Chapter 186
Morning.
The castle was in an uproar.
"Then I'll leave Krista to you."
"Yes. Leave her to me."
Saying that, Fine left the room with Krista.
The reason for the commotion was that an elven dignitary had suddenly appeared.
Even though the Empire had agents posted in all directions, they hadn't even noticed their presence until they entered the imperial capital.
It was probably elven magic passed down through secret traditions, rather than ordinary magic.
That must be how they had traveled in secret.
Thanks to that, we were scrambling, but a lack of consideration like that was very elven of them.
I went out onto the balcony to see what was happening.
The elven dignitary had already climbed down from the carriage.
A blue-haired female elf stood surrounded by beautiful elves.
The others were beautiful too, but that elf was even more so.
"Is that the granddaughter of the elven elder?"
She was a mature-looking woman with a slender figure.
She wasn't the type Brother Trau or Zeke preferred.
She wasn't a loli, nor was she particularly sexy. Well, Zeke didn't really care as long as a woman was beautiful, but his preference was for physically voluptuous women.
I had expected her to be beautiful since she was an elf, but thankfully, that was all. If she had favored either of their tastes, I would have had one more thing to worry about.
However, looking at that blue-haired elf gave me an indescribable sense of unease.
I watched her intently, trying to discover the source of that unease, when someone called out to me.
"Prince Arnold."
Hearing the voice, I tore my gaze away from the blue-haired elf and looked back.
I could prioritize my own convenience when dealing with Orihime, but I couldn't do that with this person.
"Ah, Saint Leticia. It's been a while."
"Yes, it has."
Saying that, Leticia stood in front of me.
She was about a hundred and sixty centimeters tall, I supposed. Five years ago, we hadn't been far apart in height, so seeing her standing a little below my eye level felt strange.
"You've grown taller."
"Of course. We're twins, after all. It wouldn't do for Leo to grow while I stayed short."
"That's true. However, your personalities still seem like complete opposites."
"Wouldn't it be creepy if even our personalities were alike? Leo is serious, so it's fine for me to be this carefree. Now, what can I do for you? Are you dissatisfied with how Leo has been treating you?"
"No, Prince Leonart has been treating me well. I simply wanted to greet you in person as well."
Saying that, Leticia smiled.
It was an innocent smile.
That part of her hadn't changed since the old days.
Though that might not be the only thing that hadn't changed.
"I see. I thought he might be too stiff and tiresome for you, but I was worrying needlessly."
"Tiresome...? I don't think of him that way at all."
"Then you do think he's stiff?"
"N-no, that's not what I mean... It's just..."
"Just?"
"I only thought he could treat me a little more familiarly. It's absolutely not a complaint or dissatisfaction! I only meant that, if I had to suggest an area for improvement...!"
I chuckled as I watched Leticia desperately insist that she wasn't dissatisfied.
She was as awkward as ever.
She could respond firmly to malicious behavior, but she became utterly helpless in the face of goodwill. Her inability to speak up even when troubled could be considered one of Leticia's weaknesses.
That was what she and my mother had discussed five years ago.
The maids had entered the bath as though it were only natural, and Leticia had spoken about it with a troubled expression. Leticia hadn't been born into a particularly high-ranking family.
She held her current position because she had been recognized by the Holy Staff, but she hadn't originally been someone important. She simply wasn't used to anyone other than herself entering the bath.
That was why she had gone to consult my mother, who had originally been a commoner.
All she had to do was say that it wasn't necessary, but she couldn't refuse because the maids were acting out of goodwill. In the end, my mother had said a few words to the maids and resolved the matter.
It seemed that weakness of hers hadn't changed either.
"W-what is that laugh!? Laughing when someone is troubled is malicious, you know!"
"Are you troubled?"
"I-it was just a figure of speech! I'm not troubled! I only think that he might be a little too formal with me!"
"Then tell Leo that yourself."
"Th-that..."
Leticia muttered incoherently, looking troubled.
