The Royal Capital—the place where dreams began. She had not expected to return here today, to these bustling city streets once more.
The towering buildings were the same as ever. The pigs, chickens, cats, and dogs passing along the roads were the same as ever. And as always...
"Yo~! Isn't this that little beauty from before? Buying apples?"
...The apple uncle.
That was right. Now that she was out with Emilia again, she had once more passed through this marketplace and run into the apple vendor she had seen several times before—so often that she had practically memorized his catchphrase.
"Can you not change your line for once?"
She glanced at the branch-chewing man by the fruit stall and complained dryly.
"No can do! As a businessman, you have to keep a sharp nose at all times and seize every opportunity to make money~! Hahaha!"
He laughed heartily, flashing a grin so wide his white teeth nearly sparkled.
"Shogun, do you want to buy apples?"
Emilia stepped beside her and looked at the fruit stand.
"No, this vessel—"
"Boss, how much are the apples?"
Before she could finish, Emilia misunderstood and stepped forward to ask.
"Seven coins. A bit pricey, but they're all good ones. Look at this color—guaranteed sweet and juicy."
Tap tap.
He patted the bright red apple in front of Emilia, producing a crisp sound.
"Mm, Shogun likes sweet things, right? Then I'll buy—"
Clack...
Before she could finish, the Shogun grabbed her hand and pulled her away without another word.
"Eh? Ah—wait... Shogun?"
Emilia blinked in confusion as she was tugged along.
"Hey~! Are you buying or not?! If not, don't block the stall!"
The vendor shouted impatiently from behind.
"Sorry!!"
Emilia called back without anger, then looked at the purple-haired girl still holding her hand.
"Shogun? What's wrong?"
"I do not wish to eat apples."
She explained while continuing forward.
"You don't? Then what do you want? Oranges? Something else? I'll buy it for you."
Emilia patted her stuffed purse enthusiastically, clearly signaling that anything was fine.
"Mm—if we are speaking of sweets..."
She placed a hand on her chin in thought.
"Haa... I do not wish to eat anything right now."
She finally completed her sentence.
"Eh? You don't? Then why were you staring at the stall earlier?"
Emilia tightened her coat and white hood slightly against the breeze, puzzled.
"I happened to pass by several times before. One of my Returns also began there. It felt awkward."
She told the truth.
"Pfft... I see. I thought you were craving fruit."
Emilia laughed, holding her stomach lightly.
"Do not laugh..."
She complained softly and gave Emilia's hand a slight tug, making her stumble half a step toward her.
"Mm~ Shogun, um... about the hand—of course, if you really want to keep holding it... I-I don't mind///"
Emilia glanced at their joined hands, cheeks flushing faintly. She gave a small suggestive sway, looking away as if hoping she would continue holding on.
"...Oh. I forgot."
She looked down at their hands, then promptly released her grip.
"Mm... Shogun, that answer was incorrect, you know."
"...Incorrect?"
She blinked, confused.
"At a time like this, you should tighten your grip and say, 'Then let me hold it a little longer, Emilia~' or something like that—not let go so coldly~!"
Emilia puffed her cheeks adorably and leaned lightly against her shoulder as she complained.
"...Pfft."
After processing it, the Shogun could not help but laugh softly. Her cool beauty paired with that faint upward curl of her lips left Emilia staring in a daze.
"I-Is it really that funny~!"
Emilia asked, aggrieved.
"So that is what you prefer."
The Shogun looked at her teasingly.
"Eh? Ah—"
Before Emilia could react, she took her hand again.
"Then let me hold it a little longer."
She repeated gently, echoing Emilia's earlier words.
"Mm~///"
Emilia's face turned bright red as she lowered her head instantly.
"Well? Are you happier now?"
The Shogun asked with innocent seriousness.
"Mm..."
Emilia nodded quietly.
This is far more than just 'a little happier'...
Honestly, why say something so unfair with such an innocent face? Even if I taught you...
[Ahem~!]
'Hm?'
Hearing Ei's cough in her mind, she responded silently.
[Nothing. Just clearing my throat.]
Ei sounded somewhat displeased.
'Take medicine.'
She replied casually.
[You... are holding hands.]
Ei reminded her, faintly aggrieved.
'Indeed.'
[Mm... let go. Be good.]
She ignored the maternal tone.
'I will not.'
She answered rebelliously.
[...Very well. It is not as though I mind that much. Do as you please.]
Ei crossed her arms and looked away, pretending indifference. Yet her violet eyes carried unmistakable loneliness.
'...'
Hearing the obvious tone, the Shogun sighed inwardly and finally released Emilia's hand.
