Side: Elfaria
To Elfaria, time with Koutarou and company was a rare treat. Her responsibilities as empress followed her wherever she went, but when she was with them, she could forget about all that. She was able to just be herself for a while.
“...Don’t you think this is going a little too far?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your citizens will be in for a shock if they see you like that.”
Presently, Elfaria wasn’t exactly dressed the part of an empress. She was wearing a baseball uniform—the casual kind with a jacket and shorts that university women’s teams usually wore for practice.
“Tut, tut! You didn’t say that they’d be disappointed, though!”
“I’m not thrilled to admit it, but it’s not like it doesn’t suit you.”
Koutarou wondered how on earth it was acceptable for an empress to walk around with her thighs showing and her breasts bouncing... But he couldn’t deny that the baseball uniform brought out Elfaria’s natural, energetic cuteness, so he couldn’t fault her too terribly.
“Teehee! Is that all?”
“No. You said you wanted to play catch, so I want to make sure you leave with good memories of baseball.”
“You’re such a meanie, Layous-sama...”
Elfaria wanted a more direct compliment from Koutarou. As a woman, there were times she wanted nothing more than to be complimented. And now was one of those times.
Since nobody else was around today, only the sound of a lone glove catching the ball at a time could be heard at the riverside where Koutarou and Elfaria were playing. The sun was shining high overhead and the river was babbling faintly as its waters flowed by. It was a serene afternoon.
“Layous-sama, could you throw the ball seriously?”
After a dozen or so passes back and forth, Elfaria cracked an impish smile. She looked just like a child who was up to no good.
“How serious do you mean when you say ‘seriously’?”
“Give it everything you’ve got.”
“In that case, hold the glove in front of your chest and don’t move it.”
“Got it.”
“Okay... Here we go!”
There was a whistling swish before the ball came crashing into Elfaria’s glove.
“Owowow! No fair! I couldn’t see the ball at all, Layous-sama!”
“But you still caught it.”
“I didn’t catch it—it’s just stuck!”
Elfaria slipped off her glove and showed it to Koutarou with a grin. The ball was buried between the fingers, and it showed no signs of coming loose even when shook.
“Do you think you can handle it?”
“Probably.”
“Now, what about yourself?”
“Pardon?”
Elfaria was working on retrieving the ball from her glove’s grasp, but she stopped cold when she heard Koutarou’s question and looked up at him in surprise. Right now, she didn’t look like imperial royalty so much as she did a normal woman.
“You’re worried about something, aren’t you?”
“So you noticed...”
“Yeah, but you’ve always been the type to deal with things yourself. I figured it was worth asking, though.”
“Indeed, I think I’ve got it. In fact, I just made up my mind.”
“I figured. Your face says much.”
“Layous-sama, you really are a meanie...”
There, Elfaria began smiling once more. But unlike before, there was a resentful look in her eye.
“What’s up?”
“If you’d asked earlier, I could’ve used your help.”
“It’s not my place to influence an empress’s decisions.”
Elfaria was fretting about forcing her people into a war on her behalf. Koutarou knew that wasn’t a decision he could help her make. She’d have to come to terms with it on her own.
“But if you’ve made up your mind, then I’m happy to hear your worries.”
“Really, Layous-sama?! A knight doesn’t go back on his word, you know!”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Now let me have it.”
The two of them continued to play catch until sundown. They were just casually throwing the ball back and forth while talking, but they were both satisfied with the day’s accomplishments when they returned home.
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