Them, seen from a different angle.

They were given a room by the guard, and Elen and the others moved there.

The room they’d been in before had been a central part of the castle, so the new one was quite a distance away.

Ryul cradled the depressed Lore, occasionally brushing her back with a worried hand.

Elen glanced over, worried, and felt a sudden, tight squeeze in the hand she was holding—she turned to look at Kai.

Kai’s expression seemed… sad. Elen couldn’t understand why he’d look at her like that, and her mind went blank.

“Eh… w-what’s wrong…?”

“…Are you concerned about Lady Ryul, Elen-sama?”

“Huh?”

Asked if she was concerned, Elen could only nod.

Ryul, who had been reincarnated like her. The moment she thought she wanted to talk to her about everything, something clicked inside her head—like a piece finally fitting into place.

Along the way, a neatly trimmed garden lined the corridor. The calm air—so different from what she’d expected—made Elen realize she’d been rushing all along.

"...There was something I wanted to ask, but I already know the answer."

"Huh?"

Now it was Kai’s turn to look confused, as Elen’s expression had shifted completely from just moments ago.

Replaying everything in her mind, calmly thinking it through—she should’ve known what she wanted to ask all along.

She realized how shaken she’d been upon learning that Lyle’s soul had been reincarnated, just like her own.

What Elen had really wanted to know was whether Lyle still remembered her past.

If she did, then the Helgner Kingdom wouldn’t have fallen into such a dire state.

It’s because she remembers that her视野 expands, and her choices multiply. She said Lore had taught her about souls too. Even just what Lyle said in her quiet way made it clear—she had no memory at all.

Besides, discussing soul reincarnation with everyone watching? Absolutely impossible.

The fact that we ended up in this brief pause? In a way, it was a relief.

And then I realized something else.

Why Lore had so casually used the name of the first king.

“…It’s good to see you again, isn’t it?”

“…………”

Kai didn’t know what to say to Elen’s quiet whisper.

All he could do was squeeze her hand a little tighter—just to remind her, and himself, that he was still here.

＊＊＊

We sat facing each other on the sofa, sipping tea poured by the maid.

Even with three guards watching over her, Rylle looked visibly relieved to be away from that tense scene.

“So, what’s it you want to ask me?”

“That’s the thing… I mean, I guess I already knew the answer, kind of…”

Rylle’s eyes widened as she trailed off.

“The answer?”

“About souls. I wanted to ask you—Rylle-sama, you don’t have any memories, do you?”

“…Yeah, I guess. Memories before birth? No way.”

Elen nodded, watching Rylle’s confused expression.

They were similar in situation, but completely opposite in reality. Elen had memories and acted on them. Rylle had no memories at all—no awareness, no sense of self—yet everyone around her was already shouting about reincarnation.

“Yeah, it’s kind of a mess, isn’t it? Being told you’re the same person as the first king, with no memories to back it up.”

When Elen smiled, Rüel blinked in surprise at first—eyes wide—but quickly followed with a wry grin.

"Yeah, I guess... I’m me, but..."

Rüel looked at Lore. Lore, uncomfortable under that gaze, looked away right away.

"Lore was happy. Reunited with someone important."

"...That’s kind of complicated, though."

Rüel said it with a hint of sadness. Elen caught on immediately.

"You think you’re seeing the First King through the eyes of Lore, don’t you?"

"!"

Rüel widened his eyes, startled by Elen’s words. *How does she even know?*

Lore, hearing that, panicked.

"N-no! I’m me! Rüel’s Rüel!!"

"Yeah, uh... that’s true, but..."

Elen spoke Lore’s unspoken thought, gently, to Rüel, who looked oddly downcast.

"It’s because your names are the same that you’re getting mixed up and can’t tell who’s who, isn’t it? Listen, the core doesn’t change."

"The core?"

"What Lore’s saying is the soul—the thing that’s at the root of you. Spirits are drawn to souls."

"Spirits… drawn to souls?"

"Spirits avoid people they dislike. You can only make a pact with someone kind-hearted, or someone you genuinely enjoy being around. It’s not really about the soul itself—more like the magic essence that makes up the soul, and that’s what they sense."

"...Magic essence that makes up a soul?"

"It’s hard to explain exactly, since it’s not something I’ve ever gone into much detail about. But Lore is seeing your soul—someone she enjoys being with, someone who makes her happy... someone she cares about. She found a soul she once treasured again, and she was overjoyed."

"A precious... person..."

"To Lore, it doesn't matter if you're the you of old or the you of now. What matters is that your soul remains the same. Lore isn't seeing the past First King in the you of today. She's really seeing you—right here, right now."

"H-huh... Your Highness..."

Elen had said exactly what Lore had wanted to say.

Lore probably didn’t know how to explain it. But Elen had stepped in, following Lore’s confusion, and explained it so clearly that Ryll seemed to grasp the answer instantly.

"Same essence... is that what it is? That feeling I have—how much I care about Lore?"

"Exactly. It's something that can't be changed easily. Just like that, Lore feels the same about you—through her soul."

"...I see."

Ryll smiled, leaning back deeply into the sofa's cushion. Taking advantage of the empty space on his lap, Lore hopped onto his knees with practiced ease.

The moment their closeness deepened. Elen exhaled, relief washing over her as she watched Rüül’s expression—soft, affectionate, fixed on Lore.

“Rüül… I’m sorry… for my reckless actions…”

“It’s in the past now. Don’t worry about it. I’m happy just being with Lore and Tetsu.”

“…!”

Lore rubbed her head against Rüül’s chest, seeking comfort. Rüül, in turn, gently stroked her, indulging her. Tetsu, watching from the side, finally let out a quiet breath—relief in his eyes.

“Good, huh?”

Elen felt her own smile widen, and without thinking, turned to Kai beside her, seeking agreement.

Kai, caught off guard by Elen’s close-up smile, froze for a split second—then broke into a bright, cheerful grin. “Yes,” he said.

(…Huh?)

Something felt off. Not quite like the usual Kai. Elen blinked.

(Could it be… my imagination?)

A faint unease tugged at her, but she shook it off. Probably nothing. Probably just her mind playing tricks.

She didn’t even understand herself, and Elen felt oddly flustered.

“Princess, why not ask about the women’s quarters right here first?”

Van slid in between Elen and Kai from behind, his hand cutting off their line of sight.

Kai was glaring at Van with a distinctly uneasy air, but Elen didn’t notice—she just nodded, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Ryūru and the others stared, eyes wide.

“…So that’s it. From a different angle, it’s crystal clear.”

Ryūru glanced at Elen and the Kai standing beside her, then laughed at themselves.

“But… should I even say anything about this?”

Ryūru thought the princess’s surroundings were far too complicated to untangle.