That night, feeling a pang of reluctance as I left a teary-eyed Lene behind, I stepped out of my room and made my way toward Elysia’s quarters. Fortunately, we were staying in the same Student Dormitory, so I reached my destination after only a short walk.
(The top floor... How very like a Student Council President.)
I gave the door a light knock.
"—Come in. It’s unlocked."
I opened the door at the sound of Elysia’s immediate response.
Stepping inside with a soft click of the latch, I found Elysia sitting in a chair in the center of the room, bathed in the moonlight streaming through the window.
She was wrapped in a thin nightgown that was far more revealing than necessary. Her appearance was bewitching; the provocative design, emphasizing her collarbones and cleavage, was honestly a bit too much stimulation. I supposed it couldn't be helped since this world was originally an adult game, but it hardly felt like the kind of outfit she should be showing to someone who wasn't even the protagonist.
Elysia smiled, as if seeing right through my inner thoughts.
"I’ve been waiting for you."
"Aren't you a bit underdressed?"
"It’s the night you are visiting, my Fiancée. Naturally, I’d be conscious of that."
She stood up and walked toward me, her voice soft. Her beautiful lapis lazuli hair swayed smoothly with each step, and the moment she brushed past me, a sweet fragrance tickled my nose. Then, I heard a click from behind.
I turned to find her smiling softly with her back against the door.
"Hey, why did you lock it?"
"Because I never know when you might vanish from my sight again. It’s a necessary precaution."
"...I don’t recall ever running away from you."
I questioned her, not quite following her meaning. In the moonlit room, a faint shadow fell across her face. This wasn't the dignified face of the Student Council President she had shown this morning. She looked, for a moment, like a child who had been left behind.
"When I heard that you wouldn't be enrolling here at the Arcadia Magic Academy, I honestly felt as though my world had ended. Back then, I truly believed you would always be by my side..."
Her voice was quiet, her gaze fixed directly on mine. She wasn't accusing me; she was simply recounting her feelings at the time with a hollow calmness.
"I’m sorry. As the Next Head of House Arkberg... I had much to learn."
Even before I regained my memories of my previous life, my path as one of The Chosen had been decided. What could I achieve if I survived? What could I leave behind if I didn't? I had spent my time preparing so that neither outcome would be in vain, and the result was staying confined to the Ducal House to prepare instead of enrolling in the academy immediately.
I had accompanied my father on his official duties to learn how to manage the territory, and I spent every spare moment training. This was the result of those choices.
"I know. You aren't the kind of person who makes decisions based on the assumption that they'll die. ...Right?"
Her deep purple eyes, illuminated by the moonlight, seemed to pierce through me.
"Do you remember? That night my parents told me to conceive your Heir, and I visited your room in a state most unladylike..."
The moment she spoke those words, the scene from that night flashed through my mind.
That was years ago. We hadn't been engaged for very long, and we weren't nearly as close as we were now. I had returned to my room late at night to find Elysia standing by the window, wrapped in a nightgown just like the one she wore now.
Her face had been set with a grim resolve that bordered on desperation.
"I was told to leave behind an Heir," she had said. Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "The Chosen have a high mortality rate. If that is the case, they said I should preserve the bloodline while I still can. A rational judgment, wouldn't you agree?"
It hadn't been a joke or a seduction. It was a proposal made out of duty as a Daughter of a Ducal House.
"I am a Daughter of a Ducal House. I cannot allow our lineage to end with my generation. Since you are the Ducal Heir, you must understand. So, tonight—"
Before the words "take me" could escape her lips, I rushed to her side and took her hands. They were shaking—a physical manifestation of the terror she was trying to suppress.
"Don't move forward on the assumption that you're going to die," I told her firmly.
Her eyes wavered.
"You won't die. I'll survive, and I'll make sure you do too."
Elysia stared at me in silence for a long moment. Her deep purple eyes shimmered with uncertainty as she slowly opened her mouth.
"What's the guarantee?"
"I can't give you one."
When I answered honestly, she lowered her eyes, looking as though she had expected as much. I gripped her hands even tighter, refusing to let her resign herself to fate.
"But as long as the possibility isn't zero, don't decide your future based on the premise of your death."
Her shoulders trembled. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
"I am a Daughter of a Ducal House. Rationally—"
"Are you going to use rationality as an excuse to give up?"
I grabbed her arms and pulled her toward me, pinning her to the bed. I blocked her path, leaning over her as I spoke.
"Take you just to leave an heir? If that's the only reason I'm touching you, I'd rather never touch you for the rest of my life."
Elysia let out a small, sharp breath.
"You won't die. I absolutely won't let you. So don't define your own worth by the assumption of your death."
Silence dominated the room. Eventually, her fingers curled into my clothes, gripping them tight.
"Then... for what reason would you take me?"
"When you choose a future where you live. Not out of duty or fear. When you choose me of your own free will—that’s when I will take you."
I made my declaration at point-blank range, our lips nearly touching. Her eyes shimmered.
"You're unfair," she whispered with a faint, relieved laugh. It was a broken smile, but one that seemed to save her. "Then, once I have chosen that future... when will you take me?"
"Maybe on a night when this is all over, and we can look back and smile with pride."
She pulled my head down until our foreheads touched.
"Is that a promise?"
"Yeah. I won't run away."
Nothing happened that night. We simply talked until Elysia was satisfied—about the past, about the future, about everything except the burden of being The Chosen.
As I recalled those old memories, Elysia let out a soft chuckle, clearly thinking of the same night.
"Heh. I came to you with such resolve, and you brushed it all aside. Even after I swallowed my pride and went as far as to wear such an outfit."
"If I recall correctly, it was almost exactly the same as what you're wearing right now."
"Oh? I wonder."
Elysia approached me with a bewitching smile. Before I could react, she pushed me back with surprising strength. I stumbled and fell onto the large bed, which cushioned my fall.
In the same motion, Elysia leaned over me, pinning me down. Her long lapis lazuli hair flowed over her shoulders, and the moonlight at her back cast her face into shadow.
She blocked any path of escape, then suddenly pulled me into a fierce embrace. She held me so tightly it almost hurt, pressing her soft body against mine with desperate force.
"I was so scared... that I might never see you again."
The seductive air had vanished. Elysia simply clung to me. Her slender fingers dug into my back as she buried her face in my chest. The composure she had maintained was gone, replaced by a tremor she could no longer hide.
"And just when I finally see you again, you have some unknown woman by your side besides Lene... Do you have any idea how much that hurt me?"
"I'm sorry. It just happened that way. We ended up traveling here together."
"If you're sorry, then prioritize me for once." She tightened her grip. "I am not a generous woman. I am not some saint who can watch you stand next to another girl and feel nothing."
Elysia raised her face and stared straight into my eyes. Her gaze was dark, and it felt as though the light had been drained from them.
"You belong to me. The spot beside you is my seat alone. I have no intention of yielding it to anyone else."
With that final declaration, she buried her face in my chest once more.