Later, at the Elven Royal Palace, inside a secluded room...
Alto leans over a massive piece of parchment, face nearly pressed to the paper in concentration, a ruler and rudimentary pencil working seamlessly together in her hands. Graphite dust stains her arms, clothes, and even her face, and her hair and outfit appear disheveled. However, her sapphire eyes, though bloodshot and weary, are alight with fervor.
'I'm almost done! Less than a hundred or so people's data left to plot, then finalizing the correlation statistics...'
If Mizuki were here to hear Alto think this, he'd probably try and commit her to a mental institution. After all, he asked Alto to aggregate the maternal, paternal, and offspring magic power levels for an entire elven generation, plot them, then manually calculate several correlation statistics – a complex analysis of thousands of data points. Even working hard, he expected the job to take multiple days. Yet, she's now on the cusp of finishing, a mere day and a half after she got access to the royal records.
Several factors contributed to Alto's unexpected rate of progress. For one, Mizuki underestimated her proficiency, as well as her enthusiasm. There's also the fact that she's been getting help from others over the past two days – usually Ilina, but sometimes Klaus at Ilina's behest.
However, the biggest contributor...is that Alto has barely slept or left the room since she started.
Alto takes a deep breath, straightening her back, and eyes the two massive parchments in front of her appreciatively. Two scatter plots, one plotting magic power of offspring vs mother, the other offspring vs father. She stares at the plots intently, unable to stop herself from trying to draw conclusions visually. However, the sheer number of data points makes the task intractable.
She visibly pouts, pushing her bottom lip out.
'I guess I have to wait until I finish the correlation statistics after all...'
She lets out a tired sigh, preparing to power through the final stages of her task. Just then, she hears the door to the room open, and looks up to find a familiar, silver-haired elf pushing in a cart of tea. Alto tilts her head in confusion.
"Ilina? I thought you had wedding planning in the morning?" (Alto)
Ilina gives her an incredulous expression, slowly taking in Alto's appearance with concerned eyes.
"I did, but...now it's almost evening. Alto, I'm pretty sure you were wearing that same dress when I left you here yesterday, and you look terrible. Have you...been here all night?" (Ilina)
Alto blinks.
'Wait...have I really been here that long?'
Seeing her stunned expression, Ilina shakes her head in exasperation.
"Alright, that's it. You're taking a break, immediately." (Ilina)
Alto shakes her head.
"I'm fine, I just need-" (Alto)
"No...you need a break, Alto. No arguing. I can make it an order as Princess, if you want?" (Ilina)
Her protests die on her tongue. She meets Ilina's rather serious glare, conflicted emotions building inside her at the predicament. She gives Ilina an aggrieved look, her voice distinctly sulky.
"What happened to wanting me to treat you like a peer instead of the Princess?" (Alto)
Ilina rolls her eyes.
"My wishes on the matter remain the same, but they only exist in the first place because of Mizuki. If he were here, which of us do you think he'd side with right now?" (Ilina)
Alto's shoulders sag in defeat, a resigned sigh escaping her. Given how overprotective Mizuki is, she already knows the answer, and Ilina knows it, too. She glances at her nearly completed plots on the table with an unwilling expression. Catching her gaze, Ilina sighs dramatically.
"Relax. After some tea, I'll finish the plots while you rest. You can complete those advanced calculations you mentioned after that. You want to be clear-headed for those, right? And this won't delay things much." (Ilina)
Alto considers Ilina's words for a moment longer, eventually seeing the truth in them, then nods and moves towards the room's couch.
"Okay...thanks..." (Alto)
Ilina nods, and begins preparing the tea. A few minutes later, they're both sitting on the couch, holding a steaming cup each.
Alto pulls the cup to her lips, taking a long draft of the hot liquid, and her body slowly begins to relax. It doesn't take long after that for her eyelids to start feeling heavy.
'I was more tired than I realized...'
She casts an appreciative glance across the couch at Ilina, only to find the silver-haired beauty sipping her tea and smiling into empty space like a lunatic. Her curiosity is immediately piqued, certain that the anomalous behavior must have an interesting explanation. She purses her lips thoughtfully, studying the oblivious Ilina.
"Your behavior...it's strange. Did something happen?" (Alto)
Ilina freezes, then as if woken from a trance, she turns towards Alto with wide eyes.
"What? Why would you ask that? Did you hear something?" (Ilina)
Alto narrows her eyes.
'That is...an odd response. I'm sure of it...yes, that was odd.'
"No, I can just tell...you are acting differently. That usually means something impactful happened. Am I incorrect?" (Alto)
The response causes Ilina to stiffen, her cheeks blushing slightly, and Alto notices it all. She raises her eyebrows.
'Curious...she is blushing, so...she's embarrassed? That's unlike her. Well, except for when Mizuki-...'
Her eyes widen, realization dawning on her. Without notice, she leans over towards Ilina, until they're centimeters apart. Noticing her strange behavior and growing proximity, Ilina becomes unsettled.
"Alto!? What are you-" (Ilina)
Sniff...sniff, sniff...
A familiar, soothing aroma hits Alto's nose, clearly clinging to Ilina's skin. Identifying it, Alto freezes. At the same time, Ilina has also gone stiff, giving her a bewildered look.
