Chapter 538: 538: DSMW [538]

"(?oωo?) Mr. Miles, I still think having two of me is a bit too strange.""Yeah."

If anything, the fact that she only found it strange now was what was truly strange.

"Then what should we do, Mr. Miles?"

"I don't think this is the right place to be discussing that…"

And for some reason, Aisha felt that the other version of herself was especially clingy toward Miles.

Not in a calculated, green-tea kind of way, but as if staying by Miles' side was simply something she was accustomed to.

Why are you more practiced at this than I am?

Is it normal to be jealous of yourself?

Absolutely cannot lose.

"So the two of you are even going to follow me into the restroom?"

It wasn't that Miles didn't want to talk about the issue… he just didn't want to discuss it in a place like the restroom with two Aishas present.

Dark Aisha didn't say anything, but helplessness and panic were written in her eyes.

Having been separated from the real world for far too long, and with Miles being the only one accompanying her during that time, what Dark Aisha feared most right now was being separated from him… losing sight of him even for a moment.

Small, pitiful, and helpless.

Miles couldn't bring himself to drive her away.

To untie a knot, one must find the person who tied it. Although there was obviously no time to return to Axet to find that bratty loli Viel, perhaps Alester, who had delivered the golden arrowhead, might know some inside details.

The problem was… where could he find the elusive Alester?

At the moment, Miles only knew that Alester had been invited by the Empire. He would most likely appear again at Emperor Quaedes' birthday banquet tomorrow night.

"One more day, huh?"

As for the Emperor's birthday banquet, Miles still had no idea what would happen there.

For now, the only option was to keep Dark Aisha by his side and look after her.

He didn't know whether his clumsy lie had fooled everyone, or whether they simply didn't care about the matter at all.

At the very least, the existence of "another Aisha" had not been questioned or rejected. If anything, Alice seemed especially pleased.

There were, however, certain inconveniences when it came to actions and arrangements.

For example, this morning, the Crown Prince Homar Kaiser had specifically instructed them to meet a very important person.

And that person was also connected to the matter Homar Kaiser had mentioned but not fully explained on the dragon carriage—the other purpose related to Emperor Quaedes.

Originally, in political settings like this, Miles had no intention of getting involved.

Even if he was curious about the youngest emperor of the Xyz nation, it would have been enough to hear Aisha recount it afterward.

However, this morning, Crown Prince Homar had stated that the other party had specifically requested Miles' presence.

That made slipping away rather unrealistic.

The problem was that, given Dark Aisha's current condition, she had to remain by Miles' side for him to feel at ease.

And as a Royal Knight, Aisha Carlos couldn't possibly be absent from an important occasion.

Among their own group, it was one thing. But if two Aisha Carloses appeared in front of outsiders… that would truly cause an uproar.

After thinking it over, Miles looked at the original Aisha. "How about this… Aisha, you lie low for now?"

"Wah! (╯>д<>╯)"

Alright, to be fair, that really wasn't very fair to the original Aisha.

If Miles planned to keep Dark Aisha by his side all along, then he would have to come up with a legitimate identity for her.

"El Carlos, what do you think?" Alice suggested.

"What does that mean?"

"The name of the third daughter of the Carlos family. When the time comes, we'll just introduce her as Aisha's twin younger sister."

"That works too?"

"No one's going to go digging through the Carlos family genealogy~"

The problem that had troubled Miles for so long was solved with a single sentence from Alice.

"I get to be the big sister now!"

Rather than serving as a substitute, Aisha was instantly thrilled at the sudden promotion to older sister.

"So I'm… El Carlos?"

Dark Aisha, hiding behind Miles, seemed able to accept this setting as well.

And so, from today onward, the two sisters of the Carlos family temporarily became three.

Elra: "I didn't expect you to have such a childish side too, Alice."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Giving a random little stray a name. When she leaves, you won't be able to suppress the sadness."

"It's fine. For someone like me, being able to feel even a brief moment of happiness is already a blessing from the heavens."

With Dark Aisha's identity settled, it was time to set out.

To meet the extremely important and mysterious figure mentioned by Homar Kaiser—the one who had specifically requested Miles' presence.

The carriage came to a stop before a solemn estate courtyard, lush with carefully maintained greenery. There was no need to guess—this was undoubtedly the residence of a powerful household.

Yet more eye-catching than the trees in the garden was the gilded family crest emblazoned at the center of the courtyard.

And this crest was not something ordinary people could come into contact with.

Little Nova exclaimed in surprise, "Is that the imperial royal family's crest?"

Miles said, "The royal family's crest? So the person we're about to meet is a member of the imperial royal family?"

A formal meeting between the Kaiser royal family of Livorden and the royal family of the Holy Varian Empire? This should have been an international event capable of shaking the entire Spirit Continent.

Yet in reality, the journey by carriage had been extremely discreet.

Even someone politically inexperienced like Miles could guess that this royal meeting was of the secret variety—not only would it not be announced publicly, it required a high level of confidentiality.

"The imperial royal family… we're not about to meet the Emperor himself, are we?"

Thinking of the Emperor's obsessive fixation on God Cards and then thinking of the God Cards he himself carried, Miles couldn't help feeling a bit nervous at the prospect of meeting such a figure without preparation.

Homar said, "Rest assured, Lord Miles. The Emperor will not appear here. If anything, it would be truly troublesome if Emperor Quaedes were to show up."

After crossing the courtyard and formally entering the estate, the one awaiting them was a man with long blue hair, whose first impression was that of an exceedingly refined gentleman.

Well, despite his smooth blue hair, he was not a beautiful young lady.

"Due to special circumstances, I was unable to greet you at a distance. Please forgive me, Your Highness Homar Kaiser," the long-haired man said.

"Such trivialities need not be mentioned. I have already understood the gravity of the matter through your earlier correspondence, Prince Soroya."

Prince Soroya. Soroya was the surname of the imperial royal family, and if Miles remembered correctly, the title of prince referred to the Emperor's brother.

Alice introduced him to Miles and the others. "Prince Zepha Soroya, elder brother of the current Emperor of the Empire—and the one who secretly invited us this time."

"So Emperor Quaedes has an older brother," Miles murmured.

He had originally assumed that the Empire's youngest Emperor had inherited the throne so early because there had been no suitably aged elder brothers in the family.

Though it seemed that even with an elder brother present, the younger Quaedes had ascended the throne.

In the Holy Varian Empire, even succession to the throne was determined by strength.

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