The entire day after Charlotte’s birthday, Allen—in utter shock—ran helter-skelter all around the forest, stormed through some nearby dungeons, slugged down glass after glass of strong liquor in town, and returned home to his mansion around sunset.
“I’m home...” he said as he stepped into the living room.
“Oh, Allen—there you are!” Charlotte rushed over to greet him, a worried look knitting her brows. “Dorothea told me you ran out of the house all of a sudden. I’ve been worried about you.”
“Uh, well...” Allen couldn’t look her straight in the face. He averted his eyes and said in a small voice, “I was surprised, so...I went to blow off steam.”
“Is that because of...what I did yesterday? Maybe you didn’t like it?”
“Of course I did!!!” he blurted out, unable to stop himself. He grabbed Charlotte’s hands and squeezed them tight. Looking into her eyes, he tried to tell her everything he felt. “I, um... I was really happy! Thank you, Charlotte!”
“O-Oh...you’re welcome...” she mumbled, her face turning bright red. Allen could feel his own face burning up too.
Lydie looked at the couple and tilted her head in puzzlement. “What’re Maman and Allen talking about?”
“Young Lydie. ’Tis the duty of children to turn a blind eye to such things,” Gosetsu said with a light pat on Lydie’s shoulder.
Of course, the whole family was gathered in the living room to witness the couple’s flustering. Everyone except Lydie cast them lukewarm looks, but both Allen and Charlotte only had eyes for each other.
So, we finally k-kissed... Allen gulped as the soft touch of her lips crossed his mind again. He would never have guessed that Charlotte would make the first move. But the more time passed, the more his surprise turned into joy. “You’ve come a long way, to catch me off guard...” he said thoughtfully, still holding her hands.
“W-Well, you’re always the one to take the lead, so...I thought, once in a while, I can muster up my courage to do something new.” Charlotte smiled shyly.
Her boldness would’ve been unthinkable back when they had first met. Allen was gladdened by this change in her, and he brought his face closer to hers with a grin. “But if I stay passive, it’ll be a stain on my dignity as the Dark Overlord. Next time, I’ll be the one to make a move, so you better be ready, Charlotte.”
Charlotte squealed a little and scurried away from him, hiding behind Eluka. Eluka eyed him coldly.
“Hey bro. It’s cool you two are getting on so well, but aren’t you going too fast?”
“No, this is just the right speed. Otherwise, I’d lose.”
“What kind of competition are you having?” Eluka grumbled, then shook her head. “Anyway, Dorothea said she wants to talk to you about something.”
“Huh?”
“Hullo hullo,” Dorothea chirped, holding up a hand. She had been sipping tea in a corner of the room. She gave him a rough overview and handed him a white envelope. Allen turned it over, inspecting it from all sides.
“An invitation to Ryugukyo...?”
“Exactly!” Dorothea nodded vigorously.
Allen noticed that Eluka’s brow twitched when she heard the name. He wondered what caught her attention, but the conversation moved on before he got a chance to ask.
“Ryugukyo? I have a feeling I’ve heard of it...” Natalia said, cocking her head.
“The name means ‘the land of the dragon palace.’ Basically, it’s a secluded resort,” Allen explained. “The facilities stretch over a whole mountain and its surrounding area, and only visitors who have made an authentic reservation can enter the grounds. The owner has put up a special barrier that encompasses it to enforce that exclusivity.”
“Yup. So...VIPs like to use it for traveling incognito and having secret meetings,” Eluka added. Her face looked somewhat tense as she looked at Charlotte, Natalia, and Lydie in turn. “You can reserve a cottage just for yourself—then you can be sure you wouldn’t run into anyone else while you’re there. Perfect place to chill without worrying about being seen.”
“You know a lot about it, Eluka,” Charlotte remarked. “Have you been there?”
“Welllll. I guess I sorta have...like, every now and then?” Eluka hedged the question with a noncommittal smile.
Allen was puzzled. I’m pretty sure it’s not the kind of place she’d go that often... If he remembered correctly, he had been there once on a family trip with the Crawfords. But that was only once or twice in the past—no more than that. Although Eluka did fly around the world in search of materials for enchanted objects, Ryugukyo was a snow-covered mountain all year round. It wasn’t exactly rich in resources. Could it be...something to do with that investigation?
A while back, Allen had asked her to look into the conspiracy that Charlotte had been dragged into. Perhaps Eluka had managed to dig up some secret concerning the prince or the Evans family. After all, just as she pointed out, Ryugukyo was the ideal spot for clandestine meetings. Allen was staring at Eluka when she glanced at him furtively as if to say, “I’ll fill you in later.”
