Chapter 44

It was listed in a corner of the daily rankings!

Thank you so much for reading!! (I'm so happy)

Aishira opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there, as cherry blossoms danced in the wind.

Clayre listened quietly to Aishira's words, asking if she could use Pearl as a punishment, but clearly rejected them.

"Aishira Pearlrand, even I find that hard to accept."

"! I... I overstepped. I apologize."

A cold wind swept through the room.

Aishira quickly realized the source was Clayre and hurriedly bowed her head, but she could only tremble under Clayre's eyes, colder than ice.

There was no trace of the gentle Clayre from the tea party.

"To entrust Pearl's treatment to a human? I can't possibly allow that, especially to a descendant of Pearlrand."

"Clayre...?"

Despite her smile, her voice was cold.

On the surface, Clayre pretended nothing was wrong, but she thought even less of humans than Pearl did.

Indeed, Clayre liked humans, but she believed a line needed to be drawn between the Fairy King and humans. Thus, she disapproved of Aishira's judgment to involve herself excessively.

Clayre continued, "Besides—"

"I've already discussed with Keith that I will decide Pearl's treatment."

Clayre smiled at Pearl.

Feeling a chill from that smile, Pearl tried to escape but was easily caught. This didn't feel good at all, but since the two Fairy Kings had decided, it would be unwise to resist. Pearl herself admitted she was at fault this time.

"So, Aishira Pearlrand, you may return now. Elliot has been returned—... by the way, Pearl."

"What is it?"

"Where did you send Elliot?"

"Since he was going to confess, of course to Tiara Rose."

"..."

A strange silence filled the room after Pearl's words.

"To Tiara Rose? Why?"

"..."

"Isn't it because he likes Tiara Rose?"

Clayre tilted her head, and Aishira, pretending to be calm, decided not to say anything more. Both of them clearly thought Elliot's love interest was not Tiara Rose.

Clayre wondered why Pearl had such a misunderstanding.

"I thought everyone liked that woman..."

"That's just your bias. I don't think Elliot likes Tiara Rose, though he probably thinks she should be served."

Aishira, agreeing completely, nodded silently.

Given the social gap, Elliot was likely a noble's daughter. Aishira thought so, but Clayre's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Well, it's fine. It's not a problem who humans choose to be with."

Clayre snapped her fingers, summoning the wind, which enveloped Aishira and instantly transported her. A small scream escaped Aishira's lips, but Clayre paid no mind.

"... So, what will be my punishment?"

"You're accepting it so readily, Pearl."

"If I must receive a punishment, you are the best. Should I have my magic sealed or be placed under house arrest for a few hundred years?"

Pearl, the Sea Fairy King, could predict what kind of punishment she would receive.

At the same time, while she caused a tsunami, there were no casualties, so the punishment wouldn't be too severe.

"Probably house arrest? I'm used to being alone, so you can sentence me to a hundred or a thousand years."

"Well, that seems reasonable. I don't think sealing your magic is necessary, and I have no interest in tormenting a girl."

However, Clayre continued, "But—"

"What? It's not house arrest?"

Pearl frowned, realizing it wasn't the punishment she expected. But since Clayre decided, she would accept it.

Pearl decided not to scream and protest anymore.

Clayre, with a good-natured smile, said, "As the Sea Fairy King, you will bless Aquasteed and Tiara Rose. That is the punishment I have decided for you."

"What! What a ridiculous thing!! I decided I would never bless humans!!"

Pearl's past blessing of a Pearlrand man ended in a tragic separation. Since then, she had sworn never to bless humans again.

Clayre knew this.

Currently, the Kingdom of Marine Forest is a peaceful and beautiful country.

The Crown Prince is blessed by the Sky Fairy King Clayre, and his wife, Tiara Rose, is under the protection of the Forest Fairy King Keith. The balance is perfect, but the possibility of a third force, the sea, is a concern.

There are no humans in this country who oppose Aquasteed, but it's hard to say the same for the future. Therefore, it would be best for the Sea Fairy King to bless both.

"By the way, I want you to give your full blessing."

"What! If I do that, my magic will be almost depleted!"

"Yes, because then it will be a punishment, won't it?"

If Pearl gave her full blessing, it would take about a hundred years to recover her magic.

During that time, she wouldn't be able to use much of her power. She could retreat to her palace, but it wouldn't be pleasant.

If sealed, she could break the seal with her full power, but once her magic was depleted, there would be no way to recover it.

Pearl grumbled, but Clayre wouldn't budge.

Sighing deeply, Pearl nodded, "There's no choice."

Once the blessing was given, she could retreat to her palace. She didn't have to serve anyone like Aishira, and she wouldn't have to stay with the person she blessed forever.

"It will be a punishment, and it will help the country develop. I think it's a win-win situation."

"Clayre, you like this country too much..."

After looking at Clayre with a bewildered face, Pearl began to weave the words of the blessing.

"O undulating waves of the sea, bestow your supreme blessing upon the two who will carry the future of Marine Forest. Grant Aquasteed of Marine Forest the blade of water that pierces all. Grant Tiara Rose Lapis of Marine Forest the wall of water that protects all—..."

◇ ◇ ◇

Moving from Aishira's beach to the city center, Aquasteed was on horseback, trying to calm the residents who were in a state of confusion due to the tsunami, even though there was no damage.

Fortunately, there was no significant chaos in the city.

Tiara Rose and Filene had already returned to the castle and were waiting. Keith was investigating the large flower that Tiara Rose had made bloom, so he remained on the beach alone.

"......!?"

