Thierry strode close to me and kindly pulled out a chair for me. Only after carefully pushing the chair forward to make it easier for me to sit did he belatedly go and sit in the seat opposite me.
“I will do it.”
Furthermore, he even rang a bell to order the meal to be prepared, exuding a noticeably gentle aura. That was uncharacteristic of him, as acting without notice was his daily routine!
'No, what on earth is this atmosphere...'
I straightened my back, trying hard to hide my bewildered feelings. I fidgeted with my hands resting on my lap and gazed strangely at his face, which looked noticeably happy.
"You went home early yesterday. Are you okay?"
Thierry gazed intently at me with a faint smile, then spoke in a low voice. For a moment, I held back the urge to rub my eyes. His voice was so soft that his red eyes, which usually held an unapproachable heat, looked strangely warm today.
"Yes. It’s just that it was my first time at a party and I didn’t know anyone there, so it was a little awkward."
"That's right. It was the first time. I hadn't thought of that."
"Ah. But it was good! Enough to make me feel excited."
"Then, shall I throw parties often?"
"Yes?!"
"If you attend consistently, even just a little bit at a time, you'll get to know the people. Eventually, you might make acquaintances here and be able to enjoy life in this place."
Is it really necessary to go to such lengths? For some reason, Thierry's words felt like he wanted me to settle down here.
"...Thank you for your consideration, but you really didn't have to go that far. I am perfectly satisfied with my life right now."
"But you're mostly alone. Are you feeling self-conscious? If there's anyone you'd like to meet, feel free to call."
I clamped my mouth shut for a moment at his behavior, as he kept adding words like someone desperate to do something for me. I didn't know who on earth he was telling me to meet with such words, but it was because Silvia, whom I had run into yesterday, suddenly came to mind.
"There is?"
Thierry immediately noticed my expression.
"Ah... No, it’s not."
"Princess. Don't be shy, speak freely."
Sensing keenly that I was hesitating, he leaned toward me with the attitude that he would not back down until I spoke.
"I heard you occasionally run into the sous chef I introduced you to before. Instead of just exchanging brief greetings, why don't you take this opportunity to invite her over and spend some comfortable time together? Oh, or maybe there was someone nice among those you greeted yesterday?"
I opened my eyes wide at the question that burst out as if it had been waiting for this moment. I had expected that a report would naturally be filed since I’ve been hanging out with Oscar, but I didn’t expect him to go out of his way to mention Maud first like this.
I nodded slowly. I thought it would be better to talk about Sylvia, whom I met yesterday, rather than Maud for now.
"I exchange greetings with the sous chef when we run into each other, but it’s not really worth going out of my way to invite someone so busy just to spend time together. I’ll do that later if I feel like it."
"Ah... really?"
"Yes. However, rather than the sous chef, there is one person I briefly greeted yesterday whom I would like to speak with separately."
"Really? Who is that?"
Before I knew it, Thierry was resting his chin on one hand and looking at me at an angle. His intense gaze was quite burdensome, so I rolled my eyes unnecessarily and answered a beat late.
"Princess Joubert. She seemed like a decent person."
"Really? What did you like about her?"
"Ah. We only exchanged brief greetings, but I got the feeling that we would get along better than I expected."
"You can feel that just from a greeting?"
"Because there is usually such a thing as a first impression."
"Then what about me?"
...Are you really asking because you don't know?
For a moment, I thought time had stopped. As sudden silence descended, Thierry and I stared at each other without even blinking.
"..."
"..."
It was a silence that felt like a long time, even though it was really short.
The only saving grace was that Thierry was the first to look away. He slowly turned his head to the side, keeping his chin resting on his hand, and covered half his face with his large hand.
At first glance, it seemed like just a languid gesture, but for some reason, it felt like he was feeling embarrassed, so I couldn't take my eyes off him for a moment.
"No. You don't have to say anything."
Soon, he looked out the window and spoke in a low voice. The sunlight scattered like glittering powder on his beautiful day.
"Call me if you want."
“Ah! Is that okay?”
"Yeah, Princess, do whatever you want. Make sure to tell me if anything is uncomfortable or bothers you."
"Thank you! It’s my first time inviting someone, so I feel a bit strange."
I filtered out the rest of the conversation and greeted him brightly. Thierry's long eyelashes twitched slightly, and his red eyes turned toward me.
“...Is this your first time?”
"Yes. Life in Ashtad wasn't much different from now. Since I hadn't been awake for long, the only people I knew were my family, and because recovering was my priority before doing anything right away, I mostly just stayed in my room."
