kscans

Chapter 16 - Final Curtain

A play titled Princess Koto is currently enjoying explosive popularity in the royal capital. The play began in Regis, and its reputation spread like wildfire, leading to performances in the capital. While there are many theaters in the capital, Princess Koto is being performed at a playhouse that even commoners can afford with a little effort. From the very first day, bolstered by advance praise, the venue was so packed there was only standing room.

The play's plot is, in some ways, a well-worn tragedy, but there was a reason for its feverish popularity. The fact that it began in Regis was also significant.

The play's main characters—Princess Koto, the Prince, and the Handmaiden—are all based on real people.

It all began when a woman sought to purchase a wedding gown in the town of Regis. She said money was no object, but she needed the finest wedding gown in the country made in about twenty days. The woman, the bride's handmaiden, made the request at one of Regis's most reputable shops. Wedding gowns fit for noblewomen often feature intricate embroidery, and the more magnificent the embroidery, the better, so production usually takes at least a month. The twenty-day deadline was tight, but the shopkeeper enthusiastically accepted the commission.

However, a major problem soon became apparent. The handmaiden said it was impossible to take the bride's measurements. The seamstresses argued that taking detailed measurements directly from the bride-to-be was essential for the finest gown in the country, but the handmaiden wouldn't budge, insisting she would take them herself. As the seamstresses persisted, explaining that precise measurements required technical skill, the handmaiden reluctantly explained why the bride could not be met in person.

Making the seamstresses promise to tell no one, the handmaiden recounted the tragic love story of Prince Ebalt and the princess, the last scion of the former king. She explained that the wedding gown was something the prince desperately wished for the princess to wear at her funeral. She assured them that they need not worry about the cost, only that they finish it in twenty days. The handmaiden then handed over the black mourning dress the princess had worn, asking them to use it as a reference since it had fit the princess perfectly.

As an aside, royal funerals are rarely held immediately after death. It is most often the case that they take place after various political "processes" are concluded. A family with special preservation techniques serves the royal house, and they can typically maintain a person's living appearance for about a month. The handmaiden's twenty-day deadline was likely based on this knowledge.

Now, as it happened, one of the seamstresses in the shop recognized the mourning dress. A young nobleman on horseback, with a girl in a mourning dress riding held in his embrace, was an unusual enough sight to have drawn considerable attention.

The handmaiden had asked for secrecy, but the seamstresses could not hold their tongues. They wept for the pitiful princess and, as one, tailored a magnificent wedding gown. But they simply could not keep from sharing this incredibly rare experience, this fairytale-like tragedy. What's more, with an actual witness who had seen the two, the rumor spread like wildfire and was accepted as truth. As the rumor spread, more stories emerged—someone else claiming to have seen the couple, another claiming they had eaten Three-Grain Porridge at their diner—which only added to the rumor's credibility.

And so, a playwright who heard the rumor wrote a script for a play. The playwright boasted that he had heard the story directly from the handmaiden and had reproduced it as faithfully as possible. Of course, he'd made subtle changes to avoid being charged with lèse-majesté, but he claimed the beginning and end of their story were almost entirely intact.

It was impossible for this not to become a sensation. The moment performances began, Princess Koto became an explosive hit.

Everyone who saw the play left with red-rimmed eyes, talking about its heart-wrenching story. The people of Regis took pride in their town, where the two had enjoyed their first and last date, and popularity for Prince Ebalt—Prince Sieg—and for His Majesty the King, who had shown mercy to Princess Koto—the former princess—began to steadily grow.

And it didn't take long for this to spread to the capital. Many merchants from the capital came to Regis to buy goods. These trend-sensitive merchants quickly spread the rumor in the capital as well. Princess Koto began to catch on among the people of the capital even before performances began. The light pink dress that Prince Sieg had recommended for Princess Koto sold out in an instant, and couples could be seen everywhere, affectionately sharing Three-Grain Porridge in diners.

Then the performances began in the capital. Just as the play's reputation grew among the nobility and a run at the Royal Theater was decided, the death of the princess of the old royal family was officially announced. What's more, the chief mourner was said to be Prince Ebalt. The story of Princess Koto was now firmly established among the common people as undeniable truth.