"Shogun?"
Emilia felt the cool air where warmth had been and looked over in confusion.
"Sorry, I..."
She brushed her hair awkwardly, unsure how to phrase it.
"Hehe... I wasn't forcing you. I understand."
Emilia smiled gently and waved her hand in reassurance.
After all, the woman before her did not seem like someone flirtatious or careless with affection. Rather, she radiated a calming gentleness and earnestness. That was precisely why Emilia liked her. Despite her noble bearing, she possessed a grounded, sincere nature—rare indeed.
"Mm..."
The Shogun nodded in gratitude.
[Sorry, Shogun...]
Ei spoke again.
'Now what?'
She asked helplessly.
[I... did it again.]
She felt guilty. Though she was the Shogun's mother, whenever she saw others being intimate with her daughter, her heart felt uncomfortable—almost jealous.
She knew that was not an emotion a mother should have. Her maternal love had grown somewhat distorted. She should have been happy—happy that her daughter was so well-liked.
'I did not mind. If you wish to interfere, then interfere. So what? Consider it part of a mother's responsibility. Why apologize over such things?'
Her daughter raised her voice slightly, comforting her in her own way—tolerating, no, embracing her feelings.
How gentle...
Just like Makoto... and like my sister. In some ways, she truly carries both of our temperaments within her.
...
The two arrived at the gate of the guard duty office before the Noble District.
The so-called Noble District was an administrative zone near the Royal Castle, managed by the knights. It could be considered a subordinate governmental department, even housing institutions such as the Knight Academy that actively trained royal knights. Pale white walls surrounded the area. Beneath their feet lay refined stone tiles, and the architecture followed a starkly symmetrical design.
"Why have we come here?"
Looking at the dark wooden doors before her, the Shogun asked.
"Mm... I wanted to speak with Reinhard about something. I heard his leave has ended."
Emilia replied.
"I—"
"Why, if it isn't Lady Emilia? It has been quite some time."
Before she could finish, a young male voice interrupted her. The Shogun frowned in irritation and turned to look.
Did this man not see they were speaking? She was certain he had. Yet he had deliberately cut in regardless.
"...?"
Emilia turned in mild confusion and saw a handsome young man in royal knight attire with short purple hair approaching.
He stepped before her and bowed gallantly with one hand over his chest.
"Have you been well since we last met?"
"Mm, I have been quite well. Julius, you look energetic too."
Emilia recognized him and answered politely.
The Shogun did not pay much attention to his appearance. Her gaze drifted toward a nearby bench, intending to give them space. Assuming they had official matters to discuss, she spoke to Emilia.
"Emilia, I will—"
"It is my honor that you remember me!"
The purple-haired man interrupted her again—almost deliberately—and stepped closer to Emilia before lowering himself onto one knee.
Throughout the entire exchange, he did not spare the Shogun a glance.
Her eyes turned cold.
"After only a few days apart, Lady Emilia's beauty has grown even more radiant."
This man—Julius—took Emilia's hand as if she were not even there, intending to kiss the back of it.
"!"
Emilia instinctively tried to withdraw her hand. She was still uncomfortable with such formal gestures.
Smack!
The next second, her hand was pressed back down by the Shogun. The movement was swift—so swift that Julius did not immediately react.
"...?"
He paused slightly, then frowned almost imperceptibly as he glanced at the woman who had stopped him.
"Is something the matter?"
Still kneeling on one knee, he addressed her calmly, as if unaware of his earlier discourtesy.
"You interrupted me. Twice."
The Shogun held Emilia's wrist down gently at her side and narrowed her violet eyes at him.
"...Sigh."
He did not immediately respond, merely sighing lightly, an unfading smile on his face.
"What exactly are you implying?"
Her voice grew colder.
"Shogun... um..."
Emilia felt awkward.
"My apologies. I did not hear you speaking."
He cast her a brief sideways glance.
In that instant, something inside her snapped.
Static flickered across her vision like electronic interference. Streams of code flashed before her eyes. A sharp pain struck her head—but she ignored it.
"Therefore, please refrain from—"
Crackle!
Before he could finish, lightning flared dangerously within her eyes. In one motion, she seized his collar, vanished in a streak of thunder, and slammed him into the great doors behind them.
There was no visible transition—only a flash of violet.
Boom!!
The doors exploded inward as lightning tore through them, blasting into the interior and sending nearby knights flying.
"Wah!" ×N
Shouts erupted in shock.
Crash!
The lightning streak carried through the building and smashed against the opposite wall. When the smoke cleared, two figures stood revealed—more precisely, a woman holding a grown man aloft with one hand, pinning him against the wall in a chilling display.
