Shortly before noon on July 7th, Elsa and the twins traveled to the Loizart mansion via the Warp Gate.
Soleil and Luna accompanied them as attendants. With Reiko remaining by Jin's side, the assignment had naturally fallen to them.
Furthermore, Deus Ex Machina had sent an airship—a temporarily disguised Konron 2—into the airspace above Loizart. This ensured that the cover story of "Maquina giving Elsa a ride" would carry far greater credibility.
The Konron 2 landed conspicuously on the roof of Jin's mansion. According to the plan, she would subsequently be flown to her family home from there; for now, they were merely putting on a show of taking a brief rest.
The disguised Konron 2 remained atop the estate for about an hour, displaying itself prominently before the residents of Loizart, before soaring back into the sky, heading north, and vanishing beyond Lake Tosmo.
Afterward, Elsa arrived at her family home in Ekishi. The official story was that Deus Ex Machina had flown off and disappeared somewhere immediately after dropping off Elsa, the twins, and their luggage.
"Oh my, Elsa! Yuu, Mio, welcome!"
"I'm back, Mother."
At the Ekishi estate, Elsa was welcomed by Marlene, her stepmother—the mother who had raised her.
"Hello, Grandma."
"Hello, Grandma."
Yuu and Mio greeted her as well.
"Yes, hello....My, both of you have grown so much since I last saw you. Come on in."
"Thank you."
Returning to a home she knew inside and out, Elsa was touched by a wave of nostalgia, but she promptly explained the reason for her sudden visit.
"I heard Moritz-niisama had a child, so I came to celebrate."
"Yes. We received word from Loizart yesterday evening saying that you would be coming. Thank you, Elsa."
"No need to thank me....Anyway, here are the congratulatory gifts."
As Elsa said this, Soleil and Luna stood behind her holding large boxes.
"This is for you, Mother."
Elsa first presented the potted katlar (cattleya) to Marlene.
"Oh, how lovely. Thank you. I'm delighted."
Next came the gifts for the newborn, but...
"Before that, please tell me....Ingrid was a lady's maid, wasn't she? What will happen with that going forward?"
Marlene seemed to fully grasp the meaning behind Elsa's question.
"It will be fine. We are going to have another noble family adopt her first before holding a proper wedding."
Just as had been the case with Beena in the past, when a commoner married into a noble house, standard procedure required them to be formally adopted by a suitable noble family before being entered into the family register. This was by no means an uncommon practice; in reality, many who became second or third wives went through this exact process.
"...How is my sister-in-law feeling?"
Elsa deliberately referred to her as "sister-in-law." Understanding her heartfelt intentions, her mother, Marlene, made no objection to the phrasing.
"Yes, she is doing well. Cecil, the secretary golem you gave us last month, has gone to great lengths to assist with everything, including arranging for a Hebamme."
Cecil was the golem Jin and Elsa had gifted to assist Moritz with his paperwork. It appeared the golem had proved exceedingly useful on this occasion as well. In addition to handling clerical duties, Cecil had been enchanted with mid-level healing magic with Moritz's frail constitution in mind. Elsa reasoned that by coordinating with the Hebamme, the level of care was certainly enough to put their minds at ease.
"She is awake right now. Please, do go see her," her stepmother Marlene said, prompting Elsa to turn to Yuu and Mio.
"Yuu, Mio, be good and wait here, okay?"
"Okay."
"Okaaay."
Entrusting the twins to Soleil and Luna, Elsa followed Marlene to Ingrid's room. First, she had the House Randol maids carry the celebratory flowers and fruit inside.
"Oh my, Elsa-sama! Thank you so much for coming. Please excuse my appearance," said Ingrid, sitting up in bed as she nursed her baby. "I'm so sorry, I'll be done in just a moment."
The infant still had a reddish, squished little face, but seeing her nurse so vigorously showed she was healthy, bringing Elsa a wave of relief.
Lightly patting the baby's back to burp her after she finished feeding, Ingrid handed the newborn over to a lady's maid.
"I apologize for receiving you while dressed like this."
"No, please don't worry about it....More importantly, how are you feeling?"
"...I still feel a bit sluggish."
Hearing this, Elsa asked for permission and decided to examine her.
"Diagnose... Ah, I see..."
Just then, a middle-aged woman entered the room.
"Ingrid-sama, how are you feeling?...Oh, a guest? E-Eeeek?! C-Could it be—are you the Reichsarzt, Elsa-sama?! It is an absolute honor to meet you!"
"...And you are?"
"I-I am Melia Caret, the Hebamme employed by this household for the delivery."
"I see....Thank you for safely delivering the baby."
"You are too kind. Having certification as an arzt as well, I was glad to be of assistance."
"Mm....Are you aware that my sister-in-law is anemic?"
Elsa stated the findings from her Diagnose spell.
"Yes. That is why I am currently planning a menu that incorporates meats such as liver, as well as vegetables rich in iron."
Elsa was satisfied with her response.
"Mm, that is good....However, I brought something even better."
"Whatever could that be?"
Elsa turned around and took the fruit basket held by the maid.
"Sister-in-law, please have some of this."
It was a basket filled with Persica grown on Hourai Island.
"Oh my, how delicious they look!"
Ingrid rejoiced, but immediately afterward, she caught the term Elsa had used to address her.
"E-Elsa-sama, I-I..."
Elsa smiled gently and spoke in a quiet, reassuring tone.
"You are going to be Moritz-niisama's wife. Which makes you my sister-in-law."
Hearing those words, Ingrid's eyes welled with tears as she bowed her head.
"...Th-Thank you so very much."
Still smiling, Elsa then pointed to the fruit.
"It is rich in nutrients....Someone, please peel one for her."
As Elsa suggested she eat right away, Marlene spoke up.
"Well then, allow me," she said, picking up one of the Persica.
"Grand Madam! Please, you shouldn't have to!"
"Grand Madam, we can handle that!"
"No, please let me do this."
Paying no heed to the flustered Ingrid and the protesting maids, Marlene deftly peeled away the skin. As Elsa promptly offered a plate, Marlene sliced the peeled Persica into eight wedges.
Providing a fork alongside it, she presented the plate to Ingrid.
"Here, please eat."
"Thank you very much, Grand Madam."
Taking a single bite, Ingrid beamed with sheer delight.
"Oh my, it's so sweet! Elsa-sama, I have never tasted such delicious Persica before!"
She proceeded to eat one piece after another.
Having finished the peeled Persica in no time at all, Ingrid gave a bright smile.
"Ah, I feel as though my energy is already returning."