Meanwhile, in the elven royal palace, unbeknownst to Mizuki...
"His...family name?" (Ilina)
Ilina blinks, staring at her mother across the cozy conference room like she's grown a second head. Elira rolls her eyes, leaning forward on her own couch. Dargo sips some tea next to her, pointedly avoiding eye contact.
"Yes, he doesn't have one, right? Nephilim or not, you are still going to be the Queen, Ilina. There are many things our people may graciously accept, given who Mizuki is, but their King refusing the Queen's royal name isn't one of them. Are you expecting this to be a problem for Mizuki?" (Elira)
Ilina's mouth opens, then closes. Mizuki has never mentioned having a family name, and he did say he was a commoner on his home world. At the same time, though, something about insisting that he takes her family name feels like overstepping.
'Would he take my name? I'll only be his second wife, and I don't even know his people's cultural norms.'
Her expression flickers with uncertainty.
"He...I mean..." (Ilina)
KNOCK, KNOCK!
Everyone turns, their eyes studying the conference room door with surprise. Ilina hears her mother sigh.
"You may enter." (Elira)
A royal guard enters, giving a brief bow.
"Apologies, My Queen. Lady Alto has arrived at the palace entrance and is requesting an audience with Princess Ilina...she seemed quite eager." (royal guard)
Elira's eyebrows raise, her tone heavy with confusion.
"The palace entrance? Is she alone?" (Elira)
For the most part, the royal guards are still oblivious to the truth of "Lady Nedonera's" party, including Mizuki's abilities. The guards have been told to never stop or question any of them if they're inexplicably seen inside the palace, but they don't know that's because Mizuki teleports them directly inside all the time. This guard probably sees nothing strange about Alto showing up at the front gate normally. After all, that'd be expected protocol even for elven nobles, if not sending a letter in advance.
'Knowing Alto, that's probably exactly why she did it...due to Mother's decree about Nina's party members, she is an honorary elven noble. If she's not actively with Mizuki, she probably wants to behave in accordance with those social expectations. The question is, why is she here without Mizuki?'
Thinking back to her discussion with Mizuki last night, which nearly causes a blush to come to her cheeks, a flicker of realization hits her.
'Right...he mentioned giving Alto some big research task. Is that why she's here?'
Unaware of her thoughts, or the reason for her mother's likely confusion, the guard simply nods.
"Yes, My Queen. Shall I grant her access to a palace waiting room?" (royal guard)
Elira shakes her head, but Ilina doesn't miss the slight tension in her mother's expression.
"No, you can bring Lady Alto directly here. And in the future, if she or any of the others from Lady Nedonera's party show up at the palace gate, I want you to immediately grant them access to a comfortable waiting room and notify me. Make sure that the other royal guards know not to keep them waiting like this again. Is that clear?" (Elira)
The guard's eyes widen in surprise at the order.
"Understood, My Queen. What if it's Lord Mizuki or Lady Zara alone, without Ladies Nedonera or Alto present?" (royal guard)
A flicker of irritation flashes across her mother's expression, and Ilina feels a pang of sympathy for the guard. From his perspective, that probably seems like a reasonable thing to clarify. Granting any unscheduled visitors immediate access to the palace is practically taboo. An Elder Dragon probably seems like a reasonable exception, and so does an honorary elven noble like Alto that her mother has now exempted by name, but Mizuki and Zara are outsiders.
The bulk of the royal guard still thinks Mizuki's human, and every bit of respect they show him is only because he has the favor of their Queen and the Kingdom's resident Elder Dragon. It makes sense that this guard would be skeptical that her mother intended for him especially to have private, unfettered access to the palace.
'Still, I'm sure that Mother couldn't help but imagine one of them trying to detain Mizuki and offending him horrendously.'
She glances at Elira, noting her mother's slightly paler complexion. Knowing how unlikely her mother's fears are, she has to suppress the urge to chuckle. Her fiancé is actually far too good-natured to react like her mother fears, but the juxtaposition in their views of Mizuki is pleasantly entertaining.
Elira's tone is quite sharp when she answers the guard.
"Yes, what part of any of them was unclear? Actually, tell the other guards that if I find out any of them detain Nedonera's subordinates at the gate, for any reason, it will earn them a decade in the palace dungeons. Make that a century if it's Mizuki they detain. And if you wasting time second-guessing my orders just now causes Alto any irritation, you can expect five years in the dungeon yourself. Are we on the same page now?" (Elira)
All the color drains from the guard's face.
"Y-Yes, My Queen! I'll see to everything at once!" (royal guard)
Without so much as another squeak, the guard nearly stumbles over himself fleeing the conference room. Probably sprinting at top speed back to the palace gates to retrieve Alto, if Ilina had to guess. Nearby, Elira groans in a very un-Queen-like fashion, dropping her face into her hands.
"Ugghh...honestly, sometimes it's like they have an instinct for setting my nerves on edge with their incompetence." (Elira)
Ilina can't help but chuckle at her mother's frazzled state.
"Fufufu...don't you think you're being a little harsh, Mother? As far as they knew, holding Alto at the gate was proper protocol." (Ilina)
Elira gives her a pointed look, exasperation clear in her mother's eyes.
