S blinked, his eyes dartiween the skewers and me. “Exge gifts?” he repeated, his brows furrowing slightly before his lips curved into a small smile. “I… I like that idea.”

  He opehe pouch he was holding, revealing the colorful gems ihe same ones he had tried to give me before. Their luminous hues sparkled in the light, catg my eye. With a careful hand, he picked o and held it toward me.

  “This one,” he said, his voice quiet but warm. “It’s the brightest. I thought it might suit you.”

  I hesitated for a moment, the unease in my chest flickering again like a faint ember refusing to die out. But I pushed it aside with a deep breath and forced a smile. Extending the skewers toward him, I said, “And these are for you. I made them myself—or, well, I helped... by watg someone else cook them.”

  A nervous chuckle slipped out as I spoke, trying to make light of my minimal tribution.

  Our hands met briefly during the exge, and I couldn’t help but feel the trast between his steady grip and my slightly trembling fingers. Still, when I saw his expression light up as he ied the skewers, I felt a strange sense of relief. For the first time since I’d met him, I felt like the distaween us had lessened, even just a little.

  Now that I thought about it, the irony wasn’t lost on me. Here we were, exging gifts that her of us had truly created ourselves. S had picked up the luminous gem I’d fotten to retrieve, while I handed him skewers that Sophia had painstakingly cooked.Still, as I watched his face light up with a genuine smile while holding the skewers, I couldn’t help but feel a strange warmth repce the unease in my chest. Maybe it wasn’t about who made what—it was the thought behind it that mattered. Or at least, that’s what I told myself to keep from feeling ridiculous.Suddenly, a yawn escaped me. The exhaustion from staying up all night finally caught up, making my eyelids feel heavier than usual. S noticed and chuckled softly, a warm smile spreading across his face.“Hey… Miss Mashiro,” he began, his voice slightly hesitant. “Would you like to have dinner… at Lisa’s? You know, if you’re free.” His gaze darted away from mine, fog instead on the horse and the wagon, as though he was nervous.I felt my cheeks grow warm. Was this… an invitation?“Um… sure,” I mao reply, my voice quieter than I intended. My mind raced with thoughts. I’d have to make sure Catherine was okay with it, but knowing her uable schedule, I had no idea when she’d even e home.Still, as I watched S’s face brighten at my answer, I couldn’t help but feel a small flutter in my chest. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  ? ? ?

  “I’m home…” I muttered as I pushed the door open to Catherine’s house. The bzing sun finally stopped scorg my back as I stepped inside, relishing the cooler air.The living room greeted me with an ued sight. Catherine’s head was resting oable, her long red hair spilling over like a fiery curtain, partially obsg her face.As I walked closer, she slowly turned her head toward me, her movements sluggish and heavy. “Good m… Mashiro,” she mumbled, her voice thick with exhaustion.I g the cluttered table, covered with stacks of papers, scrolls, and what looked like ay coffee mug. “It’s already midday, though,” I pointed out, raising an eyebrow. “Weren’t you heading to… uh, Thal-something pce?”Catheri out a groan, waving her hand dismissively. “Thalradia,” she corrected, her voice barely audible. “And I did. I just got ba ho. Bureaucrats... They’ll make you wish dragons were running the world.” She slumped further into her chair, looking utterly drained.I couldn’t help but chuckle as I slipped off my shoes. “Well, wele back, I guess. You look like you’ve been through a war.”Catheriired eyes flickered up at me as she weakly sed another paper, her fingers absently drumming against the table.“At this point, war might happen,” she muttered, her voice dry and humorless.I furrowed my brow, walking closer to her with a fused expression. Deg to lighten the mood—or at least help her recover some energy—I made my way to the kit. I grabbed a pte and summohe st of the tuna and octopus skewers from my iory, arranging them ly on the dish.I couldn’t help but smirk at the memory of Sophia's over-the-top cooking. “Turns out Sophia was right to over prepare,” I murmured to myself, amused.Returning to the living room, I set the pte down in front of Catherine. “What exactly are you w on, Catherine?” I asked, trying to make sense of the papers scattered across the table.She g the pte, ae her exhaustion, a faint smile tugged at her lips. “Thanks,” she said softly, reag for one of the skewers. “You’ve got good timing, Mashiro.”I pulled out a chair and sat across from her. “So… what’s all this about war?”

