While the war had already begun on the Mullu Atoll, the mood in the Green Court was still one of tense anticipation. However, not even that could be felt in the fresh breeze that blew through the palace gardens. In the summer garden in particular, the wind softly swayed the poplar trees and the Daylilies, creating a picture of harmony. Thus, time whiled away, without thoughts and without worries.

However, Sumaci's own thoughts were far away, worried about the war, and about her husband.

“Queen Sumaci, do you want some tea?”

The question from Pukia, one of Sumaci's maids, woke her up from her daze. She blinked to regain her senses, leaned back on the bench she had been sitting on, and stretched herself.

“No, I think I will go back inside,” Sumaci replied as she stood up. “I'm not in the mood to appreciate nature.”

“Very well. Since King Corco is working so hard, Queen cannot fall behind,” her other maid said. Before Sumaci could object, Pukia had already done so for her.

“What do you mean, Llamka? Queen Sumaci has been working so hard all day. Why not let her play a bit so she can relax?”

“Pukia, you just say so because you want to avoid the work yourself.”

“Only work all day is not good for the body. We need relaxation too so we don't turn into fossils.”

“That is quite enough of your attitude,” a stern Llamka insisted. “When we get back, you will read through all the letters of complaint we have received from the court officials these days, and you will write proper replies for every one of them.”

“No, please spare me!”

While Llamka turned away from Pukia, the other circled her as she begged for mercy with exaggerated movements. Those two had been with Sumaci for a good few days now. Over that time, they had become much looser in regards to their attitudes, following the lead of their master and her husband.

At first, the two had seemed like the typical Medalan maidservants. They were quiet and respectful, never giving advice or voicing opinions. However, under Sumaci's lead and with her encouragement, they had quickly grown into their more advanced roles as supporters and advisors. And they were no longer shy to show their true personalities, for better or worse.

Pukia was a bit childish, always eager to play or take breaks. On the other hand, the older Llamka was a serious woman who seemed full of ambition, quick to spur everyone around her to work just as hard as she did. They were a funny duo, and their presence had made Sumaci's days in the palace much more bearable, especially since Corco had left.

Apart from her regular visits to her mother – and her visits to the family mausoleum to visit her father and brother – she had wasted most of her time in the courts, wrangling tiny concessions out of uncooperative warriors and officials. So far, her actions had been nothing less than frustrating, with slow progress and roadblocks all along the way. Thus, she enjoyed the familiar bickering from her maids whenever she had a short moment of downtime. While they were busy with each other, she would just smile and quietly judge them for their silliness.

However, the distraction didn't last long. As soon as they left the garden, something felt off to Sumaci. Though she couldn't pinpoint the source of her unease right away, Llamka did so for her.

“Where are the guards?” she asked in confusion. While she seemed worried, Pukia looked around with an expression of carefree curiosity. Now Sumaci realized it too: The entrance to the courtyard's inner garden was devoid of people. Two warriors had stood guard here when they had arrived, the ones who were supposed to protect their princess. Now however, they were nowhere to be seen. A bad feeling crept up Sumaci's stomach.

“We should go,” she decided. The faster they left this place the better.

“Where to, Queen?” Llamka asked. “Your quarters?”

“No, let's go to mother's yard.”

Whoever was targeting her, they would expect her to return to her own courtyard first, and possibly had a few people stationed on the way. She would have a better chance if she went to her mother's place, a less obvious destination. As someone who was well-established in the city and had her own loyalists, her mother had better security anyways.

However, all her considerations were for naught. They walked through the hallway that connected the inner summer garden to the rest of the palace, but at the entrance, they saw two robed figures stand at the ready, waiting for their appearance. As soon as they saw the princess and her maids, they came towards them, their hands hidden in their sleeves and to their sides.

Sumaci had seen warrior training in Saniya before. She knew that when they walked like this, they were carrying concealed weapons inside their sleeves. With a determined look on her face, she stepped back, and grabbed for the pistol she had hidden inside her clothes. She had never been a victim, and today she wouldn't be an easy target either.

“Who are you! Show your faces!” Llamka shouted towards the robed men, but the newcomers came towards them without any reply.

“Make room for Princess Sumaci to go past! You are scaring the princess!” Pukia tried, her voice trembling to prove that she was the most scared of all.

Of course, the men didn't react to the requests of the servants. Now that they were closer, their black masks were clearly visible. They wore masks in the shape of panthers, the family animal of the blue island's King Raoman, and their purpose was clear. They had come for Sumaci, and they wouldn't be stopped by mere words.

As they walked forward at a brisk pace, the maids slowly stepped back and to the side, out of their way. At the same time, Sumaci lowered her stance, and looked around for a safe way out of this place. However, this was a long and thin corridor, with small, decorative windows covered by a narrow rhombus pattern lattice. For now, there was no way out. After the men had simply shoved Llamka out of the way, they closed in on Pukia as well.

“Stop!” the young woman shouted when one of them was already halfway past her. “Stop or I will scream!”

Her small hand grasped for the man's shoulder. He turned around to look at her, and for the first time since his appearance, he raised his hand. The glint of metal rushed out of the man's left sleeve and shot towards the little maid.

Big mistake, Sumaci thought.

