*at Wistal palace—in Clarines*
{THIRD PERSON POV}
"I need to speak to tha king!" A loud voice shouted, sound carrying across the almost empty field.

Marquis Haruka's attention was drawn to a small commotion by the back gate. He was traveling with a small contingent of attendants. They would accompany him as far as the Clarines border.

The palace guards were trying to stop a young man from entering the palace grounds. They weren't having an easy time, since he was on top of a horse. Said horse was bucking and rearing angrily.

"I told you, we can't arrange any meetings with the king! You have no business here!" The guards yelled, ducking away from the horse's hooves.

Citizens often came and tried to enter the palace like this. They were usually upset by some law or tax and demanded that their grievances be heard. No matter how good of a ruler the current king was, there were always those that disagreed with his methods. Thankfully, these people were a vast minority.

Interestingly, this young man was in possession of a war horse. It was massive and well-muscled, a horse clearly bred for strength and endurance. Such horses were typically only seen with knight circles.

Marquis Haruka was typically not one to judge based on first appearances. He'd made that mistake once before in his youth, and the woman he'd deemed to be a gold-digger was now Prince Zen's wife.

However, the boy on top of the horse was unkempt. His clothes were dirty, his hair oily and windswept. He looked like a wanderer or a vagabond more than a knight. He certainly didn't look like someone who could afford a high caliber war horse.

"I do have business here!" The young man insisted.

Marquis Haruka sighed and turned away. Attention was what the boy wanted. Besides, he would be gone soon. More guards were already mobilizing to remove the disturbance before it escalated.

Marquis Haruka was on a mission. He was about to make the long journey to Zoral, a massive militant empire in the east. A civil war was raging between the war-mongering current emperor and his nephew, the former emperor's only son.

The rebel prince had reached out to Clarines asking for support. Izana was inclined to side with him, since the conflict may eventually reach Clarines if the current emperor remained in power.

It was Marquis Haruka's job to hear the rebel prince out and negotiate. Cojaca was still a problem, so the support they could supply was limited.

Regarding Cojaca, the north was at a standstill.

Izana expected Cojaca to make a move by now, but no move had been made. Any conflict was constrained to small border skirmishes. It was as if Aru Laurier was waiting for the perfect time to strike. All of the citizens were holding their breath.

In other words, Marquis Haruka didn't have time to waste on a mere troublemaker who'd probably stolen an expensive horse.

"I'm from Tai! I come with a letter for tha king! From his daughter!" The boy shouted.

"You're lying!" The guards argued.

Marquis Haruka stopped in his tracks. Only a few trusted individuals knew where Hikari was sent after the foiled attempt to kidnap her. He was one of them. Marquis Haruka frowned. Perhaps he had judged the young man too quickly. This time, he was more willing to admit that he was mistaken.

Marquis Haruka strode over to the back gate. The guards fumbled their words and bowed, apologizing for the commotion. They assured the marquis that they had the situation under control.

Marquis Haruka waved them away. He pointed at the boy. "You. What's your name?"

"Ren Ito. My pops is the commander of the Taj knight circle." He raised his chin proudly.

"Let me see the letter." Marquis Haruka opened the fist of his outstretched hand.

Ren Ito shook his head vehemently. "I refuse. I'm under strict orders from Hikari-sama. This letter is for the king's eyes only."

"Let him through." Marquis Haruka ordered the palace guards. The guards assented begrudgingly and Ren kicked his horse's flank lightly. Spurred on, the horse trotted through the open gate.

Upon closer inspection, Marquis Haruka could see that both horse and rider were covered in sweat. They'd had a rough journey. Ren dismounted once they were inside the palace grounds.

One of the marquis's attendants came forward and took the horse. Ren protested, but Marquis Haruka assured him that the horse—Chester—would be properly tended to. It would be cleaned, given food, water, and a safe place to rest in the stable.

He called for a maid to escort Ren, as well as a few guards to protect the maid, in case the young man was lying about his identity or had nefarious intentions within Wistal palace.

Marquis Haruka was curious as to the contents of the letter. Hikari was supposed to remain in hiding, yet she was desperate enough to send a message that may or may not have jeopardized her safety.

He would ask about it later. For now, Marquis Haruka had a job to do. He set off for Zoral, where he would meet with the rebel prince Aoi Fujimiya and Aoi's mysterious second-in-command.

Meanwhile, the maid escorted Ren to an empty room. He waited... and waited... and waited.

The sun was setting and Ren was bouncing off the walls by the time Izana entered the room. Today was a busy day, so Izana hadn't had time to greet the unscheduled visitor between any of his meetings.

Izana wanted to know what was in the letter. He was curious why a lot of unusual visitors were arriving as of late. First a bird from Zoral, now a knight's child.

Most of all, Izana was concerned about Hikari.

Ren rushed forward and tried to hand the letter to Izana immediately. That was a mistake. Before Izana could call them off, his guards had their swords drawn. They prevented Ren from getting too close.

Ren backed up quickly, eyeing the swords leveled at his throat. He bowed, then held out the letter and waited for Izana to take it from him.

Izana recognized Hikari's handwriting. When he read the hasty message, his blood ran cold.

Menad has allied with Cojaca. They
meant to secretly invade the south, starting
with Tai and pincer attacking the capital.
Tai is surrounded. We built a wall. It
protects us but we're locked in. We're
outnumbered and need help.

Everyone is safe for now.
I'm safe for now.

I'm scared Dad. Help. Please.
~ Hikari