Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 283

283.

“I’ll be staying here for the time being. I can’t leave my mate behind and return alone. I also have a personal debt to the Grand Duke, so I might be able to help end this war.”

“I appreciate the Crown Prince’s intentions, but I must decline. I have no intention of involving foreign powers in my country’s affairs.”

“Then you won’t inform my home country that I’m here. Because if I return home, I’ll bring the Carter’s army to protect my mate next time. I’m relieved.”

At the Crown Prince’s glib response, Isana and everyone watching were stunned. He used the excuse of not wanting to involve foreign powers to threaten them instead. Despite his stoic face, the Crown Prince was quite cunning. Isana rubbed his temples with a weary expression.

“Promise me you’ll stay within my sight. If you don’t keep this promise, I can’t allow you to stay here, no matter what you do.”

“Understood. Since Your Majesty has conceded, I’ll comply with that. I wouldn’t want a foreigner wandering around freely during these times.”

“Then our conversation is over. You may leave now, Crown Prince.”

The tense moment was over. When the Crown Prince rose from his seat, Asel and his group, who had been on pins and needles, let out long sighs. I, too, felt a great sense of relief. But my relief was premature. The Crown Prince wasn’t finished speaking.

“Ah.”

The Crown Prince, who was about to turn around, paused as if he had remembered something.

“By the way, Your Majesty, are you a spirit mage?”

* * *

The Crown Prince’s question, which had made my heart sink for a moment, ended surprisingly anticlimactically. The spirit mage Ferris, who was guarding Isana’s back, quickly stepped forward. “That Ciel is a spirit I summoned.” He smoothly resolved the situation, as if he had been preparing for this all along. When the Crown Prince remained suspicious, Ferris even summoned Ciel in front of him as if to prove his claim.

He couldn’t press further when a high-level spirit mage claimed responsibility. Isana simply maintained a composed smile from beginning to end, without taking any stance. It wasn’t that he cared if he was found out, but he had no intention of revealing the truth, which he hadn’t even told his allies, in such a manner. In the end, it was the Crown Prince who backed down.

“Asel, do you know about that spirit mage?”

“Judging by his appearance, he seems to be Baron Zelo, a spirit mage affiliated with the Imperial Family. But I heard he was a wind mage, so to think he was a water spirit mage. I must have been mistaken. Perhaps he mastered both.”

“Is that possible?”

“It’s possible if they have the talent. Spirit magic is largely determined by innate abilities.”

After the meeting broke up and the Crown Prince’s party left the audience chamber, they continued to murmur about that for a while. They retreated because they couldn’t find any counterarguments, but they didn’t seem to be completely convinced.

“Is there a possibility that Emperor Isana is also a spirit mage?”

“There was no information that Emperor Isana had learned spirit magic. If he were a high-level spirit mage, it would have been known long ago.”

“I see.”

“Yes. That’s what I know, but…”

“Is there something bothering you?”

“…There were strange energies around the Emperor. I feel similar energies from Lady Alisa and Baron Zelo, so it seems to be the energy of spirits. But since the Emperor was close to the Baron, it might just be the Baron’s power affecting him.”

“Hmm.”

The conversation was so interesting that I couldn’t help but eavesdrop. The strange energies that Asel felt were the natural spirits drawn to the spirit mage’s affinity. Ordinary people wouldn’t know, and even dragons couldn’t sense it, but as expected of someone with mystic eyes [eyes with the ability to perceive magical energies], he had an extraordinary ability to recognize it. Still, judging by the fact that he didn’t notice I was listening to their conversation, he didn’t seem to be as sensitive to presence as Sibelius. I watched the group continue their serious conversation for a while before turning back to Isana.

“They’re a group that’s going to be a nuisance in many ways. It seems like there will be many troublesome things in the future; aren’t they a hindrance to you?”

“To be honest, I don’t like it. But there’s nothing I can do when they act like that. I’ve heard that Crown Prince Laon Hwizen has a strong drive. It would be troublesome if I forcibly sent him back and he actually raised an army.”

“That Crown Prince is hopeless. To sincerely say he’ll move troops, he’s going too far.”

“That’s how desperate he is.”

Isana was calm. I thought he would be quite upset after being provoked so much, but he seemed surprisingly unfazed. Perhaps it’s because he has such a gentle nature. I thought to myself with a bitter feeling that he doesn’t get angry even in situations like this. Until I heard what he said next.

