Ch.176Unexpected Situation (3)

The stage is set, but before I dig the trap, there are some issues to address. First is Adelia, who’s staying at our house.

She’s my knight, but she doesn’t even suspect I’m Xenon. She became my knight purely because she likes me, and if she gets caught up in this situation, it could be quite troublesome.

Because of this, Father suggested revealing everything to Adelia as well. She’s not loose-lipped, and though her background is questionable, he argued it might be necessary for things to proceed smoothly.

But the person who firmly rejected this wasn’t me or Cecilly, but Mother.

“No. We can’t tell Lord Cross that Issac is Xenon.”

“Why not?”

Mother had been quietly listening to our conversation until now, so Father asked with a puzzled expression. I was equally confused.

Mother gently stroked her belly where Lilly was sleeping and spoke with her characteristically beautiful smile.

“Lord Cross might have to make an important choice someday. For that moment, we shouldn’t reveal that Issac is Xenon.”

“Hmm… I’ll accept that since you say so. I’d like you to explain your reasons later.”

“You’ll probably understand.”

In the end, we had no choice but to set the trap without Adelia. However, she’s highly skilled, having served as an assistant at Halo Academy.

We don’t know when the elves might infiltrate, and her senses are keen—would she really not notice?

Father seemed concerned about this too and spoke with some difficulty.

“Lord Cross in particular has remarkably sharp senses, though I don’t know what she experienced in the past. Even during our training sessions, she intuitively knew where I would attack.”

“She knew everything?”

“Yes. She said her body warns her automatically. It would take extraordinary experiences to develop such instincts—I wonder where she learned that.”

“…”

Could this be related to her past too? Living in the palace without proper recognition as royalty, she must have endured all kinds of persecution.

She might even have faced assassination attempts. Considering the humiliation Adelia suffered from her siblings, it’s not an impossible story.

“Anyway, this means we need to work without Lord Cross noticing… which isn’t as easy as it sounds.”

“Father-in-law, could I put her to sleep with magic?”

“Would that work?”

“It’s not impossible.”

“Heh heh.”

Father laughed with a hint of resignation as the matter was resolved more easily than expected. As I often think, magic really does scratch where it itches.

“Good. Then the issue with Lord Cross is resolved. We’ll just tell the staff that thieves broke in.”

“But isn’t the question when they’ll come? When do you expect them to arrive, Father-in-law?”

“Well, my friend deliberately made their route complicated, so it will take some time. Generously speaking, three days—or as soon as tonight.”

Tonight, then. A week ago, Mora herself told me something would happen at night. And today is that day.

There’s plenty of time until nightfall, but it’s somewhat tight for setting a trap. We should hurry.

“Alright. Let’s start with the trap. Please wait a moment.”

“Where are you going?”

“I need to get something from my room.”

He probably guesses it’s Cyris’s summoning paper. Since I’ve already explained everything, introducing Cyris shouldn’t surprise him.

When I stood up, Cecilly tried to stand too, but I stopped her. I’m just going to my room and won’t be long, so there’s no need for her to come along.

Instead, I made a request to Cecilly.

“Oh, Sis. Could you get Gartz to join us for this? The more people, the better, right?”

“Lord Balack is currently under disciplinary action. The reason… you know, right?”

“…”

Poor Gartz. The only fortunate thing is that he got his autograph back. Without that, he would have been terribly depressed.

I gave a bitter smile and headed to my room to get the summoning paper. This is my first time going to my room since arriving, as I met Father immediately upon arrival.

“Oh?”

“Huh?”

Just as I turned the corner, I ran into Adelia. She seemed to have just finished bathing, as she was gently shaking her damp light brown hair.

At first, she blinked her sky-blue eyes, then they gradually widened. It was clear she hadn’t expected to see me here.

“What? Weren’t you in Helium?”

“I just got back. I can’t stay in Helium all the time. I need to see faces now and then. Did you just shower?”

“I had to after training. But…”

Adelia stared at my face intently, then tilted her head to the side. She must have noticed my hair had grown longer in that short time.

“Your hair seems… longer?”

“There’s a reason. I’ll have to keep it like this for a while. Even if I cut it, it grows back.”

“Really? It suits you surprisingly well.”

Adelia stroked her chin, deep in thought. Since there wasn’t any rush, I waited quietly.

