The Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom
inside the carriage
Translated by: S3
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*****
While vaguely considering in the swaying carriage that this incident could arguably be related to Elnalfia again, Elna suddenly remembered.
—That's right, I was angry.
No, I understood that being angry was irrational, and I had tried to swallow those feelings, but it hadn't worked. I was in the middle of that process. Moreover, I had stormed out of Cross's office, half out of spite... I thought as I watched the scenery pass through the rattling carriage window.
What should I do?
This luxurious, door-equipped carriage, which was like a small private room, was originally reserved for royalty. Elna, the "favorite maid," was given special permission to use it to return to the castle, and of course, Cross was sitting next to her. The carriage continued to run, both of them silent.
The highly sensitive Hamster Spirit, by the way, had already taken refuge deep inside Elna's clothes pocket.
「...Why didn't you call me?」
「Hmm. Eh. What?」
Because she had just remembered the awkward situation, her mind couldn't process the words for a moment, and she panicked. She had immediately turned her face toward Cross, which might have been a mistake. Cross was looking down at Elna with a much more serious expression than she had imagined, and now she couldn't turn away. 「Um, well...」 Elna searched for words, her gaze wandering.
「Sorry, what are you talking about?」
But in the end, she couldn't evade him, and she faced Cross again.
「I'm asking why you didn't call me using the Dragon Scale.」
「Eh, about that?」
Cross's eyebrow twitched. A handsome face looks quite intimidating when it's displeased, Elna thought distractedly for a moment.
—The Dragon Scale was exactly what its name suggested, a transparent, glass-like object that Elna had been clutching when she was born. Because Elna wished Cross to have it, it was now worn around Cross's neck as a necklace.
Because Cross's previous incarnation, Vaid, had praised Elnalfia's scales as beautiful many times, Elna felt as though she had been born clutching the scale simply to deliver it to him.
The Dragon Scale and Elna were bound by a mysterious connection.
「Um...」
「The carriage is equipped with sound-proofing magic. The coachman won't hear anything we say.」
「That's good, then. Because I didn't think there was any need to call you. If you want a reason, that's it.」
Although she was constrained by the inability to kill people and her stamina was only that of an average young girl, Elna's pure physical strength and magic skills were the best in the country. This wasn't overconfidence; against humans, she wouldn't lose to anyone. If she didn't believe that, she wouldn't have waltzed into a kidnapping. She only used herself as bait because she was confident she could knock them out.
However, she hadn't forgotten the pain she experienced. Naturally, Elna furrowed her brow and let out a growl-like sound.
「I won't make the same mistake again. I won't be a burden to Cross. I will be your sword and your shield.」
「Wait. I don't wish for you to be on the front lines, and I have never thought of you as a burden.」
「Even if you don't think so, Cross! I hate it now! I decided I would support you in any way possible. So...」
So. She tried to raise her voice passionately, but it inevitably came out as a small, strained whisper.
「Even if I'm not the official Queen, being a concubine... is fine.」
Wrong. These weren't the words she wanted to convey. She was supposed to say more clearly that she wanted to protect the country with him. Embarrassed, her mouth twitched strangely. By the time she thought she didn't want to show him that side of herself, she had already averted her face long ago.
Despite that, the words she had spoken wouldn't go back, and Elna just stared down at her lap, feeling awkward. Her heart ached, but the carriage was silent, with only the occasional rattle of the wheels echoing. Cross had said it was soundproofed, but she wondered if it was set up so that outside sounds could enter even if inside sounds couldn't escape, thinking about irrelevant things.
How long was she supposed to stay like this?
Elna finally steeled herself and looked up. It was an expression of grim determination, but she immediately blinked in surprise. Because when she looked up, Cross was covering his face with his large hand, his face bright red. She could see an extremely deep furrow carved into his brow through the gaps in his fingers.
「...Um, Cross? What's wrong?」
「I apologize. No, wait. This is my fault. I will apologize properly. I'm sorry.」
「Eh...?」
「Please let me explain.」
Saying that, he bit his lip and rubbed his temples repeatedly with his fingers, then took out the letter—the source of the whole incident—from his breast pocket. She had only seen it once, but there was no mistaking it.
With the feeling that she didn't want to see it again, Elna immediately frowned and averted her gaze, but—
「No. Keep looking at it.」
Cross smoothly slid his palm over the letter, and the writing quickly disappeared, leaving only a part of it. The resulting text was completely different from the original.
Though she didn't make a sound, Elna blinked and looked at the letter.
「This is not a love letter. It's a letter from another country—ugh, in short. My older sister, who married into the Kingdom of Myuverta, regularly sends me information that cannot be publicly released like this. I'm grateful that she passes on the rumors she collects in Myuverta, though the excessive jesting in the content is its only flaw.」
—「The glass dragon flies in the sky and descends upon the land of Wizrain.」
The text correctly written on the letter was this.