“He should consider that there are two more legitimate princes in the Carter’s Imperial Family besides him.”

“……”

When I looked at him with wide eyes, Isana was still smiling with a gentle expression. “Not all crown princes become emperors.” But the words he added this time were also meaningful. He’s very angry. I quietly revised my judgment of him.

“That person seems to have stopped by my hometown.”

At the small muttering, Isana and I turned our gazes to her. Alisa was looking at the Crown Prince with a complicated expression.

“Alisa.”

“I felt very strange when I met him. I thought the legend of the mate star was just a story Fallon made up. There have been many people who have shown interest in that legend, but no one on that side has ever been sure that I was their mate, right? But that person calls me his mate so naturally.”

“……”

“Shouldn’t I follow that person? Is that my destiny?”

At her anxious question, Isana replied in a firm tone.

“It’s not set in stone that you have to. I told you before, right? I’ll consider your wishes first and foremost. As long as I’m alive, no one can ignore or force your will. You just have to do what you want to do.”

“But… isn’t Isana suffering because of me?”

“No, you’re not. Even if I do suffer, it’s better than suffering from losing you.”

It was a reply that resonated more than any confession. Alisa’s eyes shook greatly, and her cheeks turned as red as rose petals. But the heartwarming atmosphere didn’t last long. The Crown Prince, who seemed to have read the situation, quickly approached and wedged himself between the two.

“I haven’t eaten anything since last night, so I’m hungry. Who should I ask to find out when breakfast is?”

He naturally blocked Isana and hid Alisa behind him in an instant. It was hard to find a gap in his graceful movements, like dancing. Isana’s brow furrowed slightly.

“…I didn’t consider that. I’ll have a meal brought to you soon, Crown Prince.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.”

Another intense electricity sparked between the two people smiling at each other. I had a feeling that I would be seeing this scene countless times in the future, and I was already sighing.

* * *

During the war, soldiers mainly stayed in barracks, and cooks were in charge of preparing meals. Even if they won the war, their daily lives didn’t change much. However, the command staff was a little different. When they visited a village or occupied a castle, they left the camp barracks and stayed in mansions. At this time, the food they ate was also prepared separately by the servants working there. They were currently occupying the castle, so the command staff was staying inside. The Crown Prince and his party, who had joined as honored guests, were also inside the castle. Was that why? When I appeared with a mobile tray full of food, Asel and his party couldn’t hide their surprised expressions.

“It’s breakfast. Enjoy your meal. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Ah, th, thank you. Um, but who are you…”

“Huh? Oh, that’s right, we didn’t properly introduce ourselves, did we? I’m El.”

“Ah, yes, yes. El…-nim [formal suffix].”

“Just call me El. I’m sorry I pretended to be Alisa in the village. I just left it as it was when I was misunderstood by the Grand Duke’s army, but I didn’t expect there would be people trying to find me because of that.”

“Ah, no. We didn’t properly investigate either… Th, that’s right, I was too flustered yesterday to greet you. Thank you for helping His Highness the Crown Prince. Um, yes, so… thank you very much.”

Asel, who was giving his thanks in a rambling manner, looked embarrassingly nervous. A man named Serium, who seemed quite cheerful, also kept his mouth shut like a clam and kept looking down at the floor. The other two couldn’t even make eye contact with me. All of them had faces full of things they wanted to say. It was so obvious what it was that I pretended not to know. I could have ended the conversation here and turned around, but I just stared at them intently. I was curious to see how they would react.

“Excuse me…”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Th, you seem to be a vassal of His Majesty the Emperor… Do you do this kind of thing yourself?”

In the end, Asel didn’t dare to take the plunge and changed the subject. I could clearly see him sighing as he asked the question, which made me laugh. Judging by how careful he was, they didn’t seem like the type to cause trouble easily. I became more generous in my view of them.

“Rather than a vassal, I’m more like a colleague. Well, let’s just say it’s roughly the same. But what do you mean by this kind of thing?”

“I mean bringing food. There should be servants who do this kind of thing…”

“Ah, I’m the most free at this time.”

I replied casually. Mealtime, which the soldiers looked forward to the most, was the most difficult time for me. I couldn’t really join the people and eat, and it would be strange to just stand there. I could sneak away once or twice, but I couldn’t leave every time. So at this time, I deliberately wandered around and helped with various things. If I hung around the kitchen or helped with serving, I would be recognized as having eaten with the people.

