The sun was setting.
El walked along the road home, holding a communication stone, hesitating whether to call Cielsa.
El was no fool. He had long suspected that the script had come from Her Highness the Princess—or rather, he was almost certain of it.
Cielsa also knew that he knew.
The reason was simple. He couldn’t think of anyone who could fool Ivena’s senses, or Cerys’s animal friends, not to mention the ward he had so carefully set up.
The most likely answer was that the person who hid the script in his room was someone close to El—someone he deeply trusted. In his exchanges with Cielsa, he’d more or less figured this out.
Cielsa… El’s mind conjured up her face.
Since childhood, she had always loved to tease him. But every time he saw the sly grin Cielsa wore when her schemes succeeded, warmth would bloom in his heart.
There was a tacit understanding between them. El could sense that Her Highness the Princess was afraid.
Afraid… Afraid of what?
After what happened today, El thought he understood.
Vita, a swordswoman with extraordinary talent—why would she care about El’s approval? It was because her reason for wielding the sword was El himself.
He was the person Vita cared about most, so Vita feared being rejected by El.
And El, not to sound arrogant, knew very well how highly he was regarded in Cielsa’s heart. Because Cielsa’s place in his own heart was just as high.
It was precisely for this reason that Cielsa feared an irreversible change in their relationship. She hated the unknown, and worried about El’s alienation.
She wanted to tell El some things, but didn’t want their relationship to shift because of it. So, she chose a subtle way—giving El a script.
Would El change his view of her because of this? His answer was—no.
Cielsa could have kept it from him forever; she didn’t have to share her secrets.
But she chose trust. She hoped that one day, she and El could be honest with each other.
El had only seen another side of Cielsa, but that didn’t mean the Cielsa he knew was fake or just a mask. Cielsa had always been the sister who wanted to protect him.
He chose to respond to Cielsa’s expectations. Since she had always shielded him, he should be her solid support.
Having sorted everything out, El used the communication stone to call Cielsa.
“Eh? El, you’re calling much earlier than I expected. Usually, you don’t call until evening, do you?”
On the other end, Cielsa’s voice came through—she sounded quite pleased.
“Call? What’s that?”
“Don’t mind that. Let me guess, your next sentence will be ‘Was today’s investigation successful?’”
“Today’s… what? You already know.”
El realized he’d been tricked again.
Right?
Cielsa giggled. Though he couldn’t see her, El could easily imagine her completely un-princesslike expression.
“All right, all right, let me tell you…” Cielsa recounted her experiences at the Lavaud estate.
“Sounds like Duke Lavaud is quite suspicious.”
“Wrong. My evaluation is that the odds of that old man not colluding with cultists are lower than the odds of him sleeping with Spei. In fact, the Stuart family I’m visiting tomorrow is probably also involved.”
By the way, Spei was a little dog raised by Cerys, who used to play with El and Cielsa.
“None of them are decent, so I extorted a hefty sum from him and carried out justice. By the way, El, how about I build you a Mage Tower? I think it’s a great idea.”
Cielsa’s thoughts always leapt about—she said whatever came to mind. Maybe she had suppressed herself for too long.
“Ah~ my dear brother, why can’t you take the initiative and just go die already? I really don’t know what else to steam…”
Suddenly, she grumbled, sounding listless.
El was shocked. Is this something I should be hearing? Wh-who put the communication stone on me?
“Oh, right, El, want to come over tonight? I built a new Card Deck—it’s your least favorite, the Priest!”
This was unbearable… El’s heart was stirred, and he nearly rushed over to teach Cielsa a lesson with his Mage Card Deck, to show her that mage was the greatest class.
Dream Legend was a card game invented (ported over) by Cielsa. Its gameplay was basically the same as the Hearthstone of her previous life.
Because of magic and alchemy technology, the productivity of the Leon Empire was not lacking; the people had the leisure to invest in entertainment.
After Dream Legend was released, it quickly attracted widespread attention and became a national craze.
Cielsa’s Card Deck was full of Golden Cards, each inscribed with Projection Magic, and she even hired professionals for the voiceovers.
A rare Golden Card could be speculated to over a thousand gold crowns among the nobility. She had earned enough from this game to buy herself a county.
