As I was told, I sat obediently in my seat.

  —I hadn't run away; I had made it this far.

  Now that I was here, there was nothing left to do but steel my resolve. At the very least, I was determined not to let my true self slip.

  "Do you mind sweets?"

  Tea was poured by Her Majesty’s own hand.

  Beyond the rising steam, a faint, sweet aroma wafted upward.

  "Here, I made these myself."

  "I... I am truly grateful..."

  —Oh no. This is bad.

  (...What do I do? I’m definitely going to break this.)

  I couldn't reach out. I could do nothing but stare at the shimmering tea.

  In the meantime, Her Majesty was already sipping her own tea. She drank with a vigor that could hardly be called elegant.

  (...How spirited.)

  Terrified that I would break anything I touched, I simply watched her. Well, "watched" to a modest degree, as staring would be shameful. Her gold-crimson hair was braided only at the tips. The dress suited her perfectly.

  "Aren't you drinking, Ray?"

  —She noticed.

  Without even time to find an excuse, I let my gaze wander.

  "N-no... It just looked quite hot..."

  Even to my own ears, it was a pathetic excuse. Still, having no choice, I reached out.

  My fingertips trembled.

  (...No. The moment I hold it, I'll... again...)

  In the past, I had broken everything I touched. Recently, I had finally managed to overcome this with cloth and armor, but other than that, I was still—afraid.

  Above all.

  (I'm afraid of breaking something... in front of Her Majesty.)

  That terror drew forth the face of the other me—"Selesta." Realizing she had noticed my hesitation, I looked down.

  "...Ah, I see, I see."

  Her Majesty gave a light chuckle, and as if she had realized something, she refilled the tea. Then, she slowly pulled her chair closer to mine.

  With elegant movements, she held the cup before my eyes.

  "—Here, open your mouth."

  "H-huh...?"

  "Don't tell me this is your first time being fed, too?"

  "Th-th-that is...! Y-Your Majesty, you don't have to go that far...!"

  "Hahaha."

  She sounded as if she were teasing me, yet she also seemed strangely happy. Her face was close. My heart leaped. Then, the rim of the cup touched my lips.

  "...There. Now, don't spill any, alright?"

  Guided by that gentle voice, I let the tea flow down my throat. It was sweet and warm—but more than that, Her Majesty's gaze was intense.

  She must have seen that the hand I had pced near my fingertips was trembling. Still, I somehow managed to finish drinking.

  "Good, good. It was delicious, wasn't it?"

  "...Yes. ...It is... delicious."

  I wanted to give myself a standing ovation just for being able to string those words together. My ears, my face, and even my chest felt hot.

  (...Why? Why are you being so kind to me, Your Majesty?)

  A question I couldn't voice whirled around in the back of my mind.

  "Heh... As I thought, you are very much worth spoiling."

  A gaze sweeter than the tea and warmer than a fme. It was too frightening to look directly into those eyes, so I looked away.

  —Even though I knew it was disrespectful.

  "Shall we talk a bit about our backgrounds?"

  "Huh...?"

  My chest, still flushed, gave a throb. I didn't have the confidence to speak.

  "First, I must have you know about me. ...I, too, have no parents. My brother is a general in a far-off foreign nd."

  That, I knew. The elder brother known as the "Lord of Thunder," and Her Majesty—I had been captivated many times by the sight of them wielding their fmes.

  "..."

  "And you?"

  "M-me...?"

  (...She must have investigated. Surely, everything.)

  Still—this was a person who had just fed me tea from a cup. There was no longer any escape.

  "...Do you not already know?"

  "I want to hear it from your own lips."

  "...! My mother has passed away. My father is... missing."

  "So, we are the same."

  She gave a soft smile.

  "The same."

  Her Majesty, and I.

  A pair—.

  (No, no. Disrespectful. That's far too disrespectful.)

  In my mind, I hurriedly scolded myself.

  "Who taught you your swordsmanship?"

  "My uncle... Lord Nor."

  "I see... Well, the Chancellor was in the Knight Order long ago, after all. He became a civil official only after he was lost in the wilderness."

  "Is that... so..."

  After several exchanges, as the atmosphere began to soften, Her Majesty offered the tea cup again.

  ...But this time, I gently declined.

  She murmured a small "Pity" and brought her own cup to her lips.

  Next, she handed me a small baked sweet.

  "This was a gift from someone in another country. ...Here."

  "?"

  "Do you not even know how to say 'Ahhh'?"

  "Ugh... n-no. That is...!"

  —Again, I couldn't escape.

  "It's a momentous first bite. Open your mouth, Ray?"

  "...Hah..."

  Opening my mouth once more, I received the baked sweet. It was softer than I expected, and fluffily sweet.

  The taste, the gaze, the words—everything was dizzyingly sweet.

  "It... it was delicious..."

  "Yes. I see, that’s good."

  Seeing that satisfied smile, I no longer knew where my heart had gone.

  And even after that—

  I continued to be fed from Her Majesty's hand.

  By the time I had received everything, I was completely burnt out.