Though Ilina's expression remains relatively composed, I can see her tense slightly at her mother's sharp words. She remains quiet for a moment before responding, her voice betraying a forced calm.
"I did what I thought was best. For myself, I admit, but also...for our people. I was confident in my plans, and I think the results speak for themselves. While I want you to know that I do trust you, Mother, I'm not going to apologize for my actions today either. Seeing the results of my decisions, despite how angry you are with me, I'd do it all again without hesitation." (Ilina)
Elira's head jerks back as though she's been slapped, her eyes wide and mouth agape in shock. Her voice is incredulous, betraying more hurt than anger.
"Yo-...do you really see no issue with your actions? You achieved your goals, but what about your father and me? Deceiving and undermining us. Even that, you're saying you don't regret it? You'd do it again? Do you truly trust us that little? Have we not been supportive of you and Mizuki? Both before and today." (Elira)
Ilina grimaces slightly, her eyes and voice softening in response to her mother's pained questions.
"Yes, Mother, you've both been immensely supportive – wonderful parents. And I want you to know that I do trust you. But, that also means that I know the two of you. If I'd explained everything to you two beforehand, your reactions wouldn't have seemed as genuine as I needed them to be to convince the nobles. It's the same reason I kept Mizuki partially in the dark about my plans today. But more importantly, I didn't warn you of my plans because you'd have fought against my actions today.
"I only learned last night that Mizuki was willing to share the truth about his abilities and otherworldly origins with the nobles, which was the critical inspiration for this plan. Even if I'd come to you right after that and explained my intentions, and was able to convince you that we had a good chance of bringing the nobles to our side, you'd have insisted we postpone today's revelations until a later date.
"Nervous about causing more trouble in the midst of the Empire's looming invasion, and being scared of making a rash decision you'd regret, you'd have clung to the impulse to wait months or years. To mull over my plan exhaustively before putting it into action. That's just how you two are, and I couldn't risk that...not with this." (Ilina)
Elira's eyes narrow, her voice raising indignantly.
"That's because this was a rash decision, Ilina! You risked throwing our entire country into further crisis and inner conflict in the midst of an external threat, and you did so with a hastily formulated, half-baked plan!
"What need was there to rush this!? To put your plans in action today!? Mizuki wasn't actually dying of old age – you two had all the time in the world to think this through. Even just a few years would have given us time to stabilize our country more and consider safer tactics. But instead, you endangered everything, practically on a whim.
"For...what? Just to be married sooner? Why? Because you can't hold hands with him in public? Because of those limitations Lady Nedonera put on your physical relationship until you're married?
"Ilina, you're barely three decades old, centuries younger than any other high elves would even consider being courted at all! Your...hormones...are no excuse for such emotional and reckless decision-making, nor for today's blatant disrespect towards me as both your Queen and your mother!" (Elira)
Ilina blushes profusely at the mention of her 'hormones' and Nina's sex ban, but I'm surprised to see her eyes glint with determination, her voice calm and full of resolve as she responds without hesitation.
"It's true...my feelings played a role in my decisions today. I can admit that. But you're mistaken if you think that those feelings pushed me to be reckless or irrational, Mother. My emotions aside, I acted today because we may never have had a better chance to convince the nobles to support the marriage.
"In retrospect, surely you have to admit that with the Empire closing in, truly involving Mizuki in our kingdom's defense was always going to require him revealing the truth about his abilities. At that point, revealing everything else about him only made sense.
"With all that information suddenly weighing on the nobles' minds today, Mizuki stood out as the elves' enigmatic salvation against an unexpected, existential threat to our people. His worth to and leverage over the nobles was at an all-time high. Who's to say that being too timid and overcautious wouldn't have made things worse? After all, Jorah and Tessa were only growing more hostile towards Mizuki with time.
"Furthermore, even if you're right, and waiting 'just' a few years to announce Mizuki's and my relationship to the nobles yielded a modestly less risky plan – so what? Our plans today had a high enough chance of success, and we controlled all the information and variables.
"Perhaps you think that my youth means it's perfectly acceptable to forego a more serious relationship for years, all in the name of patiently awaiting a better opportunity that may never come. Even I was once perfectly content to postpone romance for centuries or even millennia – to focus on my other interests and my duties as Princess.
"However, that was before I met Mizuki. It's one thing to avoid a relationship, but it's another to have already found someone you love, yet keep them at arm's length for others' reasons that you consider misguided.
"So, call me childish, emotional, rebellious, hormonal, or whatever else you want. I may be all of those things. But yes, Mother, I'm tired of holding back my relationship with Mizuki now that he's in my life, and there are things my heart wants that I'm tired of depriving it of.
