“W…why do I need to act like that… in front of people?!” Landevale protested.
Galahad sighed. “This is how Her Majesty acts. You need to be more confident, more otherworldly, more elegant, as if it’s your middle name. Not only that… a bit more playful, and nothing in your eyes but what you care about... Me.”
“H-how can I… uuugh…!” Landevale couldn’t hold back her embarrassment.
“Barge in at the most inconvenient time. Be the star of the show and steal it whenever necessary. That’s how she is. And I just need to begrudgingly let you, sigh, and sometimes contain you with embrace and sharp sarcasm,” Galahad said. “…Or a kiss.”
Landevale slumped on the office sofa, hiding her face behind her hands. “Stop… reminding me… that I need to kiss you eventually…! We've survived without kissing for days now…”
Galahad actually enjoyed this.
“Hmm… should I just let you be embarrassed and tease you all the time? Maybe it’s more believable if we're not actually acting…”
“Galahad!”
***
Yvain strolled back into the buffet area, his demeanor calm but with a hint of unease evident on his face.
Despite the recent commotion, he managed to flash a reassuring smile at the concerned guests, chatting amiably with them as he assured everyone that his mother was doing fine.
Blair, Matthew, and Alan kept close to him, their brows furrowed in wonder at how he could maintain such composure and speak so smoothly in the midst of the chaos. They exchanged glances, silently marveling at Yvain's ability to handle the situation with such grace and confidence.
One of the nobles couldn't help but notice how the four friends stuck together like glue, already establishing themselves as a group of gifted individuals.
He leaned in and whispered to his companions, "That's Matthew Padparadscha from a neutral giant power in Inkia. Alan Mossflower is with the Prime Minister's faction, and the girl is the First Prince's beloved sister."
Curious, another noble asked, "So, where does the Sator Merchant Group's allegiance lie?"
The first noble chuckled knowingly. "They are merchants, my friend. You think they can't be swayed with a bit of coin?"
"They're too big to be bought. Did you see Monsieur Sator and his Madam earlier? They seemed like dangerous people."
"I suppose you're right. You can't get that rich without tricks and bodies in your backyard..."
“But hanging around with these clearly faction coded individuals is…”
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“Right?”
Meanwhile, Nahwu left the buffet, grasping her temples and massaging them with her fingers. It had been a while since she could go home and meet her sister.
She felt a twinge of relief that Emperor Burn had decided to postpone the war with Inkia due to his new wife's illness. Thanks to that, the academy’s entrance test could be held successfully.
But well, she couldn’t go home these days because of it too.
It was a surprise to many that the Emperor even had a wife, but rumors suggested she became ill after an assassination attempt, rumored to be from Inkia. Was it just an excuse to wage war on Inkia, or had the attempt truly caused the illness?
While assassination was a drastic measure, Nahwu reasoned that if it prevented a war, perhaps it was justifiable. After all, the tyrannical Emperor had even consumed a merfolk and a unicorn!
But what if the assassin had targeted the wrong person, hitting the Emperor's wife instead? Despite her own doubts about the wife's character for marrying such a man, Nahwu couldn't shake the thought that perhaps the innocent woman suffered in the bid to stop the war.
As Nahwu's thoughts raced, she struggled to reconcile her conflicting emotions and the complex web of political intrigue unfolding before her.
She didn't want to think at all. The moment she thought and was proven wrong, she felt like banging her own head and starting over, but her pride prevented her from doing so.
"Your Highness! There you are," a voice called out. It was a young, beautiful woman wearing a professor's badge. "I've been trying to find you!"
"Miss Aborac," Nahwu smiled warmly. "I haven't seen you either!"
"Oh, well, you know. Just meetings with the board of Democratic Teachers. Ah, there are new curiosity products from our Outsiders Distributors! We've checked them out. Would you like to see?" she offered eagerly.
"Yes, indeed! Well, I've been planning to go home tomorrow. Perhaps I'll bring my sister some curious trinkets from various parts of the world," Nahwu responded thoughtfully.
Miss Aborac said, “Please follow me.”
As they walked and chatted, seamlessly, Miss Aborac slowly added, “Ah, come to think of it, we just heard another piece of information about that tyrant emperor from the west.”
“You mean Emperor Burn?” Nahwu asked.
“Yes. We heard that not only did he eat sentient creatures, but he also…” Miss Aborac whispered a couple of things to Nahwu.
Nahwu stopped in her tracks, fell silent, and tried to process the information. “How could… someone like that become the king, then? How could no one…”
“It’s hard for us to even comprehend… and that man is going to attack our Inkia... oh, how bleak the future of our generation…"
Miss Aborac smiled silently after observing Nahwu's expression. She subtly shifted the mood again. “Oh, Your Highness, please don’t carry too much weight from these worldly matters. You and the elven community will undoubtedly choose the right path, I am confident of that!”
“Of course we will!” Nahwu responded firmly.
“Indeed. It’s challenging to focus on politics and war while we are in the process of licensing the Vision Resonator for identifying talents in Vision Art,” Miss Aborac remarked.
“Talents? What do you mean? Vision is equal for everyone. It cannot be measured by talent,” Nahwu remarked with a tilt of her head.
Miss Aborac chuckled enthusiastically. “That’s why this is such a groundbreaking innovation! The Vision Resonator, theoretically, can even awaken individuals who have never delved into their soul before!”
Nahwu arched her eyebrows. “Really? I must inform my sister about this.”
Miss Aborac smiled. “It could potentially even aid a Vision user in becoming stronger, you know?”
“Wow…” Nahwu was left speechless. “Is something like that truly possible…?”
“Absolutely!”