"I never said that."
Felt pulled a face. "Don't go putting words in my mouth."
"You're the worst, you know that?!"
"Oh please, it's what you were thinking anyway..."
Watching the two of them bicker, Emilia pressed her lips together, a quiet laugh escaping.
"Regardless, I truly am grateful to all of you."
"It's nothing, Emilia-tan."
"I know I'm not much use right now, but I'm going to work hard. I'll become a knight like Reinhard and protect you myself!"
Subaru declared it with every ounce of conviction he had.
If only he could do it right now. But everything that had happened today hammered the same truth into him over and over again: as he was, he couldn't do a single thing for Emilia. Without Gojo, all he'd managed was standing up and running his mouth. Nothing else. He would've been left fuming on the sidelines, powerless, probably thrown out on his ear.
The earnestness in his expression brought a faint blush to Emilia's cheeks. She glanced away, a little flustered.
"Thank you, Subaru."
"What a moving declaration."
"I look forward to the day you become a true knight and stand as Emilia's protector."
Roswaal drifted over, that peculiar drawl of his unchanged as ever.
"You don't need to tell me that. I'm doing it whether you say so or not!"
Subaru didn't hold back. This man who showed Emilia so little genuine loyalty earned nothing from him.
"Alright, let's get moving." Gojo glanced around the nearly empty hall and gave the group a nudge. "Time to go."
They filed out together.
The shift was immediate. Compared to when they'd arrived, the number of eyes tracking Gojo had multiplied, and the nature of those stares had changed entirely.
"Looks like you've made quite a few new admirers," Beatrice observed, sharp as ever.
"Satoru, what you did today... you've humiliated the entire Royal Guard Knights."
Reinhard, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, let out a resigned sigh and shook his head.
"It's not that big a deal."
Gojo shrugged, completely unbothered.
"Besides, this isn't the first time."
Reinhard could only manage a wry smile. The unspoken reference was clear enough: the incident with the royal family's passing.
"Let me ask you something. Do you think those knights are going to try ambushing me?"
"No."
"Would they drag innocent bystanders into it?"
"No."
"Then what's there to worry about?" Gojo spread his hands. "And be honest. Do you really think any of those knights could take me?"
The question hung in the air. Reinhard had no answer, because there was none to give. Everything Gojo said was true. Those knights weren't a match for him. Not until someone figured out how to break through that untouchable ability of his, and no one had come close.
"I know you're right." Reinhard chose his next words carefully. "But they'll be obsessed with restoring their honor."
"Reinhard, relax. It'll be fine." Gojo slung an arm around his shoulders, radiating confidence. "Trust me."
There wasn't much Reinhard could say to that. When Gojo decided not to worry, no force in the world could make him.
The group reached the palace gates, boarded their Dragon Carriages, and set off the same way they'd come.
"Satoru, I'm going to head over to Emilia's place for a bit." Subaru fidgeted in his seat. "After what happened today, she's probably upset. I want to make sure she's okay."
"Go, go."
Gojo leaned back against the seat, waving him off without a care.
"So this is what a man looks like when love melts his brain. Terrifying."
"Beatrice, you told me the Forbidden Library was nothing but magic tomes. Where exactly did you pick that up?"
"Do you take me for an idiot? I don't need a book to understand something that obvious."
The Dragon Carriage rocked and swayed its way back to the Astrea estate, though they'd dropped Subaru off halfway, sending him on his way to Roswaal's manor.
The moment they arrived home, Gojo dragged a chair outside, set up a small table with a pot of red tea, and sprawled out in the courtyard to soak up the sun.
"You really are the picture of sloth." Beatrice said it with her usual bite, but she claimed a spot beside him anyway, basking in the same afternoon light.
"If I'm slothful, then there's no one more diligent in this entire world."
He squinted happily, savoring the warmth on his skin.
"I put in serious overtime today. A man deserves a break."
They hadn't been relaxing long before light footsteps approached. Both turned to look.
Meili walked toward them carrying a tray of sweets, the picture of obedience. A bright smile lit up her face.
"Big bro, time for dessert."
"Hm?" Gojo pushed his sunglasses up. "You're still here? I figured you'd have snuck off while we were all gone."
The smile froze on Meili's face. She let out a strained little laugh.
"Should... should I have?"
She hadn't even thought about it until he said something. But now that she did, he had a point. Everyone dangerous had been away. Why hadn't she slipped out?
Gojo watched the regret dawn across her features, took the tray from her hands, and grinned.
"Relax, I'm messing with you. Even if you'd tried to run, Miss Carol and Mr. Grimm wouldn't have let you get far." He bit into a pastry. "Don't let the grey hair fool you. I can tell those two are at least as strong as an average Royal Guard Knight."
His grin turned mischievous. "If they caught you, they'd probably hang you upside down and give you a spanking."
In a place like Roswaal's territory, surrounded by powerful Mabeasts, Meili was a genuine threat. The stronger the Mabeasts around her, the more dangerous she became. But this was the Royal Capital. What was there to control here? A few small ones she could use as messengers at best. If she'd tried to run, the only person getting hurt would've been her.
She looked at the grin on Gojo's face and puffed out her cheeks, realizing she'd been played.
"Big bro, you're mean."
She said it with all the wounded dignity a child could muster, then turned and bolted without looking back.
"What deplorable behavior."