"I want to walk arm-in-arm with Mizuki in the streets of Avalon and go on public dates. I want to freely claim him as my partner and vice versa, and flaunt it when it suits me. I want to stop relying on him in secret and be able to give him the credit he deserves. And, yes, I want to drag Mizuki into my bed and finally consummate our relationship.
"Because I love him, and he's mine, and I'm sick and tired of treating our whole relationship like some dirty little secret. And if you think that's unreasonable of me, even after all my rationalizations, then respectfully, my Queen...bite me." (Ilina)
Ilina, despite being beet red all the way up to the ends of her long, pointy ears, maintains a steadfast glare at her mother as she finishes her rant. Elira and I, meanwhile, are stunned into silence by her bold and uncharacteristically disrespectful words.
Also, a corner of my brain can't help but ponder the reason for the phrase 'bite me' being known to her. Is that just some kind of rough auto-translation of a different idiom of theirs, or is it just a coincidental convergence in sayings?
Before I can think it over too much, I hear the sound of raucous laughter behind me as waves of amusement wash over me through my connection with Nina.
"Pahahahaha! How bold of you, Ilina! Talking about how badly you want to drag Mizuki into your bed and mate with him, right in front of your mother and me. Fufufufu, when did you get so shameless, hmm?" (Nina)
I didn't think it possible, but Ilina's face manages to get even more red at Nina's words. But then, her eye twitches as she snaps her attention to the laughing dragon, annoyance flashing in her grey eyes.
"Me, the shameless one!? That's rich, coming from the horny dragon who always leaves the bedsheets a mess right before I come over! And don't even get me started on that time in the bath! You know you have an entire mansion worth of rooms, right!?" (Ilina)
Even though I'm not the one she's glaring at, I feel a surge of heat rush to my face. Yeah...Ilina kind of walked in on me and Nina having sex in the mansion's bath. In my defense, I would have immediately teleported Nina and myself away or covered us with a barrier when it happened. But, we were both really...close...at the time.
So yeah, after Ilina watched the two of us orgasm right in front of her, the sleeping arrangements were more than a little awkward that night. Well, at least for Ilina and me...I swear that Nina slept with a smile on her face.
While I turn red at the memory being referenced in front of Elira, and Elira herself goes pale, Nina just sneers at the increasingly annoyed Ilina.
"Fufufufu...jealousy isn't a good look for you, Ilina. Don't worry, as soon as your relationship is public knowledge in this kingdom, Mizuki can mate with you in the bath as well. As for seeing me in the act with him – who cares? Do you expect us to keep our respective activities with him separate from one another indefinitely?" (Nina)
Ilina scowls and opens her mouth to respond, but Elira suddenly clears her throat very pointedly. We return our attention to the Queen, seeing her look more than a little uncomfortable, and Ilina's expression quickly becomes mortified.
"Oh my gods, Mother, I'm so sorry...I don't know what came over me." (Ilina)
Elira regains her composure and nods, her eyes narrowing at Ilina as though she's annoyed. However, her voice carries a softer edge than it did before.
"I see...so you do know how to apologize when you've been inconsiderate to your mother, hmm?" (Elira)
Ilina's eyes flit away guiltily as Elira continues to stare disapprovingly. After a few awkward seconds, I decide I've been silent long enough.
"Elira, for what it's worth, I really don't think Ilina hid her plans from you because she doesn't trust you, or because she doesn't respect you. After all, she kept me in the dark about most of today's events, too. All I knew was that you'd all be learning the truth about me, that Ilina intended to lay the groundwork for our marriage, and that she thought the odds of success were higher if my actions weren't fully scripted.
"Despite how much was at stake, I decided to accept that and trust her. Because she's shown me that she deserves it. In hindsight, seeing how this all played out, it's only solidified my faith in her. I know that you didn't have the same opportunity to give her your blind trust like I did, but I hope that you can also see that she made the right call. That she still deserves your trust.
"At the very least, if you can't bring yourself to let go of your anger over everything that happened today, then please direct it at me instead of her. It's my secrets that were spilled, at my behest, and I'm the reason that our relationship has been such a problematic affair for your people. All Ilina has done is try to fix my mess." (Mizuki)
Elira stares at me in silence for several moments, her eyes full of inner conflict. Eventually, she lets out a long, deep sigh before shaking her head in exasperation.
"Very well, Mizuki. Your points are well taken, and I honestly can't bring myself to be mad at you after everything I've learned today. Less so, given all that you've personally done for us, and have pledged to do in the future. However, can you promise me one thing?" (Elira)