Evade the Hero and Flee! 216 #27. A princess’s memory (23)
I prepared many things to celebrate Sir Ast’s accomplishments when I heard he would return. I was a member of the Imperial family and his direct superior, but it was also due to wartime. I was the only one with any free time and had been able to meet Ast first.
“Who is that?”
“An elf.”
“I can see that.”
“A High Elf, actually.”
“Why did you bring her?”
“I don’t know…”
Ast and I looked at the elf sticking close to him. We both thought, how could such a being be an elf, but I stopped.
“Prince! My name is Lilellia!”
I could see that she was only pouting, but I was more concerned with the first word.
“Prince?”
Ast looked away from my words.
“When did you become one?”
“I don’t know…”
The elf seemed to call him a prince out of her own will.
“Wait.”
I looked at Ast in astonishment, and he uncharacteristically looked away from me. That was a huge shock.
“What…”
Did the elf think of him as her prince on a white horse? How can she think-
“Ast is my prince on a white horse!”
“Ah…”
I was at a loss for words.
“Ast?”
“Yes, your majesty.”
While Ast could not look at me, he answered.
“Explain.”
I could not fathom what had happened. A High Elf was the royal blood and priestess of elves and protected the World Tree, a gift from the Goddess who had protected the world from the Evil God. She was a fairy tale to humans, and elves could not meet one easily.
I could see that Ast had gone through an ordeal as he hesitated before speaking.
“A carriage from one of our allied countries passed us on the way.”
“Right.”
“I inspected it.”
“What?”
The story was already strange.
“The carriage looked suspicious to me.”
What was he saying? He knew he could not touch a carriage from an allied country without evidence, as it would be a diplomatic fiasco…
“Ast.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me the real reason.”
“……”
He looked away from me.
“You wanted to create a scene that would nullify your accomplishments, right?”
Ast was sweating, which meant I was right.
“You rescued a High Elf, so congratulations.”
I could see that he had done so, which was the logical conclusion and the solution. It did not matter if the carriage was real, as kidnapping a High Elf meant that anyone who believed in the Goddess was their enemy.
“Viscount Ast.”
Ast gasped. This accomplishment, along with others, would easily make him a viscount.
“Look at your speed up the aristocrat ladder. It’s unprecedented.”
I was not lying even as I was making fun of him. I had not seen anyone go this quickly.
“Thank you, your majesty.”
Seeing Ast shake was a sight, as he knew he needed to accept the title.
“So, Viscount Ast.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“What are you going to do with her?”
I had not heard of a High Elf coming out in the human world, which made this difficult.
“I heard the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted a nearby elf village.”
“That’s fast.”
“She’s a High Elf…”
We ignored her antics, like asking Ast to call her name and such. Only Rea seemed nervous.
“Your majesty, she is a royal blood of…”
“It’s all right.”
I was certain that the High Elf was not your normal being. No one would attack the World Tree despite the war, which meant she had come out according to her free will.
“Someone who calls Ast her prince needs to be treated accordingly.”
“Ah…”
Rea seemed to understand, and I spoke to Ast.
“Ast, what room should I give her? A flowerbed?”
“Can’t you break her away?”
“She’s a princess among elves. You’re the perfect escort.”
The High Elf’s eyes shone.
“You understand me!”
I was not happy even though she was certainly praising me.
“Ast, so please take care of her until we receive an answer from the elves.”
“You, your majesty?”
Ast looked desperate, and while I would have granted his wish after teasing him more, it would not work this time.
“Go on.”
He was enough alone. With a High Elf in tow, it was best to let him take responsibility.
“…I could not believe I thought that yesterday.”
“Your majesty…”
I clenched my teeth after getting a report from my maid to the palace flowerbeds.
“It’s…true.”
I had not believed the maid’s report and would not have come it if Ast had not been involved. My head turned white on seeing the High Elf sleeping among the flowerbeds. She had been placed here.
“Rea.”
“Yes your majesty.”
“How should we call this situation?”
“…Madness?”
I clenched my teeth again. There would have been witnesses, and the elf delegation would know of this when coming here. They would think I had placed a High Elf in the flowerbeds. If this was intentional, Ast was a criminal mastermind. If unintentional, I would have to erase him soon in the future.
“Where is Ast?”
I shook off the headache and searched for Ast. Would he have slept in his room after leaving a High Elf like this? The scariest part was that it seemed probable.
“I do not think he is nearby.”
“Find him at once.”
“Right.”
Rea spread the world, and I saw Ast a short while later.
“Where have you been?”
“I had gone to work to your rooms.”
“Did you sleep in your own room?”
My lips were shaking as I spoke.
“Of course.”
Ast seemed completely indifferent, and I was at a loss for words. He had really unintentionally done this.
“Why is she sleeping here?”
I pointed at the High Elf, who was still fast asleep.
“You said to give her a flowerbed.”
“…Ast. Do you know who a High Elf is?”
“Aren’t they priestess and the royal blood of the elves? They’re considered half-gods among elves and are seen as protectors of the World Tree…”
I felt faint at Ast telling me the definition of the elves. He was truly crazy.
“Rea…kill him!”
I also felt that removing him from this world was the right thing to do.