"P-Please teach me!"
"It's rather rude to barge in here, isn't it? I didn't think that the empire's noblewomen would be lacking in manners."
The moment the match ended, Viviane had rushed to the moon side's prep room, leaving Brigitte in a daze. Thanks to the entrance being unguarded, it hadn't taken her much effort to slip in. However, it didn't look like she was going to achieve her goal that easily.
"M-My apologies, Lady Sakura! I have an urgent favor to ask of you! My name is Viviane Aspera di Castellia, and I—"
"Lady Viviane." Sakura's voice was polite but firm. "Please vacate the room. I may only be a foreigner to you, but I would still like to be treated with respect."
"A-Again, I deeply apologize, but—"
"Please leave, Lady Viviane. I will not ask again."
"Hold on, Lady Sakura," Riku stepped forward before Viviane could move to leave in earnest. "Perhaps we should hear her out."
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Riku?"
"She is the lady that Dame Medrauta spoke of. If her situation is what I believe it to be, then her need must be urgent indeed."
"Hoh?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, appraising Viviane with a new interest. She didn't hear the exchange between her knight and Medrauta, but if Riku was willing to vouch for this noblewoman, then she would listen. "Very well then, I shall hear your request despite your rudeness."
"E-Eh!? Ah! Yes!" Viviane floundered, recovering into a clumsy curtsy as she was surprised by Sakura's sudden change of heart. "I, Viviane Asperia di Castellia, humbly ask you to t-teach me how to properly shoot a bow!"
Now it was Sakura's turn to be surprised. She had wondered what Viviane would request of her, but after having seen how the nobles "participated" in matches here in the empire, she never would've imagined that Viviane would ask such a thing.
Still, Sakura thought there would be no harm in digging a bit deeper. "May I ask why?"
Viviane gripped her skirt tightly as she gathered her resolve. "I... My knight was taken from me, and I... I was powerless to do anything. I've spent so long thinking about how to bring her back to my side... but when I saw you shoot—No, even before that! When I saw how you stood with your knight instead of on the dais, I felt like if I could just shoot with even a fraction of your skill, I would be able to stand next to her once again!"
Sakura listened quietly as Viviane stated her reasons. They were noble reasons, and at the very least, her words carried the determination needed to improve. However, her skills with a bow were the prized techniques of her homeland. She would not give away the secrets of Higashi without recompense.
"While I am honored to have inspired this drive within you, this is a rather awkward situation for me, Lady Viviane. My shooting technique has been passed down from multiple generations of my family. Why would I teach it to you?"
"I... I..." Viviane hesitated, not knowing what she could offer in exchange. After all, she had little to her name. What wealth she possessed belonged to her father, and thanks to her useless Crest, she had been ostracized in high society. There was nothing for her to give.
...Ah. How cruel... I truly do have nothing of value... Viviane hung her head in shame, her arms falling to her side in defeat. Her lips trembled as she prepared to speak the only words she knew how to.
"Lady Sakura, I'm so—"
"You will owe me a favor."
"H-Huh?"
"More precisely, your father will owe me a favor. You are of the Castellia ducal house, are you not? Your father must be Duke Castellia, head of one of the four ducal houses. If I remember correctly, his domain is situated in the north."
The fact that a foreign noble was so familiar with the ducal houses and where their domains laid was slightly unusual, but Viviane paid it no mind. Her face lit up immediately, the aura of doom and gloom around her dispersing like snow in sunshine.
"Y-Yes! I shall speak to my father for you!"
Sakura smiled as if she had just found an amusing new toy to play with. She extended a hand toward Viviane. "It is a deal, then?"
"Yes!"
"Excellent. Then we shall meet in front of the wooded area to the west tomorrow morning as soon as the sun rises. Do not be late."
Although Viviane wanted to jump for joy, she instead channeled that energy into performing a beautiful curtsy, its elegance far surpassing the clumsy imitation that she had first attempted when initially making her request. "Of course. I shall arrive without fail."
The two ladies bid one another farewell, Viviane leaving the way she came. While her steps had been shaky and uncertain when she arrived, there was now a certain vivace in her stride as she moved one step closer toward her goal.
Only after the door had fully closed behind her did Riku turn to his lady. No longer restricted by the presence of people from the empire, he reverted to speaking his native tongue.
"Sakura-dono... Was that wise?"
Sakura tilted her head in mock ignorance. "Oh? I'm not sure what you mean, Riku."
"Your father most certainly will not appreciate the technique being spread outside of the household, and to a foreigner no less."
A mischievous smile danced on Sakura's lips. Despite her prim and proper demeanor when dealing with strangers, her attitude became far more relaxed among friends. "My, my, Riku. Don't you know? What is not seen has not happened. What is not heard has not been spoken."
Perhaps a little too relaxed.
"You tread a fine line, my lady."
"So I do. So I do..." Sakura mused. "Well then! Which bow shall I lend to her?"
At that, Riku could do nothing but sigh. Once Sakura had her mind set on something, she would see it through no matter the cost. Although he worried about the repercussions if Sakura's father ever learned of this, Riku could not criticize her too harshly.
After all, she had already obtained something vital within the first day of their arrival.
While the daughter seems to lack influence, the father is quite the opposite. Gaining his favor will be valuable for our mission. But... Riku's brow creased as he ran through a number of possibilities in his head.
Indeed, they were not just visiting the empire to see the sights. The pair was on a mission, and one of grave importance too. Should it fail, even the whole of the world might come to an end.
At least, that was what they were told.
A sudden slap on the back snapped Riku out of his trance. "S-Sakura-dono!"
Sakura laughed, urging him toward the prep room's exit. "What might you be standing there all stony-faced for? Are you thinking about the prophecy again?"
"...Perhaps."
"Fret not, Riku. We shall have plenty of time to address that particular concern."
"I know. I am simply worried about the ending."
"The ending?"
Riku paused in his stride, a pang of fear throbbing in his heart at the mere thought. He gathered his courage and then spoke.
"You did not witness the oracle give her prophecy, but when she neared its end, she said that—"
CLUNK!