Long Live The Queen: Music and Peace Ending [Spoilers] [Part 3]
Week 28
(Studied Court Manners in the morning.)
(Studied Flattery in the afternoon.)
Elodie, Crown Princess: *sigh*
Elodie, Crown Princess: (All of my friends are at Gwenelle's party and I don't get to go.)
Elodie, Crown Princess: (I sent her a note with my regrets and a gift, and she accepted, so at least she's not upset.)
Elodie, Crown Princess: (We can get together sometime after my coronation when things are less hectic.)
You visit the royal treasury and check your available funds.
You have nine thousand, four hundred and ninety-two gold lassi and ninety-two silver tilassi.
Week 29
(Studied Decoration in the morning.)
(Studied Flattery in the afternoon.)
Maid: The Duchess of Lillah has sent you a gift.
Elodie, Crown Princess: What's this?
It's a cushion, finely embroidered with the design of a running horse. It's well done, and clearly required hours and hours of needlework, but it's also fairly useless.
Elodie, Crown Princess: That's nice... I guess.
You sneak out of the castle to have a little fun. You enjoy your freedom, but your father won't like it if he finds out.
Week 30
(Studied Public Speaking in the morning.)
(Studied Decoration in the afternoon.)
You have unlocked a new outfit!
Maid: The Duchess of Mead is here to see you, my lady.
Corisande, Duchess of Mead: Hello, Elodie. I'm sorry to trouble you, but - have you seen Briony?
Elodie, Crown Princess: No, not since I left school.
She shakes her head.
Corisande, Duchess of Mead: She's gone missing. She's not at school where she should be. I know she was unhappy, but I never expected...
Elodie, Crown Princess: She wrote me a letter saying that she was bored and looking for adventure, but that's all I know.
Corisande, Duchess of Mead: Oh, dear.
Corisande, Duchess of Mead: I hope she hasn't done anything too foolish. My poor little lamb... I have to go look for her.
You sneak a peek at some of the luckless peasants held in the dungeons - petty thieves and troublemakers, now suffering in the dark. They're obviously bad people, but seeing them so miserable still feels unfair. There must be a better way.
Week 31
(Studied Ciphering in the morning.)
You have unlocked a new outfit!
(Studied Foreign Intelligence in the afternoon.)
As you are walking through the great hall, a freak gust of wind suddenly blows out all the candles in the room.
Elodie, Crown Princess: (An omen of war and danger...)
There's no sign of where the danger might be coming from, so there's nothing you can do about it. Perhaps it's nothing.
Sitting in on court sessions is not fun at all, but it pleases your father and it may be important for your future.
Week 32
(Studied Instrument in the morning.)
(Studied Voice in the afternoon.)
Elodie, Crown Princess: Things have been so unsettled lately... Everyone's on edge. We need something cheerful.
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: You could hold a tournament.
Elodie, Crown Princess: What a good idea!
Elodie, Crown Princess: Knights, jousting, musicians... all sorts of competitions. Everyone loves a contest.
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: What will you offer as prizes to the winners?
Menu: [Status and praise] [Employment] [Gold]
Player chose: Employment
Elodie, Crown Princess: The winners will have the option of taking up royal appointments.
Elodie, Crown Princess: It's a recruitment drive!
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: Very well. I will draft the announcements.
You leave him to his work.
As you move through the hall, your eye falls upon a vase of flowers. Pretty, but apparently not getting enough water. The leaves on one blossom have shriveled.
Elodie, Crown Princess: (Someone on hall duty is being lazy. Those flowers should be replaced.)
You continue up the stairs to your room, where a maid is waiting for you.
Maid: My lady, a gift has arrived from Kigal.
Elodie, Crown Princess: From the Duke?
Maid: No, my lady. A merchant house, I believe. It was sent with a shipment down the Cavalla River.
You tear open the brightly colored paper, to find:
Elodie, Crown Princess: Chocolates!
There is a little card with the box - 'With Our Compliments, The House of Kraellat'.
Elodie, Crown Princess: (That's oddly high-handed for some tiny trader I've never heard of.)
Menu: [Eat candy now] [Save it for later]
Player chose: Save it for later
Elodie, Crown Princess: I don't feel like candy right now. Maybe later.
You visit the royal treasury and check your available funds.
You have nine thousand, four hundred and ninety-two gold lassi and two silver tilassi.
Week 33
(Studied Internal Affairs in the morning.)
(Studied Internal Affairs in the afternoon.)
