Chapter 44

Thank you for reading.

Regarding the parts that have been published in book form, I have intentionally left the typos, omissions, and corrections as they are, hoping that they might serve as reference material later on.

Please understand.

There are people who use the typo reporting function to proofread.

I am declining requests other than typo and omission reports.

If it becomes too excessive, I will block them.

Please bear with me.

The concert at the National Theatre, of course, ended in great success.

Maria's dressing room, now a celebrity singer of the empire, was reportedly swarmed by people who wanted to catch a glimpse of her, exchange words or handshakes, and perhaps curry favor to request an introduction to the Second Prince.

"I haven't even had the chance to formally thank or greet her yet..."

"Given this situation, it's going to be difficult to even get close to the dressing room."

"I could ask a maid to let me in specially, but..."

If I do that, it might draw attention from other families... apparently.

Even though they claim neutrality, if they become personally close, they will still be seen as part of that faction. Even if I have no authority, being close to the Second Prince's personal singer could make the entire Kikunoi family seem that way. Since my mother and father haven't shown their colors, it would be unwise.

"Hmm. Then, why don't you write a letter to Miss Maria?"

"A letter?"

"Yes, that's right. You could write your thanks for the invitation, your greetings, your impressions of the concert, and an apology for not being able to speak to her in person..."

I could do that.

Victor said he would deliver the letter, so I'll take him up on his offer.

Once I decided, Victor called for a quill, ink pot, and letter set from the theater staff. As I wrote my gratitude for the invitation, my greetings, and my impressions of the concert, Mr. Romanov and Victor peered over my shoulder.

"Wow, you have such good handwriting."

"Right, it's amazing for a five-year-old, isn't it?"

"Really. I can barely write anything other than musical notation, so it looks like squiggly worms to me."

"You've always had bad handwriting, haven't you?"

"Alyosha isn't that good either. Among us, Lala had the best handwriting."

"Lala was incredibly particular about beauty."

"Lala" is probably the last of the "three human-favoring fools" in the Elftrio that you mentioned before.

While waiting for the ink to dry, I folded butterflies and flowers out of the washi paper I found in my waist pouch and added them to the envelope.

The two elves, who found this unusual, picked up the origami and examined it closely.

"Wow... you can do this with paper!?"

"This is amazing!"

"Ah... I can still make more, so please take them."

Seeing their eyes sparkle at the paper roses, I gently placed small ones in their palms.

Suddenly, Victor's eyes narrowed as if he was looking through something.

"Hey, this paper is the same as the one Igor-sama mentioned when he descended, right?"

"Ah... yes, it is."

"I see. I'll use this to make some accessories or something. It has a minor healing effect."

"Wow... that's incredible."

It's nice to be healed by beautiful things, isn't it?

"I'll tell Miss Maria that the ones you made for her also have the same effect."

"Um... yes. If that's good, then I'll do that."

"Sure, I will. Maria will face even more dangerous situations from now on, and she'll have to work harder. It will give her motivation and peace of mind to know that someone is supporting her and watching over her."

Invisible support is important, but seeing "I'm supporting you!" clearly can also be encouraging, someone said. I think it was in my previous life.

If what I give to Maria can be her strength, that would be wonderful.

I thanked Victor, who had agreed to deliver it, and he shook his head loosely.

"I also received something nice, so this is the least I can do."

I feel like I'm relying too much on Victor, but if he says it's okay, I'll do so.

By the way, I had something important to talk to Victor about regarding the compensation.

"Victor, I forgot to tell you something important!"

"Hmm? Something important... did something happen?"

"Remember, getting the princess's permission...!"

"Oh! That's right! So... how did it go?"

"'Do it quickly.' And she said that she also wanted it, so she won't require any additional compensation for this."

"Really!? Really!?"

"Yes. So, the lessons will start in two months, right? I'll ask the princess about how to deliver the compensation by then."

"Thank you! I'm so happy!"

He suddenly hugged me and squeezed tightly. This elf is surprisingly strong, and I let out a croaking sound.

When I tapped his arm to signal my discomfort, a hand reached out from the other side and gently pulled Victor away.

"Vitya, you're crushing Phoenix."

"Ah! Sorry!"

"I-I'm fine..."

I thought my organs would come out of my mouth.

Anyway, Victor, this time, softly took my hand and shook it a bit more firmly.

Then, Mr. Romanov's hand was placed on my shoulder.

"Let's leave before it gets too late."

"Ah, right."

"Okay, be careful."

Although I was reluctant to leave, the concert started in the evening, so a slightly late dinner would be waiting for me at home.

"See you in two months."

"Yes, see you then."

"Take care, Vitya."

As I waved, Victor turned and headed to Maria's dressing room.

Mr. Romanov and I held hands and once again entrusted ourselves to the teleportation magic.

I closed my eyes.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes, very much! Thank you for bringing me today!"

"You're welcome. Let's go on more outings in the future. There are many things you need to see, learn, feel, and think about. It's not just you; many people need to do this, and I still have a lot to learn as well."

"Yes."

"But for today, the extracurricular lesson is over. Let's have dinner and rest."

"Here we are," I opened my eyes to the entrance of my home, guided by a gentle voice.

As I was about to announce our return, a strong wind blew.

I was lifted by Mr. Romanov, who inserted his hand under my arm, and the dust passed by my feet and stopped just before the wall.

As I was gently set down, the dust settled, and a figure slowly turned toward us.

Multiple footsteps approached from the depths of the corridor.

"Young master, are you safe!?"

"Are you hurt!?"

The exhausted Rottenmayer and the disheveled Utsunomiya ran over, panting heavily.

"I'm back... Safe? Hurt?"

"That's... good..."

"Didn't Regulus knock you down!?"

"Knock me down!?"

"Ah... if he body-slammed you with that force, you would have been knocked down, Phoenix."

Knocked down by Regulus!?

Why!?

Confused, I looked up at the adults, and Regulus, who must have come out of the settled dust, hugged me, burying his head in my stomach.

"Brother!"

"Yes, what is it?"

Instead of saying "I'm back," I stroked his fluffy blonde hair.

When Regulus looked up, his eyes were filled with tears, and he looked up at me with a pleading gaze.

"You left me behind, 'mei!'"

He hugged me tightly and rubbed his head against my stomach, which was a bit painful.

What is this cute creature?

"Brother, answer me!"

No way, he's my little brother!

Thank you for reading.

I would be grateful for any evaluations, impressions, or reviews.

I've also written various activity reports, so please feel free to check them out.