Then everyone noticed Hazuki suddenly stop talking mid-yell, his posture shifting into an odd half-bow. His hair shadowed his face, and a low, mischievous laugh slipped from his mouth.

"Kukuku~"

The dwarves around him immediately sighed, already used to this kind of scene.

"Gyahahaha! Now you can't do anything, Hazuki!!! Nothing!!"

The crowd chuckled.

"Look at that lad."

"He's at it again."

"As usual, huh."

"Yep… the usual human with his crazy act."

"Just ignore him."

Laughter and amused murmurs filled the street.

Ellyn let out a long sigh, crossing her arms. She already knew what was going on. That eerie laughter didn't belong to Hazuki. It was Ridan taking over again.

But Faria and her knights were confused. They glanced at each other, unsure whether they should draw their weapons or call for help.

"Miss Faria…" one knight whispered nervously. "Is he…?"

Faria frowned, her eyes narrowing slightly. She'd heard stories about Hazuki talking to the air, but this was the first time she'd actually seen it happen in person, Hazuki speaking in one tone, then laughing back at himself in another.

Meanwhile, Ridan stretched Hazuki's arms upward dramatically and shouted in triumph, "You can do nothing now, Hazuki!!! I got your body!! Gyahahahaha!!"

Ellyn facepalmed. "Ridan…" she muttered under her breath, ears twitching.

They all turned their attention again to Hazuki.

"Damn you, Ridan!!! Get out!!!" Hazuki shouted, clutching his face with one hand like he was trying to pull something invisible off.

But then his other hand jerked straight up, fingers curled into a claw pose. A loud, eerie laugh echoed out of his mouth.

"Nope! How dare you accuse me when I did nothing wrong~ This is payback!!"

"Guh!! Get out!!" Hazuki growled, struggling against himself.

"No, buddy!" Ridan's voice came through Hazuki's mouth, gleeful. "Today is my day!"

The scene looked exactly like a one-man stage play between two people trapped in the same body.

Faria blinked several times, then slowly turned to Ellyn, who was calmly munching on her meat skewer like nothing was happening.

"Umm… Princess?" Faria asked uncertainly.

"Hm?" Ellyn tilted her head toward her, still chewing.

Faria pointed at Hazuki, who was now growling and twisting his arm as if wrestling with an invisible opponent. "A–are you going to just let him… act like that?"

Ellyn took another bite, cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed, then gave a small shrug.

"Well… let's just leave him like that," she said casually. "He'll stop eventually."

Behind them, Hazuki shouted, "I SAID GET OUT!!!"

And Ridan, still controlling one arm, cackled, "NEVER!!!"

Faria sighed softly, deciding to completely ignore whatever Hazuki and Ridan were doing in the background. She turned back to Ellyn, her expression shifting to a more serious one.

"Princess… since you already did it with Hazuki, make sure you don't get pregnant yet," she whispered carefully. "If you do, your father will probably faint on the spot. I can't imagine how I'm supposed to report that to His Majesty…"

Ellyn paused mid-bite, then slowly turned her golden eyes toward Faria.

"Don't," she said softly but firmly. "I'll tell him myself. Besides…" She lifted her hand slightly, showing the glowing pinky promise mark on the back of it. "I'm sure Father and Mother already know. This bond isn't something that can be hidden from them."

Faria let out a long breath, a mix of relief and resignation, then stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Ellyn in a tight embrace.

"I'm glad… really glad you're safe," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

Ellyn closed her eyes for a moment and returned the hug with a small, warm smile. "This is why I never regret doing the pinky promise with Hazuki," she said softly, pulling back just enough to glance toward the tall, black-haired human currently flailing and yelling at thin air as Ridan continued his antics.

"He might be crazy," Ellyn continued with a faint chuckle, "but this Absolute Eye of mine never lies. And the pinky promise oath will always protect us. No matter where I am or what danger I face… fate will make sure Hazuki comes to me. Even if it happens in the weirdest way possible."

Faria smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair from Ellyn's cheek. "That sounds exactly like him."

"Mm~ yeah," Ellyn said softly, her tail swaying gently behind her.

Ellyn's ears twitched as Faria leaned closer, whispering with that teasing tone she always used when she wanted to pry.

"So, Princess," Faria murmured with a mischievous smile.

"Hm?" Ellyn tilted her head slightly, leaning her ear closer.

"So… tell me your experience with the human," Faria whispered softly. "You're the first princess of the Beastkin to ever bond with a human. In all our history, none of our kind, has ever chosen a human partner. You know that, right?"

"Wha—!?" Ellyn's face turned bright red. She whipped her head to the side, refusing to meet Faria's gaze. "No way I'm going to tell you that!"

"But aren't I your 'mother'?" Faria teased with a whisper, leaning in closer. "Surely some secrets should be shared with me."

"Uuuu… no!" Ellyn puffed her cheeks and took another bite of her skewer to hide her embarrassment. "Go get married to your fiancé already! It's sad for him to keep waiting for you!"

Faria smirked, not backing down. "I will… if only a certain princess gets married first. That was our promise, remember?"

Ellyn stomped her foot on the cobblestone. "That was a childish promise! Back when I was small!"

Faria placed a finger on her cheek thoughtfully. "Yes, yes~ I still clearly remember it," she said with a playful hum. "Some bratty little princess sulked and refused to eat for three whole days when she heard about my engagement to 'someone.'"

"Wha…!? But… but that was—!" Ellyn's face turned even redder, her tail fluffed slightly from the embarrassment.

Faria laughed softly and pulled Ellyn into a warm hug.

"Don't worry about it, Princess. A promise is still a promise. And besides… we Beastkin live far longer than humans. Marrying before forty is still normal for us. Forty is barely a young adult, remember? We easily live up to 150, sometimes even 200 years if we're lucky."

Ellyn huffed softly but didn't push her away, cheeks still burning pink. "Mou… stop teasing me, Faria."

( End Of Chapter )

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