This is the week of the general tournament. Nobles and commoners alike have turned out to compete against each other.
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: The people will be pleased if you participate in their games. However, it would expose you to danger.
What event do you wish to take part in?
Menu: [Mounted Parade] [Jousting] [Fencing] [Archery] [Music] [Falconry] [None]
Player chose: None
Elodie, Crown Princess: I guess I'll just watch from my tower.
The tournament goes on without you.
After the tournament, a minor tragedy is revealed.
One of the stewards apparently had an incredible sweet tooth and dared to steal a piece of your recently-received chocolates. He had a sweet tooth... the chocolates were poisoned.
When you ask questions, it turns out that the merchant house which supposedly sent you this present never existed.
Someone has tried to kill you... but you don't know who.
You visit the royal treasury and check your available funds.
You have nine thousand, four hundred and ninety-one gold lassi and seventy-eight silver tilassi.
Week 34
(Studied Foreign Intelligence in the morning.)
(Studied Foreign Intelligence in the afternoon.)
You have nothing more to learn about Foreign Intelligence.
Maid: My lady, your father wishes to speak with you. He says it's urgent.
Elodie, Crown Princess: I'll be there in a minute. There's someone I have to talk to first.
You wait for the maid to leave, then hurry off to rendezvous with your agent.
Musician: Your Highness, I had a quiet chat with the workers on the cargo ship which carried the poisoned chocolates.
Musician: Seems someone was bribed to take that package on board, not in Kigal, but further down the river in Merva.
Musician: I had a look at the card that came with it and checked it against your correspondence -
For a moment you are mildly annoyed that she's somehow managed to get into your personal mail and read it without asking you, but then, that is the sort of thing you hired her for.
Musician: - and the handwriting does bear a certain similarity to a prominent noble. You won't like this.
Elodie, Crown Princess: What is it?
Musician: Your aunt Lucille, the Countess of Nix.
Elodie, Crown Princess: What?!?
Musician: I can't be certain, and even if she wrote the card doesn't mean she's behind the poison. But I'd be careful.
Musician: If something happens to you, who benefits? Who inherits?
Elodie, Crown Princess: My uncle Laurent, her husband.
Musician: If you'd like, I could travel to the ducal seat in Merva, see if I can find out more.
Elodie, Crown Princess: Yes, fine, go.
Elodie, Crown Princess: (Maybe this is all a clever trick, or a misunderstanding...)
Elodie, Crown Princess: (... and Dad wants to talk to me, which is probably more bad news.)
You find your father standing over a map of the coastline, his face grave.
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: Ships have been sighted on approach from Shanjia. Not tradeships - this is a warfleet.
Elodie, Crown Princess: What?
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: Within a week they will be in Novan waters. Within two they could reach the capital.
Elodie, Crown Princess: Then we will fight to defend ourselves.
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: You can try to use the treasury funds to hire additional soldiers, but it may be difficult on short notice.
Menu: [Recruit soldiers] [Don't]
Player chose: Recruit soldiers
Elodie, Crown Princess: Fine, we'll do that.
Elodie, Crown Princess: What about Talasse? Can we call on any troops from Sedna?
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: Send a message, but even if he agrees, it will take time for his soldiers to mobilise.
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: You will need to draw up a naval strategy for our ships to carry out.
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: You could choose to act as admiral and lead the fleet in person, but the danger to you would be very great.
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: Unless you think your personal skills will make the difference, I would strongly advise against it.
Menu: [Direct the fleet] [Stay in the capital]
Player chose: Stay in the capital
Elodie, Crown Princess: No, there's too much to do here. I can't go to sea.
You visit the royal treasury and check your available funds.
You have seven thousand, four hundred and ninety-one gold lassi and forty-three silver tilassi.
Week 35
(Studied Internal Affairs in the morning.)
You have nothing more to learn about Internal Affairs.
(Studied Voice in the afternoon.)
Danger on the high seas!
Ships close in on each other, angling into range.
The Shanjians have half again as many troops as you do. It doesn't look promising.
The eventual outcome...
... is not in your favor.
The Novan ships are sunk or scattered, as the Shanjian forces press towards landfall.
Many good soldiers were lost today, and Nova's troubles have not ended.
Since you have failed to repel the invasion, the Shanjian fleet will soon land and their troops will begin to progress towards your capital city.
Your remaining soldiers will hold them off as long as possible, of course, but the main strength of your military has been exhausted. Nova's future looks bleak.
You attend services in the castle grove, letting the peace of the ritual calm your heart.