As Aquasteed was trying to calm the chaos in the city, Pearl's blessing suddenly poured into him. Dizziness from the magic flooding his body made him stagger and almost fall.

He steadied himself and looked in the direction of the sea, wondering what was happening.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

"---No, it's fine. More importantly, I have some business to attend to. The residents are calming down, so please inform them that everything is fine."

"Hai!"

After giving instructions to the knight, Aquasteed hurried back to the castle.

He immediately understood that the magic flowing into him was the blessing of the Sea Fairy King. He thought Tiara Rose was probably in the same state and wanted to be by her side to reassure her.

"I heard the Sea Fairy King's punishment was a blessing, but it would have been nice if she had given me a heads-up..."

He cursed at Clayre, who wasn't there, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

◇ ◇ ◇

Riding his horse back to his room in the castle, Aquasteed found not only Tiara Rose and Filene but also Elliot and Aishira there.

He deduced they had been instantly transported but wondered why both were there. Confirming that Elliot's face had returned to normal, he understood.

---The drug's effect had worn off, and they had returned here.

With that conclusion, Aquasteed decided Elliot was fine.

"I'm back, Tiara. Are you okay?"

"Welcome back, Aqua. Yes, I was surprised, but I'm fine."

Hugging his beloved wife, the sweet scent of her filled his nose.

Tiara Rose, too, had received the Sea's blessing. Despite being so disliked by the sea before, she was now protected by it.

It seemed her blessing was specialized in defense, and he could feel a thin layer of sea magic enveloping her. This would likely mitigate both physical impacts and health issues.

As for Aquasteed, he received a blessing specialized in offense, opposite to Tiara Rose's. He was recognized by the Fairy King for his role in opening new paths to protect the country.

However, he wouldn't engage in anything as violent as war.

"As long as Tiara is safe, that's all that matters. The city wasn't in much chaos, so cleaning up the beach will be enough."

"Yes."

Seeing Tiara Rose nod cutely, he felt relieved.

Despite being exhausted from using his magic to stop the tsunami, seeing her smile gave him the energy to keep going.

Then, he remembered the flower that bloomed from Tiara Rose's magic.

The large pink flower would likely become the national flower of the country, named Tiara Rose. Thinking about it, he felt like the country had taken Tiara Rose from him.

"Aqua?"

"---No, it's nothing. I'm glad Aishira and Elliot returned safely."

Hugging Tiara Rose again, Aquasteed looked at the two. Despite Elliot's assurance that there was no problem, Aishira seemed restless, occasionally glancing at Elliot.

---Did something happen?

However, Aquasteed didn't think Elliot would do anything to Aishira. He tilted his head and observed the two, but Elliot seemed completely normal.

Aishira, who had returned late, was just worried if Elliot had confessed, but there was no such atmosphere.

Thinking it wouldn't happen, but if Elliot's love interest was Tiara Rose, as Pearl said, he was concerned.

The sound of a teacup being set down, and Filene prepared the tea.

"Thank you, Filene."

"No problem. Would you like some pastries as well?"

"Sure. Could you bring some macarons?"

Filene prepared the macarons as Tiara Rose requested, and the tea for Aquasteed. There was still much to do, but they needed a break to avoid exhaustion.

When it was time for a break, sweet things were the answer! Tiara Rose smiled.

Once everyone was seated on the sofa, Aquasteed briefly explained the situation.

"The punishment for the Sea Fairy King who caused the tsunami was decided by the Sky Fairy King Clayre. The content is that the Sea Fairy King will bless me and Tiara."

"......!"

Hearing Aquasteed's words, Aishira gasped.

She bowed her head, thinking how foolish her earlier suggestion was.

"Regarding the other matters, the Fairy Kings will not be involved. The cleanup of the beach and other areas will be handled by humans, and we will continue to interact as usual. The flower that bloomed from Tiara's magic will be moved to the castle and cultivated."

"Understood."

Tiara Rose nodded, but Aishira's face twisted and she trembled slightly. She slowly opened her mouth and asked about the management of the beach and the sea.

Currently, the beach was managed by Aishira. However, with the two who had received the Sea Fairy King's blessing, it would be better to entrust it to them.

Aishira was, after all, only blessed by the sea.

"No, I would like to continue asking Aishira to manage the sea."

"But, I—"

"You know the sea best, Aishira. Besides, Tiara has the forest to manage, so she can't handle everything. There will be more diplomatic affairs in the future."

Aquasteed also didn't want Tiara Rose to be further involved with the Fairy Kings.

---I would like to keep her locked up in the castle.

She is so popular with the Forest Fairy King—his wife, and he wanted her to stay by his side as much as possible.

"If you say so, Sir Aquasteed, I will humbly accept. However, if anything happens, I promise to hand over the responsibility immediately."

"Yes, thank you, Aishira."

---With this, things are settled for now.

Drinking his tea, Aquasteed looked around the calm room. There seemed to be no issues, so he planned to rest today and handle the beach cleanup and tree relocation tomorrow.

The announcement for the villainous lady's novel was made on the top page of Syosetu.com!

I'm so happy, I can't stop smiling! (F5 spamming as usual)

The release date is tomorrow, but it seems to be available in many bookstores already.

Thank you very much for your support.

Since the release is tomorrow, I'm thinking about posting a short story with an activity report when the date changes, but I'm not sure how it will turn out.

And for tomorrow's update, it will be the final chapter.

I'm considering whether to update at the usual 7 PM or a bit earlier, around noon.

I would be happy if you could stay with me until the end!

But it's Saturday, and a 7 AM update is too early... Hmm, I'm conflicted.