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CHAPTER 36….
I tilted my head at Lette’s troubled expression.
“A problem? Isn’t it just the Hades Palace?”
Lette glanced at Calion and gave a helpless look.
“The Hades Palace has… too many people coming and going.”
“…Is that bad?”
“Yes. People with grudges against Halcyon might try to harm him.”
“Ah…”
“In that case, we’d need to refurbish the guest palace.”
Lette didn’t look thrilled about that option either.
True—preparing an entire large palace just for one child wasn’t exactly efficient.
Then in that case…
I offered Lette what I thought was a reasonable suggestion.
“What about the Fersen Palace?”
If we kept watch over him in the small princess’s palace guarded by the “Mad Dog Knight”…
Wouldn’t that be perfect?
Before the Epikus sisters could say anything, someone below suddenly burst out.
“I will never accept this…!”
A little dragon growled, eyes blazing.
“Eh—Ares! When did you get here?”
“That doesn’t matter! I hate it! The Fersen Palace is absolutely off limits!”
While Ares shouted furiously, Calion snorted haughtily.
“I told you, mosquito. I don’t need your approval.”
“Haa… You blue-eyed brat, you really—”
“Ares, stop it!”
“Argh! Sion, why’d you hit me?!”
Unable to take it anymore, I gave Ares a sharp flick to the head.
Calion covered his mouth, looking like he was about to die laughing.
Is keeping both of these kids in the Fersen Palace… really the right choice?
Ah, this is strange.
It feels like the most logical choice… but I already feel like I’ll regret it.
The carriage carrying the Halcyon Holy Nation’s delegation was silent.
Armené fiddled with her fingers, thinking about the prince left behind in Tartarus.
When we first set out, the prince’s face was so gloomy.
At some point, though, Calion’s expression had brightened.
Even when it was decided he would stay in Tartarus, his eyes had shone.
Armené had been startled by how envious she felt.
Strange… Why would I envy someone staying in the land of demons?
Her mother, her aunt… even the aunt’s unborn child—all had died because of demons.
Her hometown had been burned down in the war with them.
On the day the dragon breathed fire, Armené had been burned across nearly half her body.
That was the day she learned what it meant for “death” to grab you by the hair and drag you away.
She’d barely been taken to the Charon Temple, but even there, everyone had only clicked their tongues.
“This child won’t make it, even with prayer.”
“It’s too late. We’ve delayed too long.”
At that time, Armené had cried out inwardly.
Save me. No, kill me. How can I live like this…?
Please, someone, save me.
And then, someone had murmured in a calm voice,
“…What’s there to worry about, when I’m here?”
At that moment, a clear, fresh air spread over her body.
The excruciating pain vanished in an instant.
Aside from a single scar on the back of her hand, she was completely healed.
The Thirteenth saved me like that. Before I could even thank her, she left, saying she was busy.
So when the priests came to tell her she had inherited the Thirteenth’s divine power, she had been overjoyed.
It was her only source of pride in a world where she was all alone.
She endured even her fear of demons, refusing to run away.
But that demon princess…
She had thought all demons were equally cruel and terrifying.
But during the event, the only one who had shown her kindness… was that demon princess.
“What’s your name? I can’t keep calling you Great Saintess, Great Saintess.”
“…Heh.”
The memory of that slightly lisping voice made her laugh quietly.
If I’d had a little sister, would she have felt like that?
The child her late aunt had carried.
The one who returned to “Paradise” before even being born—what would they have been like?
Then Talos, sitting across from her, fixed her with a cold glare.
His mood had been sour since departure.
I did put a brainwashing on the prince, but who knows if it’ll stick. Still, at least I’ve left another piece of insurance in Kore before leaving.
His headache was bad enough without the “fake” sitting there smiling.
He took it out on her with a biting remark.
“Fourteenth, you should mind your frivolous attitude.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“I understand you were raised in a common household, but you are the Great Saintess of the Holy Nation.”
“Ah…”
“If you wish to follow in the Thirteenth’s footsteps, you must work much harder. Knowing how inadequate you are, you should feel ashamed.”
“Yes… I’m sorry.”
Armené lowered her head to hide her tears.
Truthfully, she hadn’t wanted to say goodbye to that demon princess.
She didn’t want to pretend to be all grown up.
The truth is… I wanted to be like the prince.
She wanted to stay in Tartarus.
She wanted to be somewhere with others her own age.
Armené bowed her head even lower so no one would see her tears.
But drops still fell onto her tightly clenched fists.
“I want Calion to live in the Fersen Palace.”
“…”
“Please let him, Dad.”
For the first time, the Demon King—no, my dad—looked at me with a blank face.
The handle of his teacup seemed to crack ever so slightly.
Spring was slowly arriving in Tartarus now that the “birthday festival” was over.
And during tea time with Dad, I brought up the matter of where Calion should live.
Right now he’s staying at the Hades Palace. But I really think he’d be better off at the Fersen Palace.
Calion didn’t even have a single attendant from the Holy Nation.
The demons at Hades Palace only did the bare minimum for him.
Calion was always smiling, but…
In an enemy country, he’d be living under constant strain again. So in the end, I have to step in.
The Epikus sisters avoided my request like their lives depended on it.
Even Lette refused to bring it up to Dad.
So I came to negotiate directly.
I understand how Dad feels.
He would hate having a child from the enemy nation in the same place as his daughter.
Especially since the Queen—my mother—had died because of the Holy Nation.
“Dad, I know you hate the Holy Nation, but…”
“…”
“Still, compared to keeping him at the main palace or the guest palace—”
“Elysion.”
Dad let out a deep sigh.
For a moment, I flinched in fear.
Did I go too far?
I’d only just started thinking of him comfortably as “Dad.”
As I started to feel uneasy, he suddenly said something strange.
“Your mother and I met when we were three years old.”
“…Huh?”
“You’re still far too young, Elysion.”
My head filled with question marks.
What does that have to do with anything? Too young for what?
What does the age he met Mom have to do with me?
I was talking about the living arrangements of a hostage!
This conversation is going completely off track…
Seeing my blank look, Dad frowned.
“I mean, it’s too early for you to be interested in boys.”
“Daaaad…”
“Tch. And that young lord already bothers me enough as it is.”
Only then did I realize what he meant, and I ducked my head, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.
Isn’t this… some serious overprotectiveness?
Isn’t he getting way ahead of himself?
Besides, Calion is way younger than me—what nonsense is this?
“T-that’s not it at all!”
“Hmph.”
“Really! I just, I only—”
I gave him my most wronged expression.
Dad studied my face leisurely, as if amused.
Ugh… I can’t tell where the teasing ends and the seriousness begins.
I pouted, then cautiously spoke.
“It’s just… if the prince and I switched places…”
“…”
“I think… it would be way too lonely.”
At that, Dad covered his mouth, looking uncomfortable.
His eyes looked pained.
Was he imagining his daughter abandoned in a foreign land?
As I hesitated under his gaze, he let out a long sigh.
“Ahh… My daughter is too mature for her age. It’s hard for this father.”
“Ah, that’s not—!”
Dad reached for a napkin and gently wiped my mouth.
It was a touch as tender as if I were the most delicate thing in the world.
“For the short time he’s here, do as you wish.”
“For the short time…?”
“Yes. That prince can’t live here forever.”
