Chapter 40

Aqua Steed was made to drink a love potion.

Pearl's words deeply disturbed Tiara Rose. How could he look at another woman when he loved her so much? Normally, she could confidently declare her love.

But.

Aishira is the game's heroine, the woman who was supposed to be with Aqua Steed. This thought made Tiara Rose increasingly anxious, eroding her confidence.

-- Please, don't hate me...

Forgetting her ladylike demeanor, she ran down the long corridor toward Aqua Steed's office. The knights she passed stared at her in shock, but she had no time to care. Her heart overflowed with a single prayer.

"Aqua-sama..."

A small voice escaped Tiara Rose's lips. The door to the office was about ten meters away. Normally, she would ask for permission to enter, but she had no time for that now. Her heart, filled with urgency, was focused solely on Aqua Steed.

"Aqua—!"

"Tiara?"

Forgetting to use the honorific, she exercised her right to call him "Aqua," a privilege granted only to her. Inside the room were Aqua Steed and his aide, Elliot.

Panting, she whispered "Aqua" again. Seeing her unusual state, Aqua Steed immediately embraced her gently, stroking her back as if to say, "It's okay."

"Eh...?"

"Hm?"

-- But, didn't he drink a love potion?

Aqua Steed smiled at Tiara Rose, a smile that could never be mistaken for one given to someone he loved.

Confusion swirled in Tiara Rose's mind. Didn't Aqua Steed fall in love with Aishira?

"What's wrong, Tiara?"

"Um... Aqua-sama, do you... love me...?"

Surprised by the sudden question, Aqua Steed answered with a happy smile.

"Of course, I love you."

...

-- Maybe, he loves me but also Aishira.

The thought made an unpleasant sweat trickle down her back. "Do you love Aishira-sama?" She wanted to ask, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Tiara?"

What's wrong? Aqua Steed's gentle voice reached her ears. Could he be directing that voice to Aishira too? The thought made her clench her fists tightly.

"Aqua-sama"

"Uh-huh?"

"Um, do you... love Aishira-sama...?"

Aqua Steed, who was trembling, asked.

"What's wrong, Tiara? I only love you."

"Aqua-sama..."

Chuckling, Aqua Steed patted Tiara Rose's head.

-- But, Pearl said she made him drink a love potion.

Just as she was trying to figure out what was happening, the office door opened.

"...It seems we have a problem."

"Clair-sama, Pearl-sama"

"Why! I made you drink my tea, so why...!"

Aqua Steed sighed and gently seated Tiara Rose on the sofa. He turned to the two fairy kings and sighed deeply.

Pearl, who was being firmly held by Clair, had teary eyes and was struggling, confused. She had made Aqua Steed drink a love potion, yet he still cherished Tiara Rose.

The next moment, the door burst open again.

Breathless, Aishira entered, followed by Filine, who had met her on the way.

"Pearl-sama, please stop...!"

"Tiara Rose-sama, what happened...!"

But they immediately fell silent upon seeing the two fairy kings in the room. They had come to see Pearl, the culprit, but they hadn't expected Clair to be there. Aishira, hugging herself tightly, suddenly realized something. Aqua Steed had been made to drink a love potion to fall in love with her, and since Pearl was there, it must have happened.

Aishira's gaze briefly met Aqua Steed's, and Tiara Rose noticed her cheeks were slightly flushed.

-- Aishira-sama knows.

Tiara Rose understood that Aishira had come to stop it. But, the thought that she might also be hoping for it made her heart ache.

-- Why did I ever think Aishira-sama didn't love Aqua-sama?

The pain of realization hit her, but it was quickly overshadowed by the gravity of Aqua Steed's words.

"Information about the sea has already been provided by the air fairies. A massive tsunami is coming in fifteen minutes."

"Eh...!?"

Tiara Rose's eyes widened at Aqua Steed's words.

"To stop the tsunami, we will use Aishira's beach."

"Understood."

Clair, the king of the air fairies, and his fairies were responsible for gathering information about the country and relaying it to Aqua Steed. Thus, no one in the country had as much information as Aqua Steed. Only Clair and Keith, the two fairy kings, his aide Elliot, and his beloved Tiara Rose knew this.

Aishira immediately nodded to use her beach and asked if any preparations were needed.

"Tsunami... How can it be stopped...?"

"Nature is complicated. We fairy kings manage it, but once it gets out of hand, it's very difficult to control."

"Clair-sama..."

Pearl, the king of the sea fairies, was emotionally volatile and more childlike compared to the other fairy kings. Therefore, she couldn't control the waves that had escaped her grasp.

"Hmph! It's your fault for trying to seduce him!"

"Pearl?"

"Clair was happily choosing a gift for that human!!"

"..."

The room fell silent at Pearl's words.

"So, I thought it would be fair if that human suffered the same fate and made him drink a love potion to fall in love with Aishira!"

"Me? -- Ah, that tea. Elliot drank it, didn't he?"

"Eh?"

After a moment's pause, everyone looked at Elliot. Pearl frowned, thinking she had made Aqua Steed drink the tea.

"Testing for poison. Even though it was a gift from a fairy king, I wouldn't drink it so easily."

Of course, the fact that the fairy king was Pearl played a role. So, Elliot had quickly drunk it before Aqua Steed, who had only pretended to drink it.

"Y-You mean...?"

Pearl's shoulders trembled. She had wanted to punish Tiara Rose for seducing Clair.

Suddenly, everyone in the room looked at Aishira.

-- If he drinks the love potion, he will fall in love with Aishira-sama.

If Elliot had drunk the love potion, his feelings would be directed toward Aishira. Everyone looked back and forth between Elliot and Aishira.

"Elliot...?"

Aqua Steed called his name quietly, but Elliot remained silent, head bowed.

Just as everyone was wondering what to do, Keith's voice echoed in the room.

"Hey, you guys! We need to stop the tsunami!!"

"Right! Aqua-sama, if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."

Hastily, she informed Aqua Steed, who shrugged as if to say, "What can you do?" He wanted to keep Tiara Rose safe, but she was blessed by the forest fairy king, and her power would be crucial in stopping the tsunami.

Though he was concerned about Elliot, the tsunami was approaching in fifteen minutes, and there was no time to waste.

"Clair, we're going now, so call the wind! Tiara, hold on to me."

"Y-Yes!"

Leaving the crying Pearl behind, Clair used his power to teleport, taking Aqua Steed, who could control the air, and Tiara Rose, who could control the forest. Keith also teleported to follow them.

Left in the room were Pearl, the sea fairy king, Elliot, who had been made to drink the love potion, and Aishira, the object of his affection, and Filine, who couldn't keep up with the sudden developments.

"......I'm going back to the palace!"

"Aah, Pearl-sama!!"

Pearl teleported and disappeared.

"We should head to the sea. Filine must be worried about Tiara Rose-sama, right?"

"Understood, Aishira-sama. I'll arrange the carriage immediately."

"Thank you."

Filine left the office to arrange the carriage, responding to Aishira's words.