"That should be enough, shouldn't it, Elsa?"
"Mm."
Elsa still looked as though she couldn't quite shake her exhaustion. Under normal circumstances, Jin would have preferred to stay by King Alois III's side until he regained consciousness, but seeing the worried face of Princess Lieschen, he decided to deactivate the barrier.
When he turned to smile at Lieschen, her grim expression dissolved into a radiant smile.
"Jin, Elsa! My father... Father is saved, is he not?"
Elsa managed a small, weary smile of her own for Lies.
"Yes, Your Highness. He is out of danger. From here on, if he is kept at rest and begins to eat little by little..."
"Oh, truly? Thank you, Elsa, Jin. I cannot possibly thank you enough..."
"At first, please start him on a diet for the convalescent—fruit juices, then porridge," Elsa advised the gathered princes, the princess, and the chancellor.
"I understand. I will ensure the nurses are informed," Prince Edmond answered for the group.
Leaving two maids behind to handle the nursing duties, the rest of the party moved to an adjacent room. The parasites that the Mini-Smiths had extracted from the King’s bile duct had been placed upon a mithril silver plate for inspection.
"...So these were inside Father's body..." Prince Edmond muttered with a scowl.
"I saw it with my own eyes, so though it is difficult to believe, I have no choice. But how did these get into Father's body?" Prince Arthur asked Elsa, his face twisted in a similar frown.
"It is possible he ate raw fish containing either the eggs or the larvae of the parasites."
"...He did go to Lake Manuse to convalesce before the summer. It may have happened then," the chancellor said thoughtfully. "Now that I think on it, His Majesty is quite fond of trout. He visits the imperial villa in Dekubo almost every year. If not this year, it might have been the last."
"...Regardless, Elsa, was it? You certainly knew your craft! I am impressed. I apologize for my initial rudeness. Please, forget I said anything."
Prince Edmond bowed his head, acknowledging his earlier disparaging remarks. Elsa hurriedly moved to stop him.
"N-No, Your Highness, please, there is no need. Given the circumstances, I think your reaction was only natural."
"...Heh. Elsa, you are a generous soul. I’ve taken a liking to you! How about it? Won't you become my bride?"
"What!?"
"I’ve had a difficult time finding a woman who catches my eye. I’ve remained a bachelor even at twenty-six, but you are quite something. Well? Won't you consider it?"
"..."
Turning a deep shade of crimson, Elsa stole a glance at Jin, who was sitting beside her.
Jin’s mind was racing. Stunned by the sudden turn of events, he desperately scrambled for an excuse to refuse. Then, he remembered a similar situation from the past.
“No, Your Highness!” “I am the one scheduled to propose to her—to Beena!”
Those were the words Count Kuzuma had used to intercept Prince Ernest when the prince had tried to propose to Beena following the Golem Rampage Incident in the Kingdom of Egerea.
"...No, Your Highness!"
"...Jin-nii."
Hearing Jin's protest, Elsa’s face brightened with hope.
"For Elsa, I will..."
But Jin’s sentence stalled there.
"Hm? What is it?"
"...I will..."
"Well? You will what?"
"I’m the one who will find a suitable partner for her!"
"What?"
"...Jin-nii..."
Elsa’s disappointment was visible to everyone in the room.
"...Idiot."
She muttered the single word, shoved her chair back, and sprinted out of the room. Only Edgar followed immediately after her.
"Elsa..."
Jin could do nothing but watch her go, utterly taken ahead. He was preoccupied with useless worries, like whether it was even permissible for her to go wandering off on her own right now.
"You fool."
The person who smacked Jin on the head with an open palm was Prince Edmond himself. That he used a flat palm rather than a fist was perhaps his own small form of consideration.
"Even I could see it. That girl is clearly head over heels for you. If you put it like that, of course she’s going to be crushed....Well, I suppose I’m also to blame for the sudden proposal....But look! Aren't you going to go after her!?"
"...Is it really all right for me to go?"
Edmond gave him another light smack, this time on the cheek.
"Don't dither at a time like this! Move! Go after her!"
"Brother, surely at a time like this, that's a bit..."
Prince Arthur tried to intervene, but Prince Edmond ignored him and practically shoved Jin toward the door.
"Indeed, Jin, go quickly!" Princess Lieschen added, pushing him from behind.
"Y-Yes!"
Finally spurred into action, Jin stood up and ran out of the room.
"...Jin-nii, you big idiot."
Elsa sprinted down the hallway at full speed. The guards, court ladies, and maids were so startled by the sight of her that they failed to even challenge her, simply watching as she flew past.
She scrambled up the first staircase she found and dashed down another corridor. At the very end, a set of doors stood wide open, leading out to a balcony.
Elsa stepped out into the air. The cool breeze felt wonderful against her flushed face. She leaned her back against a large wooden crate, nearly as tall as she was, that had been left in a corner and let out a long, shaky sigh.
"...I'm the real idiot."
She had known Jin for a long time now. she should have understood his personality better than anyone.
"Jin-nii is..."
He was kind to everyone. Of course, that kindness was usually reserved for those he considered part of the Jin Family, or his close friends.
"And besides..."
She was the one who had made the request in the beginning.
“...I've already abandoned House Randol. So I'm all alone. If possible, I want you to treat me as your younger sister, Jin-nii.”
She was the one who had said it. Jin could have refused her then and sent her back to House Randol. But he hadn't. He had welcomed her, given her a home, and shown her a path to walk.
The debt of gratitude she owed him, the familial affection he showed her, and the world-class knowledge he shared—the more she thought about it, the more she was overwhelmed by the weight of it all.
"It's not something I could ever repay."
She knew Jin wasn't looking for repayment. For Elsa, being of use to Jin was her joy, and simply being by his side was enough to make her happy.
"But still..."
Still, she found herself wishing he would say she was special to him.
"...I'm just conceited."
She knew she wasn't the only girl Jin cared about. There was Hanna, Saki, and Lishia. Among the demon race, there were girls like Sion and Istalis. Perhaps he even had someone he loved in the world he had come from.
As those thoughts swirled in her mind, tears began to overflow before she could stop them. Edgar, standing faithfully by her side, remained silent, as if knowing there were no words that could comfort her in this moment.
Then, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
"...Jin-nii?"
Thinking he had chased after her, Elsa turned around, eyes bright with tears.
"...Oh."
But it wasn't him.
"Miss Elsa, whatever is the matter?"
The Minister of Industry, Delight, was standing there, looking at her with a face full of concern.