Chapter 382: Conflicting Emotions
“A promise for Lux-sama’s sake…?”
At Florence’s question, Elizalina nodded, then added as if to clarify.
“Yes, a promise we make only among ourselves, for Lux’s sake.”
“…We don’t know when we’ll have another chance to gather like this. If you’re that serious, Elizalina, I can’t say yet whether I’ll agree, but I would like to hear it first.”
“I share the First Princess’s opinion.”
After hearing those two, Elizalina turned her gaze to Felisiana.
If this were something Elizalina had said in her usual manner, Felisiana might have ignored it entirely.
But it was obvious to anyone that Elizalina was serious right now.
So when Felisiana gave a small nod as well, Elizalina opened her mouth and spoke.
“Thank you. Then I’ll get straight to it and talk about what I absolutely want everyone to uphold, for Lux’s sake…”
After that, Elizalina explained, adding her own reasoning as she laid out the rule she wanted them to follow.
Once everyone present had heard it through.
“…!”
“That is…”
“…”
It was certainly something that, if they truly cared for Lux, they ought to do… but precisely because they truly cared for him,
When it was suddenly placed before them and they seriously considered it, it became something that stirred conflicting emotions within a single feeling over whether they could really go through with it.
Even Violet, who usually refrained from participating in meetings as Felisiana’s attendant, was left speechless along with the others.
Well, yeah, I figured it’d turn out like this.
Elizalina had expected that reaction, so she spoke again without delay.
“Honestly, now that I’ve come to love Lux this much, I don’t know if I could really do something like that… I mean, I can’t even imagine that kind of future anymore, and I don’t want to… but if that’s what would make Lux happy, then I still…”
Even as she spoke, just as she herself admitted, Elizalina couldn’t be certain she could truly do it, and her words trailed off.
Even though I’m the one who suggested it, that’s kind of pathetic… but it just shows how much I love Lux, right.
Before meeting Lux, she had never felt even a trace of romantic interest in anyone, living in a world where everything stayed within expectations, and yet now, she loved Lux so much that her own heart could be shaken this deeply.
That thought brought her a faint sense of happiness.
But when she imagined what she had just proposed, her mood darkened again.
As she fell silent, those emotions alternated within her.
After a short pause, Rezamiliana spoke.
“What you’ve just said, Elizalina, is indeed something we’ll have to face sooner or later… however, including myself, it would be difficult to reconcile that with this feeling of love right away.”
Then she continued.
“For now, I think we should proceed with discussing how to defeat the King and those aligned with him, the royal faction. What do you think?”
“Yes… let’s do that.”
“I’m fine with that as well.”
“Of course, I didn’t expect anyone, myself included, to be able to decide something like this right away, so it’s fine.”
“I see… then let’s begin with the recent movements of the royal faction…”
After that,
With Elizalina, Rezamiliana, Felisiana, and Florence, and with Violet occasionally joining in, the meeting to defeat the King and the royal faction continued.
Each of them likely held their own thoughts about Elizalina’s proposal, but unless they defeated the King and the royal faction, it would be absolutely impossible for any of them to find happiness with Lux, so the five of them worked to carry on the discussion calmly and logically…