I had no idea why, but the Queen rescinded her earlier decision.

All of a sudden, we became the Allies of the Elves.

“Leave one member of your Party here to serve as an Ambassador, while the rest may return to your Kingdom.”

It was a miracle!

“Tell your King to set an appropriate meeting date, so we can directly converse.”

It was completely unprecedented.

“You may leave.”

And it was all because of someone!

My eyes darted in her direction, and I saw Emilia smile the same way she always did. However, this time… the Elf gave me a conspirational wink.

‘N-no way… it was you? H-how did you do it? I didn’t even ask…’

To be honest, I had thought I would never see or talk to her after that day.

Since she never even came to visit or bid farewell, I really thought we had already broken ties.

My idiot mind had no idea that she had been tirelessly working to ensure that our Alliance succeeded.

I had no idea how she achieved it, but…

“THANK YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH!”

… It meant the world to me.

*****************************

“Lewis, you’ll be the one acting as Ambassador.”

As expected, I was the one left behind. The rest of my comrades returned to the Eastern Kingdom that very day.

I saw them off, watching as their Magic carriage sped away.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t the only one. Someone else was beside me.

“Looks like everything worked out well in the end!”

Yes, it was none other than the strange Elf.

“Gah! You scared me. How long have you been standing there?!”

“Haha. Who knows. Since you can’t sense Mana, you can’t even detect my wavelength at all.”

“Ouch…”

“Hahahaha!”

Just like that, the link that I thought was broken, was bound once more.

As I stared at her fluttering white hair and her alluring face, the feelings within me grew even more.

“T-thanks, Emilia.”

“For what?”

“You know… for the whole thing with the decision of the Queen.”

“Oh? Who says that has anything to do with me?”

“Come on, Emilia. Do I really look like an idiot?”

“Yeah. You do.”

“Okay. Fair enough.”

The conversation was a back and forth, but she eventually admitted she had a role to play in the Queen’s decision.

“W-why…?”

I didn’t know when the question popped out of my lips, but my curiosity and also the inner emotions within me forced those words out.

“Why?” She repeated.

“Why did you help us? The Queen was right. We only need your assistance for our selfishness…”

“Well, maybe that’s true.” Emilia smiled at me with a hidden truth in her eyes.

I couldn’t decipher it.

“But, is it so wrong to desire to protect that which you cherish? The Elves simply have a different philosophy from Humans, so we might not adopt the same method. However… I believe striving hard, no matter the cost of one’s pride and ego, to reach that which is precious to them is admirable.”

I had no idea at the time, but Emilia meant two things when she said that.

One was about the general idea behind our offer for an Alliance.

The second was about me.

She had been watching as I shamelessly asked her fellow Elves for their help in my Magic research.

According to her words… she became interested in me from that point on. I thought of it as silly at the time.

However, that was because I was stupid.

“Besides, when you stared at me back then… I knew you wanted my help.” Emilia told me as we walked.

She was referring to how I had curtailed my desperation despite how badly I wanted to beg her for help.

“Is that why you helped?” I asked her.

“No. If you had begged me, I wouldn’t have assisted you. But, even in that moment of desperation… you didn’t take advantage of my kindness.”

I didn’t quite understand her reasoning.

“Selfishness only becomes evil or despicable when you manipulate others and try to take advantage of them to satisfy yourself. It’s especially disgusting when you do it to someone who cares about you.”

My eyes widened as I stared at her. Ignoring the fact that she practically professed her care for me, I was more astounded by her peculiar rationale.

“You could have begged me, but didn’t. That shows you’re not as selfish as you think, Lewis. It’s just the right amount, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

My heart fluttered as she stared at me with sincerity.

“In fact, I quite like that.” Emilia’s lips parted as she drew closer to me.

I hadn’t realized, but our walk had led us to the Palace’s courtyard… and we were alone.

“I have to say, Lewis… for a human, you’re very appealing.”

At this point, her hand was on my chest, and her face was close to mine.

My back was pushed against the wall, and I was completely helpless.

When it came to Magic or physical abilities, Emilia had me beat. She was vastly superior, and I felt like a child being harassed by an older, more experienced woman.

I could only watch as she licked her lips and stared at me intensely.

“I really like you, Lewis.”

My eyes widened when I heard this.

It was a confession. A literal one!

I was frozen.

I had gotten so many confessions in the past as well, but none shook me as this did.

My heart was racing now as I watched her face draw closer to mine.

‘This doesn’t make sense! Why me? I don’t get it! Is this another test? Will I be taking advantage of her? I don’t… understand…!!!’

I panicked, but I could feel desire rise within my heart, and also in between my legs.

I was only human, after all.

And so, as the atmosphere was alit with passion, I let myself go with the flow.

“Emilia, what are you doing?”

But, everything was ruined by yet another Royal Elf.

“You should get away from that human!”

I recognized the incoming Elf. Her white hair flowed as she approached us. Even though she had an impudent attitude, she looked younger than Emilia–closer to a child than an adult.

I didn’t know it back then, but that was my first direct encounter with Emilia’s little sister–Aurora Vindiel.