A heavy atmosphere fell over the room as both ladies with inhuman beauty continued to stare at the other. I immediately thought for a long moment, trying to find the best way to explain the situation. Lying about Alya's identity would only make this worse at this point, so the best thing to do is to come clean, it seems.
"Princess, please allow me to introduce you to Alya, my partner."
I said while showing a small smile on my face. Hearing my words, Scarlett tilted her head, seemingly confused.
"P-Partner?"
She mumbled that it seemed she may have misunderstood what I had said, as her face became bright red. What was going on in her head? I couldn't tell, but it gave me a bad feeling.
"Fufufu... is it a good idea to introduce me in that way, Haruto? From the Princess's point of view, you had some unknown girl in your bedroom alone, so phrasing it like that will only heighten her imagination and create unwanted misunderstanding."
Alya said, but then a mischievous smile bloomed on her face as she continued.
"Although I wouldn't mind being introduced in that kind of way."
Alya said, batting her eyelashes with a small giggle while placing her hands at her mouth. For some reason, I could tell she was really enjoying herself. But it's true that the way I explained things was rather insufficient; I honestly don't want any misunderstandings between us.
"No, I didn't mean it like that, Lady Scarlett."
I said realizing the meaning of Alya's words just now, I don't want her to think of me as some pervert, or rather, I will die of embarrassment if she thinks so. Observing our exchange quietly, Scarlett smiled coldly before turning to Alya, who had a rather bright smile on her face.
"You! What do you mean by your Sir Haruto's wife?"
Scarlett asked, turning a fixed stare towards Alya. Hearing such a question being directed towards her, Alya snuggled up closer to my arms, my body instinctively stiffening from the sensation of her warmth radiating through her clothes.
"We aren't officially married as of yet, but I guess you could say we are soulmates. Our love is guided by the heavens, transcending even fate, isn't that right, Haruto?"
She said, sending me a fleeting glance on my side.
"Eh, ah... well, I guess you could say that... ahaha."
I said awkwardly while feeling the room temperature heat up a bit. I hope it was just my imagination. Seeing the two of us glued together, Scarlett's face became bitter as she immediately pulled my left arm with unnatural strength unbefitting of her slender arms.
"He-hey umm... lady Scarlett, don't you think you're pulling a bit hard?"
"What are you saying she can, but I can't?"
She asks with a sharp gaze directed at me. I tried to retort, but I couldn't for some reason. Was she always this strong?
"Now, now, Princess, we can at least share him, you know."
"What am I to you, an object? And stop pulling my arms so much."
I said, feeling the slight pain in my left arm, seeing that Alya also pulled my right arm with a great amount of strength. "Do you have something against my arms?"
I wanted to yell, but the pressure coming from either side made me hold my tongue. After a while, I had finally broken free from the two beauties, but I could still feel the numb pain in both my arms. Now that everyone had calmed down, I took a seat on an empty chair, seeing that Scarlett also decided to take a seat facing me, though I could still see an irritated look on her face as she glared at Alya, who casually seated herself on my bed, ignoring the stare she was receiving from the princess.
"Now that you two have calmed down, allow me to explain properly this time."
I said while glancing at the two who were smiling bitterly at the other.
"Now, Princess Scarlett, Alya here is my contracted spirit... the reason she was in my room is that she needed to stay close to me to collect the mana inside my body."
I said, giving her more detailed information so there will be no misunderstanding this time. Hearing my full explanation, Scarlett's eyes widen she then directed her gaze towards Alya, who was sitting elegantly on my bed with her legs crossed.
"A spirit, you say... wait! Does that mean you're also a spirit arts user, too, Haruto?"
She asked, unable to hide the surprise on her face. Oh, judging by her reaction, I'm guessing she is already aware of the existence of spirits, then, perhaps spirits aren't as rare as I originally thought.
"Yes, I'm a spirit user as well. But can I assume you already know about spirits, Princess Scarlett?"
I asked, tilting my head curiously.
"Well, yes, but I've never seen one in person before, just like dragon spirits are beings outside of the reach of humans. And they rarely appear in human territories."
Scarlett stated calmly. I see… so the spirits decided to avoid contact with humans, well, I guess that is understandable but I'm a bit curious as to why someone as strong as Alya would want to form a contract with me in the first place, she said she's been watching over me from the beginning, but does that mean she knew I would one day end up in this world? Or maybe she had some other way to form a contract with me in my previous world, perhaps. I thought while staring at Alya, noticing my gaze, she simply showed a bright smile.