“Even so…”

“I’m doing it because I want to; is there a problem with that?”

“…It’s nothing. Um, does His Majesty the Emperor not eat with you?”

“Ah, Isana… His Majesty has gone down to the camp. He’ll eat with the soldiers there.”

It had already become a daily routine here, but I couldn’t just call the Emperor’s name in front of people from another country, so I quickly corrected myself. Fortunately, Asel and his party didn’t seem to pay much attention to the honorifics, as they were focused on the content I was conveying. They looked at each other with bewildered faces.

“Is His Majesty the Emperor eating outside with the soldiers? The food must be too rough for the Emperor to eat…”

“His Majesty isn’t picky about food. Even if he were, he’s not the type to refuse to eat the food the soldiers eat because it’s rough.”

“…I see.”

“Unfortunately, please tell His Highness the Crown Prince that I’m sorry I can’t eat with him.”

“Um, I understand. I’ll tell him that.”

After nodding with a dazed expression, Asel carefully took the tray. But he didn’t go in right away and hesitated, turning back to me.

“Um…”

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

“What are you… Um, never mind. By any chance, the red-haired man I saw with you at the audience time, is he the same person I saw in the village yesterday?”

“Yesterday? Ah, are you talking about Sibelius? Hey, no. The two look completely different; why would you misunderstand?”

“Ah, I see. He was wearing a hood, so I couldn’t see his face.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“El!”

As if he couldn’t be a gentleman, I heard a familiar voice calling me at that moment. When I turned around, Sibelius was waving his hand greatly and approaching. “Sibelius is coming over there now.” When I told him with a smile, Asel and his party looked in unison and then wore surprised expressions. I soon found out the reason.

“E, an elf?”

“And that skin color is…”

Their shocked gazes scanned Sibelius’s snow-white silver hair, bluish skin, and ears that were clearly different from those of humans. They didn’t believe the claim that he was a unicorn, but they didn’t think he wasn’t human either. Everyone had a flustered expression, but Asel’s expression was the most complicated.

Sibelius, who had quickly gotten closer, must have seen that reaction. But he didn’t seem to care at all. He didn’t even look at Asel and his party, as if no one was there. He was originally shy, but now he felt like he was consciously ignoring them even more.

“El, you were here. Try this.”

“Huh? Try what?”

I was taken aback when he suddenly held out a rather large glass cup. It was filled with a shimmering liquid.

“Juice?”

“It’s my masterpiece. Try it. You’ll like it.”

“Did you make it just for me?”

“Of course.”

Sibelius had been immersed in cooking research lately, perhaps feeling challenged by me dodging him every meal. I told him not to, but he insisted on bringing the finished product. I wanted to applaud his determination.

“I’m telling you, you don’t have to do that. It’s useless anyway.”

“Don’t say that. I’ve staked my life on this drink.”

“Why would you stake your life on something so useless… um?”

I tried it without thinking, and it was better than I thought. The moment I held it in my mouth, it felt like a sweet sensation filled my mouth. I don’t know how long it’s been since I directly felt ‘sweet’ without analyzing and recognizing the taste with my head. But the sensation that actually touched my tongue was nothing; it was closer to just water. I opened my eyes wide in surprise, and Sibelius wore a proud expression.

“It’s good, right?”

“What did you do?”

“Water isn’t burdensome to drink, right? So I introduced a method of using the sense of smell. I made spices that give off vanilla and chocolate scents. It’s a so-called ‘taste’ that you eat with your nose.”

Come to think of it, I heard that stimulating the sense of smell can create the effect of actually feeling the taste. Acuadon, especially the Swalt Empire, doesn’t have a well-developed spice industry, so there are few cooking methods that emphasize fragrance. Sibelius had made a very innovative development.

“Amazing, Sibyl. Are there other flavors?”

“Did you like it? I’m glad. I’m going to develop other flavors one by one from now on.”

It’s essentially water, but it can create the effect of feeling the taste. I could say with certainty that there was no ‘food’ more suitable for my constitution than this. It was more than just joy; it was touching. I was so excited that I forgot for a moment that there were other people around me. We were chatting and joking around when a long shadow fell in front of us. When I looked up, Asel was standing there with a stiff face. The other members had disappeared somewhere, probably having gone to the Crown Prince.