—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After the meeting, which was more of a forceful information download than a discussion, Elise was left alone in her quarters, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.
She didn’t mind Daniel McLean’s harsh treatment. In fact, she secretly hoped he might even slap her one day.
But this was different.
He wasn’t pushing her.
He was pushing himself.
‘Master is driving himself to the brink.’
What was wrong?
She had asked Ares when Daniel had briefly left the room, but he claimed to be unaware of the reason for Daniel’s change in demeanor.
‘This isn’t what I want.’
Daniel shouldn’t be the one suffering.
She didn’t want to see him like this, consumed by darkness, but…
‘There’s nothing I can do.’
Swallowing her pride, Elise called for Bertia.
“Bertia.”
“Yes, Princess.”
The words caught in her throat.
But as a wise and intelligent princess, she knew her limitations.
Daniel McLean didn’t need a passive, obedient princess.
“Check the guest list for the party.”
The year-end party was fast approaching.
If her hunch was correct, that person would likely be in attendance.
“Right away, Princess.”
Bertia, understanding Elise’s intentions, quickly left the room. She too had noticed the change in Daniel McLean.
Elise tapped her fingers against the windowsill, taking a deep breath.
‘This doesn’t mean I’ve lost.’
She told herself that, she understood it logically, but…
The thought of someone else being closer to Daniel was unsettling.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Two days had passed since our arrival at the royal palace.
I had requested an audience with the King, but it wasn’t as simple as I had hoped.
Even with my impatience, Elise’s response was always the same,
“There are procedures. Please be patient.”
“Sigh.”
All I could do was swing my sword on the roof of Elise’s quarters. Initially, I had sparred with the others.
The memories of the second iteration had created a year-long gap in my combat experience.
Ares, Elise, and even Bertia.
I had been worried about my skills, having spent a year submerged in darkness, essentially a vegetable, listening to Rin’s stories, but…
My worries were unfounded.
They were all defeated in three moves. I decided it was better to practice alone.
“Not yet… not yet…”
Drenched in sweat, I had discarded my shirt, my hands trembling from the exertion.
I had been practicing since dawn, and the sun was now high in the sky, signaling midday.
But I couldn’t stop.
Every moment of rest brought her face to mind.
‘She would be sad to see me like this.’
I knew.
The Rin of the second iteration would cry if she saw me like this, consumed by grief, blaming herself.
But I couldn’t help it.
[Forget me.]
“No.”
[Please, forget me and be happy.]
“I can’t.”
[Forget me… the ghost, the nonexistent being, that I’ll become…]
“No…!”
Clang!
My sword struck the ground, snapping in two.
I took a deep breath, staring at the broken blade.
If I moved, I would cry.
I stood there, frozen, like a statue devoid of emotion, but…
“You know, I’ve always thought you had a nice body.”
Her voice, in the cold air of the rooftop, was like the chirping of a bird, a ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds.
A jolt of electricity shot through me.
I blinked back the tears and slowly turned to see a girl with auburn hair, a lollipop in her mouth.
“May…?”
What was she doing here?
I knew she would be attending the year-end banquet, but why was she at Elise’s quarters?
“I have so much to say. I want to yell at you, ask you if you missed me during the break, but…”
She grinned mischievously and pulled me towards her.
“Let’s go!”
“G-Go? Where?”
Her suddenness caught me off guard. My mind was still foggy from the intense training.
“A date!”
A date?
I didn’t want to, but… for a moment, May’s image overlapped with the image of Rin, her black hair flowing in the wind.
My legs moved involuntarily.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have ti… Ack!”
A round, hard object was shoved into my mouth.
A sweet lollipop, pushed so deep it hit the back of my throat, my legs giving way.
It wasn’t a new one, but a half-eaten, saliva-coated one.
The image of Rin, a fleeting illusion, vanished, replaced by May, her mischievous grin unwavering.
“Shut up, idiot. You’re mine today.”
Elise, watching from her window as May led Daniel away, smiled faintly.
Bringing May to the palace hadn’t been difficult. The Plov family was attending the year-end banquet.
And since May had arrived in the capital the previous night for the party, it had made things even easier for Elise.
Otherwise, she would have resorted to more… extreme measures.
“Are you sure this is alright?”
Bertia’s voice, laced with concern, came from behind her. Elise glanced at her maid, who looked even more distressed than she did.
“What do you mean?”
Elise feigned ignorance, but Bertia remained silent, knowing that voicing her concerns would only upset Elise further.
Elise sighed and turned back to the window, watching May and Daniel. He looked flustered, but he followed her obediently.
“I couldn’t have done that.”
She would have given up if Daniel had refused or shown any sign of discomfort.
“It’s important to play our respective roles. All I can do is prepare for what Master needs. He needed someone who could… push him a little, someone who could be a bit forceful.”
“……”
“Let’s focus on our tasks. Have we heard from Lavender’s team in the beast-kin territory?”
Despite her words, Elise’s gaze remained fixed on the departing figures, her hand gently touching the windowpane.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Your Text Here]
I actually like elise now. Dang it