Enlightened Empire

Chapter 300

Back in the Lady of Green's private quarters, mother and daughter sat together for the first time in over a year. Between them, the lady's servant had placed a full pot of tea, before she and Sumaci's maids had excused themselves to give the family some space for their reunion. As soon as the maid had left the room, Sumaci spoke up.

“I'm sorry I wasn't here when...” Her voice trailed off and she lowered her head, before she tried again. “I left you all alone when you needed me the most. I can never apologize for that.”

She expected a long, uncomfortable silence from her mother, or maybe screams, or tears. However, after a second, she felt a warm hand land atop her head.

“I'm glad you were away when it happened,” her mother replied in a soft voice. “Even if you had been here, what would have been changed? No one knew what would happen, everyone was taken by surprise. In the end, you could have prevented this betrayal no more than your brother or father. Instead, I may have lost you as well. I am grateful to the Divines that they let you stay far away from here.”

Despite her mother's encouraging words, Sumaci still didn't raise her head. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about all the mistakes she had made, all the tragedy that had befallen her family while she had been far away, happily getting married.

“Sorry,” she said again. “I should have at least been there for the funerary rites.”

“You are here now. That is enough. There is still plenty of time to talk to your father's beacon from now on.” The lady's voice became playful. “And you did spend your time away well. I was surprised when you introduced your husband all of a sudden.”

“Ah yes. I know it must have shocked you.” Embarrassed by her mother's frank words, Sumaci's tears were replaced by hot cheeks. She looked up to see the mischievous twinkle in her mother's eyes. So she resorted to more apologies. “I'm sorry I made up that story earlier. I thought the messengers or your servants would have told you.”

“Surely they should have. It was quite a surprise.” The mother hinted at problems in Rasacopa, but didn't go into any more details beyond that. “Your marriage seemed to have been very sudden either way.”

“Yes, it was. For various reasons, the time line was a bit all over the place. Suddenly, we were married before we knew it. So we didn't have much time to prepare, or even invite many people. We expected to hold a second feast to celebrate here, but that might be out of the question, now that there's more important problems to solve.”

“Your husband seems quite capable,” her mother remarked.

Sumaci thought back to the moment earlier, when Corco had taken all the blame from the warriors onto himself to defend her. The thought made her smile.

“He's a strange person, but he's also quite sweet sometimes.”

The lady thought for a moment.

“It seemed like he was unwilling to answer Warrior Oru's question earlier. What do you think?”

At once, Sumaci's smile faded. The warriors had tried to imply that Corco's and her marriage was just a foreign ploy to take over Rasacopa. Saniya's queen really didn't appreciate such ideas, even if they came from her own mother.

“Mother,” she began and gave the lady a troubled look. “did you bring me here to ask me if I've been forced into the marriage?”

“Of course not,” the mother denied. However, she didn't say anything else and simply picked up her tea cup to hide her face behind. Clearly, she had said what she wanted to say, and now only waited for an explanation from Sumaci. If the daughter wanted her mother to accept the marriage, she had to choice but to convince her that the wedding had been consensual.

“Mother, please listen well. We didn't get married because of what happened to father and brother. Corco has no ambitions towards the Verdant Isles, at least none he's ever shown to me. Rather, you know that I always wanted to marry him, but he was always reluctant to agree. In the end, we married almost by serendipity. After my raidship was sunk on an expedition, we were stuck alone on an island for a few days and that was when it happened.”

Her mother still looked unconvinced, so Sumaci had to go on.

“We celebrated our marriage as soon as we came back to Saniya after our rescue. And we only heard about father and brother days later. At the time we got married, father would still have been well, and Corco announced our marriage to the people who saved us as soon as he saw them. So he couldn't have known about the troubles here at home, and I don't think he's developed any ambitions since. He came along to make sure I stay safe, and he's said that he would leave all decisions on Rasacopa's future to me.”

“So you trust him,” the mother concluded.

“There's no one I trust more. He's a man of integrity, and honest to a fault. In the matters of the island, he will be no more than an observer. He will respect whatever decision I make, whether I want to take over father's place or just guarantee your safety. He'll support me, I know that.”

Seemingly, Sumaci had managed to convince her mother, since she finally put down the tea and showed a much more serious face.

“Judging from your dress, it seems you have already made your choice.”

Sumaci sighed. She knew that succeeding her father's throne wouldn't be fun or easy, but she felt like there was no choice.

“I can't just leave the people to their fates,” she said. “Without me, father's legacy will disappear within the chaos of Rasacopa. But I can prevent this, I am the only one who can. And now, I am not only the princess of the Green Island. I'm also the Queen of the South. Because of those responsibilities, I need to consider the political implications in Medala as well. Undoubtedly, the best for both sides would be if they grow closer, and then defeat their enemies together. We're natural allies, and we need to huddle for warmth now that times are tough.”

“Since you have decided, this old woman will not stop you. However, you may have to be careful of others who vie for the same throne. Tayali tried to force a marriage onto me.”

Again, Sisa raised her cup and took a sip as if she hadn't said anything of significance.

“What!? How dare he!”

In contrast to her mother's calm, an angry Sumaci slapped the table and spilled her tea, though her mother's was still safe in her hands.

“I am not a politician, and not a warrior, so I am unsuited to take over the role of leader,” Lady Sisa explained. “In contrast, Tayali claims to have shown true heroism during the betrayal at Tullpuna Court. And the men who came back spread those stories. Since then, he has increased his influence through fair means and foul. Most every warrior in the palace is under his control by now. He was popular before, but now he seems invincible. Now he only lacks the status to be king, otherwise he would have climbed the throne already. And I am the fastest way for him to gain that status. That reminds me, now that we know your husband is on our side, we should warn him as well. Whatever plans Tayali had when he tried to show him around the palace earlier, he cannot have anything good in mind.”

