I glance towards Tessa in surprise, as do several others in the room. She's leveling Ilina with an icy glare, but Ilina is meeting her gaze evenly. Ilina's eyes narrow.
"On the contrary, accepting it is exactly what I expect from you all. Your future queen has made her decision, and you are in no position to dictate who I marry." (Ilina)
Most in the room, me included, widen our eyes in shock at Ilina's cold rebuttal. Tessa, however...her eyes narrow, almost threateningly. Yet, instead of responding to Ilina, she turns to me, her demeanor becoming less hostile but her tone strained to maintain some semblance of respect.
"With all due respect, Mizuki, is this what you consider letting us run our own country? Trying to collect our Princess into your harem? Positioning yourself at the head of our kingdom's power structure?" (Tessa)
I raise my eyebrows.
After Tessa found out about my abilities, I thought she'd been acting strange, maybe even becoming more accepting of my presence. But...I guess that was just wishful thinking.
I grit my teeth at her mention of me 'collecting' Ilina, fighting against my rage at the implications, but I know I can't afford to lose my temper. Instead, I purse my lips thoughtfully, trying not to frown disapprovingly at Tessa. I know this requires a more...diplomatic...touch.
"You're mistaken, Lady Tessa. First of all, your tone and words imply that I'm relegating your queen-to-be as some footnote among a slew of trophied lovers. That's not the case. Other than Nina, she would be my only wife, as I've already promised Nina and Ilina.
"It's also my understanding that polygamy isn't frowned upon in the Elven Kingdom, and I'm sure you don't mean to imply that Ilina having an Elder Dragon as a sister-wife is somehow degrading to her status.
"More importantly, I'm not 'taking' Ilina, as you say. I love her, I asked her to marry me, and she agreed of her own volition. That's it. I have zero interest in being a prince or king or anything else. My only goal in our engagement is to be with Ilina, and my desire to minimize my interference in your country's affairs is genuine." (Mizuki)
I level Tessa with a calm but firm glare as I finish my rant, daring her to refute me. I've got a stack of evidence to demonstrate my goodwill to their country, and I doubt she'd like to see how far I'm willing to go to prove how important Ilina is to me. If she thinks that my actions so far count as interference, she's in for a rude surprise if she pushes me...
I see Cara wince at my emphatic declaration of not wanting more wives, but I can't worry about her feelings right now. Tessa, meanwhile, snorts in response to my rant, her silver eyes flashing in annoyance as she struggles to maintain her newfound cordial attitude towards me. However, before she can respond, Darak interrupts her with a cough, seemingly nervous about what she might say.
"Ehem...uhm, Mizuki, I'm sure that nobody here means to contest your feelings or the sincerity of your intentions where Princess Ilina is concerned." (Darak)
Darak pauses to glance at Tessa pointedly, who simply glares back unabashedly.
"That said, I think we're all just a bit...surprised...by this development. I can believe that your proposal to Ilina doesn't stem from a desire to gain power in our country, but surely you see that the two are fundamentally linked? Even if you want no part of it, publicly marrying a princess, even outside the line of succession, carries inescapable influence and obligations among our people. Drastically more, for the husband of the future queen." (Darak)
I sigh internally. Of course, I'm not naive...I know that. But it's not like I'm the one who has a problem accepting the influence and obligations that would come with marrying Ilina. It's the elves' damn racist attitudes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sure if one of the human kings would be more inclined to take an elf as their queen, but it's still racist even if everyone on the damn planet is doing it.
I direct an empathetic gaze at Darak, but I feel a gravity spell take hold over the room before I can respond. It's strong enough to make everyone but me, Nina, and physical enhancers struggle to stay upright.
"Enough!" (Ilina)
Ilina's harsh tone cuts off further discussion as she lifts the gravity spell, drawing our attention to her. Her gaze is cold as she glares at Tessa and Darak in turns.
"Lord Darak, Lady Tessa...all of you, really...I strongly suggest you not discuss my marriage in front of me as though I'm just a helpless witness to my own future. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough before. We're not voting, and you're not being asked for your opinion on my marriage to Mizuki. If you think otherwise, you're insubordinate. If you think that you'll convince Mizuki to side with you against my decision, then you're outright delusional.
