As this figure moved to a particular area, working seriously on a project, a flying Automaton followed behind--hovering at shoulder-length.
The Automaton was no bigger than the head of a child, but I could see the intricacy it possessed.
Still, perhaps it was because the figure was too immersed in their work--I couldn't get a good look at them.
The only thing I could see was the long lab coat they wore, and the long, peculiar hair they had.
'Black and white...? Interesting color.'
Was it a Royal? Perhaps a cross-breed? No. Even if Royals took in non-Royals as their spouses, their offspring would still have white hair.
Elf mothers could control such factors while the children were still in their wombs.
Then, why was this one an exception?
Fortunately, just as I began asking internal questions, the person finally turned--as though looking for something--and that was when I saw her face.
My brain nearly shit down, and only a single person came to mind.
"E-Emilia--?!"
My voice was uncharacteristically loud, but that only expressed the number of emotions bursting from within.
"E--Emilia? Is that really you? Emi--I thought she was... didn't you say she was--?!" I reached out, trying to reach the girl as she frantically searched for something.
"Calm yourself, Jared. I wouldn't touch that glass wall if I were you."
Once she said this, I retracted my hand--though hesitantly.
"She can't hear you no matter how loud you shout, so there's no point to that as well..." The Queen added.
Still, I couldn't let go of how fast my heart was thumping.
The girl before me was definitely Emilia. Her black and white hair made her look slightly different, but there was no way I could forget the way the love of my life looked like.
Her eyes were--
'--Uh? That's strange... one of them is blue...'
Emilia's eyes were violet, but the Elf I was looking at had only one eye of that color. Her black and white hair was also different.
Still, even with those slight differences, it was definitely her... right?
"That isn't Emilia, Jared Leonard. It's... her daughter."
'Eh...?!'
Emilia had a daughter? My heart felt heavy all of a sudden, but I fought to retain my composure.
"That is... surprising..."
"Yeah. I'm sure Lewis never mentioned that in his Memoirs, did he?"
Well, I didn't. That was because I had no idea!
"You asked me about how Emilia died, but... you should have been more curious about how she lived."
I didn't know what to say as a response.
"Did you know that she was actually the one meant to be Queen? But... for the sake of an Alliance with the humans, she threw it away so the Elves would join forces with your kind."
'What?!' I had no idea what Aurora was talking about.
Was this the deal she made with her mother?
"Emilia, my sister, came to me after my mother had rejected the humans' offer for an Alliance. She told me to help her in exchange for the throne."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"I was young and naive then, and I also wanted to be the Queen, so I agreed after she convinced me for some time..." Aurora seemed quite pained at this point.
"Our mother wasn't able to resist our joint front, and so she had a private Audience with my sister."
My heart thumped with every word Aurora uttered.
"I don't know what other secret deal she made with my mother, but that was how we were able to form an Alliance all those centuries ago."
I clutched my heart in pain. Just how much did Emilia throw away for our sake--for my sake?
"I guess that's probably why I never got along with Lewis Griffith. We eventually got close at some point, when I sought someone to confide in, but... I couldn't completely forgive him for the choice my sister made."
According to Aurora, Emilia was superior to her but decided to let everything slide out of consideration.
It made me realize just how much I didn't know about my wife.
"Ah, I digressed a bit, didn't I? As for how she lived after parting with Lewis Griffith, she was mostly buried in research when she returned--studying the mysterious existence of Arcanas."
That must have been what she gave my comrades back then. Everything slowly began to make sense.
"After a while, she finally stopped locking herself up. Though she often avoided showing her face in public, she still interacted well with me and my brother."
Zerius was Aurora's older brother, but Emilia's younger sibling.
She introduced him to me, and I got a little close to him at some point--especially during the war.
"Maybe it was because we were naive on the matter, she wasn't reserved when she played with us."
"I don't understand. Naive on what matter?"
Aurora's face stiffened once I asked.
"Her pale face, slightly tired-looking smile, and easygoing nature... they were symptoms of pregnancy."
'Uh...? What? Wait... hold on...!' Now I was even more confused.
If I remembered correctly, she was indeed showing those signs back when we were still together.
'Does that mean--?!' My eyes bulged as I returned my gaze to the Emilia lookalike.
"That's right. My sister was pregnant... with Lewis Griffith's child."
*************************
"What would you do if I get pregnant?"
"Hm? Why do you ask? Well..."
Back then, we had just moved into our brand new home.
The war was over, and we were happy.
I hadn't really given much thought to having a child yet. After all, I wanted to enjoy my time with Emilia well.
Besides, having another person around would be a bother--a distraction to my work.
"... I'm not sure." Was my response to that question.
"Hm? I see. A shame then. Well, when you're sure of your answer, let me know!"
Months later, I began noticing her pale face. But, that was already after the whole incident with Karlia.
At that point, I still wasn't sure about her question.
Perhaps that was why she never told me...
************************
As the bombshell landed, my whole world came crashing down and was reconstructed in an instant.
'... My child?!'
