BGM Set
[X] Stay put, burn the letter.
There's nothing you can do now. The letter's been here for a while. Tempting as it might be to seek your mother out, you feel you would be erasing all of her efforts to secure your position here. There's no guarantee you'd even catch up with her. You have to swallow your anger and sadness for now. You compartmentalize it somewhere it can't touch you so you can deal with the fallout without breaking down.
You definitely agree with your mother on the liability this letter poses. You get rid of it posthaste, incinerating it in the nearest fireplace. Neither going to Sheffield nor the King are attractive options at this point. You just don't know enough about the situation as a whole or what they even think of it. Chances are you'll have an audience with your uncle at some point anyway.
A noble comes to your door while you're thinking on what to do. He tries to look kind and inviting, but he isn't doing a very good job. "Have you seen your mother today, Charlotte?"
You shake your head negatively. "No, I haven't seen her.. where is she?" You look up into his eyes with innocent curiosity. This kind of lying is the easiest kind for you. It's so odd- your eyes carry none of their customary brightness, but he can't tell at all.
The noble chuckles unpleasantly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know either. It's why I asked, you know?"
He turns and leaves without a second glance, having achieved his objective. What an asshole. He didn't tell you anything. You bury your frustration and return to thinking on what to do from here.
You are getting older now. Irisviel never really had a childhood, having been a manufactured entity in the first place. Her initial time with Kiritsugu was full of discovery and wonder, but it wasn't the same thing. She still had all the faculties and wisdom of an adult. You've relished living without responsibilities and duties- taking pleasure and delight in whatever you could. You feel like you were mostly channeling Irisviel through that- the part of you that has nothing to do with Irisviel is a more serious person, you think.
You can sense that time has ended. Now that you've lived through your own childhood, you can put that to rest for both of you. You have things to do. A spark of determination ignites behind your eyes.
You receive the news the next day. The issue is brought up at a special court session. The facts come to light- a noble house was invaded and every person to a man slaughtered in their sleep. The lone witness that survived was a commoner peasant. He described the she-devil as a rather demonic portrayal of your mother. By itself, it's hardly evidence- the mage investigators have more to offer.
The victims all had their blood implode from the inside out. The vessels were pressurized to such an extent that the person hemorrhaged to death. All in all, it's a rather horrifying way to die. Everyone present understands that only someone with mastery over water and air- someone Line class at least, maybe Triangle- could have done this. Your mother just so happens to be a mage under that category. Not only that, her whereabouts that night are still unconfirmed by anyone, and no one has seen her since. Put together, it's enough for her to be condemned as guilty.
The general consensus amongst the nobles appears to be that she went mad with grief from the death of her husband. Really, it's a wonder it took her this long to snap, they say as they look meaningfully at you. You grind your teeth and keep your head down. The emotions are still raw. You'd just end up shouting at them if you said anything.
As for her sentence- it's execution. The King doesn't hesitate in handing down his judgement. She doesn't even need to be present for them to declare this verdict. They don't believe there's anything she could possibly say in her defense to overturn it. You're just glad they haven't found her. There will probably be a reward posted for information leading to her capture, but Gallia's reach doesn't extend too far beyond its borders. If she makes it out of the country, she should be fine. She
will be fine, you think. There's no other option.
--
Staring at the ceiling in your room, you receive a summons from your uncle to head to the throne room immediately. After glancing quickly at the message again, you make yourself as presentable as possible- it couldn't hurt to look nice. You then exit your room and head over, trepidation filling your steps.
After an uninterrupted walk, you're standing before your uncle in the throne room. It is empty but for you, Sheffield, and him. You're grateful. You don't want this to be a spectacle. "Hmm." He scratches his chin thoughtfully, eyeing you.
"I'm left with what to do with you. Your guardianship passes to me as your closest remaining relative." You didn't know that, but it makes sense. It comes with a rather unfortunate implication that he sees you pick up on.
"And make no mistake, I
am your closest remaining relative. You are officially an orphan- your mother is dead to this country."
He looks to see if you have anything to say, but you simply bow your head. Nothing you can say right now would do you any good. "Though you may fully inherit your title as Princess at the age of majority in less than three years, at the moment you are nothing but a liability." he says harshly.
"There are others that can fill your position. You are not unique in this regard." he continues. His eyes bore into yours.
"What use are you to the crown? Why should I take on your burdens?"
[ ] "I can prove my worth as a powerful mage."
[ ] "I will be a worthy successor to the throne."
[ ] Something else. (Write-in.)
I would actually prefer a write-in here. I just couldn't think of anything good. Seriously, the given options suck. Whatever happens here, this will have a serious impact on what you'll be doing for the next few years and the direction this story will go.
I went and added <BGM Set> to every update. At least, I'm in the process of doing so. 100% optional, I just like having BGM playing to ..everything. I wish I could have my own personal BGM following me around in life.