"He and I are engaged, we're going to get married, and I'm not going to hide it anymore. Period. This is a courtesy announcement so that you can decide how you want to handle what comes afterward. That's it." (Ilina)
Silence descends over the room as the gravity of her words sink in, pun intended. Meanwhile, Ilina continues to scan the room with a defiant gaze, openly challenging anyone to oppose her decision.
She doesn't have to wait long.
"Sorry to be so blunt, Princess, but that's certainly not 'it'. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're showing some backbone, and it's true this isn't a democracy, but you're naive if you think that our opinions don't matter. You stand little chance of this decision being accepted by our people at all, and zero chance without our unanimous support.
"Furthermore, need I remind you that you're currently just our Princess? My Queen, my King, are we to understand that you've given your blessing for this decision?" (Helena)
Helena's voice is almost amused as she responds, her lips twisted in a subtle smirk, as though she's lecturing a child. I expect Ilina to be annoyed, but her expression remains neutral as she turns to face her mother, Elira.
The queen winces at the question, as does Dargo. They are both glancing at Ilina and the nobles with troubled expressions, obviously both surprised by Ilina's blatant defiance and conflicted about how to address the escalating situation.
As the attention of everyone in the room turns towards Elira, expectant of her answer, she lets out a deep sigh before responding.
"We were not aware of Ilina's intention to announce this information today, nor her desire to act on Mizuki's proposal so soon. However, it's true that we were aware of their relationship and engagement, and that we support it in principle. Our hope was to, with time, find a way to facilitate their wishes in a way that won't be...problematic." (Elira)
Once again, the room falls deathly silent, until a shrill voice rings out.
"Have you lost your minds!?" (Tessa)
There's a few gasps and nervous murmurs at Tessa's outburst, and Elira's eyes narrow as she fixes her with a cold gaze.
"Watch your tone...you're still speaking to your queen and king." (Elira)
Tessa's incredulity doesn't lessen in the slightest, but she seems to recognize her breach of etiquette. After a moment, she grits her teeth and gives a slight bow to Elira before continuing.
"My apologies, my Queen, but with all due respect, I think your judgement has been clouded on this matter. What could possibly possess you to condone such a thing?" (Tessa)
As Tessa seemingly doubles down, albeit more politely, the tension becomes so thick as the two glare at one another that it could be cut with a knife. Seemingly at her wit's end, Elira's composure cracks some as well. She snorts derisively at Tessa, her voice mocking.
"Oh, my judgement is clouded, is it? Tell me, then...what should I have done when Ilina and Mizuki disclosed their resolution to get married?" (Elira)
Tessa doesn't miss a beat.
"You refuse, because it's what's best for our people, not just your daughter. You know damn well that this will only invite mayhem to our home." (Tessa)
Elira lets out a short bark of laughter.
"And if my refusal isn't accepted? What then?" (Elira)
Tessa shrugs.
"Then you insist. You are the queen and Ilina's mother, and neither noble nor royal marriages are official without your blessing. As for Mizuki..." (Tessa)
Tessa flashes me a careful glance as she thinks it over, obviously nervous about how to address the situation.
"...he is not a citizen, and has no legal authority here. If he's serious about non-interference, he'll respect our decisions. He'll just have to accept it." (Tessa)
Elira shakes her head in exasperation and fixes Tessa with a condescending gaze. Meanwhile, Ilina remains quiet, continuing to watch the discussion with a curious but mildly annoyed expression.
"Correction. Elven marriages are not official without my blessing, and Mizuki has no legal authority in this country." (Elira)
Confusion overtakes Tessa and many others, but after a moment, realization dawns on Darak's face and he goes pale. Shortly after, Tessa seems to come to a similar conclusion and fixes Elira with a horrified expression.
"You...can't seriously think..." (Tessa)
Seeing the change in the conversation, a small smirk finds its way onto Ilina's face, and she finally interjects again.
"It's not what she 'thinks'...it's the reality, Tessa. I meant what I said to you all earlier – I'm marrying Mizuki. Period. If it's not sanctioned here, then Zara has the authority to legally marry us as the Elder of the wolf-kin, and Alto has volunteered to help me arrange it according to elven customs. Your approval is a preference, not a necessity.
"As soon as my mother realized how serious Mizuki and I are, she gave us her blessing. She did it, not out of personal attachment, but because it's the best decision she can make for our people. And make no mistake – all of you are also going to give your blessing and help me convince our people to accept Mizuki. You included, Tessa." (Ilina)