The Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom
Reaching Words
Translated by: S3
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*****
「...It’s just something the maids have been whispering about among themselves. It’s not that I’m trying to pry, I was just purely wondering what you intended to do.」
Noma’s following words were quite shocking.
To summarize: apparently, the secret meetings between Elna and Cross were already known (though the maids thought they were trysting, Elna didn't think they were particularly hiding). It was widely considered a romance across social classes, but with the recent upheaval, expectations had shifted. Rumors were now swirling that if Elna truly was the reincarnation of Elnalfia, her birth status no longer mattered and she could marry into the royal family immediately.
Elna couldn't exactly scream that it was a total misunderstanding, but she desperately wanted to tell everyone to wait a minute. Her marriage to Cross was already a promise; she had said she would be his bride, and he had told her to be his bride a long time ago... With her mind racing, Elna made her way toward Cross’s office.
(So, does that mean because of this incident, things are finally going to move forward? No way... right?) No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find an answer, so she absentmindedly stroked the hamster in her pocket. It let out a sound that was somewhere between a squeal and a purr, remaining as fluffy and soft as ever.
(Then, is that really it? Is that the reason I was called here today...?)
The moment she thought that, she suddenly felt embarrassed by her current appearance. Wearing a maid uniform was fine—it was her work uniform, after all. However, she was deeply concerned about how puffy her face and eyelids must be after her crying fit with Noma.
Realizing there was nothing she could do about it now, she pressed a cold handkerchief to her eyes one last time before standing in front of the door to Cross’s office.
「...Okay.」
She tucked the handkerchief into the pocket opposite the one where the Hamster Spirit was hiding, balled her fists, and looked straight ahead. Even if he were to propose again this very second, she had braced herself to give a composed, sophisticated answer like, 『Hmph. Well, if you insist, I suppose I don't mind.』
With a "here goes nothing," Elna knocked a few times. Her heart pounded so loudly she could hear it when she heard Cross’s reply, and she stepped through the door.
Inside the room were Cross and Kyle.
「Ah, Elna. You're here too.」
「I summoned her.」
「I see.」
Cross was seated in his chair while Kyle stood before the table; they were conversing in a cheerful manner.
Elna quietly bit her lip. She clenched her fists to hide her trembling and slowly turned her head away. She wanted to die.
What proposal? She really, truly wanted to die of embarrassment.
「Lord Kyle. My apologies for taking so much of your time regarding the response to the mining proposal.」
「Not at all, it was only natural given the scale of the disturbance. Besides, the reason I hurried to this country... as you've likely realized, was out of fear of interference from the Albalu Empire. Seeing the recent chaos, the Empire must already have the information. Hurrying now wouldn't change much.」
「I appreciate you saying that. The reason I called you here today is because I wanted to lay some groundwork before the official resolution regarding the mine is made public... Elna, is something wrong?」
「I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. I was just marveling at my own stupidity.」
Elna turned her head back to face forward with the stiff, jerky movements of an ungreased machine, her lips twitching.
「I-I see. As long as you're alright... Lord Kyle. Our country will accept your proposal in its entirety and we shall carry out the mining of the dragon scales as a joint venture. However, regarding the distribution, it will not be seventy-thirty, but sixty-forty. A one-sided allocation leads to future resentment. Since we are dispatching spirit users, our share must naturally be higher.」
「No, that is more than enough. Thank you. I am grateful for your wise decision. And one more thing from me. Since Elna is here, I assume you already know the other reason I came to this country?」
「Indeed. Shall we speak frankly then?」
The two men smiled like children as they shook hands across the table. When Cross asked, 「Elna, are you okay with that too?」 Elna simply shrugged. It was her way of saying "do as you please."
「The proposal for the mining wasn't a lie, of course. My country, Maals, has long lived in fear of the Empire's threat, so being able to obtain the "Dragon Scales" which can serve as a weapon is a dream come true... However, recently, I began to hear different rumors from the Kingdom of Wizrain.」
Kyle glanced at Elna, then looked straight back at Cross.
「Rumors of a dragon.」
「The reincarnation of Elnalfia.」
「Exactly. Investigating the truth of those rumors was also my mission. ...Maals was once a part of the Wizrain Kingdom, but it was absorbed by the Empire and has a history of gaining independence.」
Kyle lowered his voice. Elna could only imagine, but it must have been a turbulent history.
「While the people of Maals wish from the bottom of their hearts to return to the Wizrain Kingdom, the time spent apart has been so long that we have developed our own identity, leaving us with nowhere to go.」
A shadow of sadness crossed Kyle’s brow.
「That is why, even though we revere Lady Elnalfia, we don't even know how to process these emotions... Furthermore, rumors are just rumors. I thought it was more likely a fabrication, but...」
He looked back at Elna again and gave a troubled smile. Then, as if he had made a decision, Kyle walked slowly toward Elna and quietly knelt before her.