"Alto...did you just...sniff me?" (Ilina)
Alto retreats slightly, now just sitting next to Ilina. She fixes the disturbed princess with a surprised look.
"You were with Mizuki recently?" (Alto)
Ilina's expression turns startled, before her face reddens more and she averts her eyes. However, Alto doesn't miss the smile that soon blooms on Ilina's face.
"He dropped by unannounced to visit...said he missed me." (Ilina)
Alto's eyes widen, disbelief infiltrating her tone.
"He was...here? Today?" (Alto)
Ilina nods sheepishly.
"He just left, actually." (Ilina)
Alto frowns, an unpleasant feeling that she can't quite understand settling in her chest.
'Why did he not come see me as well? Or check up on my research progress?'
Rather than focusing on what she's feeling and why, though, her mind moves to the other peculiarities implicit in Ilina's statement. She turns back towards Ilina, her brows furrowed in thought.
"Based on what you told me last we spoke, he and Zara should be busy with the cat-kin now. Leaving that to come here...it is unlike him. Actually, he's never interrupted you here in the middle of the day without an important reason. Did something happen?" (Alto)
She stares at Ilina expectantly, intensely studying her reactions. Ilina clears her throat nervously and pulls her tea cup towards her lips in an effort to hide her deepening blush.
"Well, kind of...as it happens..." (Ilina)
Ilina proceeds to tell her about the developments of last night – the public date, the...sex, the visit from Ciri and how he handled it. When Ilina finishes speaking, her cheeks are an entirely new shade of red despite the blissful smile on her face. Alto just stares in stunned silence for a moment before speaking, difficult and conflicting emotions bubbling inside her.
"I...see. And, you had...intercourse with him again, just earlier? That's why I could smell his scent on you?" (Alto)
Ilina winces at the term 'intercourse', remaining otherwise silent, but that alone speaks volumes to Alto. Mere seconds later, though, Ilina stiffens before she slowly turns to face Alto, her expression morphing to one of cold discontent. Alto's initially puzzled, but not for long...
"Alto...since when are you so familiar with my fiance's scent, hmm?" (Ilina)
Meeting Ilina's vaguely hostile, grey eyes, Alto blinks, thrown by the sudden personality change. The shift immediately intrigues her, pushing her previously confusing feelings aside, and she meets Ilina's gaze with a curious, studying look of her own.
"Fascinating..." (Alto)
She can't help but mumble to herself, completely unconcerned with Ilina's question. Ilina notices, however, and she grits her teeth in frustration.
"What...exactly...is so fascinating?" (Ilina)
Alto tilts her head, her lips pursed thoughtfully, and she continues to study Ilina like a lab specimen. She responds in a casual tone, almost absentminded.
"You...this reaction. I always thought that most of your possessiveness towards Mizuki came from a place of insecurity, especially with regards to Nina. If anything, this step forward in your relationship should have reassured you, reducing such behavior. And yet, it seems to have exacerbated the issue instead, causing you to respond to my relationship with Mizuki with extreme jealousy, whereas before you were fine with it. It's fascinating..." (Alto)
Ilina's hostile expression shatters at the blunt assessment, replaced with a stunned silence. After a moment, though, her face slowly twists in exasperation, her tone becoming quieter.
"Alto...setting aside the fact that smelling him is not the same as, well, whatever you normally do. Is that really what you think about me? That I was fine with your 'relationship' with Mizuki until now?" (Ilina)
Alto raises her eyebrows at the question.
"Of course? You've never taken any actions to interfere, nor been hostile to me previously. Based on my observations of you with Cara, it would have been obvious to me. Furthermore, you had no reason for negative feelings about our relationship – unlike Cara, my feelings for Mizuki are platonic." (Alto)
Ilina stares at her for several seconds in silence, an inscrutable expression on her face. Of course, Alto can't quite recognize Ilina's reaction for what it is – pity. When Ilina finally responds, her tone is almost...tired.
"Alto...just because someone doesn't have a reason to feel something, just because they don't clearly show that they're feeling something, even if similar feelings are obvious around someone else...it doesn't mean those feelings can't be felt about you as well." (Ilina)
Alto frowns.
"That...makes no sense. If someone has no reason for their feelings, they don't show or tell you their feelings, yet those feelings are normally obvious around other people...why would they be so convoluted? How could you possibly ever know how to deal with such a person?" (Alto)
Ilina rolls her eyes.
"Never mind...you should get some rest." (Ilina)
Ilina moves to rise from the couch, but Alto quickly grabs her wrist, holding her in place. Ilina glances at her, surprised. Alto's brows furrow, her voice frustrated.
"No, I want to understand. You're saying that you've never been fine with my friendship with Mizuki, right?" (Alto)
Ilina sighs.
"It doesn't matter, Alto. I'm not going to come between you two. Besides, as annoying as your comment was to hear, you were right about me feeling more secure with Mizuki now. Things have changed – he's different – and I'm not as worried about other women anymore. That just...doesn't mean I like you or anyone else smelling him, weirdo." (Ilina)
When Ilina mentions how things have changed, it's accompanied by a happy smile on her face. One that doesn't fade, despite her reproachful comment to Alto right after. However, at the mention of things between Ilina and Mizuki changing, Alto feels that inscrutable, confusing unease from earlier settle in her chest once again, returning like an unwelcome guest.