The Villainess Is Being Doted on by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Country 41
The Threat of the Sea: Part 2Suddenly, Aishira realized that it was only her and Elliot who was in the room.
As he had not said anything in particular to her, there was a possibility that the love potion had had no effect on him. Just as she thought this, he suddenly moved.
"Lady…Aishira."
"Oh…?"
She froze for a second, but quickly controlled herself.
This was because she had now seen that Elliot"s eyes were full of tears.
-What, what had happened?
Aishira had never seen a man cry before. And so she had no idea of how to handle the situation. However, she did fully understand that this was all due to the effects of the potion.
After all, the always composed Elliot would never have acted in this fashion otherwise.
Elliot did not say anything more. He just stood there and wept. Aishira became frantic.
"Ah, um… I think you must be under the influence of Pearl"s potion. So, uhh, well…"
-So, what was she supposed to do?
Aishira felt an uncomfortable sweat trickling.
-I… do not know what to do.
She had felt somewhat excited when she had a.s.sumed that it would be Aquasteed. But her emotions had changed completely now that it was someone else.
-I am a terrible person.
She smiled sadly and looked at the crying Elliot.
It might be best to have him sit down on the sofa and calm down first. She suggested as much to him, and he obediently sunk into the couch.
That was a relief.
Aishira sighed, and just as she was about to move away, she felt his hand come around her thin wrist.
"Oh, Elliot?"
"Forgive me. …But, my body and my emotions will not listen to me."
His hand was shaking, and it was clear that this was not what he wanted.
"I love you very dearly, but you do not love me…"
"…I am sorry."
"It is nothing for you to apologize over. It was necessary for me to taste it, and I did it willingly."
Aishira wondered just when this poison"s effects would cease. She tried to ignore the heat that rose and twisted around her body. However, she was not doing well.
Aishira"s soft smell of the sea reached Elliot, disturbing him greatly.
"Philiane should be here with the carriage soon. I must go to the sea after the others. Elliot, you must wait here…"
"No, I will go too. It is my duty to be by Aquasteed"s side."
Elliot said as he stood up. He was still crying.
His face was a mess, but he could not stop the tears from falling.
"Lady Aishira, the carriage is…oh, Elliot?!"
"…Philiane…"
"Wh-what happened? You look horrible."
Philiane scowled a little at the off-putting sight.
Then her eyes dropped to Elliot"s hand which was around Aishira"s wrist.
"? Did something happen?"
"…No, uh…"
Aishira mumbled in a troubled voice.
Then Philiane remembered what Pearl had said when they were baking the sweets.
"The effects of the love potion…is that it?"
"…It appears to be so."
Aishira nodded. Philiane was satisfied with this explanation.
However, even if it was the fault of the potion, this kind of behavior towards the daughter of a duke was most unacceptable. She immediately attempted wrench them apart. But Elliot"s grip was strong, and she was not successful.
"Elliot, I understand that you do not mean it. But you cannot do such a thing to Lady Aishira."
"…I know it. I am a commoner after all. Loving Aishira is but a hopeless dream."
Philiane and Aishira looked at each other after hearing this.
Elliot continued to sniff and sob. They had heard something about his commoner origins before, and yes, it was a difficult thing to overcome.
It would not be so bad if the man was superior or at least equal in status, but there was not likely to be many n.o.bles who would give their daughter to a man below them.
-Had Elliot perhaps actually loved a certain n.o.blewoman before?
That might explain it. The potion would have caused all of his repressed feelings to come pouring out at this moment.
"We-well, there is no time to lose! Elliot, cover yourself with this cloth."
He could not allow himself to be seen in this state.
Philiane sighed with exasperation as they moved to the carriage.
"Woah, the color of the sea looks bad."
"It"s so black…"
The usually transparent sea had turned into a murky dark color. Keith sighed and muttered something about a "second time."
"The first thing we have to do is stop this tsunami. I will use wind to scatter it, Keith can use his trees to catch the remaining waves."
They all nodded at Grail"s suggestion. Tiararose and the others landed softly on the sandy beach.
This place was usually calm and peaceful, but she could feel the current tenseness through her skin. The beating of her heart felt like something terrible and uncomfortable.
She hugged herself tightly, her mind filled with worry. Then Aquasteed embraced her and said "It will be fine."
"Do not leave my side. I will be the one to protect you, Tiara."
"Thank you, Prince Aqua."
She nodded and clutched onto him tightly.
"I believe that Aishira will be able to restore these damaged beaches with the help of the sea fairies, so there is no need for you to worry."
"I understand."
As if in reply to Asquasteeds words, a strong gust of wind blew at them. The air had the smell of salt as it became stronger, and it was obvious that it was from the sea.