「The rumor about you is circulating not only within this country but has also reached the Kingdom of Myuverta. There's a possibility it has spread to others, for example, the Arbalur Empire to the east or the Holy Kingdom to the west. She seems to be telling us to be careful if we know anything about it.」
「The Kingdom of Myuverta...」
「The Marls region, no, it's the Kingdom of Marls now. It's a small country located next to it.」
「I know that, but...」
The Kingdom of Marls, located southeast of the Kingdom of Wizrain, was originally Wizrain territory but was absorbed by the Empire over time and then became an independent country.
Next to it, meaning southwest from the Kingdom of Wizrain, is the country called Myuverta. It was a country that did not exist in the era when she lived as a dragon, but when her colleague Noma taught her geography previously, she was surprised by the changes from the past and confirmed the information herself, so it was fresh in her memory.
「Cross's, your, your older sister? No, your sister?」
「Yes, my sister.」
「A love letter?!」
「That is incorrect.」
He firmly denied it.
As Elna held her head in confusion about what was happening, Cross grabbed her chin firmly and moved her face. 「Elna.」「Ugh.」 His golden eyes were surprisingly close, and she panicked, wanting to turn her face away, but he held it securely with one hand.
Of course, even if Cross had enormous strength, Elna was much stronger. So, if she wanted to, she could easily escape, but in that moment, she was too flustered to think of fleeing.
Tense under his steady gaze, Elna squeezed her eyes shut with all her might. It was so tight she could almost hear a squish sound.
「Elna, you—just now, you felt relieved, didn't you?」
But hearing Cross's voice, she opened her eyes abruptly. A few seconds later, Elna's face turned completely red, right up to the tips of her ears. There was only one thing to remember when he said at that time.
It was when Cross was about to kiss her.
She realized he had noticed her immense relief that the conversation had been derailed by the letter. Cross's hand was no longer restraining her chin, but now she was too embarrassed to look away, and she stared back at Cross with a mortified expression.
Cross had a serious expression and moved his mouth once, but it seemed no sound came out, so he cleared his throat. The look on his face next was strange. If Elna had to describe it with a word she knew, she might call it sulking—「At that time, I was simply... I don't know what to call it. Yes. I felt a little bored. So I thought, well, I'll tease her. But,」 a small voice added, 「I feel even more bored now.」
「I didn't want to hear such words from you. I am truly sorry for causing you pain.」
Again, her heart felt a tight pang. Not in a bad way, of course. It was anticlimactic. Her feelings were so easily swayed that her strained whisper of, Being a concubine is fine, felt like it happened ages ago.
「I-I think I was wrong not to hear you out completely. So, I-I'm not angry, and truly, if I can support Cross, I'll do it in any way, even if it's—」
「Don't say anything more.」
She spoke in a strange rush, trying to deceive him so he wouldn't realize her true feelings. But Cross stopped her before she could finish.
「It will chafe me.」
What did that mean?
Cross was looking out the window before she knew it. Elna, unable to do anything, glanced at Cross's profile, then sat quietly and looked at her own lap. Since she couldn't stay that way forever, she naturally looked forward. Through a small gap, she could see the coachman's back. She felt only the rattling of the wheels and a slight vibration.
「Besides,」 Cross spoke, as if a thought had simply slipped out. His gaze was still fixed on the window.
「I'm a man who was planning to retire early without even taking a wife. How could I tolerate having two or three added, let alone one? I've been saying I don't need a wife. Even Duke Halburn and other castle heavyweights wouldn't press me too hard, lest they risk offending me.」
Since she wasn't sure if he was asking for a reply or not, Elna simply stared blankly at Cross's profile. There was still a deep furrow etched into his brow.
「So, yes. Don't think about things like that. ...Do you understand what I'm trying to say? You understand, right? No, you probably don't. In short, I will not take a wife other than you.」
「Mm, mm, mm...」
「Well, conversely. If you seek a husband other than me, I have no right to stop you.」
「Yes, you do! Stop me! I don't want anyone else!」
「You don't want them?」
「I don't need anyone but Cross!」
When Cross laughed happily, Elna became happy too. The heavy atmosphere easily and suddenly vanished. They sat next to each other and chatted in a lighthearted manner.