However, when confronted with her mother's worries, Sumaci only smiled. Finally, she managed to calm down somewhat from her anger.

“At least in that regard, you shouldn't worry too much,” she said. “If that guy really wants to deal with Corco, he'd best be careful. My husband is far more dangerous than he looks.”

The Green Court was a pretty place. That had been Corco's impression after his first visit, and his opinion didn't change on his second. Just like a few years before, the sprawling maze of courtyards and gardens gave him great insight into the mind of the Verdant Folk, who were reclusive, unruly and strove for personal freedom above all else. Their fascinating architecture reflected this impression, with many secluded buildings, hidden paths, and a confusing layout. Of course, the king would have enjoyed his stroll in the park far more if he hadn't been bothered by an annoying fly.

“As you can see now, King Corcopaca, I try to do my best in of service the island. I'm aware that we need to work together if we want to defend our lands, and we're all grateful for your help, at least the ones who have any sense. But even with my status as greatest captain in the Verduic Sea, I still can't control the mood of our warriors. That was obvious earlier, when the drunken idiots just said whatever they wanted. I need to apologize for it again, but it's something that was bound to happen either way.”

“So what is this place?” Corco asked. However, Tayali seemed to misinterpret his disinterest for hostility.

“King Corcopaca, I have apologized, so what more can I do? I truly do not have the power you think. The man who insulted you was Oru, captain of the tiger guard. He is an important figure in the Green Court, so I can't control what he says or does. But in the future, I will do my utmost to support Princess Sumaci, that much I can guarantee.”

Annoyed, Corco stood still and raised his hands.

“Stop. I didn't ask for gossip, and I'm not interested in your guarantees. I'm also not slighting you on purpose, because I don't like political games. I really just wanted to know what this place is. We're about to walk into it, and it looks important, so I'd really like to know, for curiosity's sake.”

He pointed at the small building made from dark wood right in front of them. It's entire facade was intricately carved with all kinds of ancient symbols, and was riddled with small,. symmetrical openings. A picturesque stone path led up to the door that was flanked by two kidney-shaped ponds. Overall, the building was as unique as it was mysterious.

“We are currently near the Old Gardens,” Tayali explained. “This is one of the old pavilions, where the ancestors used to come for leisure. Now the room is out of date, and open to everyone in the Court. Still, it's a very imposing place, especially from inside. Would you care to take a look, King Corcopaca?”

As he spoke, Tayali put on a smile, but it was ruined by his eyes, which were too close together and always seemed to emit a sinister light. The captain made two steps towards the door, before he realized that Corco hadn't followed along.

“Is there a problem?” he asked in feigned ignorance. But unlike Tayali, Corco had no more reason to pretend, so he simply explained himself.

“You know that I've been in this palace before, right?” he asked. “But I guess you weren't here when I visited last time. In that case, you wouldn't know that I'm well aware what that place is, because King Taoco invited me inside on my last visit. That's probably something you didn't expect. That's no pavilion. Rather, this is King Taoco's private cultivation room, right?”

“Ahaha, that is a misunderstanding,” Tayali said after a short pause of shock. He was a terrible actor. “Yes, you are right, King Corcopaca. This pavilion has indeed been transformed into a cultivation room, but it still used to serve the ancestors in the past. That may be something that the former king has not mentioned on your last visit. No matter what purpose the room has, it's impressive nonetheless. Do you want to take a look?”

“If I were to go inside, what do you think would happen?”

“What could possibly happen?”

Confronted with the captain's feigned ignorance, Corco sighed.

“Weren't you just talking about your unruly warriors here? After what happened earlier, there's already gonna be rumors of me trying to take over your little island. If I were to enter the previous king's private cultivation room by myself, wouldn't that be fuel for the fire? Wouldn't that definitively label me as a wannabe usurper? Though I guess that's the plan, rile up the warriors against me and Maci, to get them on your side.”

With his plan laid bare, Tayali's eyes widened in shock. Still, he tried to wriggle out of the dilemma with his poor acting.

“I would never do such a thing!” he shouted, louder than necessary. “Why slander me like this? With the princess back in the city, why would I even try to gain influence?”

“Then why are you still calling her 'princess'? You're not using her new title. You're not even calling her name. It's obvious that your goal is the throne, but you're unbelievably terrible at this. You bring me here, and lie to me about a room I've already been in. Even worse, you know nothing about such important information about your opponent. Did you even try to investigate me before launching whatever sort of dumbass plan this is? Honestly, I was just testing you a bit by asking about the building, probing for weaknesses and such. But your mask fell apart right away. This isn't even a challenge. Seriously, I've seen a lot of politicians, but not one was as bad at it as you.”

With a sour look, Tayali still tried to insist.

“King Corcopaca, I have no plans towards the throne.”

“At least you got that right,” Corco agreed. “You have no plan and no idea. You tried to play nice with me during the banquet so I'd let down my defenses, but you only managed to piss off your own people. As for this little stunt,” the king waved his hand at the cultivation room, “you only managed to reveal your real goals, nothing more. What exactly were you even playing at here, and what made you think it'd work on any level? In the future, just don't be an idiot, and don't try to cheat me. You're not good at either.”

His gauntlet thrown down, Corco turned away with a refreshed feeling. He could always breathe easier once he knew his enemies and their motives. This one had made his job very easy, and by the looks of things, it seemed like he wouldn't put up much resistance.

“King Corcopaca, you are a liar!” the usurper claimed from behind. “You claimed you didn't enjoy political games!”

“Don't be silly,” Corco said as he walked away. “I love politics.”