It was the same in the neighboring country. The story of Princess Koto, spread by merchants, had become popular there as well. After all, the model for Princess Koto was a princess with ties to their own country. Furthermore, Princess Koto's mother, called the Queen of the Koto in the play, was a princess from the neighboring country's royal line, and many people remembered that she, too, had been called Princess Koto before her marriage. It was only natural they felt a certain familiarity.

Princess Angelica's funeral was a solemn affair, befitting royalty. A great crowd of citizens gathered in the square of the cathedral where the funeral was held, and when the requiem bell tolled, sobs could be heard from all corners of the square.

When the coffin was carried out, the people lined the streets to the royal tomb so densely there wasn't an inch of space, tearfully throwing tribute flowers and calling out, "May you find happiness in the next life."

After the burial at the tomb, in an unprecedented act, Prince Ebalt returned to the cathedral square and stood before the people who were still praying for Princess Angelica's soul.

"I wish to thank all of you who have gathered and shed tears for my most beloved, Princess Angelica. As you all know from the story of Princess Koto, Princess Angelica was a peerless master of the koto and a gentle person, as pure as the driven snow. I do not believe I will ever meet another woman as wonderful as she was."

The square fell silent as the prince began to speak. It was unheard of for a member of the royal family to speak directly to the people at such close proximity, but even the royal guards remained silent, not stopping the prince.

In that silence, bathed in the almost painful gaze of the people, the prince took a deep breath. Then he spoke again.

"There is something not told in the story of Princess Koto that I want you all to hear. Angelica was deeply pained that her father had tormented and oppressed all of you. As a penance, she never wore anything but mourning clothes her entire life, lived without any luxury, and ate only Three-Grain Porridge."

The prince's words echoed clearly across the silent square. This was not about Princess Koto, but about the daughter of the foolish king who had oppressed them. The people listened intently, wanting to know the truth.

"Angelica died in my arms, thinking of all of you, of the people. There could be no princess as noble and kind-hearted as Angelica. At the end, before she drew her last breath, she said this to me: ‘Please, become a wise king who will lead the people to happiness.’"

The people, swept up in this grand drama, were moved to tears by the devoted princess's last words. As sobs began to rise, the prince raised his voice even louder and continued.

"I am still immature, and my father is in good health. So, I believe it will be some time before I become king. Nevertheless, on this day, the day I have sent Angelica to the kingdom of heaven, I want to make a vow to you all!"

He then looked out over the square, as if to see each and every citizen.

"I swear that I will one day become a great king, just as Angelica wished! Please, I ask you all to watch over me until that day! And to make this a good country, I ask you to lend me your strength!"

Tears welled up in the prince's eyes as he appealed to the people.

And the people, weeping, cried out.

"Long live Prince Ebalt! Long live Princess Angelica!"

The voices praising the two echoed throughout the capital, and with that, one curtain fell on a scene of deep emotion.

From that day on, the king was rarely derided among the people as the Decapitating King. And Prince Ebalt, as the face of the royal family, gained the overwhelming support of the people.

As if propelled by this, six months later, Prince Ebalt was officially named Crown Prince.

In the neighboring country, a young woman appeared for a time claiming to be the true princess of the old royal family, causing a stir by presenting a harp bearing the old royal crest as proof, but she was soon forgotten by the people. No one believed her story. The marchioness who had introduced the girl to the king as the princess of the old royal family lost face and vanished from high society. Shortly thereafter, the marchioness was divorced, and her father, a wealthy merchant, lost his credibility and quickly went bankrupt. Their whereabouts are now unknown.

The handmaiden who heard of this outcome quietly took her own life one year after her mistress.

Prince Ebalt later took as his wife the daughter of a nobleman who sincerely loved the story of Princess Koto, and they were blessed with one son and three daughters. And just as he had declared to the people, he continued his tireless efforts, not only seeking the teachings of the wise but also listening widely to the voices of the people, and became a humble and thoughtful Wise King.

He laid the foundation for the golden age of the Dindrion Royal Family, a period that would become renowned in later history.