With Pukia's hand still on the assassin's shoulder, she controlled his arm to stay high, while the short girl slipped below the deadly weapon with a smart step. At the same time, a bang of gunpowder sounded in the hall. Hit in the stomach, the attacker stumbled backwards, half from the force of the impact and half from the shock. Though his face couldn't be seen, he seemed confused as he stared at the smoking gun in Pukia's hand without response.

With a face of stone, the little maid cocked the other hammer on the weapon and fired the second loaded barrel, this time into the man's chest. At the same time, the second attacker turned towards the noise, just as confused as his companion. However, before he could even register what was happening, Llamka had come up behind him, carrying the same weapon as Pukia, and fired it into the other's right leg.

With a howl of pain, the man went down as well. Now that her first weapon was empty, Pukia pulled out a second pistol and marched towards the one surviving assassin with determined steps, though her face was pale.

“Don't kill them!” Llamka called out to the little maid as she pulled her back. “We need to know who sent them, and why!”

“I understand. Excuse me.” As if she had woken up, Pukia stared at Llamka for a second before she managed a reply. With trembling hands, she returned the second pistol to her robes, while the older maid watched the injured attacker so he wouldn't escape.

Although the attackers had been overwhelmed by the sudden attack from the maids, Sumaci wasn't surprised. Of course, her husband wouldn't simply leave her without any guards in such a dangerous place. As part of their plan, they had managed to smuggle these two into the palace disguised as maids. Even though all foreign warriors had been denied entry, women simply weren't considered a threat by the locals.

In this regard, the new gunpowder weapons had changed much. With modern firearms, even physically weak women would be able to fight male warriors on a more even footing. Not only had Sumaci's two maids received professional training, these two had also been equipped with some of the most modern firearms in the world. Double-trigger, short-barreled pistols, easy to hide and deadly at close range. With two shots in one gun, they were especially useful in tight quarters with many enemies around.

The closed flash pan guaranteed that the gun could be carried around anywhere while loaded, while the new security lever prevented accidental discharges. They were perfect weapons for personal guards, and their existence had allowed Lady Tamaya to train an entirely new breed of secret troops for Saniya. The result of the effort were people like Llamka and Pukia.

With guards like this and the element of surprise on their side, they had been able to lure their enemies out of their holes unharmed. In fact, Sumaci hadn't just decided to visit the gardens on a whim. They had been walking around in public on purpose over the past few days. While Corco would risk his life at sea, trying to win a decisive battle against their foreign enemies, Sumaci was determined to do the same against their internal ones.

Although her husband had been against her plan to turn herself into bait, he wasn't here right now, and the results justified her decision. Now that the guards had done their work, it was time for the queen to do hers. Her maids were still trying to question the identity and purpose of the attackers, though the one survivor remained tight-lipped. Yet as far as Sumaci was concerned, there was no reason to question him at all.

“We already know why they are here,” she said as she walked up to the attackers.

“Careful, Queen! He is still dangerous,” Llamka stressed.

“Don't worry. They're not here to kill me. Just look.”

Sumaci pointed at the tools the two had dropped in the earlier struggle. While one of them had held a dagger, the other had come with ropes and bands of cloth. Their purpose was clear.

“They were trying to kidnap the queen?” Llamka guessed.

“Seems like it.” Sumaci nodded. “Had they come for an assassination, their actions would have been much different. Why come up to us from the front when they could just wait around a dark corner instead and surprise us? Had they come for the kill, their approach would have been too amateur.”

“But who would try to kidnap the princess? Wouldn't the colored kings want you dead instead?” Pukia asked. Curious, she pulled the panther mask off the man who was still alive. Although his face was pale and sweaty from pain, Sumaci still recognized him.

“I know him,” she said, to the shock of her maids. She, however, wasn't surprised one bit. “Though not by name, I have seen him before. He is one of Rasacopa's warriors, but not a member of the court.”

“Then what was their plan after the kidnapping? Were they bribed by the other kings? Or traitors from the start.”

“I don't think so. We haven't been on the island for long after all, and planning a move like this from the outside would take a long time, so I'm not sure the kings could have done this even if they wanted. The colored kings have no reason to target me anyways, do they? With me here, there's more parties fighting for power, and internal confusion only suits our enemies. Their masks are there to make us think that they were sent by the blue king, but I don't believe it for a second. It seems more likely that they were sent by someone on the island.”

In fact, Sumaci already knew who ordered the attack, but there was no advantage in saying it out loud, not quite yet. There were only so many people with motives to kidnap her, masks or not. All in all, the plan seemed poorly conceived, and the conclusions drawn were obvious. Though possibly, the masks were there to fool the local warriors, and not her. However, she didn't have time to consider these details. For now, there were more important things to do.

“We need to leave here first,” Llamka voiced Sumaci's thoughts once again. “Who knows how many more of these people have been prepared nearby. The noise from the fight might attract them soon.”

“Let's go,” Sumaci agreed.

“But what about them?” Puklla asked and pointed to the two attackers. “Won't we take them along for questioning?”

“Can you carry them without slowing us down?” Llamka asked back. “Time is of the essence. Let's move.”

“Leaving them may not be the worst idea,” Sumaci said, a shallow smile on her lips. If the assassins were to disappear in the middle of the palace, just what would happen then?

With that thought, Sumaci followed her two maids towards safety.