"Huh? But we hadn't even gotten to the part about getting married yet!"
I couldn't help shooting Adrian a fierce glare. His impatience—and his misunderstanding—instantly sent everything veering in an unpredictable direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I could even vaguely see Cyrae outside the door covering her face in helpless disbelief.
And it wasn't just me. Even Elara was stunned by the sudden turn of events—she'd probably never seen a proposal delivered like this in her thousand-plus years of life. Adrian, smart as he was, quickly realized he'd likely made a mess of things; sweat began beading on his forehead.
"Ahem… I don't recall calling you in, do I?"
After a long moment, Elara's soft cough finally broke the awkward silence. As she spoke, she returned the Soul Light Necklace to my hand and then studied the uninvited intruder a few more times. It was as if some old memory resurfaced; she narrowed her eyes and asked carefully:
"So you're a descendant of the Loren Family, then? I visited Parristol as a guest in my early years, and I did meet one of your forebears once. I heard that during the uproar at the kingdom's border not long ago, it was you who stepped forward and claimed yourself to be the king of the 'New Parristol'?"
"That incident was indeed the result of my youth and recklessness," Adrian answered at once. He likely assumed Elara was angry because of his earlier outburst. He hurriedly performed a formal salute, doing his best to explain himself. "My actions were not thorough enough, and in the end we fell short at the last moment."
"But now I am no longer the king of the New Parristol. The Parristol royal house has long since vanished into history, and all old grudges have been set aside. Even if my status may not be worthy of the angel race's nobility, Feliciana and I truly love one another. I ask Your Majesty to be merciful and grant our marriage!"
"Hm… I can understand your difficulties."
The fall of Parristol was tied to the interests and power struggles of multiple neighboring great nations; even Elara wasn't in a position to judge the matter casually. But it was clear she was reasonably satisfied with the attitude Adrian displayed afterward. Her tone shifted, and she made her position clear:
"Whether you are royalty or nobility is not important. Our angel race does not require such conditions for a union with humans. And besides, I already told Feliciana that as long as she likes you, it shouldn't be a major issue…"
Since she was saying that, did it mean she was agreeing?
Adrian and I brightened, ready to express our thanks—only for Elara to finish her sentence with a follow-up that stopped us cold.
"But unfortunately, I cannot make this decision by myself. The two of you will still have to go to Edenmere together."
"Huh? How are we supposed to go?"
The sudden reversal left Adrian and me dumbfounded again. Edenmere's light-element concentration was abnormally high year-round. Even if Adrian was a powerful human, he still wouldn't be able to remain in that environment for long.
"And of all times, why must it be now…"
Elara sighed, looking genuinely troubled. But she didn't answer our question right away. Instead, she focused and rummaged through her storage ring as if searching for something. At last, she pulled out a magical scroll and placed it in front of us.
"This is a spell developed by the Sages' Alliance long ago. It can isolate natural elements from the external environment, protecting the human body. Carry it with you and use it—you'll be safe from the effects of light-element for three days."
Elara had clearly anticipated our concern. Seeing that we still looked confused, she handed the scroll to Adrian and continued:
"Cases of marriage between angels and humans have existed in the past, but they are extremely rare—one may not occur for hundreds of years. By traditional procedure, the Angel Council must formally deliberate before it can be approved. Once you two reach Edenmere, you'll meet the other council members. Three days will be enough."
The Angel Council…
Elara's words made me recall what I'd once seen in the domed meeting chamber of Tiwei Palace. Having our marriage reviewed by the angelic leadership as a whole did carry some risk—but Elara had already made it clear she was on my side. And with the conservative faction within the angels steadily losing ground, with her present, the odds of approval should still be fairly high.
"No problem. How about we leave for Edenmere tomorrow?"
Since Elara had prepared so thoroughly for us, I couldn't very well refuse, so I answered on Adrian's behalf and accepted her terms outright. But just as I decided to move fast and finish this cleanly, Elara suddenly objected, rejecting my suggestion.