"Spare me your rationalizations, Ilina. I've seen enough to know that Alto's connection to Mizuki is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Their dynamic is disturbingly protective. She'd throw herself in front of a train for him, and he's already threatened to wipe out a country because their Emperor threatened her. So, forgive me for being a little cautious about offending the girl." (Elira)
Ilina stiffens at her mother's words, uncomfortable with the plain truth in them. However, Elira doesn't miss her reaction. Her mother's lips twist into an amused smirk.
"It's far too late for jealousy now, dear." (Elira)
Ilina's jaw tightens, wanting to deny her mother's provocation. However, they're once again interrupted.
KNOCK, KNOCK!
Elira's focus shifts from her, becoming serious once again.
"Enter." (Elira)
The door opens, revealing a petite, young elven woman with straight blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. To Ilina's surprise, Alto is wearing a sleeveless, dark blue dress that stops just above her knees, accentuating her eyes and figure more than her standard attire. Alto steps into the room, her movements graceful, her expression composed. A guard shuts the door behind her, and she curtsies politely.
"My Queen, Princess Ilina, King Dargo...thank you for seeing me. I hope that I'm not interrupting too much?" (Alto)
Elira is immediately all smiles.
"Of course not, dear. We were just discussing Mizuki's and Ilina's wedding particulars. And please, when it's just us, no need for all of those formalities. Call me Elira." (Elira)
Ilina raises her eyebrows at her mother's ingratiating behavior, but says nothing. After all, she's personally told Alto many times that she'd prefer to be called Ilina instead of Princess.
Alto nods her acknowledgement to Elira, but Ilina notices a small flicker in Alto's expression when her mother mentions the wedding. Then, Alto turns her gaze towards Ilina.
"Congratulations, Ilina...I was not aware that you were already planning the wedding. I'm very happy for you both." (Alto)
Ilina returns a wry smile.
"Thanks, Alto. I'm looking forward to finishing the planning." (Ilina)
She catches an irritated glance from her mother, before something like amusement glints in Elira's eyes. Elira glances briefly between Alto and Ilina, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.
"You're too kind, Alto. Speaking of the wedding, perhaps you could share your thoughts on something Ilina and I were just discussing? You seem to be quite the expert on Mizuki, after all, and this concerns him." (Elira)
Ilina stiffens. She watches Alto nod nonchalantly, but doesn't miss the subtle, pleasant shift in her demeanor. Alto's mouth twists upward at the corners, her eyes warming slightly.
"Of course, I'm happy to help if I can. What is it?" (Alto)
Elira nods at Alto appreciatively.
"As you're no doubt aware, it's customary for the King-to-be, or in this case the Prince Consort, to take the last name of his royal wife. Mizuki's marriage to Ilina is, of course, far from traditional. However, since he doesn't have a family name, I thought it'd be reasonable if he upheld this part of our tradition...to provide stability to our people. What do you think?" (Elira)
Alto's eyebrows raise.
"Actually...Mizuki already has a family name from his home world. It's Hakuto. Did you not tell her?" (Alto)
Alto directs the last question at Ilina, accompanied by a puzzled expression. Ilina's so stunned that she mutters out her thoughts before considering them.
"I...uhm...didn't know. How do you know that?" (Ilina)
Ilina catches her mother's brief, knowing glance, rich with smug amusement. Alto just tilts her head slightly.
"He told me...I like to ask him questions while we research or practice magic together. I assumed that you knew as well, since you are with him every night." (Alto)
The tone of Alto's question is so innocent, so puzzled. Yet, Ilina can practically hear her thinking, 'How could you not know something like that, but crawl into his bed every night? Do you actually have any interest in him, or do you just spend all that time focusing on your physical desires?'. At least, that's the interpretation that Ilina's mind conjures to torture her.
She feels an intense heat rush to her cheeks and the tips of her ears. Her mother's and father's shocked expressions are vaguely distinguishable in her peripheral vision. She can't keep her voice from sounding flustered and defensive.
"I-It just...never came up! He doesn't talk about his home world on his own, and I didn't want to force him. B-Besides! He never even uses that name. That's why I didn't ask...even if he had one, I knew it must not matter to him!" (Ilina)
Her mother raises her eyebrows, clearly aware that Ilina's three meters deep into a coping frenzy. However, Alto just purses her lips thoughtfully for a moment and nods.
"Yes, you're right..." (Alto)
Ilina blinks.
'Wait, I am?'
Alto continues, oblivious to her reaction.
"Ilina is correct, My Queen. I also believe that Mizuki does not care about his family name from his home world. In fact, he would probably be quite eager to adopt the Ophelle name, and share it with Ilina." (Alto)
The declaration buzzes in Ilina's head, and the idea of Mizuki happily taking her name causes a familiar warmth to course through her chest. Her fists involuntarily tighten around the fabric of her dress's hem, a slightly giddy smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
'I'd be the only one whose name he'd have. Not Alto, not even Nina...just me.'
It's...a nice thought. Something that she didn't know even mattered to her, but is now invested in having. An official recognition of how much she means to Mizuki – proof that she's not an 'extra' wife. However, as soon as she recognizes that this is actually something she wants, she realizes a glaring issue.
She absentmindedly voices her thoughts, her tone unintentionally somber.
"Nina's not going to give her blessing for that..." (Ilina)