But whatever she was thinking made her face gradually turn red. As I tilted my head in confusion, Adelia suddenly cleared her throat and asked quietly.

“Ahem. So… do you like long hair on cute people?”

“Huh? Why suddenly?”

“No, I’m just… curious. Marie has long hair, and so does the demon princess.”

I recalled Marie and Cecilly’s hairstyles after hearing Adelia’s words. Both have quite long hair, though with some differences. Cecilly’s hair in particular reaches down to her hips.

And now my hair has grown long too, so it’s understandable why Adelia might make such an assumption. But those two are so naturally beautiful that any style would suit them.

To be honest, whether short or long, hair doesn’t matter as long as someone is as pretty as those two.

“Not particularly? I just like what I like.”

“I-I see. How about me? Am I okay?”

“You look best as you are now.”

I’m not just saying that—I truly mean it. Her brown bob hair with wavy ends, her straight nose, and her striking beauty. And finally, her husky voice.

Her current style perfectly reveals Adelia’s vibrant character, making this her prettiest look. Growing her hair would only diminish her charm.

“…Thank you. It’s embarrassing to hear that.”

Adelia twirled her hair with her finger after receiving the sincere compliment. Unlike her usual self, her shyness showed a different charm.

Seeing this, I inwardly chuckled. It’s so obvious. Even someone completely oblivious would notice she has feelings for me.

But Adelia herself seems completely unaware of this fact. Maybe because it’s her first time experiencing this, or perhaps she truly doesn’t realize it.

“So… are you going back to Helium?”

“Yes. I’ll stay for about a week at most.”

“That would be nice. It’s boring without our cutie around.”

“We’ll be together all the time once vacation ends and we return to the academy anyway. Well, I should get going now. Take care.”

“Yes. I’ll work hard.”

Adelia stepped aside, waving her hand. I waved back and continued toward my room.

After walking a short distance, I looked back and saw her still standing there, waving with her characteristically confident smile.

It truly feels poignant every time I see her. They say unrequited love is painful.

What’s more, she maintains her feelings even knowing her love interest has two partners already—it makes me feel sorry for her. But I can’t readily accept her feelings either.

To fully accept her would require going through a complicated process. I wonder what choice Adelia will make at the end of that process.

It might be a distant future story, or it might happen soon, but the fact that she must choose remains unchanged.

I can only hope she makes a wise decision.

*****

After retrieving the summoning paper from my room, I immediately tore it in half. My family watched with interested expressions as I tore the paper and waited quietly.

About 30 seconds passed. The torn summoning paper became engulfed in blue flames, then turned to ashes that scattered into the air.

Afterward, a magic circle appeared on the floor, emitting a blue light, and someone gradually materialized.

“You called for me?”

The now-familiar woman’s voice. The dark elf Cyris, famous for rarely showing herself to the world, appeared before us. She was still wearing her revealing armor.

Father let out a deflated “Huh” when the dark elf appeared, while Cecilly and Mother watched silently.

I scratched my head seeing Cyris’s armor. It might be fine when we’re alone, but now with my family present, I felt embarrassed.

“Let me introduce her. As I explained earlier, this is Cyris, the dark elf who connects me with the Queen. She’s quite skilled even among dark elves.”

“…”

Cyris looked at me with a complex expression while I introduced her. Understandably, after maintaining secrecy all this time, she was suddenly summoned before my family.

But her expression didn’t stay that way for long. After I explained the entire situation, she nodded in understanding.

“I see what happened. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Cyris Lunatic. As you may have heard, I’m currently serving as Issac’s errand runner due to a crime I committed against him.”

“…I’m Hawk Ducar Mayshall. Issac’s father.”

“I’m Annah Ducar Mayshall. Pleased to meet you.”

After Cyris’s polite introduction, Father responded somewhat glumly, while Mother introduced herself with a warm smile. Still, the awkward atmosphere persisted.

Just as I was about to speak to lighten the mood, Father asked Cyris with curiosity in his voice.

“You mentioned being an errand runner earlier—how long is your contract?”

“Until Issac joins Lady Mora. At least 50 years, I suppose.”

“…”

After hearing Cyris’s answer, both my parents immediately shifted their gaze to me. They all seemed to share the same suspicious thought: “You didn’t…?”