"Tomorrow won't work. This will probably drag on for a while. For now, you must stay in the royal capital. Tomorrow there may be something even more important that I'll need the two of you to help with."
"Huh? What could be more important?"
I was stunned again. Lately there hadn't been any major news on the continent. What could possibly rank as "more important"? Could it be related to what the Saint had warned us about—someone attempting to ascend to godhood?
"It's not anything urgent for the moment," Elara said, not revealing it immediately. "We'll talk tomorrow. Come to my office in the morning—someone wants to meet Adrian."
Elara's tone suggested it was completely unrelated to what I'd been worried about. Still, the fact that she specifically said someone wanted to meet Adrian was genuinely strange.
I had assumed that after Nicola—the "Heir of the First Ancestor"—disappeared on her own, Elara might rely more heavily on my current strength to stabilize angel society, and that was why she would try to accommodate my requests. Instead, Adrian had somehow become the first person on her radar.
But who, at a time like this, would want to see Adrian? The King of Astralrealm?
The moment I pictured that enormous man from memory, I shivered. Don't tell me I wouldn't have to go meet him again—would I?
At the same time, Elara had finished giving her instructions and was already dismissing us.
"Reed came back with Mia two days ago," she said. "Apparently she's testing some kind of new thing inside the royal castle. I don't really understand it. You can go see what she's up to."
"Reed is here too?"
I genuinely hadn't known. After Reed left with the First Angel Legion for the northern wastelands, we'd lost all contact. I never expected that after everything, she'd return to Norvale even before we did.
"What is it? Is there something else?"
Seeing Adrian standing there awkwardly, and me lingering in place, Elara looked puzzled and asked again.
"N-no… Ah, right." I almost forgot. "Cyra has decided to stay on Earth. I have a letter she wrote—she asked me to deliver it to you."
At the last second, just before I followed Adrian out of the office, I remembered the one important thing I still hadn't done. I quickly pulled out a handwritten envelope and placed it on Elara's desk.
"Cyra?"
It was obvious Elara still remembered that mischievous young angel—power not particularly outstanding, but unforgettable all the same. She swiftly picked up the letter and scanned it, her expression inevitably softening with emotion. Then she suddenly lifted her head and asked me:
"I remember the report mentioned that an angel from a parallel world arrived here as a substitute. Where is she now?"
"She's right outside," I answered.
Of course, everything I'd done was leading up to this moment. Adrian immediately opened the door and pulled Cyrae—who had been waiting outside for ages—into the room.
Strictly speaking, these two hadn't met before. But in truth, there was an even deeper connection between Cyrae and Elara. Nearly a hundred years had passed; even though Cyrae had mentally prepared herself, the moment she saw Elara alive in the flesh, none of that preparation mattered.
She couldn't suppress her emotions any longer. Tears welled up, and she rushed forward, gripping Elara's hands tightly.
"Lady Elara… I've finally seen you again. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!"
"Hm?" Elara blinked, startled. "Wait—if I remember correctly, your name should be 'Cyrae,' not Cyra herself. So why are you acting like this?"
This world's Elara naturally didn't know the bond between the Elara of another world and Cyrae. But Cyrae's overwhelming excitement—and her repeated apologies—made it seem like there was more to the story. Elara didn't push her away; instead, she guided her to sit down, calm herself, and explain slowly.
Seeing that, Adrian and I finally let out the breath we'd been holding. Things were going even more smoothly than we'd expected. There was no need for us to remain here and intrude on their reunion, so we exchanged a smile and quietly backed out of the room.
"Judging by how this is going, Cyrae will probably be accepted by Elara in the end, right?" I couldn't help imagining how things might unfold as we returned to the palace corridor. "Cyra may have left, but now a stronger 'Cyra' is coming back to Edenmere—one who carries part of Elara's memories."
But Adrian reminded me, worried:
"Don't forget: the Elara of this world is still not the same Elara she once experienced. The difference may not be huge, but once Cyrae calms down, she'll realize that sooner or later. I'm afraid the knot in her heart might not disappear so easily."