Thierry took his chin off his hand and soon leaned languidly back against the chair. His gaze, which had been staring blankly into the air with his head tilted as if displeased with something, met mine again.
"A gift arrived from the Kingdom."
“My gift?”
"Yes. It will be delivered to the Princess by tomorrow at the latest. We are only inspecting for any dangerous items as a matter of procedure, so we will bring everything back without any issues."
A gift! What on earth could they have sent? It was a story that really opened my eyes. Since it is completely mine to use comfortably here without feeling self-conscious, I was hoping for a lot of expensive items...
I was already worried about Maud gathering various information at her own expense, so I wanted to help her in any way I could at a time like this.
I nodded vigorously with excitement. I resolved not to step a single step out of my room today and to wait anxiously for the gift day and night.
"And invite me over tonight."
"Yes?"
But suddenly, cold water was thrown over my good mood. We did have dinner together occasionally, but asking to be invited? Did I understand that correctly? What on earth is going on?
"I would really appreciate it if you could send me a formal invitation."
"... Yes?"
Even listening back and forth, I can't quite make sense of it. An invitation all of a sudden? It’s not like we’ve had dinner together just once or twice, so why the sudden fuss?
I was jolted awake by my actions of just blinking my eyes with my mouth open and then suddenly standing up from my seat.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean by an invitation?"
I couldn't tell if I had eaten something bad, or if today was some kind of special day.
My mind was a mess, and I was just about to ask him again. With unbelievable timing, a knock echoed through the room the moment I spoke.
Even though Thierry saw my bewildered reaction, he showed absolutely no intention of explaining things kindly. On the contrary, he even flashed his eyes wide for the first time in a while and delivered another unkind announcement.
"I don't like the second one. Make sure you send me the first invitation."
To think I thought he was being nice just because he pulled out a chair. I really am something... What on earth am I supposed to do about that fickleness? Ah, I guess Thierry really is going through a late-onset puberty.
***
Under the clear sunlight, ripples on the blue lake sparkled like gold. The silhouettes of two people were faintly reflected on the water, which seemed as though no one would ever come here, given that it was deep in the forest.
"I have included it in the gifts from Ashtad's side. Although they said they would inspect it, it is clear that it will be recognized as a jewel, so it will reach the Princess without any issues."
The man wearing a black hooded cape spoke stiffly. At his words, which had a rigid tone, the man in the brown cape, who had been quietly looking down at the lake, slowly took off his hood and opened his mouth.
“Is that so?”
The sound of the bushes swaying as if dancing in the strong wind enveloped all the noise. The man slowly swept back his slightly disheveled brown hair, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
"But will it be alright? I am worried that the Emperor might not let the Princess go even if something happens to her."
As the black cloak also took off its hood, the silver hair, like a ball of yarn, came loose, revealing the pointed tips of the ears. The brown-haired man moved only his eyes slightly and stared for a moment at the ears, which could be considered a mark of a pure-blooded elf.
"...If the Emperor has watched over her all this time, he would have no choice but to let the Princess go."
The man frowned as if he found it unpleasant, even though he was the one saying it.
Originally, they were supposed to bring the Princess to the elf village under the pretext of healing her body for King Ashtad. Although they had absolutely no direct contact other than distributing a certain amount of magic stones at a designated location whenever a new King ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Ashtad, the elves needed the Princess's body at the moment. Therefore, they were even prepared to reveal themselves to the King for the first time.
But who would have thought that the Princess would be dragged all the way to the Podia Empire because of the Emperor's unpredictable behavior? Moreover, the Emperor, whom they had expected to simply take her and abandon her, even took care of her himself. Such devotion from the Emperor gradually gnawed at the brown-haired man.
"How dare that insignificant thing covet someone."
The brown-haired man muttered ominously, as if to say that the Emperor's behavior of displaying stale emotions was more irritating than what had complicated the whole situation.
Unable to watch any longer, he ignored the elves who were protesting against the unreasonable emotions and secretly mixed magic stones into the gifts without the knowledge of the Kingdom of Ashtad. If something goes wrong with the Princess due to the magic stones, the Emperor will surely try to resolve it.
If the Emperor were to reach out to the Kingdom of Ashtad while searching for a solution, it was clear that the King of Ashtad would immediately recognize the symptoms and request extradition.
Then, if he went to rescue the Princess who was suffering in the kingdom, everything would be perfect.
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