By the time Jin finished his explanation, dusk was already settling over Hourai Island.
"Ah, look at the time. I assume you're both staying the night?"
Count Kuzuma nodded at Jin’s invitation.
"Yes, I would very much like to. Reinhard, what about you?"
"Yeah. Berche is with child, so I'll send her home, but I'm staying here tonight."
"I see. Then we can talk more later."
As for Beena...
"Beena, are you alright? You look a bit pale."
"Y-Yes... My head is just spinning from everything that’s happened."
Beena responded to Elsa's concern with a weak, weary smile.
"In that case, why don't you two go relax in the hot springs?"
"I think I’ll do that..."
"Would you prefer the mixed bath or the separate ones?"
"Mi—?!"
Beena turned bright red. It seemed she still wasn't used to that kind of talk.
"Separate, please," Count Kuzuma answered in her stead, sensing her embarrassment. "It’s one thing at our estate, but there’s no need for that while we’re visiting."
So they do bathe together at home, Jin thought. However, seeing Beena’s crimson face, he decided to keep that observation to himself.
"Beena, want to go in together?"
When Elsa spoke to her, Beena finally regained her composure and nodded.
"…Ah, this feels wonderful."
"…Mm."
Elsa and Beena soaked together in the hot spring.
"Beena, does Louis-sama treat you well?"
"Eh... Yes, he does."
Beena was taken aback by the sudden question.
"I see. You look happy. I'm glad."
"Thank you. Elsa-sa—Elsa, are you happy being engaged to Jin?"
Out of old habit, Beena had almost called her Elsa-sama.
"Yes."
"Jin really is an amazing person. To think he was born and raised in another world... though, looking back at his knowledge, it does make sense."
Beena recalled how he had cured her siblings, introduced popcorn, and taught her that cold air sinks inside a refrigerator.
"So, Elsa... what did you think of Jin when you first met?"
"Well... at first, I thought he seemed a bit unreliable....That's a secret."
Beena chuckled and nodded.
"Actually, I can understand that."
"But after talking with him, I realized he was a gentle person. As I got to know him, I saw he was someone who knew many strange things. And eventually... I felt that just being near him brought me peace."
"That's true. Jin doesn't seem flashy, but he has a mysterious way of staying in your heart....And then?"
"Mm....He taught me craft magic and helped me return home... Before I knew it, he had become someone irreplaceable."
"That’s lovely."
"You worked hard too, Beena. Your studies to become a countess couldn't have been easy."
Elsa understood all too well. She knew how difficult it was for a commoner to acquire the education necessary to be a countess in such a short time, and how much effort that required.
"Yes, it was. But whenever things got hard, I did it for Louis-sama."
"The current Beena is beautiful."
"Eh?"
"Being loved by Louis-sama has made you beautiful."
"Is... is that so? If we're saying that... then so are you, Elsa."
"Me?"
"Yes. I think you've become much... softer."
"Softer...?"
"Yes. When we first met, how should I put it... you had an unapproachable air about you. And not just because I was a commoner."
"…I didn't realize."
Beena smiled.
"I suppose not. We often think we know ourselves best, but in truth, we usually don't."
"Looking back, maybe it was because I was so bad at socializing then."
"Maybe. Though I’m sure there’s more to it than just that."
Even Beena couldn't quite put it into words.
"Regardless, the Elsa who is with Jin is very wonderful."
"Thank... you."
＊ ＊ ＊
Meanwhile, in the men's bath, Jin, Reinhard, and Count Kuzuma were also soaking.
"Jin-dono, I feel as though I’ve experienced a lifetime’s worth of shocks in a single day."
"Louis, this is only the beginning. Once you see everything else Jin has built, you'll be even more surprised."
"I suppose the more I see, the more the surprises will pile up."
"That’s right. Elsa and I were lucky enough to have Jin confide in us very early on."
In that sense, Reinhard felt that Count Kuzuma and Beena, as the newest members of the inner circle, were going to have a difficult time adjusting.
"P-Please, ease me into it slowly."
Having heard Reinhard's remark, Count Kuzuma pleaded with Jin, his face twitching slightly.
"…Understood."
Between battleships, submarines, the Land, Sea, and Air Forces, the Marine Force, and the Space Force—not to mention the actual spaceships—Jin realized showing them everything at once would far exceed their capacity for shock. He decided to cancel part of the next day's itinerary.
＊ ＊ ＊
"So this is tatami..."
"It’s your first time, isn't it? I experienced it when I came here with Elsa. I recall she was quite fond of it."
The couple had retired to a room in Jin’s house. Futons had been laid out across the tatami mats.
"…My, this futon is marvelous."
These were magisilk futons, woven from thread produced by Ground Caterpillars—the same material the couple used back home.
However, these had been further refined for peak comfort.
A futon wasn't meant to just be soft. These were designed to provide proper support for the body, with specifically engineered soft and firm zones to prevent the spine from curving. This was the current Hourai Island standard.
"I suppose I should thank Beena."
"What’s this all of a sudden?"
"No, I was just thinking... meeting Jin-dono and being invited to such a magnificent place is all because you are my wife."
"Don't be silly. It’s the opposite. It’s because you were there for me that I can be here like this now."
Beena didn't say it aloud, but she would never forget the terror she felt when she was nearly assaulted at Earl Guarana's estate, nor the relief when she was saved. She would carry that for the rest of her life.
But she hadn't married him out of a sense of debt.
She had married him because she had truly fallen in love with the man named Louis. That was why she wanted to stand by his side and support him, both now and in the years to come.
"Thank you, dear."
"Hehe, and what’s gotten into you, Beena?"
"I just felt like saying it."
"I see. Then I'll say it too. Thank you, Beena."
And so, the night deepened on Hourai Island.