  Catherine slid four papers across the table toward me, her tired gaze fixed on me as she bit into a piece of skewer. I picked up the papers and frowned, sing them. Words covered most of the pages—or at least I assumed they did. I couldn’t make sense of any of the text, but the pictures were unmistakable.“They’re… elves?” I murmured, tilting one of the pages to get a closer look. The images showed elves in disheveled states, their faces hollow and clothes barely hanging on their bodies. Some were shackled, their gazes filled with despair.Catheri out a heavy sigh as she chewed another bite. “Sves,” she said ftly, her voice tinged with bitterness.My stomach twisted as I looked closer at the papers. The images were grim—elves with hollow expressions, their bodies bruised and their dignity stripped away. Even without being able to read the words, the pictures told a story I didn’t want to believe.“Sves,” Catheried, her voice heavy as she chewed another bite of the skewer. She didn’t sound angry, just… resigned.I stared at the papers, a cold chill creeping up my spine. “Why are you showihis?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.Catherine leaned ba her chair, resting her elbow oable as she rubbed her temple. “Because this is where the kingdom of Thalradia headed. These papers are reports. Elveories are being raided, and their people are being captured and sold. If things keep esg… a war between humans and elves isn’t just a possibility—it’s iable.”I swallowed hard, my appetite pletely gone. “And you’re involved in this… how?”Catheri out a deep, weary sigh, pg the pte of skewers aside as she leaned ba her chair. “A long time ago, when the Demon Led the world, chaos ed everything,” she began, her voice ced with both nostalgia and pain. “Nations that couldn’t stand each other, who had been at war for turies, put aside their hatred to face the greater evil. We fought together. We bled together. And finally, we defeated him—300 years ago, back when I was still young, still an adventurer.”Her gaze grew distant, her fiery red hair falling over her tired eyes. “After the Demon Lord’s fall, we believed the world had ged. The treaties signed after that war brought unity. For the first time in history, humans and elves, dwarves akin, all lived in harmony. Thalradia, the greatest human kingdom, shared a bond with Diavara, the kingdom of the elves, that no ohought possible.”Her voice cracked slightly as she tinued, her fists g on the edge of the table. “But i decade… something ged. The peace we worked so hard to build began to fray. Whispers started spreading—dark, ugly whispers. Rumors of Thalradian nobles capturing elves. Of them being sold into s, treated as less than people. At first, it was dismissed as baseless gossip. How could it be true? How could aray the trust we fought so hard to build?”Catheriured at the papers scattered across the table, her voice trembling with frustration and sorrow. “But it is true. These reports prove it. The elves—their suffering—it’s real. Thalradia is letting this happen. And now… now there’s nothio hide behind.”She shook her head, her expression a mix of anger and helplessness. “If this tinues, if these monsters aren’t stopped… war isn’t just a possibility—it’s iable.”I stood there, the words catg in my throat. What could I possibly say to that? My fiightened slightly around the edge of the table as I struggled to process everything.

  “What about the king?” I asked finally, my voice quiet, almost hesitant.

  Catheri out another weary sigh, her expression growing even darker. “The king has fallen ill,” she said, her voice heavy with resignation. “No one really knows the extent of his dition. Some say he’s bedridden; others whisper he’s barely ging to life. Either way, his strength is gone, and so is his trol over the kingdom.”

  I swallowed hard, a chill running down my spine. “What about the royal family? His sons?”

  “The first prince is in er shape,” Catherine said bitterly. “He fell ill too—around the same time as the king. No one dares speak about it, but it’s strange, isn’t it? Two members of the royal family struck down by illness at once?”

  She didn’t wait for me to respond before tinuing, her words sharp with frustration. “The sed prince? He’s not even here. He left for the dwarven kingdom to marry into their royal family. Probably enjoying a gra while everything here falls apart.”

  “And the third?” I asked softly, though I already khe answer wasn’t going to be good. I wasn’t even sure if there was a third prince.

  Catheri out a dry, humorless ugh. “The third prince? He ran away. No one knows where he is. Some say he abandoned his title; others think he’s hidiher way, he’s gone.”