Over the next few days, Shichen often took Emilia to the village to play with Petra and the others—sometimes bringing Rem and Est along too. It was like going on a picnic.
Even though Emilia had grown very familiar with the kids, she still refused to take off her hat. Her long cloak was custom-made with a recognition-obstruction enchantment: unless she permitted it, most people wouldn't see through her disguise. The point, of course, was to avoid the unnecessary trouble that her half-elf identity might provoke. The terror of the Witch of Envy ran too deep in this world.
Shichen didn't try to persuade Emilia to reveal herself to Petra and the little ones. Children didn't really care who they played with—they cared about playing. Telling them "who she really was" didn't mean anything; if they accidentally told their parents, it could cause trouble and sour the mood. At least for now, it wasn't the right time for her to openly show her silver-haired half-elf self.
A month flew by.
One morning, just after breakfast, a carriage-like vehicle pulled up before the manor. As the owner, Roswaal sensed the visitors at once and led everyone outside to greet them.
At the front door, Shichen's attention fell on the "carriage." The vehicle itself wasn't surprising—the creature pulling it was: a lizard the size of a horse.
A ground dragon. Long, lean of body and deceptively light on its feet—something you felt you could topple with a kick. Since it was a dragon, the "carriage" was properly a dragon carriage.
On the driver's bench sat an elderly man with white hair. Noticing Roswaal and the rest, he rose and stepped lightly down—landing so softly he made almost no sound. Considering the bench was chest-high on Shichen, that effortless, silent landing said enough: this man was no ordinary person. Shichen recognized him at a glance.
"Pardon the intrusion, Emilia-sama, Roswaal-sama," the old man said with a bow.
His white hair was neatly slicked back; he wore a fitted black suit like a butler's. Though advanced in years, his body was clearly well-trained, and a restrained aura of danger clung to him.
"My my~ isn't this Sir Wilhelm~ what brings you here with such free time~?" Roswaal asked in his sing-song clown's cadence.
"I'm merely an attendant. The emissary is the one with business," Wilhelm replied evenly. Roswaal's act didn't faze him; clearly, he knew what the clownish lord was like.
"An emissary? Is this about the Royal Selection?" Emilia asked, stepping forward.
"Emilia-sama, long time no see, nya~"
With that playful, sing-song tail on the last syllable, a cat-eared… girl stepped down from the carriage. She had neat, ashy blond mid-length hair adorned with a white bow. Her large eyes shone with curiosity; her pretty face was irresistibly catlike—impossible not to like at first glance. A beast-eared girl—on the surface.
As she hopped down, her figure proved taller than expected, though remarkably slender. Every motion carried a feminine poise, keen and sly.
"Felix, it's been a while," Emilia greeted politely.
"Mhm~ and Roswaal-sama, Rem, Ram… and this is?" the cat-eared "girl"—Felix—asked, eyes landing on Shichen.
"Hello, I'm Shichen. I'm a resident guest here at the manor," Shichen said with a slight smile.
"Nya? A resident guest? Shichen? What a curious name," Felix blinked, openly curious as he sized Shichen up.
"No need to mind it~" Roswaal said cheerily. "Just treat him as you would me~"
"Mii? Treat him like Roswaal-sama?" Felix's eyes went wide as he turned back to Shichen.
"Roswaal, you don't have to say it quite like that," Shichen said, helpless.
"What's the harm~? Better people know your importance ahead of time~"
"Do as you like."
"Oh ho~ feels like I've stumbled into something big. Nice to meet you—Felix Argyle. Call me Ferris," Felix said, thrusting out a hand.
"Likewise." Shichen shook once and let go quickly.
"Eh~?" Felix blinked again. "Am I being rejected?"
"No. It's just… from up close, I realized the cat ears have terrifying power," Shichen explained with a shake of his head.
He had exactly zero resistance to cat ears—but the "cat-eared girl" before him was a man. So cute, and yet a boy. If he wasn't careful he'd end up rubbing those ears; he had to hold back.
"Nya nya~ you really are self-aware," Felix laughed.
"Shichen, do you like cat ears?" Emilia asked.
"Like? I've got absolutely no resistance to them," Shichen admitted.
"I see—understood! If Shichen likes them so much, I'll make a cat-ear accessory," Rem said solemnly.
"Oh~ then I'll look forward to it."
"I'll be sure you love it," Rem replied with a sweet smile.
"Haha, you're all quite amusing," Felix chuckled.
"Ahem~ delightful as it is to learn Shichen's tastes, perhaps we should discuss the matter at hand?" Roswaal prompted, smiling.
"Right then—Ferris, shall we go inside?" Emilia invited.
"Gladly, nya~ Wilhelm-sir, I'll leave you to wait here."
"Yes."
In the council hall, Shichen sat with Emilia while Ferris explained the visit. Strictly speaking, it shouldn't have been Felix delivering the Royal Selection notice—after all, the person Felix served was herself a Royal Selection candidate. Which meant her purpose here went without saying.
Besides summoning Emilia for the Selection, Felix's second message was that the candidate she served wished to form an alliance with Emilia.
On the surface, an alliance sounded good. In truth, it meant the other side didn't see Emilia as a threat. If they did, they wouldn't seek to ally with her. They knew she was a silver-haired half-elf. The fact that she was even a candidate was remarkable; to become king was, in most eyes, impossible. No populace would want someone bearing the Witch's image to be king. Precisely because of that, they sought Emilia—safe, non-threatening—as an ally. The other candidates were real rivals.
"What do you think, Emilia-sama?" Felix asked.
He naturally didn't explain the true reasoning—only presented the alliance.
"I…" Emilia hesitated, then couldn't help glancing at Shichen. "Shichen, what do you think?"
"Asking me? That's not a great habit," he teased gently.
"Ah! I slipped…" Emilia realized. Without noticing, she'd begun to rely on him. He'd saved her twice, taken her out to relax this past month, and she'd basically let him decide everything when they went out.
"It's not a problem. I don't mind you relying on me," Shichen said, reaching over to ruffle her hair.
"But…"
"Even kings rely on their ministers, don't they?"
"When you put it that way…"
"Don't worry. I'll support you—always."
"Shichen…"
"Um, could you not feed me quite so much right in front of me, nya~? I can't take it," Felix said with a pained look.
"We're not… flirting," Emilia protested shyly.
"Looks like it from here~ Are you two a couple?"
"N-no…" Emilia's cheeks reddened as she denied it.
"Not yet," Shichen said with a meaningful smile.
"Shichen… what are you saying?" Emilia glared at him in flustered reproach.
"I'm just speaking plainly."
"Plainly… eh—eh!" Emilia froze, then finally understood what he meant.
He liked her.
But… why?
What about her was worth liking? She had no merits—and that ominous face. How could anyone like her?
And yet, as she thought that, she remembered how Shichen had taken her out to relax lately, and how he'd helped her unconditionally before.
Maybe… it really was true?