「Lady Elnalfia, you are the one our country has sought for many years. And you have given me an epiphany. You said that you cannot yet answer why you love this country—that you are in the middle of finding out. Before asking the people of Wizrain if they like their own country, I should follow your example and do the same.」
Kyle gently lifted his head.
「First, I want to get to know the current Wizrain Kingdom myself. At the same time, I want the people of this country to know about Maals. I realized that worrying is something I can do as much as I want after I have truly known things.」
Through the gap in his long, swaying bangs, his kind silver eyes were directed at Elna. Being stared at so intently made her feel strangely shy. (Umm...) In truth, Elna had only shared her vague feelings with him; she hadn't said anything particularly profound.
「...For now, could you not call me Lady Elnalfia, but just Elna, like usual?」
She gave a somewhat mismatched response. Kyle's eyes widened for a moment, and then he burst into a soft laugh.
「Sorry, I was being a bit too formal, wasn't I?」
「Apologies, my bride is the shy type.」
Elna wasn't so dense that she would scream "I'm not your bride" and ruin the atmosphere, so she simply turned away. She heard Kyle let out a startled 「Wait, bride?」 as he stood up, but she pretended not to hear.
「I will reply on Elna's behalf regarding that matter. This proposal is exactly what we were hoping for as well. The movements of the Albalu Empire are a concern. I hope to build a lasting friendship with your country. Why don't we start by regularly exchanging personnel so we can learn about each other's nations?」
「I am grateful for your consideration!」
It was clear from both his tone and expression that he was overjoyed. (He's like a big dog,) Elna thought, a small smile creeping onto her face.
「That is all from our side... Is there anything else?」
「No, this was more than enough. Thank you very much.」
「This is strictly an unofficial meeting. We will arrange a formal time later.」
「Please call on me anytime. Well then, I shall take my leave.」
Perhaps due to their personalities, the discussion had concluded with surprising efficiency. Elna watched the two men from behind, and as Kyle moved to exit, she looked toward him to see him off. As Kyle passed by her side, he suddenly stopped.
He turned and gripped Elna’s arm firmly.
「...Eh?」
「Ah, no.」
Even though Kyle was the one who grabbed her, he seemed more flustered than Elna. However, his grip was firm and he didn't let go. When Elna glanced down at his hand, Kyle immediately let go and raised both hands. 「Ah, sorry.」 He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. But then, he looked up again, his gaze trembling as it darted around.
Elna remained silent and waited. She felt that she had to wait.
「The thing is.」
When Kyle finally spoke, his face had turned a deep shade of red, and sweat was beading on his forehead. He looked like a completely different person from the composed young man he usually was.
「The thing is, I don't even know... what I'm saying myself. I've been looking for... something in this country. I had no idea what that 'something' was... No, I have only one clear image. I think it has a red gem on it. And if it exists, it would be somewhere near this castle. Ah, what am I even saying...」
He spoke the last part with incredible speed, his eyes darting back and forth.
(It's not here. Not here either.)
She had heard from the Hamster Spirit that Kyle had been obsessively searching for something. She had also heard from the maids that he had been probing into the layout of the castle.
「It’s been like that since I was a child. I always thought that if I went to Wizrain Castle, that thing would be there, so I was really happy to finally visit... but, haha.」
He gave a self-deprecating laugh and scratched his head, trying to play it off as nothing.
In contrast to Kyle’s attempt to stay casual, Elna felt as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning from head to toe.
(A red stone... Does he mean Chiarore...?)
That concerned the founding legend of the Wizrain Kingdom.
It was said that the first King, Vaid, held the sacred sword Chiarore to defeat the demons and open up this land.
At some point, a red gem was set into Chiarore. By the hand of the genius inventor, Kylevis.
With the prayer that the sword could transcend time, racing through the ages alongside the dragon.
She didn't know how to process this emotion.
The way Kyle looked at Elna suddenly overlapped with someone else.
With the image of a dear young man from her past who shared his likeness.
「I feel like you might know something. Truly, if you have even a fragment of an idea, that's enough. ...Is the thing I'm looking for still near you even now...?」
Emotions surged over her like a wave. She took a deep breath, desperately fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, and steadied her voice. ...Then, she gave a small nod.
Kyle’s eyes widened, and a smile so tender it looked like he might cry spread across his face. 「I'm glad,」 he whispered. That voice reached across time, across eras.
Finally, it had reached Elnalfia.
***
「...Kyle doesn't have memories of his past life, right?」
「Likely not. However, perhaps only the most vivid things from one's life leave an influence on the current one.」
「I wonder if that's... possible.」
Staring at the door Kyle had long since disappeared through, Elna let out a long breath that was almost a sigh.
「Who knows.」
However, Cross’s reaction was somewhat curt. He sat with his chin in his hand, looking unusually grumpy. In fact, he was visibly in a bad mood.
「...Do you have a problem with something?」
「No.」
He spat the word out instantly. However, his brow furrowed deeper as he called out in a low voice, 「Elna.」
「Yeah?」
「I'm sneaking into your room tonight.」
「Huh?」
「Don't lock your window.」
「............Huh?」
*****
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