"Emilia, when are we leaving for the capital?"
Hearing her newly appointed knight speak, the half-elf girl snapped out of her daze and unconsciously began twisting the lace at the edge of her skirt.
"We'll probably leave the morning after tomorrow. The Royal Selection meeting is five days from now, and with the journey taking about three days, we should still make it in time."
"It takes that long?"
Grin frowned, clearly surprised.
Roswaal chose that moment to explain.
"What unfortunate timing, Grin-kun. The White Whale has been especially active lately, so Flugel Highway is closed. Even taking the long way around, arriving in three days would already be considered fortunate."
Grin nodded in understanding.
"I see. That oversized bastard really does know how to make trouble."
Emilia softened the mood at once, her voice sweet and gentle.
"It's alright, Grin. Even if the trip is longer, the scenery along the way is really beautiful."
At that, Grin suddenly lifted both hands and framed her in the air like a viewfinder.
His eyes were openly laughing.
"It certainly is very beautiful…"
"Seriously… Grin, stop teasing me."
Emilia turned her head away as if annoyed, though her embarrassment was far more obvious than any real anger.
Bang—
The conference room door flew open.
Subaru Natsuki stormed in, practically radiating indignation.
"'Autumn beans, sack of beans' my ass! You guys discussed something this important without inviting me? And Grin, you actually took advantage of Emilia-tan while I was gone? That's way too underhanded!"
"Subaru, don't say weird things!"
Emilia waved both hands in panic, her cheeks turning bright red.
"And using words like 'took advantage' is way too harsh…"
"No, if this keeps going, I'm going to get written out of the story. I'm going to the capital with Emilia too!"
Subaru planted his feet and declared it like a matter of principle.
Emilia immediately looked troubled.
"Um… we're not going there for fun. This is a very important summons."
Subaru shrugged and answered seriously.
"If it's important, then that's exactly why I have to go. This is about the Royal Selection, right? I want to help Emilia-tan too. Please!"
Emilia's natural enemy had always been shameless people like Subaru.
For a moment, she had no idea how to answer him.
If she took him to the capital, there was an excellent chance he would cause trouble.
In the end, she could only turn to her newly recruited knight for help.
Grin gave her a knowing nod, walked over to Subaru, and patted him solemnly on the shoulder.
"Subaru, it's not that we don't want to take you. It's that we have an even more important job for you."
Subaru blinked.
"What mission could possibly be more important than protecting Emilia-tan?"
Grin spoke with complete sincerity.
"Obviously, protecting this mansion is more important. This is Emilia's base. If the backyard catches fire while we're gone, then we'll all be homeless."
"Really…? You're not tricking me, are you? I'm not exactly well educated, so don't try to fool me."
"Relax. I'm widely read. I'd never lie to you."
Then Grin lowered his voice and leaned in.
"Besides, I've got a secret mission for you. If you pull it off, I'll definitely give you a chance to prove yourself. Come closer."
He drew Subaru aside and whispered a few things into his ear.
As Subaru listened, his eyes gradually lit up.
By the time Grin finished, he was already clenching his fists, eager and fired up.
Grin nodded in satisfaction.
"Well? You understand now, right, Subaru?"
Subaru straightened up on the spot.
"First, protect the mansion. Second, secretly train myself. I'm going to drag this whole mansion into shape right now!"
Grin grabbed both his shoulders with fatherly pride.
"Well said! You bloody genius, Subaru! Your IQ is at least 160! Now go clean up this damn mansion!"
"Yes, sir!"
Subaru gave him a sloppy salute, then added weakly,
"You promised you'd help me earn merit, so don't forget that, Grin."
With that, he hurried out of the conference room.
Emilia watched him go and laughed.
"Grin, you and Subaru really do look like you're acting out some ridiculous play together."
Then she stood and added,
"In that case, I'll go pack early so I don't forget anything later. See you soon."
The half-elf girl gave Grin a small wave, then hurried out in high spirits, her heels tapping lightly against the floor.
"Alright then~ Let's end the meeting here, Grin-kun. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you do next."
Roswaal rose as well and strolled toward the door.
Before long, everyone had left.
The once-lively conference room gradually fell quiet.
After a few moments of silence, Grin topped off his tea and took a slow sip, then glanced sideways at the peach-haired maid still standing beside the sofa.
"Ram, everyone's gone. Why are you still here?"
Creak—click.
Ram did not answer.
She simply walked over and quietly shut the conference room door.
Then she turned back, stepped up to the sofa, and stopped very close to him.
A faint fragrance drifted over with her, something like dried mint mixed with pale plum blossoms.
Even Grin, shameless as he usually was, felt a little thrown off by how close she had suddenly come.
"Ram… you're not trying to take advantage of me, are you?"
Ram paused.
Then she gave him the faintest, most exhausted look imaginable.
"Shut up. Ram has something to say."
She placed one hand on the sofa armrest and leaned down slightly.
Then she brushed aside the hair at her forehead, revealing the diamond-shaped scar where her horn had once been.
"Grin, look carefully. Has Ram changed at all?"
Grin turned his head slightly away at first, almost awkward.
Ram smelled too nice.
Being this close was making him weirdly conscious.
Honestly, it was the first time in a while he had felt this passive.
"Ram… you really have changed a lot…"
"Hm? So you noticed too?"
"Yes. You've become much more proactive…"
"Shameless bastard."
A vein practically twitched at Ram's temple.
"Ram was talking about the broken horn."
"Oh. Right. Of course. Let me look."
Catching the murderous undertone in her voice, Grin immediately sat up properly.
As he studied the scar on her forehead, his expression slowly became serious.
Then he reached out and gently brushed his fingers across the smooth skin there.
The once-flat surface now seemed to bulge ever so slightly under his touch.
"Your horn… has started growing back a little?"
"Yes."
Ram nodded, and for the first time there was unmistakable, carefully restrained joy in her eyes.
"Ram was surprised too."
Grin's eyes widened.
If his memory was right, a horned Ram was a completely unreasonable existence.
This was not a small matter.
"That's insane, Ram. How did this happen?"
Ram looked straight into his eyes, and there was a rare trace of hope in her gaze.
"I think it has something to do with your blood. Ever since it came into contact with the cut, the scar has been tingling every so often."
For a moment, genuine surprise flashed across Grin's face.
But it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
In the next instant, he was already wearing that sly, infuriating grin again.
"Haha, Ram… then why don't you hurry up and beg me?"