When the possibility flashed across her mind, Diancie's little face instantly turned pale.
"You lied to me!"
She snapped her gaze toward Cogita, fiercely accusing her.
She could clearly recognize that the diamond inside the box was indeed the one she'd given to Cogita before.
But...
Never had she imagined that the diamond would become like this.
And Elias, who had been inside it, was nowhere to be found.
She felt as if she'd been deceived by Cogita.
This witch-like human—maybe from the very beginning her true aim had been to sacrifice Elias for her own benefit.
And Diancie's actions over the past century—restraining herself from seeing Elias—had actually provided favorable conditions for Cogita.
Thinking of this, Diancie felt both panicked and furious.
Raising her hand, she prepared to unleash a Diamond Storm at Cogita.
Seeing Diancie frightened like this, Cogita's previously foul mood from being disturbed improved significantly.
"That isn't Elias."
Before Diancie could attack, she spoke calmly.
"You're still lying!"
Seeing that Cogita was still trying to deceive her, Diancie grew even angrier.
She'd wanted to immediately defeat Cogita and force her to reveal Elias's whereabouts.
But seeing Cogita's composed expression, she grudgingly restrained her anger, holding back her attack.
"What else do you have to say?"
She locked her gaze onto Cogita, coldly asking.
Cogita only smiled faintly and said nothing.
Seeing her question ignored, Diancie's patience began wearing thin.
Just as she lost her restraint and prepared to take the next step—
A soft, cool hand suddenly covered her eyes.
Diancie instantly froze, instinctively struggling at first.
But the familiar feeling made her abruptly halt her movements.
Her small mouth opened slightly, and her brain momentarily crashed.
Although the person behind her said nothing, she immediately recognized who it was.
Only...
Diancie herself could scarcely believe it.
Her earlier anger vanished instantly, replaced by tension and anxiety.
"E-Elias?"
She cautiously called out.
A short while later, Diancie sat nervously and uneasily in a chair.
Nearby, Cogita had already picked up her chopsticks again, casually resuming the dinner Elias had made.
To the side, Elias helplessly glanced at Cogita.
He hadn't exactly approved of Cogita bullying Diancie earlier, but unfortunately, the threats she'd whispered before opening the door had been terrifying…
Luckily, Cogita hadn't gone too far…
With some reassurance, Diancie's emotions had basically stabilized by now.
But compared to Cogita's teasing, what truly left Diancie unsettled was Elias's attitude.
Next to him, Diancie nervously swallowed, anxiously rubbing her small hands together.
She hadn't expected Elias to awaken so soon.
The anger she previously felt toward Cogita had completely transformed into gratitude.
If it hadn't been for her, perhaps Diancie would never have seen Elias again—even until her life ended.
Just being able to see him again had filled her with indescribable excitement.
But at the same time…
Remembering how she'd once hurt Elias, Diancie couldn't help feeling waves of guilt rising inside her.
"Elias..."
After hesitating, she called softly.
"Hmm?"
Hearing her, Elias replied gently.
From Diancie's expression, he'd already guessed what she wanted to say next.
Sure enough…
A second later, Diancie continued:
"Elias... um… I-I'm sorry."
She lowered her head, apologizing quietly.
Although from Elias's gentle demeanor earlier, it seemed he didn't blame her, she still didn't dare meet his eyes.
What if Elias didn't accept her apology?
Hearing the anticipated words, Elias softly chuckled.
Nearby, Cogita casually glanced at Diancie.
She didn't exactly have warm feelings toward this Pokémon who often competed with her for Elias.
But Diancie did genuinely care about him.
Probably because she'd never had friends among her own kind, Cogita guessed inwardly.
"I never blamed you."
Elias gently comforted her.
Not to mention, Diancie hadn't harmed him intentionally back then. Besides, those few years hadn't truly affected him much.
Moreover…
Diancie's pitiful appearance made it impossible to reproach her further.
"The effort you made back then actually helped a lot."
Elias continued reassuringly.
Hearing Elias's gentle voice, Diancie felt the anxiety in her heart gradually easing.
"Really?"
She pursed her lips, softly asking.
In truth, she clearly understood Elias was just comforting her.
After all, whether her past efforts had truly helped—no one knew better than herself.
Yet, he'd said it anyway, just to ease her guilt.
Realizing this, Diancie felt warmth blossom inside her.
Elias is so kind…
Even though so much time had passed, the feeling he gave her hadn't changed one bit.
She couldn't help raising her head, gazing toward him.
Nearby, Elias heard her question and was just about to nod and speak again when suddenly—
He felt a gentle weight against him.
Diancie had thrown herself into his arms.
Her aggrieved appearance was exactly the same as it had always been.
Strictly speaking, given Diancie's current age, she was indeed still quite young among mineral Pokémon.
He helplessly wrapped his arms around her to prevent Diancie from falling.
"You're not allowed to do dangerous things behind my back anymore."
Diancie muttered into his chest.
When she'd heard Elias had fallen into a deep sleep back then, she'd been so anxious she hadn't slept for several nights.
That suffocating agony—she never wanted to experience it again.
Hearing her, Elias softly hummed in agreement.
"Mhm, don't worry."
He answered sincerely.
At the same time, Diancie's words reminded him of Dianna.
He wondered how Her Highness was doing now, after he'd healed her injuries.
At the dining table, Cogita wore an extremely sour expression.
She could barely endure Diancie hugging Elias right in front of her face.
After all, the Pokémon hadn't seen him in ages...
But!
When this annoying Pokémon discovered the meal had been prepared by Elias, she actually performed an instant face-change on the spot.
Diancie, who previously showed utter disdain toward human food, immediately demanded several bowls for herself.
Elias clearly made this for me!