The black waters rose and twisted up high, directing its huge waves toward Tiararose and the others.
-This was the important part.
Even though this was a disaster of the sea caused by Pearl, the sea fairies were not allowed to fix things directly. This was something that had been decided long ago.
And while this was the result of Pearl"s madness-it was still categorized as a quarrel between humans and a fairy queen who had trouble getting along. Of course, it was a rare occurrence, as fairy kings rarely showed themselves in front of humans.
There were some who preferred it this way, while others felt that Fairy Kings should offer their help more prominently.
Aquasteed stared directly into the sea and the approaching waves. He was using the power of the wind to try and push back the waves that were now right in front of him.
However, Aquasteed"s power alone was not enough to break up the waves.
"Grail!"
"The blessing of the Fairy King of the sky, I give to you, Aquasteed Marineforest. I have high hopes in the power you hold as the future king."
"Oh, umm, Keith!"
"The blessing of the Fairy King of the forest, to Tiararose Lapis Marineforest. I"ll be here too, so you just need to look forward, Tiararose."
Keith grinned and laughed in answer to Tiararose"s voice.
First, Aquasteed would use the power of the wind to push back the coming waves. Then Tiararose would use the power of the forest to block the strong spray and waves that Aquasteed could not prevent from coming.
-But, she had never used the power of the forest before.
She didn"t even have that much magical power. It wasn"t her strongest attribute, and Tiararose felt very uncertain.
Tap…
She felt something warm on her back.
"It"s alright, Tiara. I am by your side."
"Surely there is no way that you couldn"t use my power?"
"Prince Aqua, Keith… Yes, I will do my best!"
Aquasteed and Keith"s hands supported her back.
It was terribly comforting, and even in this dangerous situation, she knew that everything would be alright.
-After all, she could not imagine how these two could lose.
She couldn"t help but laugh then, and Keith chuckled along with her.
"Now, let"s do this, Tiara. I will lend you my power, so you must call the trees and create a breakwater."
"Ye-yes!"
She felt the power of the forest that ran through her own body, as well as the veins of magic that were underground. This country was protected by the Fairy King of the forest, and so was rich with nature. And those who had been blessed by him were allowed to tap into some of that power.
"Trees of the forests, lend me the power to protect this country!"
As if in reply to Tiararose"s powerful voice, Keith"s green hair floated upward. At the same time, small sprouts began to rise from the floor of the sandy beach.
-It was amazing. This was the power of a Fairy King.
The air around them shook in an instant, and everyone couldn"t help but gasp. The plants continued to grow rapidly and were soon big enough to fulfill their role as a breakwater.
"Hmm, that"s good enough. The trees will absorb any water that tries to come through. The rest…"
Is up to Aquasteed. Says Keith with a laugh.
"I"m helping him, and we will protect the lands from the sea. Here, Aquasteed! Use more of the magical energy!"
"I know. Wind, push the black sea back!"
An incredibly strong and loud wind blew, and the rushing waves were pushed back to where it came.
-It was awe-inspiring.
He was the main romantic interest in the game"s sequel after all. Tiararose felt that this overwhelming power was by no means inferior to that of the Fairy Kings, even.
The waves were crushed with a loud noise, and the splash came down on them like light rain. A few scattered waves managed to get pa.s.sed the wind…but Tiararose and Keith would deal with them.
"Tiara, over here."
"! Thank you."
Aquasteed gently embraced Tiararose from behind. And then he unleashed the power of the wind in front of them, protecting Tiararose from the coming waves.
It looked almost like the sea was being parted in two.
"Trees, block the water of the sea."
"We will help you as well!"
"OOOO!"
Answering Tiararose"s call, the fairies of the forest appeared from between the trees and shouted.
It was clear that they all wanted to help her. The fairies of the forest were incredibly warm to her.
She could not allow any of these waves to escape and attack the town or the forests.
"My magic, please be strong-!"
Tiararose shouted at the top of her lungs. Then the surface of the water began to sparkle brightly. The crashing waves and sprayed water were all absorbed into the grown trees.
And then a giant rainbow bloomed in the sky.
"Was it stopped then?"
"I think so."
The dark sea had now subsided, and the breakwater made of trees had prevented any damage from occurring within the city.
-What a relief.
Tiararose put a hand to her chest and sighed. Then she looked at the trees that had saved them.
They were all wet, but their roots were solidly planted under the sand, and they looked lively. These trees were full of Tiararose"s magic, and now small buds were starting to appear.
"Huh?"
"Flowers will bloom on them. A new type of flower that contains your power, Tiara."
"How, how can that be…?"
She had never thought that her power could create flowers.
The pink colored buds slowly bloomed…showing its colors. It was a cute flower that had a small pouch under its petals.