Hayashi Maki's nights were still quite something.
After spending some time with Aqua doing some "healthy physical exercise," he pulled Ram in as well, and the night quickly turned lively.
Naturally, Beatrice also clung to Hayashi Maki the entire time; she absolutely refused to be left out.
If he dared not to take her along, Beatrice would be very mad—so mad she wouldn't talk to him for a whole hour.
Faced with such a "terrifying" threat, what else could Hayashi Maki do?
Of course he had to include her.
No one knew how much time passed. At some point, Rem, dressed in her maid uniform, walked in.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed, but she didn't say anything—just quietly and carefully handled all the cleanup afterward.
Hayashi Maki rubbed his chin and silently watched the little maid, already thinking he should find an opportunity to deepen their relationship.
…
The next morning.
After breakfast, Hayashi Maki got on the dragon carriage with Emilia and headed toward the royal castle.
Today was the day of the royal council. Roswaal had gone on ahead; he was probably already waiting at the palace by now.
Nobles were always troublesome—endless rules and procedures.
Beatrice didn't want to be apart from Hayashi Maki, so she sat on his lap again, nestled in his arms, looking utterly content.
Even though Hayashi Maki was undeniably flirtatious, he treated Beatrice very well and made her happy, so while she did get jealous of others from time to time, she accepted his wandering heart.
Besides, she was his contracted spirit and would be with him for the rest of her life. The more she thought about how long they'd be together, the less she felt she needed to be jealous.
If she didn't feel like going out, she could just stay in the spirit crystal hanging at his neck and rest there.
Emilia watched the two of them getting along so well, her amethyst eyes filled with warmth.
To get along with a spirit like that… Hayashi Maki really was an incredible man.
Most importantly, he didn't hate or look down on her for being a half-elf.
"What's wrong, Emilia? Are you nervous?"
While she was lost in thought, Hayashi Maki shifted over with Beatrice still on his lap and sat beside her, leaning in to whisper in her ear.
His warm breath made her ear tickle, and her cheeks turned pink.
"A little… I'm not very good at those formal palace occasions," Emilia admitted shyly, lowering her head. "But… I'll do my best."
Seeing how stiff she looked, Hayashi Maki understood immediately.
What she wasn't used to wasn't the palace itself—it was the stares.
Right now, the Kingdom of Lugnica was effectively run by the Council of Sages.
Those old men were the highest-ranking nobles in the country, their voices heavier than anyone else's—they decided who could become king.
And among them was one sage who clearly disliked Emilia, always looking at her with open disdain.
For a sensitive girl, those looks hurt.
"Don't worry, Emilia. No matter what happens, I'll be standing by your side without wavering."
Hayashi Maki smiled and spoke gently.
"Mm… thank you, Hayashi Maki."
Emilia's heart warmed, and she nodded firmly.
"Hearing you say that… I feel much more confident now."
After all, she had a knight now—someone strong, gentle, and willing to stand up for her.
Looking at her smile, Hayashi Maki couldn't help but reach out and stroke her silver hair.
A second later, poof, Puck appeared and lightly tapped Hayashi Maki's chest with a furry little paw.
"Too much! Taking advantage of my daughter the moment I look away—Hayashi Maki, you're way too good at slipping in when people aren't paying attention!"
"This is called honest pursuit, okay? How can you say that, Father-in-law?" Hayashi Maki sighed dramatically, then said solemnly, "Please entrust Emilia to me. I'll treat her well."
"H-Hey, Hayashi Maki, if you keep saying things like that… it's really embarrassing!" Emilia's face went bright red.
He didn't sound like he was joking, and her heart started pounding again.
Puck, meanwhile, stared at Hayashi Maki with obvious disdain.
"You've already gone after Beatrice-chan, and you still have the nerve to talk like that? With how flirtatious you are, I'm more worried you'll break Lia's heart someday."
Hayashi Maki just winked at him. "Then I'll leave it to you to keep an eye on me, Father-in-law. I'll prove it with actions."
Puck folded his little arms and nodded firmly. "Fine. I'll be watching you very closely, Hayashi Maki."
He wasn't going to stop Emilia from getting into a relationship. All that mattered to him was her safety.
"Honestly, Beatrice-chan is the worst. Ever since she met you, she's forgotten all about her big brother. She just sticks to you and doesn't even say hi to me anymore," Puck added, half joking, half bitter.
Beatrice's cheeks flushed. She rubbed her face against Hayashi Maki's chest, then replied matter-of-factly:
"Beatrice also really likes Puck-nii, but I won't be able to come out for a while later. That's why I don't want to be apart from Hayashi Maki now. Please forgive Beatrice, Puck-nii."
The little cat spirit just shrugged helplessly.
"Sigh… my sister, my daughter… they've grown up. Their hearts are starting to wander."
The group chatted comfortably along the way, and before long, the dragon carriage arrived at the palace gate.
Two guards in silver armor stood watch at the massive doors.
As Emilia approached with Hayashi Maki, a man with purple hair in a white knight uniform walked toward them with a smile.
"Emilia-sama, you've finally arrived. Today just happens to be my day on duty, so please follow me. To enter the palace, we need to check in using the communication mirror. And this gentleman is…?"
Hayashi Maki smiled and nodded slightly. "I'm Hayashi Maki, Emilia's knight. Pleased to meet you."
The purple-haired knight's eyes lit up. The aura around Hayashi Maki didn't feel like an ordinary person's, yet he couldn't sense any obvious magic from him—that alone made him a bit curious.
He returned a formal knight's salute and introduced himself.
"I am Julius, captain of the Royal Knight Order."
"Ah, so you're the one Reinhard mentioned—the remarkably skilled fellow. To think you'd become Emilia-sama's knight… I look forward to working with you."
Hayashi Maki smiled back.
Oh, there would be "working together" alright.
He'd already set his sights on the loli-like beauty Julius served—Anastasia, the merchant princess and one of the royal candidates.
Born in Kararagi, she spoke with that distinctive regional accent—just like Aoyama Nanami. Hayashi Maki was very interested in her.
More importantly, Anastasia was a natural-born business genius. You couldn't build a strong nation without a thriving economy.
Someone like her would be perfect to oversee the Axis Church's future industrial empire—even if it was currently… non-existent.