These Demons Do it for Free

Fiona drooped her shoulders, looking down like a puppy caught in the rain.  
She seemed overly downcast over something so minor, but everyone’s perspective differs, after all.

Officially, she’s the Grand Duchess; privately, she was my peer and my first teacher.  
It made sense if she wanted to maintain that dignified image.

"Could I appear that unsightly?"  
"...Did he say anything else?"

Anything else?  
Of course, he did.  
Actually, quite a lot.@@novelbin@@

But was any of it really Fiona’s fault?  
Most of it came from Fiacra’s mouth, anyway.  
He mentioned things like me being her boyfriend, though that was likely just to tease her.

"Well… he did ask me to convince you to give up the title of Grand Duchess."  
"Really… ha. You don’t need to worry about that. Anything else?"  
"Anything else?"

Was there something more important than that?  
Fiacra's objective?

Fiona spoke cautiously as I looked at her, puzzled.

"Uh, something about the Grand Ducal House...?"  
"Did something happen?"  
"No! I just thought maybe, that's all."

She was practically broadcasting, *I’m hiding something~, but pushing her to talk about it didn’t seem right.

"But what about the Grand Duchess succession issue?" I asked.

Fiona had said it wasn't my concern, but how could I not worry?  
I had no desire to intervene, but knowing Fiona might be in danger, I couldn’t ignore it.

"It’s fine, really. Even in the worst case, it’s unlikely to devolve into violence. While hierarchy matters in the line of succession, ultimately, it’s about who garners the most support."  
"So hierarchy isn’t everything?"  
"The hierarchy is there just in case. It’s mainly for emergencies, like if the position were vacant during a war, to fill it quickly. Official succession happens through the electors’ vote."