As soon as I entered the mansion alongside Freyja, I immediately noticed the strange atmosphere in the air.
Scarlet was still standing near the entrance with her arms crossed, while Elara was still trying to hold back her laughter. Rai'kanna looked more resigned than surprised, Liriel wore her usual calm expression, Vespera simply watched in silence, and Lyannis kept flipping through her book as if none of this had anything to do with her.
Freyja looked at everyone calmly.
"Thank you for the welcome."
Scarlet replied immediately.
"It wasn't exactly a welcome."
"Scarlet."
Liriel spoke softly, trying to keep things from getting worse.
But Scarlet was already looking directly at me.
"So you two were just talking in the garden for hours?"
"Yes."
I answered calmly.
Elara raised an eyebrow.
"Just that?"
"Yes."
She tried to suppress another laugh.
"Interesting."
I slowly rubbed my face.
"Why are you making it sound like something strange?"
"Because it always turns into something strange."
Scarlet replied immediately.
Freyja silently observed everything, clearly sensing the atmosphere between us.
Rai'kanna then stood up from the chair near the window.
"Honestly... I was already expecting this."
I looked at her.
"You're not helping."
She gave a small smile.
"You're already engaged to a dragon princess, an elf princess, and now a giant princess."
Freyja looked slightly surprised.
"There are other princesses?"
Scarlet slowly closed her eyes.
"That's exactly what I was trying to avoid."
Elara started laughing again.
"Takumi has really become an international problem."
"That doesn't make any sense."
I replied immediately.
"I'm not looking for these situations."
"But they keep appearing."
Vespera commented calmly.
I ended up falling silent.
Because unfortunately, that was true.
Freyja then took a small step forward.
"I don't want to cause problems between all of you."
Liriel smiled gently.
"You didn't."
Scarlet looked at her.
"She clearly did."
"It's not her fault."
Liriel answered calmly.
Freyja looked away, slightly embarrassed.
"Actually... I was the one who asked my father to consider the marriage."
Silence filled the entire room.
Then everyone slowly looked at me.
"You didn't even have to do anything this time."
Elara muttered, trying not to laugh.
I ran a hand through my hair.
"This is getting ridiculous."
Scarlet let out a deep sigh before finally uncrossing her arms.
"Look... honestly?"
She looked at Freyja.
"You seem like a good person."
Freyja blinked a few times in surprise.
Scarlet continued.
"My problem is more with him."
"It's not my fault."
"Of course it isn't."
Rai'kanna let out a small laugh.
The atmosphere gradually became lighter after that.
Freyja seemed relieved to realize that no one actually hated her.
Liriel approached calmly.
"You can sit with us if you'd like."
Freyja smiled softly.
"Thank you."
The mansion's living room was relatively comfortable despite its simplicity. Since it had been built quickly for our stay, it wasn't luxurious, but it was still cozy.
The open windows allowed the cold mountain breeze to drift gently inside while the fireplace kept part of the room warm.
I ended up sitting near the central table while the girls continued talking with Freyja.
To my surprise...
Things started flowing much better than I had imagined.
Mainly because Freyja genuinely seemed interested in getting to know all of them.
"So you're a half-dragon?"
Freyja asked while looking at Rai'kanna.
"Yes."
"I've never seen one before."
Rai'kanna calmly crossed her arms.
"And I've never spoken with giants."
"Actually... we rarely leave the mountains."
Freyja replied.
Lyannis slowly closed her book.
"That explains the kingdom's cultural isolation."
Freyja looked at her curiously.
"You really like books, don't you?"
"Yes."
Lyannis answered normally.
"Especially ancient magic."
"The giants possess some ancient records."
Freyja commented.
That immediately caught Lyannis's attention.
"Magical records?"
"A few."
She nodded.
"Mostly about artifacts."
Lyannis was clearly interested now.
Meanwhile, Scarlet kept glancing at me from time to time as if she were analyzing something.
I noticed it immediately.
"What is it now?"
"Nothing."
"Scarlet."
She sighed before answering.
"You like her."
I looked at Freyja for a few seconds.
She was calmly talking with Liriel at that moment.
Then I answered:
"She seems like a good person."
"I knew it."
Scarlet pointed at me immediately.
"But that doesn't mean anything."
