CH 95

“Eh, you didn’t notice it, Elt?”

Whilst I ate my meal, Alicia looked at me with a surprised expression.

“No, because she didn’t give me her title….”

“But she’s the princess of the country you lived in, though?”

That’s what she said but,

“In the first place, a farmer lives outside the walls, so they don’t really know that kind of information.”

Unlike the ones in the castle town, they have limited opportunities to get information.

“Maa, Elt, you didn’t even know me.”

Alice brought up our first meeting at the lake.

“What happened, Onee-sama?”

Laura interjected with such a question as we ate our meal.

What happened back then is supposed to be a secret between me and Alice.

“There was a discussion at the Erivan Castle to ascertain the truth behind the appearance of the Arch Demon. Alicia and I were there, but you didn’t recognize me, did you?”

Complaining, she cut the meat with her knife and brought it to her mouth.

To them, that would certainly seem like our first meeting.

“And they really do look alike, don’t they? It’s like Laura has grown up to look like Alice. I wonder if she looks like her mother?”

Serena leaned forward with her elbows on the table and looked at them.

“Yes, well….That’s right.”

“…It’s not Laura’s fault when it comes to her appearance.”

The two of them spoke as a moment passed.

“B-But more importantly, Elt. I heard that you were very active at the hunting festival. Thanks to you, we’re getting more and more attention, and people from all over the world are asking to meet with you.”

“That being said, I couldn’t afford to cut out corners in case we lost…”

“Hmm? Why?”

In response to Alice’s question, I told her about my bet with Prince Dogeu.

“So, Elt did everything in his power to prevent Alice from becoming Prince Dogeu’s consolation prize, huh?”

Serena said, looking me in the eye as she finished her explanation.

“No, not really, that’s….”

“That’s?”

Alicia was also staring at me. For some reason, this created a strangely uncomfortable air for me….

“What’s going on here?! Laura!”

“It has nothing to do with you, Onee-sama!”

I was interrupted by two shouting voices.

The next day, I went to the office as usual.

“Good morning, Elt-sama.”

When I opened the door, Laura, who was holding some papers, turned around.

“Aah…Good morning.”

She was acting normal, as if her argument with Alice last night had never happened.

I sat down in my chair, trying not to touch the matter at hand, and started checking the documents.

After working diligently for a while, I couldn’t help but notice Laura’s condition.

Alice was seriously upset when I told her that she had offered her own body in a bet with Prince Dogeu last night.

In the end, me, Serena and Alicia interceded, but I was worried because she was so emotional, which was unthinkable from her normal self.

“Haa….”

A sigh escaped in the office.

“Laura?”

“Ah, I’m very sorry, Elt-sama.”

Perhaps thinking that she had lost her concentration, Laura bowed her head and apologised.

“No, it’s fine, but…”

It was hard to see on her face, but she seemed to be down.

“It’s understandable that Alice is angry. That just means she was worried about Laura, right?”

It seemed to me that I had misunderstood Prince Dogeu, when he was indeed a terrible person.

I didn’t know him well, but that’s how it was for me, so it must have been impossible for Alice and Leon, who had known him since childhood.

“It was the most effective way to silence Prince Dogeu there. I heard Prince Dogeu insult my sister at the party.”

She confides in me the circumstances that she didn’t tell me before.

“As a result, we have gotten a lot out of Prince Dogeu. His voice will be diminished, and it will be harder for him to mess with Irkutu in the future.”

Laura touched on what she has gained as a result of the choices she had made. But that’s not what Alice and I are concerned about.

“We did win, but that’s just the result. What would have happened if we had lost? You would have been Prince Dogeu’s consolation prize?”

I made her imagine what she would have been subjected to.

Then the blood drained from Laura’s face.

“I can understand why you care so much about Alice, but don’t put yourself in danger. I’m not all-powerful. If it weren’t for Leon, we might’ve lost.”

“I, I’m very sorry…”

It may have been too much of a shock for a young girl. I let out a sigh and put my hand on her head.

“….?”

She looked up and gave me a curious look.

“That’s why, if there’s anything you want to do next time, let me know in advance. I’ll help you as much as I can.”

She then looked dumbfoundedly at me.