I was momentarily flustered but quickly realized what they were suspecting. With a beautiful woman like Cyris claiming to be an errand runner, they must have imagined something inappropriate.

To clear up the misunderstanding, I shook my head vigorously and hastily said:

“It’s not like that. As I said, she’s an errand runner, not a slave.”

“Hmm… I understand. By the way, a dark elf—this is my first time seeing one, so it’s fascinating.”

“Is this your first time seeing a dark elf too, Father?”

“I operated in border regions. I had almost no contact with dark elves. Elven scouts, perhaps, but not dark elves.”

Father looked at Cyris with curiosity in his eyes. However, given Cyris’s outfit, it was inevitable that his gaze occasionally wandered to inappropriate places.

Of course, whenever this happened, Mother placed her hand on Father’s thigh to prevent it. She seemed ready to pinch his thigh if necessary, which made Father chuckle.

“Anyway, Ms. Cyris.”

“Yes, Issac.”

“The reason I called you is, as you heard, elders’ associates will be coming to our mansion soon. I’d like you and Arwen to help. For Arwen, this is also an opportunity to eliminate the Council.”

“I’ll ask and return.”

Cyris said only that before teleporting away. About 30 minutes passed, during which we carefully established our plan, and then she returned.

“The Queen has gladly accepted. However, she said she cannot help directly.”

“That’s fine. Arwen just needs to finish things properly.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Cyris… Yes. Please inform us of the elves’ location in real-time. Father, since they’re tracking elves, you know roughly where they are, right?”

“I’ll draw you a rough map. They should be around here.”

The planning proceeded smoothly. We have two people skilled in magic and sufficient force to subdue elves. Communication between the Mayshall estate and Alfheim is absolutely impossible due to the distance.

Of course, we didn’t forget to consider possible variables. Especially Mother, who isn’t alone—someone must protect her in case of emergency.

We don’t think the elves would take hostages, but things don’t always go as planned. If she gets overly stressed and something happens to Lilly, that would be truly disastrous.

“Then I will protect Lady Annah. Subduing them should be sufficient with Hawk and Princess Cecilly.”

“Thank you. I’m causing you inconvenience despite having just met.”

Fortunately, Cyris will protect Mother, eliminating all variables. If we launch a surprise attack, even elves would be handled by Cecilly and Father.

Afterward, we meticulously checked and rechecked for any missed details. With limited time, thoroughness isn’t an option but a necessity.

When all preparations were finally complete, I checked the time.

It was exactly 6 PM. Time for dinner.

“Shall we wrap this up now? Let’s have dinner first and then check everything once more.”

“Let’s do that. What about Ms. Cyris?”

“I’ll be fine without eating. Tracking their movements takes priority now.”

Cyris left the mansion to track them without having dinner. She’ll follow the map Father drew and should bring news soon.

After dinner, we reviewed the plan again and then returned to our respective bedrooms. I didn’t forget to deliberately place the manuscript draft on the desk.

Now we just need to wait for news from Cyris, but…

“No.”

“Why? Are you certain the elves will come tonight?”

“I don’t know, but there’s always a possibility. So put it back on.”

“Tch.”

At my firm insistence, Cecilly pulled up the straps of her evening dress that she had half removed. Her lips pouted slightly, showing she was upset.

Mora had previously told me to avoid intimacy tonight if I didn’t want to face an embarrassing situation. Now that night had fallen, I understood why.

But beyond embarrassment, I dislike the idea of others seeing Cecilly’s bare skin.

“By the way, Issac.”

“Yes?”

“Since we’re spreading news that your hand is damaged, will you take a break from writing for a while?”

Cecilly asked with a questioning expression after fixing her evening dress. That is indeed a concern.

If my hand is injured, I should naturally take a break from writing, but my hands might itch to write without me realizing it.

Also, if I lie about having it completely healed at the temple, continuing the series wouldn’t be a problem.

What happens in between is concerning, but not my problem.

“I’ll probably take about a month off. During that time, they’ll likely search thoroughly for whoever injured my hand.”

“Now you’re even bluffing—our Issac has grown up so much.”

Cecilly gently stroked my head as if proud of me. While I didn’t particularly like being treated like a child, I let it pass because it felt nice.

‘You bastards. Just wait and see what happens.’

I’m really looking forward to tonight.