"It means quite a lot coming from you."
Elara commented.
I stood up to grab something to drink while they kept talking.
It was strange.
Because honestly, I had imagined a much worse situation.
But maybe because Freyja was kind and honest...
Things weren't nearly as tense as they could have been.
At one point, Freyja looked at me again.
"Takumi."
"Hm?"
"Do you really intend to fight the First General?"
The question made the room become noticeably quieter.
I took a slow breath before answering:
"Yes."
Freyja lowered her gaze slightly.
"The giants have heard stories about him."
Vespera leaned lightly against the wall.
"And they're true."
Freyja remained silent for a few seconds.
"So... you all live facing this kind of danger?"
"Pretty much."
Elara answered.
"It's become routine."
Freyja looked genuinely worried now.
"That must be exhausting."
I looked out the mansion window at the night sky.
"It is."
I answered calmly.
"But I can't stop."
Liriel watched my face for a few seconds.
She had probably sensed the weight behind those words.
Then Freyja asked softly:
"Are you afraid?"
The question made me fall silent for several seconds.
A long time ago, I probably would have answered immediately that I wasn't.
But now...
After everything...
I understood certain things better.
"Yes."
I finally answered.
Everyone looked at me.
"I am."
Scarlet remained silent now.
"But I keep moving forward anyway."
Freyja watched me attentively.
Then she smiled softly.
"I understand."
The conversation continued for quite a while afterward.
We talked about the other kingdoms.
About cultural differences.
About wars.
About food too, mainly because Scarlet still couldn't accept the absurd size of giant meals.
"How can you eat all of that?"
She asked.
Freyja ended up laughing.
"You humans eat very little."
"Very little?"
Scarlet looked offended.
"I eat normally."
"You eat more than normally."
Elara commented immediately.
"Traitor."
The hours passed peacefully.
Much more peacefully than I had expected.
At one point, even Scarlet seemed more relaxed while talking with Freyja about hand-to-hand combat.
The two of them had strong personalities in different ways.
Rai'kanna also started talking quite a bit about customs between kingdoms.
Meanwhile, Lyannis was practically interrogating Freyja about giant artifacts.
Liriel listened calmly while Vespera simply watched the group in silence, as always.
At that moment, I realized something important.
Despite the enormous differences between races...
They somehow understood one another.
Perhaps because all of them had already lived through too many wars.
After some time, Freyja slowly stood up.
"I think I'd better return to the castle."
Liriel smiled softly.
"It was nice talking with you."
"With all of you as well."
Then Freyja looked at Scarlet.
The redhead immediately crossed her arms.
"What?"
"Thank you for trying to accept me."
Scarlet looked away for a few seconds.
"...I'm still watching you."
Freyja ended up smiling.
"Fair enough."
Then she looked at me.
"Takumi."
"Hm?"
"Tomorrow's outing is still on."
"An outing?"
Elara asked immediately.
Freyja nodded.
"I want to show him more of the kingdom."
Scarlet slowly closed her eyes.
"Here we go again."
I let out a small laugh.
"It's just an outing."
"That's exactly how it started in the garden."
Completely ignoring the comments around us, I accompanied Freyja to the mansion's exit.
The cold mountain breeze drifted gently through the outer garden while the moon illuminated part of the giant castle in the distance.
Before leaving, Freyja turned toward me.
"Thank you for today."
"You've already thanked me several times."
"Even so."
She smiled softly.
"It's been a very long time since I laughed like that."
I watched her for a few seconds.
Then I answered calmly:
"Me too."
For a moment, Freyja simply looked at me in silence.
Then she gave a slight bow of her head and began walking back toward the castle.
I watched her leave for a few seconds before heading back inside the mansion.
The moment I entered...
Everyone was looking at me again.
I sighed immediately.
"Do you all really have nothing better to do?"
"No."
They all answered almost at the same time.
Even Vespera seemed minimally entertained now.
Scarlet pointed toward the sofa.
"Sit."
"This feels like an ambush."
"Maybe it is."
I sat down anyway.
Then I spent a good part of the night listening to comments, teasing, and questions as they all seemed strangely interested in my relationship with Freyja.
But deep down...
Even with the jealousy and teasing...
I knew it meant something else.
Trust.
Because despite everything...
They were still by my side.