Papa, I’m really mad.

I woke up, realizing someone was calling me this morning.

“Elen, are you awake?”

The person in front of me was gently stroking my head, smiling softly.

“……Grandma, good morning…”

My mind was still foggy. My tongue wouldn’t move.

I nodded slowly, my heavy head drooping, and muttered a greeting. Grandma—really Isabella—laughed at me.

“Ugh!! You’re just too adorable!!”

“Gyuuum!”

I got crushed in a hug. W-well, this is… hard… to breathe…

“Isabella-sama, Elen-sama looks like she’s struggling.”

Lauren chuckled, pouring morning tea.

“Good morning, Elen-sama. Please, have some tea.”

“…Grandpa, good morning…”

I took it gratefully—my throat was parched from sleep.

“Now, Isabella-sama, please have some too.”

“Lauren… you’re the kind of person who—”

Isabella lets out a wry smile, watching as Lauren chooses Elen over her, even though she should’ve been the one prioritized.

Sipping the tea, blowing gently to cool it down, the warmth seeping into my throat, my mind slowly starts to wake up.

Yesterday’s tea, paired with the cake, was straight and not sweet at all—but this one? A faint hint of honey. Lauren must’ve been thoughtful.

“Grandpa, it’s delicious.”

Smiling broadly, I watch Lauren’s face melt into a soft, dazed expression—*yes, yes, absolutely, wonderful, I’m so happy*.

***

After finishing breakfast with Isabella, I’m lounging, savoring the orange juice like it’s a luxury, when Father arrives.

“Good morning, Elen.”

His smile doesn’t reach his eyes. There’s anger underneath. And then—yesterday night comes rushing back.

"Ah, good morning, Papa. Did you get to indulge in some pampering from Mama?"

"Of course I did... wait, no!!"

I silently praised my father's surprisingly smooth comedic timing—though he's my father, I still thought it was impressive—while keeping a straight face.

"Elen, don’t you have something to say to Papa?"

"Yes. I’d like to request the lifting of Prince Albert’s suspension, since he’s severed ties with the Prince."

I said it calmly, and Isabella and Lauren both blinked in shock, mouths slightly open.

"Elen!!"

"Besides, Papa. You’re the one who should be saying something to me, aren’t you?"

Cutting him off, I tilted my head and smiled sweetly. His face instantly tightened.

"Lovell… what on earth is going on here?"

"Lord Lovell. What exactly is the situation with Albert?"

The two of them—both radiating thick, pitch-black pressure—pressed in on my father.

"Papa was certain the Prince’s messenger would come for me, so he deliberately left me alone here in this house."

I said it calmly, sipping my orange juice, and the cold hit Isabella and Lauren like a slap.

"Explain," Isabella said, her voice ice-cold through and through. Lovell sighed.

***

"So, what did Albert do?"

"...The Prince sent Albert to deliver a letter directly to Elen. Everything Elen found out. Apparently, he thought that if Elen was connected to the royal family, this household would be safe..."

Lovell spat it out, bitter as ash. Isabella and Lauren exchanged sighs.

"Elen-chan, how did you figure it out?"

"Papa’s overprotective. He wouldn’t leave me alone in the house when he knew the Prince was furious about me being discovered."

"...You realized that already?"

No, I just felt suspicious. Back then, I truly thought Papa just wanted to cling to Mama...

"Ugh, stop it!! The look from my daughter is painful!!"

I figured it out from my father’s attitude — it was included there after all.

I couldn’t help but stare at Father with wide eyes.

I was sleeping alone in Grandma’s bed when Prince Albert woke me up. He brought a letter from the Prince.

"Elen-chan... what about that letter?"

Burned it without even reading.

Isabella and Lauren stared, utterly stunned—like they’d been hit with a bucket of cold water.

That’s a given. Burning a letter from the royal family without reading it—beyond mere disrespect, really.

A letter from someone I’ve never met. Probably just a polite greeting followed by an invitation for tea, or maybe an apology from Agiel.