"Right? I think so too. Meili badmouthing me like that... so rude."
"I was talking about you."
"I'll take it as a compliment."
They traded jabs between bites of pastry, the afternoon sun warm on their faces. A strange kind of harmony.
It didn't last.
Hurried footsteps broke the peace, and both heads swiveled in unison. Felt was marching toward them with a look of bewildered irritation stamped across her face.
She didn't bother with pleasantries. Swiping the tray, she hopped up onto the table in one fluid motion and started cramming handmade biscuits into her mouth.
"Hey, weren't you all smiles on the ride back? What happened?" Gojo eyed the rapidly disappearing biscuits with genuine distress, reaching to reclaim them. "Being a Royal Candidate that bad?"
He managed to wrestle the tray back. Three biscuits remained. Maybe two and a half.
"She is a candidate for the throne. A certain degree of difficulty is to be expected." Beatrice sipped her tea with the air of a seasoned elder.
"They want to test your ability to govern, your vision for development..."
"Hold on, what does any of that have to do with you?" Gojo shoved every surviving biscuit into his mouth at once, just to be safe, before asking.
"We're supposed to grab the money and disappear, aren't we?"
"That's what I thought too! But Reinhard started asking me questions, and I couldn't exactly tell him the truth!"
Felt groaned in frustration.
"Then when I didn't answer, he moved on to asking about my speech at the assembly. Wanted to know my detailed plans, what steps I was going to take."
"You didn't sell me out, did you?"
Gojo's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.
"Do I look like an idiot to you?"
Felt rolled her eyes.
"I couldn't answer any of it, so Reinhard said he'd start tutoring me. Teaching me everything I'd need to know."
Gojo and Beatrice exchanged a glance. Both winced.
They'd witnessed firsthand how much Felt despised etiquette lessons. The idea of piling on governance, strategy, and policy? That was a death sentence.
"Still..." Gojo rubbed his chin. "Learning might not be the worst idea."
"Think about it, Felt. We're in this for the money, right? We've got momentum from today, but those nobles aren't going to commit overnight. Most of them will sit back and watch. Makes sense, doesn't it?"
"Get to the point. I'm not stupid."
"Even if it's all an act, we need to do something that pushes them toward picking our side. If all we've got is one good speech, and the other candidates start racking up real accomplishments, the undecided nobles will never choose us."
"Oh, come on. Even if it's just for show, I don't need to learn all that!" Felt glared at him. "You just want to watch me suffer, admit it!"
"How could you think that..."
Gojo adjusted his sunglasses, hiding his eyes.
"Take off those glasses and say that to my face!"
He deflected with a guilty smile. "Anyway, what do you think we should actually do to make an impression?"
"Your ability to change the subject is on par with Subaru's feelings for Emilia." Beatrice tilted her head, a smirk at the corner of her mouth.
"That impressive?"
"That baffling."
"How should I know? This whole scheme was your idea in the first place!" Felt jabbed a finger at him. "Don't tell me all you had was the opening act and nothing after."
Gojo held up both palms in surrender.
"If I had the answer, I wouldn't be sitting here asking."
Silence settled over the three of them.
Gojo and Felt stared at each other.
"The way I see it, earning enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your lives is next to impossible." Beatrice set down her teacup. "You don't have territories like the other candidates. Without land to work with, producing any meaningful results becomes even harder."
"Those nobles may chase profit like rabid dogs, but they aren't fools. If you can't offer them something more concrete, my suggestion would be to rob Roswaal on your way out."
She delivered the analysis with cool precision, as though recommending highway robbery were the most natural conclusion in the world.
"This really is a headache." Gojo rubbed his forehead, sinking into thought.
"We'll figure it out as we go."
The money scheme had been born from a flash of impulse in the first place. If someone asked how far ahead he'd planned, the honest answer was not at all. Now that Felt was pressing him, he had nothing.
"Ugh." Felt slumped. "I guess that's all we can do."
"What about Reinhard, though?" Gojo studied her dejected expression. "Think he'd have any ideas?"
"Reinhard?" Felt frowned. "What could he do? He's not the Family Head. He can't use the Astrea family's lands to support us. And he's a knight, not a merchant. I doubt he'd have any brilliant business advice."
"Worth asking. We've got nothing to lose." Gojo leaned forward. "Hand the problem to the person who brought it up. That's how you solve things."
Felt turned that over for a moment. When you had zero ideas of your own, it was hard to argue with the logic.
"Fine. I'll go talk to him."
She was off the table and through the door before the words finished leaving her mouth.
"I thought things would get easier after today." Gojo gazed up at the sky. "Should've known better."
"What you're attempting isn't something that can be done simply." Beatrice's tone left no room for illusions. These two acted like every noble in the kingdom was some kind of fool.
"Yes, yes. Beatrice is the smart one. Why don't you put that big brain to work and help your contractor out?"
"I have zero interest in petty human squabbles. Nothing could bore me more."
"Cold words."
The rest of the afternoon slipped away.
Felt's conversation with Reinhard didn't produce any immediate answers either. By his own admission, he had no experience in this area and needed time to think it over. No solutions, but at least no objections. It bought Felt some breathing room, one less thing weighing on her for the moment.
After dinner, Subaru came bounding back, practically glowing.
From the look on his face, his afternoon mission to comfort Emilia had been a resounding success.
...
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