"Emilia, accept Ferris's proposal," Shichen said, unaware of the hurricane running through her head.
Emilia clearly didn't grasp the real reason Ferris's side had offered an alliance, but Shichen did. It didn't matter. With him here, if they dared underestimate them, they'd have to be ready for the backlash.
"Eh? Ah—o-okay. I'll do as you… as you say, Shichen…" Emilia came back to herself, cheeks flushed, and hurriedly agreed.
Roswaal sat at the head of the table, smiling faintly, offering no opinion. Rem and Ram had even less standing to speak. In truth, this meeting concerned Emilia alone—but Shichen barged in without scruple. No one else could have.
"I see. That's wonderful, nya~ I can go back with the report," Ferris said, clapping her hands in delight.
"Heading back already?"
"Yup. Sorry—much as I'd like to chat with you more, Shichen, there's no time, nya~ We'll have plenty of chances later. If I don't hurry back to my beloved Crusch-sama, my heart will get all fidgety."
Crusch—the woman Ferris served—was, like Emilia, one of the Royal Selection candidates. There were currently four candidates in all. You didn't just decide to be a candidate; the royal insignia had to acknowledge you—the same one Emilia lost before. A true candidate made the emblem shine.
Shichen had half-expected he might count as a candidate himself. He'd overestimated.
"In that case, we won't keep you," he said.
"Haha~ There'll be lots of next times."
They escorted Ferris to the front gate.
"Sir Wilhelm, thanks for waiting, nya~"
"All settled?" Wilhelm asked quietly.
"Of course—everything's done~" Ferris answered with a hint of pride and climbed into the carriage.
"See you next time, Emilia-sama," she said, waving.
"Mm—see you next time, Emilia-sama. And Shichen."
"Mm…" Shichen replied.
"Oh, right, Shichen—you seem to think Emilia will become king. Do remember this well: the person who will one day be king of this nation is—Lady Crusch."
This time there was nothing teasing in Ferris's tone; her eyes were utterly serious.
"Is that so? I don't think so. I'm going to make sure Emilia becomes king," Shichen said, returning her challenge without a care.
"Haha~ We'll see. Thanks for the hospitality—see you, Shichen."
"Everyone, please take care," Wilhelm said. When Ferris had settled inside, he sprang lightly back to the driver's bench and took up the ground dragon's reins.
"Take care," Shichen nodded.
"Farewell." Wilhelm gave Shichen a final glance, then snapped the reins.
The ground dragon cried out; the carriage swayed and the wheels began to turn. The lithe creature pulled the vehicle with ease, its speed growing, dust rising in its wake as it sped away.
"All right, let's head back. Start steeling yourselves—we should depart soon," Shichen said, assuming command. Roswaal didn't mind at all.
"Shichen… you're really going too?" Emilia asked, pressing her lips together.
"I'm going to help you become king, remember? Of course I need to see the lay of the land."
"But…"
"No 'buts.' You're not about to say you don't want to drag me into this again, are you?"
"I…" Emilia had no rebuttal. That was exactly what she'd been thinking: he'd already helped her so much; she shouldn't lean on him more. Not because she feared becoming dependent—but because of what she was, something "inauspicious," she'd only bring him trouble.
"You little dummy." Shichen shook his head and chopped lightly at her head, fond as ever.
"Shichen?" Emilia looked at him, perplexed.
"I'm already wrapped up in you. What are you still worrying about? Besides, I just finished trading barbs with Ferris—if you turn around and ditch me, how awkward do I look?"
"D-ditch…"
"Point is, you and I are inseparable now."
"Inseparable…" Emilia gazed at him, dazed.
"That's right—inseparable. So go pack. Tomorrow we'll make final preparations and leave the day after. That work for you, Roswaal?"
"Of course. You decide," Roswaal said breezily.
"Perfect. Oh, Rem—you're coming with us."
"May I?" Rem's eyes lit with excitement.
"Of course. What use would Ram be?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ram glared.
"Literally what I said. You're not as useful as Rem. And Rem's so cute—just having her nearby is enough."
"Th-That's not…" Rem fidgeted, face pink with pleased embarrassment.
"Hmph! Rem may be cute, but I'm the cutest," Ram shot back.
"Not buying it."
"Ugh!"
"Don't worry, Sis. You're the cutest in my eyes," Rem soothed.
"Rem, you really are the best…"
"Oh—Shichen, you like cat ears, right? I'll go make a cat-ear headband right now. What color do you like?" Rem blurted, too excited to let Ram finish.
Ram: "…"
In the end, the little sister would leave the older sister's side.
"Mm—classic black, I love. White too. And blue."
"Got it!" Rem charged back into the manor, full of energy. Judging by her momentum, she meant to finish every last cat-ear headband before departure the day after tomorrow.
"White…"
The others didn't think much of Shichen's preferences, but Emilia was different. She remembered very clearly that he liked her silver hair—and white wasn't far from silver. So then… did he truly like her? Would he want her to wear cat ears?
They returned inside and everyone went to their rooms to pack. Shichen had little to prepare—the King's Treasury made travel easy. He only needed to bring Beatrice and Est. Though Beatrice was the keeper of the Forbidden Library, Shichen didn't intend to leave her behind; as compensation, he'd lay a barrier over the library to prevent intrusion. Unless the world's golden son Reinhard came calling, no one would break in. If he wanted, the world always seemed to grant the blessings he needed.
Beatrice and Est didn't care where they went—they'd follow Shichen anywhere. As long as they were with him, they were content. The two little ones quietly played their never-ending games of gomoku. A whole month and neither was bored. You'd think they'd try a different board game.
Still, he kept them company.
At noon, Rem came to fetch them for lunch. Shichen carried the two little lolis—one on each arm, hands under their soft little bottoms—and followed her to the dining room. Emilia was already there, but she stared blankly at the food before her.
"Emilia?" Shichen sat beside her.
No response.
"Emilia?" He raised his voice a bit.
"Eh?" Emilia blinked and looked over. "Y-You called me?"
"I called you several times."
"D-Did you? Sorry, I didn't hear…"
"What were you thinking about? Worried about the Selection?"
"No…" She shook her head, then looked at him earnestly. "After lunch… can I talk with you alone?"
"Alone? Sure," he nodded.
"Thank you."
After eating, Shichen followed Emilia to her room. It didn't feel especially girlish—close to his own in layout, just with more books and documents. Still, there was a faint, clean scent that was entirely hers.
He sat on the edge of her bed without hesitation. Seeing her hesitate and falter, he took the initiative. "What did you want to talk about? Not the trip to the capital, I hope?"
"N-no, I—I wanted to ask…" Emilia fidgeted, cheeks turning red.
"What is it?"
"J-just—about what you said this morning—that y-you like me… mm…" She ducked her head in embarrassment, terrified she'd misunderstood.
"Oh, that. I do like you, Emilia," Shichen said, smiling as he owned it.
"Eh? W-Why?" Emilia jerked her head up, staring in disbelief.
"Do you need a reason to like someone?" he teased gently.
"I think… you do. And I don't have anything for you to like…"
"How could you say that? Your cute face, your beautiful silver hair—even your voice—I like all of it."
"Just because of that…"
"Of course it's not only that. Liking someone isn't just about looks. I like your heart, too. I know how kind you are, Emilia."
"Kind…"
"Not wanting to drag us in at the start, insisting on finding that lost child… I know your kindness better than anyone."
"Shichen…"
"And one more thing: I know you worry about how you look. It means nothing to me. Even if you were truly the Witch of Envy, I'd still like you."
"W-Why?" Emilia whispered.
"Because I fell for you at first sight."
~~~
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