For now, he decided to let it be and glared at Dorothea instead. “What’s this really about, then? Is this some compensation for writing that book based on us?”
“’Course, I myself have one goal and one goal only!” Dorothea thumped her chest with a fist and proclaimed, “I want you to let loose on a holiday and flirt away with Miss Charlotte! I’ll sneak a peek at you lovebirds from my hidin’ place, and I’ll whip up a rom-com sequel inspired by your antics—oof?!”
Allen smacked the ticket envelope right back on Dorothea’s face. “Who in their right mind would want to go on a trip like that?” He turned away with a hmph. He had gratefully accepted the townspeople’s gift of a holiday before, but this was a whole different story. “Why would I take up your offer knowing we’re going to be used for your crummy pulp fiction?”
“Ouch... Aww, but I booked a five-star cottage just for you, y’know. And I’ll cover all the expenses! You’ll be missin’ out on a fine deal if you turn it down.”
“Enough. You can’t grab me with a hook like that.”
“Oh, come onnn... Are you sure you don’t wanna? Take a look at them, over there.” Dorothea pointed to the other side of the room with a cheeky smirk.
“Hm?” Allen casually turned to look. He was surprised to see Charlotte already poring over the pamphlet for Ryugukyo.
“W-Wow! I thought the resort Allen took me to was big, but this is even bigger...!” Charlotte said.
“Hmm, fancy sweets in an all-you-can-eat restaurant and spacious hot springs... Not bad,” Natalia said.
“Ooh, there’s snow?!” Roo piped up. “I’ve never seen snow before! Is it really true that it’s cold and fluffy?”
“Ah, so this is what Ryugukyo looks like now. It has changed much in the passing decades,” Gosetsu joined in, peering over the pictures.
With a flamboyant gesture at the group huddled around the pamphlet, Dorothea said, “Seems to me like your whole family’s raring to go.” She fluttered the envelope in front of Allen’s face. “Are you sure you want to decline my invitation?”
“Ack... Arrrgh...!” Allen went bright red in the face, but he didn’t have a choice now. He snatched the envelope from the elf, pointed straight at her face, and declared, “Fine! I’ll take it! But I don’t care if I have to scrape the bottom of the barrel of your savings; I’m going to indulge in luxury as much as I can!”
“Woo-hoo! Righto!” Dorothea replied with a fist pump. “I dare you to use up all the money I’ve uselessly saved up over several centuries!”
While Allen and Dorothea were getting fired up by this silly challenge, Charlotte smiled at Lydie. “It’ll be the first family trip with you, Lydie. I hope you’ll have lots of fun—Lydie? Is something wrong?”
“Huh...? N-No...it’s nothing. Yes, looking forward to it,” Lydie mumbled, averting her eyes.
As for Eluka, she was quietly observing everyone else, apparently lost in thought.
And so, their family trip to winterland was set in motion, each of them with their own expectations and motives.
♢
A week later, they departed on their journey. Ryugukyo was nestled deep in the mountains in the northern tip of the continent. From Allen’s mansion, it would’ve taken half a day even riding on a dragon’s back. However, they arrived at their destination with just a ten-minute walk.
“All right, we’re here,” Allen said.
“Wow! How...?!” Charlotte looked around, her face brightening up. She was bundled up in a thick coat and scarf. “That was so quick! Magic really is amazing.”
The moment they stepped into the magic circle engraved on the ground, they were enwreathed by a radiant glow, and the next thing she knew, a gleaming, snow-covered landscape stretched out before her as far as the eye could see. Tall buildings stood in a row, surrounded by gentle slopes, lively with many people playing in the snow.
“They have portals like this all over the world. Lucky for us, there was one close to our town,” Allen said.
Most regions had a secret gate into the resort, which only allowed passage to those with an invite card. In other words, it was a quick trip to Ryugukyo from virtually anywhere in the world. Both in terms of the magic power and the effort required for its upkeep, this system of portals was no small feat—but the owner of the resort expertly maintained everything all by themselves.
“By the way, Natalia,” Allen said, “you’re taking time off from school again, aren’t you? You’re not neglecting your studies, are you?”
“Hmph. What a stupid question, Dark Overlord.” Natalia, wrapped in a warm, chunky coat and a winter hat, flashed a V sign with a triumphant grin. “I knew an opportunity like this might come up, so I’ve already completed ninety percent of all the credits I’ll need to graduate. And I’ve finished my major research project too! Anything to spend quality time with my dear sister without a worry!”
“You know, your dedication to put your sister above everything else—it’s actually impressive when you take it that far,” Allen said. Allen himself held the current record for the youngest graduate from the Athena School of Magic. He had completed his studies at twelve years old. At this rate, Natalia would easily strip him of his record.