「So, listen. I'm just worried about you. I wish you would call me anytime you need help.」
「If I need it. But I truly thought this time was different.」
「Is that so? Then I have no choice but to believe you.」
「Yeah, thank you. ...But you know, yes, this incident is also partly Cross's fault.」
「What did you say?」
「The reason I was kidnapped was because they thought I was Cross's favorite maid! They saw me with you at Elnalfia's birthday festival!」
Cross opened his eyes wide. Of course, he had changed his clothes and worn a hood to hide his face, but it wasn't foolproof. It was Cross who had insisted it was fine, despite Elna's anxiety over a royal wandering around so carelessly.
「Is that so... But when I'm alone, no one notices me...」
It was a statement that, while she had vaguely realized it, was a major problem. Royalty shouldn't be strolling around the city.
Cross looked unconvinced, rubbing his mouth and seeming lost in thought. Elna, likewise, frowned and pondered. His claim that people in the city didn't notice him was just his own assertion, and she had a feeling that the reality might have been different. Because.
「It must be because...」 Elna concluded, and the two of them murmured their next words almost simultaneously.
「Because you're handsome...?」
「Because you're adorable?」
Their supposed inner thoughts overlapped, making them sound louder. 「Eh?」「Hm?」 They faced each other, and Elna spoke first to explain.
「Even if you think you're not being noticed, Cross, I think you're good-looking and stand out, so maybe everyone else actually knew who you were?」
「Wait. The original problem isn't me, Elna, it's you. You're so adorable. The most natural conclusion is that because Elna was next to me, I drew more attention than usual from those around us.」
No, this entire situation, with them seriously debating this, was the most unnatural thing. After a beat, then two, Elna and Cross both held their heads and writhed in embarrassment.
「Wait a minute, what we just said was incredibly weird.」
「You're right. It seems we are odd...」
This time, two deep sighs overlapped simultaneously. Then, with their faces flushed, they glanced at each other and burst into laughter. Tears welled up in the corners of Elna's eyes, and she doubled over, shaking with laughter. However, she was suddenly pulled by one hand, and her posture was sharply changed. Specifically, she was facing Cross.
A large hand firmly grasped Elna's hand. Then Cross leaned in, almost covering Elna. 「Wa—」 Elna's small mouth moved, her breath hitching. 「Hm?」 Cross replied in a voice so faint it was barely a whisper. Her ears tingled slightly.
「U-Um, well, we definitely did it once before, but this kind of... spontaneous, forced thing is still a little...」
「What's wrong with being spontaneous and forced?」
To her surprise, he said it with complete brazenness.
「Eh...」 She widened her eyes and pondered. 「It's... not really bad, is it...?」
「It's just kissing my wife. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?」
「I-I will be your wife, but I'm not yet—」
Of course, she couldn't finish the sentence. Before she realized it, his arm was around her back. It didn't hurt, but Cross's grip gradually tightened, holding Elna's slender body still. As it was repeated, Elna found it increasingly hard to breathe. Her body tensed up completely, right down to her toes.
When it finally ended, Elna was teary-eyed and breathing through her mouth, exhausted. As she calmed her breathing, she sniffled.
「...Did you dislike it?」
「No, but. No, but... I'm just surprised, I guess. Hey, aren't we at the castle yet?」
「Well, it should be a little while longer. So, one more time.」
「One more time?! Even though you did it more than just once?!」
「Since we have the chance. It's probably best to repeat it until you stop being surprised.」
「Don't say 'it's probably best'!」
By the time the carriage arrived at the castle. Elna glared at Cross, complaining in a resentful voice, 「You said we'd take it slow...」 but Cross, completely unfazed, replied with a very serious face, 「Of course it was slow.」
When the coachman opened the carriage door, he let out a small, faint cry at Elna's oddly murderous glare, quickly shook his head, and scurried to the side. Seeing this, Elna thought, No, no, managed to compose her expression, and stepped onto the ground, whispering quietly so only Cross could hear.
「Next time, I'll definitely be the one to make you tremble.」
「I look forward to it.」
The Hamster Spirit poked its head out of Elna's pocket, looking utterly resigned.
Elna and Cross's eyes locked. Cross wore a look of amusement, and Elna a strained smile. It was at that moment.
「Lord Vaid...! You have returned!」
Rushing over in a flurry, shouting, were Commonwald—the elderly Head Chamberlain—and several soldiers. Seeing their unusual state, Cross immediately adopted a serious expression.
「What is it? Has something happened?」
「Yes. An envoy from the Kingdom of Marls arrived a short while ago, requesting an audience with the King...」
「An envoy from the Kingdom of Marls...?」
Cross's well-formed brow twitched.
Elna didn't know the specifics, but judging by their manner of speaking, there had been no prior notification.
—「The glass dragon flies in the sky and descends upon the land of Wizrain.」
Why? At that moment, Elna recalled the words from the letter.
This was also the beginning of a single upheaval caused by Elna being reborn with the memories of Elnalfia.
*****
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