Chapter 339: Presence
“Elizalina-sama…!”
“Yep! That’s right~! You probably expected either Felisiana or me to show up, but I bet you didn’t think both of us would, so it must’ve surprised you quite a bit, right?”
“Yes, it truly surprised me! But this time, unlike before, it was a pleasant kind of surprise, so I’m glad.”
“Ah~! You mean that time I went ‘Boo!’ and startled you, right? Your reaction back then was so cute, I’ve been thinking I’d love to do it again if I get the chance…”
After that, the two of them continued chatting happily.
During that time, Lux seemed somewhat embarrassed, while Elizalina looked like she was genuinely enjoying herself.
“…”
Among the royal family, Elizalina in particular had a very approachable tone and presence, but.
Watching the Second Princess speak directly with Lux-sama like this… the way she interacts is clearly different from how she speaks with others.
It wasn’t as though Florence knew Elizalina that well,
But the Elizalina before her now seemed to be enjoying herself from the bottom of her heart, unlike when she spoke with other nobles.
Her outwardly friendly tone hadn’t changed much, but the emotions leaking from her true feelings couldn’t be hidden.
“Florence, it’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”
As she was thinking that, Elizalina turned to address Florence this time.
“Yes, that’s right. We weren’t able to speak even at the previous Second Royal Exchange Gathering, so it has been since the time you visited the Florence ducal residence several years ago…”
As she began to say that,
Florence suddenly felt a strange sensation wash over her, and her words trailed off.
The last time she had spoken with Elizalina was certainly several years ago.
That should have been the case, and yet, for some reason, even standing face-to-face like this, it didn’t feel like it had been years.
There was something about her presence that felt familiar.
“Is something wrong?”
Perhaps wondering why Florence had stopped, Elizalina tilted her head and asked.
“…No, it’s nothing.”
“I see.”
It seemed Elizalina herself didn’t recall anything in particular either, so Florence pushed the thought aside for now.
“…”
Then, for just a brief moment, Florence felt as though Elizalina was staring at her, but before she could dwell on it, Elizalina spoke again.
“By the way, it looked like you were talking with Felisiana earlier. What were you talking about?”
“After a brief greeting, she invited me to cross swords with her.”
“Oh really~! A mock battle between Felisiana, the Third Princess, and Florence, the swordsmanship tournament champion… that sounds like it’ll get pretty exciting~! Lux, are you going to watch too?”
“Yes! I’d like to learn as much as I can from both of their swordsmanship!”
“Mm-hmm, nice!”
At a glance, Elizalina seemed to be speaking freely without much thought, simply saying whatever came to mind,
And if this had been Florence’s first meeting with her,
Then even assuming Elizalina had feelings for Lux, Florence likely would have lowered her guard considerably.
However, Florence had once witnessed Elizalina’s capabilities firsthand when she visited the Florence ducal house to request their cooperation in stabilizing the country…
From her choice of words to her gestures, everything had been perfectly calculated, and she had skillfully secured the Florence family’s support.
Because of that, there was no way Florence could afford to let her guard down.
After that, as the three of them continued their casual conversation…
“Well then, I’ll catch up with you two later~!”
“Yes!”
“Yes.”
Since this was, after all, a Royal Exchange Gathering, and she needed to speak with others as well, Elizalina left the spot.
Only then did Florence finally ease her tension slightly,
And she tried to identify the source of the gaze she had been feeling during their conversation, and even now, but right after that—
“…?”
Suddenly, that presence vanished.
…Around that same time…
The scene shifted to the throne room of the royal castle.
“It should be about time for the Fourth Royal Exchange Gathering to be underway… those fools, attending together as two members of the royal family, doing as they please.”
However, he continued.
As the corners of his lips curled upward, the king muttered.
“They’re not the only ones who can act freely at the Royal Exchange Gathering… with the power of the king, manipulating royal affiliates as puppets is a simple matter… combined with that list from before, Elizalina… the identity of the man you favor will soon be laid bare.”
The moment when that composure of Elizalina’s would crumble…
Just imagining it was enough to make the king unable to suppress his twisted smile.