Misunderstandings flying past each other.

Two days after the meeting at the castle, Elen had come to Sauvel’s side.

The details of what had been discussed with the royal family had already been relayed by Lovell to Sauvel, but the specific plans for the new venture in Vanclift were still fresh in Elen’s mind.

As she explained them in detail, Sauvel eventually gave up trying to keep track and asked Lauren to jot it down on parchment.

“I was stunned when I first heard it from my brother… but this far? …If it’s this detailed, the king will surely agree.”

“Yes, indeed. It worked out that way.”

The fact that even the prince was involved made it clear the king’s enthusiasm was anything but ordinary.

Honestly, I’d rather not deal with royalty—but getting honey and beeswax prioritized in return? That’s a pretty big perk.

Both are precious goods, used as ingredients in medicine. Especially children hate taking bitter medicine.

But if you tell them they can have a little honey as a reward after finishing their dose, they’ll manage to swallow it.

And lately, thanks to Elen’s suggestion, making sweets has become a trend.

Pies, in particular, are especially popular—especially since you can stuff them with meat.

One little comment from Elen, and suddenly everything just… explodes. I never thought her idea for a thanksgiving festival would end up jumping straight to a new business venture in Vanclift territory, let alone drag the king into it.

They say the king moves when Elen moves. Sauvel found himself nodding along to that—completely, unexpectedly convinced.

“But you can actually do something like that with beeswax…?”

Honestly, the only thing I can think of with beeswax is candles.

Graphite and clay make pencils. Dyes and pigments mixed with wax, and talc—what we call steatite. Combine those with a hardening agent, let them dry, and you get the core. Two boards with grooves, sandwich the core between them, glue it down, then cut it into hexagons or circles—there’s your pencil or colored pencil.

Pencils are probably still too advanced for now, so I’m thinking we’ll start with pastels—just pigments solidified with a binder. I planned to substitute the hardener with natural glue.

“Materials need glue, though. You can make that from boiled animal bones, hides, intestines—or even scraps of parchment. If we can get in touch with someone who deals in those, that’d be ideal…”

“Ah, right. Let’s give it a shot.”

Sauvel turned to Lauren, who stood beside him. If we could reuse what’s left over from meat processing, that’d be perfect.

Parchment’s the standard here. There’s also starch paste as an option, so we’re fine on that front.

“As for graphite pens and pigments—just enough to let patients doodle. Not a huge amount. Let’s prioritize what we’ll need right away.”

“A medicine made from honey wax, is it?”

“Yes.”

“True, this is sizable. Demand for medicine’s still high, and there’s been suspicious activity nearby… Alright. Let’s push this one first.”

“We couldn’t have kept up with beekeeping inside the domain, so this is a real relief. Though… was this wise? The other side’s royalty, after all.”

“That….”

Sauvel looked at her, worried. Elen gave him a strained smile.

The rift between spirits and the Tembarr royal bloodline didn’t vanish on a whim.

If we’re careless, we’ll end up with another plea—another soul reaching out, begging for help from their kin.

Even if Elen didn’t go near the royal family, it wasn’t as if the royal family would just stand by.

“Anyway, Kai and Van are here with us.”

“True. Otherwise, my brother wouldn’t let it slide.”

Sauvel said with a dry laugh, but to Elen, that only made her more worried.

Kai’s suspicion toward Gadiel felt… unsettling.

She could understand Van being wary of the royal family, but what in the world had happened?

Thinking back, Elen fell silent without meaning to, and Sauvel and Lauren exchanged glances.

They were both thinking—something must’ve happened with the royal family.

When asked if anything had happened, Elen snapped back to reality and hastily lied.

“N-nothing! Really, nothing!”

“…Well, I hope not. It’s too late if something’s already happened. You should talk things through properly with your brother, okay?”

“Y-yes…”

If the secret got out to Lovell, the three of them turned pale.

I don’t think it’ll come to that, but Elen couldn’t figure out what was going on with Kai.

Sure, she’d helped Kai’s father. But did that really warrant this much concern?

Ever since she’d listened to Kai’s troubles a little while ago, something about him had been sticking in her mind.

Sauvel and Lauren exchanged glances again, silent as Elen sat there, lost in thought.

The two of them whispered to each other, frowning.

(What’s wrong with Elen? Did she hear something?)

(I don’t know, but I’ve heard the matter was already approved by His Majesty, and Prince Gadiel has been discussing it. If anything happened, Kai would’ve reported it by now.)

(You’re right. But Elen’s acting strange…)

(Oh! Wait—no way… could it be… Lady Elen, of such a fine age… could it possibly be… oh my stars…!?)

(Whoa, calm down, Lauren!)

(They’re smitten with each other, yet cursed to keep apart—such a tragic romance!)

(Smitten!? Really!? You’re saying they’re in love!?)

(My own speculation, of course. Heh heh heh…)

(Hey!)

Sauvel and Lauren bickered back and forth, but Elen didn’t seem to notice at all—completely absorbed in her own thoughts.

The two fell silent, their expressions suddenly serious.

(Well… but… could there be something to that…?)

(You two haven’t seen each other in years. Not impossible, really.)

Gadiel, now grown, had become a talk of the town in high society.

With a face so like the King’s it was uncanny—still bearing a trace of youth, but already radiating sharpness and poise.

People are already eager to see what he’ll become.

If Elen had fallen for Gadiel, she’d have had no choice but to worry.

Even if there was the matter of Lovell, spirits and humans simply don’t mix easily.

And the royal family of Tembarl is cursed by spirits. The opposition from around them? Easy to imagine. No wonder she was torn.

(But... I can’t exactly cheer her on straight up. My older brother’s terrifying.)

(Indeed, Your Highness...)

They both shivered at the sheer weight of the presence behind them, even as they longed to support Elen.

"Oi, what’re you two doing?"

Sauvel flinched sharply at the sudden voice from behind.

Lauren, for his part, had already bristled with murderous intent—Lauren always reacted before he thought.

"Aaaaah, Brother!?!"

"Wouldn’t you be startled too, if someone appeared behind you like that?"

Sauvel gave Lauren a suspicious look as she laughed it off. "Ah, whatever," he muttered, waving her off, and called out, "Elen? You here?"

"Father? What is it?"

Lovell had been called away by the Great Spirit.

In his absence, Elen and the others had been talking—but from Lovell’s expression, something serious had happened.

"Elen, where’s Kai and the others?"

"Waiting in the next room....Did you find them?"

"Yeah. We’re heading to the castle now. You coming?"

"Yes."

"Good. Lauren, go get Kai and the others."

"Understood."

Lauren bowed and left the room. Elen watched her go, not a trace of her earlier worry left in her face as she turned back to Lovell, already deep in conversation.

Sauvel watched Elen, and something in him ached.

I want to support Elen, but everyone around me would probably object. Sauvel, too, would lean toward opposing it. Still, the urge to support her was there, undeniable.

“Sauvel, what’re you spacing out for? You’re coming too, you know.”

Sauvel jolts at Lovell’s exasperated voice. He blurts out an apology before snapping back to the conversation.

I just… I hope Elen gets to smile like that. Truly happy.