“Better not. It’s not safe out these days, and Ivena wants me to come home early.”
Because Cerys had found a cultist lurking outside the estate, the Elf maid was worried. After much hesitation, El decided to let it go.
“Why are you listening to that woman? She’s just looking for an excuse to keep you at home. Even if you were outside, she’d still be protecting you, wouldn’t she?”
“That’s true, but I have to consider Ivena’s feelings. She’s also my family, after all.”
El was very clear about what he should do.
“Heh, what a good boy. Anyone who didn’t know would think she was your master.”
“Say whatever you want.”
Cielsa was frustrated, searching for ways to disparage Ivena.
“Hey, El, you know, I learned something about Elves from Scholar Weilin recently.”
“Huh? Why bring that up?” El was puzzled.
“Elves may look pure, aloof, arrogant, and untouchable, but when it comes to their lovers, they become extremely sensitive. Just a brush of skin, and they’ll ‘ohohoho~’ out loud.”
“I’ve never heard of that. Are you just mad at Ivena?”
“I swear it’s true—it’s just that contact with Elves is rare. Scholar Weilin found it in an Ancient Book.”
Come to think of it, El suddenly remembered that when Ivena gave him a lap pillow not long ago, she did seem awfully sensitive and even made a sound.
No way… El shook his head, banishing the possibility.
Elves are a very pure-hearted race. In their whole lives, an Elf can love only one person; this is decided by their soul. When the time comes, they’ll give their all to their beloved.
If their partner dies, most Elves will choose to die as well. For them, their lover is an inseparable part of life.
It sounded romantic, but an Elf could never fall for a human.
The reason was simple—lifespan. For a human to live two hundred years would already be considered extremely long-lived, but it’s said that Elves can live over eight hundred years.
This alone makes love between the two races impossible.
That’s why El believed Ivena could never love him. To Ivena, El was just a passerby in her life, and there were still countless wonders to come in her long years.
Still, Cielsa had achieved her goal. The thought of Ivena being teased by her lover in the future and showing a certain look made El feel a nameless agitation.
It was a possessiveness everyone had. If your sister or little sister were to get married, of course you’d feel upset.
“Don’t worry, El. No matter what, the beautiful, kind, gentle, elegant, and dignified Iris Princess will never leave you—and will even build you a Mage Tower. Can that woman do as much?”
She was trying to sow discord, El told himself.
But it reminded him of his own purpose.
“Cielsa, that’s what I wanted to say too. I know you’re hiding something from me, but I’ll never leave your side—I promise.”
“Eh? Why so sudden…?”
Cielsa exclaimed softly, clearly not expecting El to say such things.
“I want you to know that. You’ve done so much for me—things I don’t even know about behind my back…”
“Don’t say any more…”
Cielsa felt her whole body burning, her heart itching.
“When everything is settled, I hope you’ll tell me everything, all right?”
With just a single word, she hung up.
If anyone familiar with this princess saw this scene, they’d be shocked. The Iris Princess, usually always in control and never missing a detail, was now blushing like any ordinary lovesick girl.
Cielsa patted her cheeks, trying her best to calm down. Apart from her closest confidants, like Wald, no one knew this ruthless princess actually had someone she loved.
Heh, what else could she do? With so many years since childhood, she could have devoured El long ago.
But Cielsa worried that the fight for the throne would endanger El’s safety, and so she had consciously kept her distance.
El’s words echoed over and over in her mind…
“Hehe…”
Suddenly, Cielsa let out a silly giggle.
“Why did she hang up?” El was puzzled. “Whatever, at least it seems my feelings got through.”
Soon, he arrived at the gates of the count’s manor.
How odd. Before, whenever Ivena sensed he was back, she’d usually greet him at the door.
“Welcome home, young master.”
As he pushed the door open, El was greeted by Ivena—and…
“Ivena, stop calling him ‘young master.’ El is grown up now. As the head of House Regis, you should address him as ‘Master.’”
A blonde noblewoman sat at the table in the main hall, chiding her gently.
“I’m already used to it, Madam. Besides, calling him ‘Master’ would make him sound old, and he’s still so young.”
Ivena retorted.
El was dumbfounded and hesitated.
“Mom?”