruler Istrel’s little tour. However, she had a feeling that Aunt Lumine was going to do something today…or rather, the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings had made it clear that the day Ruler Istrel arrived at Farah County would be the day that something big happened.

Returning to her own room, she picked up a bunch of artefacts, before sheathing her sword. Given that she was armed, Dia knew that she wouldn’t be able to get up close to the ruler, but she didn’t need to be in close proximity to keep an eye on the surroundings. At the same time, her aunt was definitely going to practice some restraint, so escalation was unlikely.

Probably, anyway. Dia didn’t even know what her aunt was going to do, so all she could was to speculate from afar.

After equipping herself moderately, Dia informed Farah’s old butler that she was going out, before leaving the small Farah Palace. She looked at it from head to toe, and then wondered if the ruler would grant Farah some funds after seeing how small her palace was.

As she headed towards the small clearing that Istrel was going to appear in, Dia found herself wondering about the wisdom of her actions. After all, Istrel was probably the person that had gotten her into hot soup — the Shadows of Grandis were probably moved by the ruler too. Given that so many had fallen at her hand, and that Istrel was probably stewing from her resistance, was it really wise to approach the area the ruler was going to appear in?

“If you want to watch the show, make sure to do so from afar,” a voice spoke from behind her.

“Aunt Lumine. So, um…you’re going to do something later, right? How dangerous is it?”

“Not dangerous for anyone at all,” her aunt replied, before turning her around. “It’s something a political scientist from a different era called ‘deterrence’. I’m just going to dissuade Ruler Istrel from pursuing his expansionist agenda here. A shame, really. He put so much focus into spreading his seeds, he forgot to raise the crown of the forest.”

Dia couldn’t quite wrap that utterance around her head. “What does that mean?”

“It means, silly child, that schemes and tricks are nothing in the face of power,” Aunt Lumine replied. “But don’t worry your little head over these things too much. See that building there? Just sit on the roof and pull out some snacks when the ruler shows up. I’m going to direct the best performance you’ll ever see from Ruler Istrel.”

Her mouth opened for a moment, and then Dia shut it reluctantly. Something inside her was incredibly certain that no matter what Dia said next, her aunt would not be dissuaded from her plan. Therefore…

“The Moons go with you, aunt.”

“Silly child. Do, at least, understand what you are saying…but I appreciate your intentions.” Dia scrunched up her face as her aunt rubbed her head. “It is time for you to behold the way I end this war in its cradle.”

Dia wanted to ask, but she had a feeling that her aunt would fob her off anyway. And yet, she didn’t feel worried. Her aunt was radiating a confidence that only someone supremely sure in themselves would emanate, like her father right before a gleeful revelation of where the Full Moons piece was in Moon Phase.

“Alright. I’ll wait for you at the roof, then,” said Dia.”

She chuckled. “Don’t wait for me. Once I carry out my plan, I’m going to leave the place. After all, we wouldn’t want Ruler Istrel to think that Farah is in league with me, right? It would bring trouble onto her. That’s why I won’t be coming back here for the foreseeable future.”

“Aunt Lumine…”

“Your father will be glad to know that you’re alive and well. He would have been proud of you for coming this far, on your own power. You’ve made your own friends, found your own place, created a home. No matter what happens in the years and decades to come, always look back to these moments, when you were truly you.” The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings gripped her shoulders gently. “It is time for us to part. Let this not be a sorrowful parting, but a new door to hope.”

Dia nodded.

“All I do, I do to prevent sorrowful partings.” She smiled. “As such, it would be a problem if our parting here turns sorrowful, no? Don’t worry about me. No one in this continent, save for the Emperor himself, will be able to kill me.”

“…That’s one Moon of a boast.”

“You’ll see why soon, so just enjoy the show.”

Dia nodded.