Chapter Text
If there was ever a competition for the least-liked ruler in Earthbread, Lady Azure of the Blueberry duchy would surely be the uncontested first place.
Ten years ago, the disappearance of the Duke of Knowledge left the Blueberry duchy in chaos. To make matters worse, an attack from Lord Silent Salt of the Black Salt Flatlands would spur the continents of Crispia and Beast-Yeast into a terrible war. For almost three years, the Blueberry duchy was left without a leader in the middle of a severe global conflict, with seemingly no hope in sight.
Finally, after the defeat of Silent Salt at the hands of White Lily Cookie, harmony was restored to the world. At the same time, the vacancy in the Blueberry duchy would finally be filled, as Lady Azure stepped forward as the heir recognized by the souljam.
But the citizens of the duchy would find their new ruler to be far from what they’d hoped for. While the Duke of Knowledge shared the power of his souljam with the masses, spreading his grace and blessings to all as the “Bringer of Miracles,” the Lady kept the souljam to herself, raising rumors that she’d been hoarding its power in greed. Surrounded by whispers of conspiracies and with a spiteful personality as well, the new de-facto ruler of the Blueberry duchy was hardly popular among her subjects.
How ironic it was, then, that the one she was engaged to was the exact opposite.
Prince Pure Vanilla of the Vanilla Kingdom was well-loved by his citizens, and the rest of Earthbread as well. He was a charismatic ruler; though not as skillful with the souljam as the Duke, he did whatever he could to satisfy the wishes of his subjects. He was also a romantic, constantly dreaming of fairytale romances and foolish notions like “true love.” Unfortunately, as one of the wielders of the souljam of knowledge, Pure Vanilla was bound to his counterpart, and naturally the two were engaged.
The arrangement of a marriage between the two guardians of a souljam was no surprise. After all, the other guardians had managed to find mutual agreement–and in some cases, affection. Of course, this was hardly the case with the wielders of knowledge. Poor Prince Vanilla was shoehorned into a fake relationship to fulfill a duty he never even asked for, a tragic victim waiting to be saved from the evil beast eyeing his souljam.
On the other hand, Lady Azure didn’t mind this arrangement too much. Being engaged to someone as idealistic as Pure Vanilla meant that their relationship could be extremely volatile, but luckily for Lady Azure, Pure Vanilla’s actions were very predictable. Pitiful soul he was, it was remarkably easy to manipulate his moping in ways that benefited Lady Azure. After all, the two of them were bound by the same duties, but only Lady Azure knew how to pull the strings that controlled them both.
Yes, this was how the villainous Lady Azure would take control of her territory, her souljam, and her destiny. This was how she, a mere puppet, would become the scriptwriter instead!
Or maybe not.
“Milady, would you grace me with your presence this weekend?”
Pure Vanilla Cookie, the fiancé that was supposed to despise Lady Azure, was currently kneeling in front of her with a massive bouquet of the tackiest flowers Lady Azure had ever seen.
In the middle of the street. Whilst surrounded by civilians.
“I’m gracing you with my presence now, aren’t I? Now get up, do you want to be on the front page of every newspaper in the continent tomorrow?!” Lady Azure angrily whispered as she forcibly pulled her fiancé up from the ground.
Pure Vanilla frowned. “It’s not the same. I had to align our schedules so I could encounter you today. I want to arrange a moment where we could get to know each other more. A… date, if you will.”
Lady Azure could feel a headache incoming as she stared at the prince’s brainless grin.
This behavior was highly unusual for her fiancé. Up until about a month ago, Pure Vanilla had seldom even talked to her, let alone made such… extravagant gestures. As if a flip had switched, Pure Vanilla began expressing a deep affection for Lady Azure, courting her with grand actions that puzzled even his closest friends.
Although it was admittedly entertaining to watch Prince Vanilla flounder around for her attention, Lady Azure had an image to uphold! The Lady of the Blueberry Duchy needed to be cold and cruel, an elegant but prickly rose only meant to be admired from afar. She was a mastermind, the puppeteer bringing forth her nefarious plans, not the protagonist of frivolous table gossip!
She had to put an end to Pure Vanilla’s strange actions before the reputation she’d carefully crafted in the past seven years all went to waste. Though at the same time, she needed to navigate carefully, as any one misstep could spell the end of their engagement.
Better to be married to an idiot with her souljam than to be single without it.
So there was no better choice than to go along with Pure Vanilla’s foolishness.
There was absolutely no part of her that was just a little bit curious as to what Pure Vanilla was up to.
“Fine, fine, fine! I’ll humor you, just this once,” Lady Azure whispered in exasperation. “But mark my words, if you try this idiotic performance again, I’m teleporting you straight into the Yogurt River.”
Perhaps she could leverage this change for her own good. Fools blinded by emotion are easier to manipulate, after all. Or maybe she was just trying to justify why she was entertaining this farce.
Pure Vanilla’s eyes lit up with a sickening glow. “Really?”
“I can still take it back.”
“No, don’t! I promise you’ll enjoy it,” he said. “Thank you, milady! Then… I’ll come for you on Saturday morning.”
Lady Azure thought about the premise of a gaudy Vanillian carriage barreling straight through the most populated streets of her territory, announcing that their dearly despised pseudo-duchess was going on a date. “Ugh, no need. I can get there on my own.”
“Alright, then…” The prince’s puppy dog eyes became noticeably more disappointed, but he quickly shook himself back to his previous state. “In that case, I’ll meet you at the Grand Waffle Market!”
After pestering Lady Azure with many more confirmations of the time, date, and place of their meeting, Pure Vanilla Cookie was finally forced to return to his kingdom by the cycle of day.
And so, two days later, Lady Azure found herself in a dingy wooden carriage, barreling through the streets of the Vanilla Kingdom.
Black Sapphire had initially objected to her usage of the carriage, citing that a commoner’s transport was unsuited for a cookie of her caliber. But traveling from the duchy to the kingdom in a violently blueberry-themed carriage accomplished exactly what Lady Azure was trying not to. After the hundredth bump in the road that sent her into the air, Lady Azure debated just opening a portal and hopping over to her destination.
No, that would be too difficult in her current state. She’d probably lose whatever was left of her ladylike poise zipping through the Other Realm, and then arrive at her date in the middle of a bustling market looking like she was attacked by a tornado on the way there. As if she hadn’t embarrassed herself enough this month.
Well, whatever. At least she would have some time to collect her thoughts in the carriage. Thoughts about her souljam, thoughts about her duchy…
Thoughts about what affliction of the head Pure Vanilla’s gotten.
While he was acting like a rooster trying to court a hen, Lady Azure knew better than to underestimate her “other half.” Pure Vanilla had the same powers as she did, though he seemed unaware of how to use it to its fullest. It would only take time before he posed a significant threat to her plans.
If they ever were to meet on opposing sides in the future, Lady Azure could not guarantee her own victory. Which is precisely why she needed Prince Vanilla on her side, no matter what. Even so, Pure Vanilla’s sudden switch-up was highly suspicious, even if he was too kind of a soul to even think about deceiving others.
Not to mention the other parties that could oppose her. White Lily was the biggest issue; after defeating Silent Salt she had full control over the power of Solidarity. And if the other rulers of Beast-Yeast chose to be domesticated by their Crispian counterparts, Lady Azure would have to face them as well. The lack of a contingency plan against these threats was concerning, but Pure Vanilla’s recent change could be just what Lady Azure needed.
Perhaps he had hit his head, or fallen under a spell. In any case, it was an opportunity that Lady Azure could not pass on. This was her chance to finally get her hands on the souljam she’s coveted for the past decade.
She could not afford to lose it.