"Wait!! How long have you both been in a contract?"
Scarlett asked while glancing between Alya and me.
"It was after the banquet; the night I went to sleep, we formed a contract inside a dream."
I said calmly, recalling the event with a faraway look.
"Ah, it was like it happened yesterday, it's my most precious memory, like the memory you would look back on from your childhood."
She said with her right-hand place on her chest while showing a joyful smile on her face. Seeing that, I sighed in exasperation. Scarlett made a confused face.
"How close are you two? It's rather difficult to judge from your interaction."
She asked, sending me a questionable look. I shrugged my shoulders, unable to respond. We've only known each other for a few days, and even I don't know how far our relationship goes. I'm also not experienced in building relationships, as I had no friends in my previous world, nor did I ever have a girlfriend. I don't know anything about those kinds of relationships.
"Well, I don't know about Haruto, but I want us to have a strong relationship after all... the stronger the bond between spirit and contractor, the stronger and more stable the contract will become."
Alya explained calmly while keeping a fixed stare at me. Eh, is that true? It's the first I'm hearing of this. I turn my gaze towards Scarlett for confirmation, but she simply shakes her head, denying knowing anything about that.
"So far, only a few people had ever had spirit arts; it's a rare technique that is much different from magic."
She said, sighing bitterly. Is it really that different from magic? It seems like they both use mana to activate.
"Hey, Alya, how different is magic compared with spirit arts?"
I inquired, unable to hold back my curiosity. Hearing such a question, Scarlett also turned her gaze towards Alya, pressing for an answer.
"Hmmm... well, the concept is similar, but their activation is much different. For example, to use elemental magic, the caster does a small prayer towards the elemental goddess of their respective element to borrow their power. Thus, turning their prayers into magic. With spirit arts, the user borrows the powers of the spirits they are contracted with, just as the spirit must borrow the mana from the body of their contractor."
She explained, giving a simple explanation with a proud look on her face. Hearing that, my brow twitches from the complicated information I had just received, while on the other hand, Scarlett's eyes were sparkling from the wealth of knowledge she had just gained. She seemed to have understood something.
(Sigh. I wish my hard work in school was useful here, but my hard work was completely wasted in the end)
I smiled bitterly as I suddenly had a feeling as though I had wasted a great deal of my youth.
"And that's that."
She said, clapping her hands together. With a radiant smile on her face.
"I see... but Alya, why did you show yourself to Scarlett in the first place? If I remember correctly, you were rather serious about hiding your existence."
I inquiringly stared at her to find her motives. A small smile appeared on her face, hearing that.
"Well, I guess it would be a bother if I remain hidden from the princess, if I remember correctly, she's the one you hang out with the most, right? Wouldn't it be tiring to hide every time you two are together, and also, I've been secretly observing her character for a while now. Judging from what I've seen so far, it doesn't seem to be in her nature to spread rumours, so I can tell she is trustworthy."
She said calmly while observing the princess's expression.
".... I see."
I said a bit impress so from the very beginning she was already planning to show herself then. She really is prepared for everything. Indeed, Scarlett is the one I'm with the most in this castle so it would be troublesome for her whenever were together. I thought.
"If you want me to keep this a secret, I won't tell. Are you sure about this?"
She asks, inclining her head. Seeing that, Alya sneered.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Princess. I didn't do this for you, but out of consideration of your relationship with Haruto, got it?"
"Why... yes, I get it."
Scarlett replied, puffing up her cheeks with a cute pout on her lips.
(Hahaha... they're like cat and dog.)
I thought that, for a brief moment, Alya directed a sharp gaze towards me. My body flinches slightly. Did she hear what I just said? I really wish she would stop reading my mind already. I made an awkward smile when.
"Scarlett, Haruto, you're going to be late!"
The loud voice of the queen could be heard clearly. Oh, our talk took up so much time that I forgot we were going to the academy.
"W-We should go."
Scarlett said in a fluster, fixing her uniform, which was a bit dishevelled from moving around.
"Well, I guess it's my leave."
She said as the wind gathered around her and her figure disappeared.
With that, both Scarlett and I made our way downstairs.