Elinia stood in front of , arms crossed over her chest.
Her eyes were calm—but sharp.
As if she could see everything I was hiding.
“So why are the elves writing to you?” she repeated quietly.
I froze for a second.
Then… I started improvising.
“There’s…,” I said carefully, “a shop near my house.”
“With elven goods.”
“I… sold them a book. And they… liked it.”
“They asked for more. I wrote a couple… they bought them.”
It was the first story that ca to mind.
Elinia raised an eyebrow.
“A shop. On the outskirts.”
“Buying your books right there.”
“Let’s assu that.”
She stepped closer.
“Then why does this ‘shopkeeper’
send you state-level ssages?”
“With a letter about my brother speaking to them?”
“And with the king’s reply?”
I felt everything inside
turn cold.
“Uh… maybe they… sent it to the wrong address?”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Elinia narrowed her eyes.
“Right.”
“Wrong address.”
“And they accidentally sent the private correspondence
of the Forest King—
through every possible coincidence—
to you.”
Idiot.
That was what I thought of myself.
She waited.
The silence made the conversation almost unbearable.
I exhaled. And started telling… a second story.
“Alright.”
“Sotis… they ask
for advice.”
“Not magical.”
“Just… human.”
“They need help.”
She listened.
Her face was calm.
But her gaze was far too attentive.
“That story,” she said,
“is much closer to the truth.”
She sat down on the edge of my bed.
I walked over to the desk and picked up the communication orb.
It was still glowing—the ssage not fully read.
I placed my palm on it, and the text unfolded:
“Negotiations with the Prince were successful.
The statent was accepted.
We were heard.
We are not hiding.
The royal response has been received.
We await your opinion.
Geography and biology are important.
But sending them by mail is dangerous.
Through the orb—it’s impossible.
We are thinking about what to do.”
My heart skipped a beat.
They really were moving forward…
I typed a reply:
“I’m glad for you.
The books are ready.
But I don’t know how to transfer them safely.
Not through the orb—too much data.
Mail is dangerous.”
The ssage was sent.
Only then did I turn around.
Elinia was looking at .
Seriously.
Quietly.
Without anger—but with sothing deeper.
“So…”
“You’ve been hiding… all of this?”
I wanted to say, No.
But all that ca out was:
“…”
She stood up. Slowly.
Took a step toward .
“You said you knew nothing about the elves.”
“That you’d never seen them.”
“That everything was a coincidence.”
I stayed silent.
She stopped one step away.
“Zen…”
“When were you planning to tell the truth?”
Her voice was calm.
But inside it—there was a storm.
And now, I had to answer.
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