"!" ×N
The knights inside should have drawn their weapons at once, yet the suddenness of it all left them stunned.
"Urgh!!!"
Julius' eyes widened. The composed expression from moments earlier shattered into panic. Cold sweat poured down his face as he hung helplessly in her grasp. The woman's gaze regarded him as if he were already dead.
"You... why..."
He stammered. His head instinctively tried to lean back—only to feel something sharp pressing against the back of his skull.
"!"
Terror flooded him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a protruding iron spike from the damaged wall. A mere push backward would drive it straight into his brain.
"Shogun!!!!"
Emilia, who had been outside, finally grasped what had happened. Horrified, she rushed inside, bowing repeatedly in apology to the surrounding knights before hurrying to the Shogun's side.
"Shogun, what are you doing?!"
Her tone carried reproach.
[Shogun, you must not act rashly!]
Ei urged within her mind.
The Shogun did not respond to either of them.
"A fool masking arrogance with polished manners—how utterly repulsive."
Her voice was ice-cold as she lifted the man higher against the wall, issuing her warning.
Julius trembled, drenched in sweat.
"I will ask you only once. Did you deliberately interrupt me just now?"
"...Yes."
This time, he nodded honestly. Lying felt synonymous with death.
"Why? Are you proud?"
Her eyes gleamed with violet lightning.
"Or do you look down on me?"
She pushed her hand back slightly, letting the nail scrape lightly against his scalp. Leaning closer, she whispered like a devil in his ear. Within her pupils, lines of code flickered incessantly.
"Urgh!! I am terribly sorry! It was my fault—I should not have acted that way!"
He shook his head in terror.
"Why?"
"I... It was my first time seeing you at Lady Emilia's side. I... thought..."
"Silence!"
She cut him off coldly.
"...Yes."
He immediately shut his mouth.
Thud!
She released him. He collapsed to the floor in an utterly humiliating posture.
"..."
Looking down at the man sprawled before her, she seemed like a different person. She lightly lifted his chin—
Smack!
A sharp slap struck his face, leaving him stunned.
"Shogun!!"
Emilia hurriedly pulled her back.
Several knights scrambled to their feet and instinctively reached for their swords—yet one cold glance from her froze them in place. Their faces turned pale.
"..."
She glanced at Emilia, who wore the expression of someone caught in disaster. Without another word, she walked past her and headed out.
"Sh-Shogun?"
Emilia blinked in confusion at her cold departure, then quickly bowed to everyone again.
"I am so sorry!! Truly, I apologize!"
After apologizing, she hurried after her.
[What is wrong with you? Why did you suddenly lose your temper?]
Ei asked, faint reproach in her tone.
'Nothing. I simply found him displeasing and taught him a lesson.'
Her reply sounded indifferent, yet her face remained tense.
[Haa... how childish~!]
Ei sighed, her tone somewhere between indulgent and admonishing.
That was a slap in the face.
She had just praised her for being gentle—only for her to explode moments later.
'Childish? Were you unmoved? The way he treated you—could you truly remain calm?!'
A trace of anger surfaced in her voice.
[I would not be calm. But I would not act as impulsively as you just did. What you did—]
Ei began patiently, not yet understanding why she had become so aggressive.
'Don't lecture me!!'
She turned her face away sharply and snapped. What she failed to notice was the strange coded patterns shimmering within her eyes.
[...]
Ei fell silent, startled by the explosive mood. Her brows knit together as she observed her.
[Calm yourself.]
Her voice deepened, carrying authority.
"Tch..."
Still rebellious, she clicked her tongue and looked away, the strange glow lingering in her pupils.
[Have you forgotten? This is not Teyvat. No one here knows who we truly are. You must be prepared to be underestimated. I do not deny his arrogance—teaching him a lesson was not entirely wrong. But... emotions are a double-edged blade, Shogun. Mastering them is important. Do you understand?]
Ei's voice softened, guiding her patiently, unaffected by her earlier outburst.
Crackle—
In the next instant, her eyes cleared, returning to their usual purity. She looked dazed, recalling the hazy moments from before. Guilt flooded her. Pressing her lips together, she asked cautiously,
'Um... sorry. Did I just yell at you?'
She held her forehead lightly.
[It is fine... A mother must endure her child's rebellion, must she not?]
Ei smiled.
'...///'
Her face flushed faintly. She had no retort.
[...]
When the Shogun was no longer paying attention, Ei's smile slowly faded. Her gaze grew complicated as she studied her daughter—quietly pondering something unspoken.