"...so, what did Elen say back to Albert?"

"I decline, as Papa’s angry," I said.

A letter sent straight to me, bypassing my father. I could tell right away it wasn’t anything good.

Isabella and Lauren were speechless, stunned by my firm response.

“Elen… why did you burn the letter?”

I smiled at my father’s words.

“A little payback for Papa!”

Only then did my father finally realize I was genuinely furious—his face twitched, twisted in sudden shock.

＊＊＊

Lovell, thrown out after declaring he wouldn’t speak to Papa until he’d properly talked to Albert Uncle, sat hunched over, sulking like a child.

“Can’t beat my daughter…”

Lauren patted Lovell’s slumped shoulder with a cheerful thump.

“Such skill from a young lady like Elen-sama—really impressive. Grandpa, you should be moved.”

“…Lauren, you…”

Lovell glared sideways at Lauren, eyes narrowed.

“Did you catch the meaning behind Elen-sama’s words, then?”

“…My daughter’s too sharp. Honestly, it’s a pain sometimes.”

Lovell grumbled with a wry smile.

Elen had burned the letter from the Emperor without even reading it—now Albert’s pursuit was dead in the water. The evidence that she’d been in contact with him had been erased by her own hands.

Now the Prince’s intentions were completely unclear, and no decision could be made. In short, the proof that Albert had been working with the Prince had vanished, making it impossible to punish him.

…Elen had just saved Albert.

And then, to top it all off, Elen had given advice to the royal family as a spirit. Watching from across the water mirror, I nearly pulled my hair out.

I’d been so careful. I never thought she’d notice, or that she’d turn around and hit back like this.

“Hmm… who does she remind me of…?”

“What on earth are you talking about? Lady Elen is the very image of Prince Lovell, isn’t she?”

Lovell chuckled, shaking his head.

“That’s exactly the problem… Now that this has happened… definitely…”

He said it with a distant, almost sad look on his face.

‘Elen has caught the Prince’s favor.’

＊＊＊

Lavissel couldn’t hide his shock at Albert’s reply about Elen.

“…You burned my letter without even reading it?”

It was so absurd, he couldn’t help but snicker—kukku, kukku, a quiet, dry laugh bubbling up.

And Albert had clearly been persuasive, too.

Albert returned with a calm, almost smug air, saying, “That’s it. I’ve received a message from the lady.” He delivered it with such confidence, like he’d read my mind.

Just like that—saw through my plan, then turned it around with a twist I didn’t see coming.

I can’t help but remember back when I was still trading words with Lovell.

“Ah… I want her even more now.”

Not just because I’d love to have Lovell around, but because her daughter—same age as that girl, yet acting like she’s from another world—does things that make me wonder if I’m even seeing the same timeline.

And I’ve come to suspect, deep down, she’s got a really kind heart.

She tosses me the thread to untangle the royal family’s decades-long knot—so effortlessly, it’s almost rude.

Lovell’s daughter looks remarkably like the spirit she’s bound to.

Her face is impossibly delicate, almost too perfect, like something carved by a master hand.

The royal family’s never been able to see spirits—never could, not even in old times.

Only spirits who’ve made a pact with a human could be seen by them.

But one thing’s certain: whenever a royal approaches, the spirits panic and vanish right before their eyes.

Two hundred years had passed without anyone figuring out why royals could no longer make contracts with spirits.

If things kept going like this, neighboring countries would just see us as abandoned by the spirits.

Only one thing was certain: Lovell’s existence was the nation’s crucial support, though he probably didn’t realize it himself.

And even better—Lovell’s daughter had spirit blood in her veins.

Lavissel pictured her twelve-year-old and nine-year-old sons in her mind.

“Perfect for the purpose.”

The situation was twisting itself up in spite of Lovell’s will—nothing could beat that kind of delightful chaos.

“I thought having Lovell around would be enough…”

Lavissel smiled, because she’d just found something truly interesting.