Stepping back one day to the morning of July 6th, in the Nord Federation.
Jin learned through Reiko that a baby had been born to Moritz.
He wanted to fly over to celebrate immediately, but right now, he was attending to Her Majesty the Empress Emerita.
"I can't go right away, but... it's a relief to know that Elsa went ahead to celebrate."
Even if it was an in-law relationship... No, precisely because they were in-laws, Jin wanted to make sure he extended his formal greetings properly.
"Father, why not leave one of the matters to a Doppel?"
Seeing Jin troubled, Reiko offered a suggestion, but,
"...Hmm... A Doppel, you say..."
Jin hesitated, mindful of the drawbacks of that idea.
Empress Emerita Hilde and Moritz's family. Weighing which one he should leave to a Doppel led to no easy answer.
"It would be rude to either of them..."
On top of that, he would technically be in two places at the exact same time; if someone questioned it, he wouldn't be able to come up with a valid excuse.
"Still, I want to go give my congratulations by the Oshichiya at least..."
Oshichiya was a celebration held on the seventh night after birth to pray for the child's healthy growth.
It was said to be a traditional folk custom dating back to the Heian period, often combined with a naming ceremony where the newborn was officially named.
...At least, that was what Jin had been told by the Orphanage Director.
It was an event that had likely had nothing to do with himself or the other children at the orphanage, but Jin figured that was precisely why it had left such a strong impression on him.
Incidentally, the nations of Planet Ars had no such custom.
Just as Jin was pondering how to handle Moritz's congratulations, a voice called out to him from behind.
"Where are you planning to go give your greetings?"
"Eh... Whoa, Y-Your Majesty!?"
Startled, Jin inadvertently called her "Your Majesty."
"That won't do, Jin-kun. I'm 'Hilde' right now, remember?"
"Ah, my apologies, Lady Hilde."
When Jin apologized, Empress Emerita Hilde smiled warmly and pressed him.
"Now then, won't you tell me where you're going to give your greetings?"
"...You've got me."
For a split second, he considered trying to dodge the question, but knowing he stood no chance against Empress Emerita Hilde, Jin decided to answer honestly.
"Actually, it seems a baby girl was born to Elsa's older brother, Moritz Randol..."
For the sake of his cover story, he made it sound as though he had heard it via the manaphone aboard the Konron 3.
"Oh, my! What wonderful news!...I'd like to go as well."
"Pardon?"
Empress Emerita Hilde declared that she, too, wanted to go congratulate Moritz's child.
"Back when I was a public figure, I couldn't show favoritism to a specific house like that, but I'm traveling incognito now, after all....Surely you can manage something, Jin-kun?"
"Well, that..."
It wasn't that he couldn't. Rather, he could do it without any issue at all, but Jin hesitated to answer.
However, lacking the confidence to keep secrets from Empress Emerita Hilde, he yielded.
"I can manage it."
"If we fly at the Konron 3's maximum speed, we can reach the Shouro Empire in about four hours."
At the very least, he barely managed to keep up the pretense that they would travel by the Konron 3 rather than a Warp Gate.
"Then there's no problem at all. We'll stay here for today as planned, and leave before noon tomorrow."
Factoring in the time difference, Empress Emerita Hilde noted that leaving at that hour would get them to Elsa's family home by the evening of the 7th.
Empress Emerita Hilde had a precise grasp of time zones.
"Understood. I will adjust the schedule accordingly."
Since there were no major obstacles, making the arrangements was entirely feasible.
However...
"I wonder if I should bring a gift?"
Jin had intended to leave his own gift to Elsa, so he was surprised when Empress Emerita Hilde asked him this.
"No, Your Maj— Lady Hilde, simply having you visit to give your congratulations in person is more than enough."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, that's how it is."
Empress Emerita Hilde still looked somewhat unconvinced. But then,
"Ah, I have a wonderful idea!"
She suddenly raised her voice as inspiration struck her.
"I will bestow a grant-name upon her."
A grant-name.
Literally, a name that was "granted."
When a noble of the Shouro Empire came of age, their official full name became "First Name - Family Name - von - Grant-Name."
Before reaching adulthood, a person was not considered a full-fledged individual, and therefore could not use the "von - Grant-Name" portion.
Even so, it was customary for a grant-name to be prepared well before adulthood.
Furthermore, grant-names were traditionally bestowed by the Shouro Imperial Family or higher-ranking nobility, depending on the recipient's rank.
Therefore, having the Empress Emerita grant one in advance was not strange at all... in theory. And yet.
"Is it normal for an Empress Emerita to bestow a grant-name upon the daughter of a baronet house...?"
"...It is not very common, no."
"Yikes..."
In noble society, balance and propriety were paramount.
A disproportionate or unfitting gift would only breed jealousy from those around them.
"However, there have been precedents in the past. For houses that achieved great deeds, or produced many distinguished individuals, for instance."
"Ah, in that case, House Randol..."
"I believe it falls just within the realm of common sense."
Jin thought that having produced a Reichsarzt in Elsa would serve as more than enough justification.
Even so, he was still a little concerned.
"Elsa herself should be there right now, so I hope you will take that into account as well."
As the saying went, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Jin worried that House Randol, having only recently been restored, might draw resentment from other nobles.
In that sense, Jin considered that if the official premise was that the grant-name was being bestowed by virtue of Elsa herself, it wouldn't ruffle any feathers.
"Ah, that provides more than enough prestige. After all, both Elsa and Jin-kun are right there."
"...Pardon?"
To Jin's blank expression, Empress Emerita Hilde explained with a wry smile.
"For the niece of Elsa the Reichsarzt and Jin-kun the Magi Craft Meister, it wouldn't be strange in the slightest for me to show my face."
"I-Is that so?"
Jin had completely forgotten to factor himself in, but with those kinds of connections, it did make sense that Her Majesty the Empress Emerita might become involved.
Empress Emerita Hilde then asked Jin:
"It's a girl, right?...Then how about 'von Rubella'? What do you think?"
Rubella was derived from "rubellite." Like ruby, it was a red-colored gemstone.
"I think that sounds wonderful."
Knowing that many of House Randol's grant-names were taken from gemstones, Jin agreed.
"You think so? Then let's make it 'Rubella.'"
Jin could only hope that Brother-in-Law Moritz wouldn't faint on the spot.