She had come to me to offer her greetings, of course, but she probably also wanted me to do something about Leo's excessively serious treatment of her.
The fact that she had requested either Leo or me in the first place suggested that she didn't want to be treated that way.
It should have been obvious, but Leo was serious, so he was entertaining her as courteously as he could.
That made things difficult for her. Yet she couldn't bring herself to say anything to Leo, who was working so hard.
That was probably how things stood.
So I chuckled and agreed to help.
"All right. I'll tell Leo myself. I'll tell him to relax a little. The Saint chose you because she dislikes such stiff treatment."
"Thank you! As expected, Prince Arnold, you are a good person... Wait! You knew that already and were pretending not to?"
"I was just teasing you a little because you wouldn't honestly say that you found it bothersome."
"Teasing me!? I sense malice in that behavior! Prince Arnold! You may have forgotten, but I'm older than you!"
"Have you? I've never seen you act like the older one."
"What!? I can't let that pass!"
Leticia had always been very insistent about being older.
Back when she was just slightly taller than me, she would insist at every opportunity that she was older, but she couldn't do that anymore.
Curious to see how she would assert her seniority now, I teased Leticia again.
"I'm older no matter how you look at it! I'm a composed woman! This is the composure of an older woman!"
"Are you composed?"
"I am!"
I asked in a way that meant, Where exactly? But she stubbornly insisted.
Since she believed herself to be composed, there was probably no point in saying anything more. That was simply the kind of person she was.
A composed person wouldn't ride a griffin, though.
"Well, let's go with that."
"What is that supposed to mean...? It sounds as though you're implying something..."
"I'm not implying anything."
I replied while suppressing my laughter.
She sent me a blatantly suspicious look, but I let it slide.
I had better stop teasing her soon.
It would be troublesome if I offended her.
"Then leave Leo to me. I'll talk to him."
"Please. I want to enjoy myself at least one last time..."
"The last time?"
"It's nothing. Please don't worry. I won't cause you any trouble."
Saying that, Leticia smiled and turned away.
Her back looked somehow lonely.
I wondered whether I should call out to her, but decided against it.
Acting without any information would only cause trouble.
"Sebas."
"Yes, I'm here."
Though I couldn't see him, I assumed he was nearby, so I called the butler's name.
Sebas then appeared on the balcony.
"She seems to be dealing with some sort of problem."
"It would appear so."
"Look into it. We can't act without information, no matter what it is."
"I think it would be best not to pry too deeply into another country's affairs."
"We need information even to make that judgment. She used the word 'last.' That's unlike her. There must be something behind it."
"Is that all? Could she mean that this is her last time coming to the Empire? If she married, she wouldn't be able to travel as freely as she does now, so perhaps she meant it in that sense?"
"If that's all it means, then fine. Whoever she marries due to the kingdom's circumstances is none of our concern. But if it's a different problem, that could be troublesome."
"So... the Saint may be in danger of losing her life?"
"Exactly. Imagine the Saint dying in the Empire. It would be a major incident. And Leo is responsible for hosting her."
"You may be overthinking this..."
Sebas muttered.
That was true. It was far more likely that I was overthinking things.
Anyone might use the word 'last.'
But the moment I heard her say it...
"I had a bad feeling. Unfortunately, my hunches tend to be right."
"In that case, I shall investigate. However, if I leave to do so, the protection of Fine-sama and the others will be weakened."
"The Imperial Guard will be with them. Unless something truly serious happens, there shouldn't be a problem."
In that sense, Leticia's safety could be considered assured as well.
Even so, I couldn't ignore my bad feeling.
"If someone is after her life and she feels it is in danger, there is bound to be information somewhere. She's important enough that something would surface."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
Saying that, Sebas vanished from the spot.
When I glanced down again, the blue-haired elf was already gone. She must have entered the castle with Krista and the others.
It seemed I would have to investigate that sense of unease another time.
"Honestly, they never let me rest."
I grumbled to myself as I left the balcony.