At this moment, the Queen found herself caught between advancing and retreating.
Just earlier, she had questioned the human before her in a strong tone.
The reason was simple—she needed him to feel guilty first, so she could more easily steer the conversation afterward.
For this matter, she thought it would have been easy.
Because no matter how she looked at it, this bodiless human was the one trying to approach Diancie, the Princess.
As Queen, intimidating him a little should have been no trouble.
Yet…
She had never expected it was Diancie herself who had taken the initiative to bring him back.
That undoubtedly overturned her original plan completely.
But thinking carefully, this did sound like something that child Diancie would do.
At that thought, she drew in a deep breath, and then let it out helplessly.
"Then the fact that Diancie has been looking after you all this time—that much is true, isn't it?"
"Her growth in strength has slowed lately. I imagine that's because of you."
After reorganizing her words, she asked Elias again.
Since he was a ghost Diancie had picked up, she should be taking care of him properly.
And this way, the Queen could also take back the initiative in conversation.
However, when her words fell, Elias didn't immediately answer.
Seeing his half-hesitant expression, a bad premonition stirred in her heart.
After a pause, she tentatively asked:
"Her recent improvement in strength… that's also related to you, isn't it?"
As expected, Elias nodded lightly.
"Diancie's been working hard on her own as well," he added.
At that, she fell completely silent.
Twice in a row, she had thought she'd regained the upper hand.
Yet each time, Diancie had upended her expectations.
If only her successor had a little more sense, she wouldn't have been forced to wring questions from herself twice, only to end up passive instead.
Looking at Elias, she finally sighed and said:
"Thank you for looking after Diancie."
"If it's possible… can you tell me who you are?"
Her tone was far gentler than at the start.
Aside from being backed into a corner, Elias's willingness to care for Diancie so much proved he wasn't some malicious schemer.
"I really was just picked up by Diancie—a wandering ghost."
"As for a name… she usually just calls me Elias…"
Elias thought for a moment. Diancie had always called him that; she'd never actually given him a proper name.
At the same time, he wasn't sure what to call the Queen before him.
Since she was also a Diancie, using human naming customs might cause confusion.
Seeing his awkwardness, she let out a small breath, feeling some of her own tension ease.
After a moment of thought, she slowly spoke:
"If it's for distinction, you may call me Dianna."
"That's the name I once gave myself while traveling among humans."
It wasn't hard to see—she was quite pleased with this name.
The way she lifted her chin in pride reminded Elias so much of Diancie.
The only difference was that her manner carried more grandeur and boldness.
...
A short while later.
After finishing her talk with Elias, Dianna also sank into thought.
At last, she understood why Diancie had always clutched that "broken stone."
When her successor had once claimed there was life energy inside it, she had dismissed it with scorn, thinking the child was hallucinating.
Because, no matter how it looked, it was just a lump of stone.
But now, it was clear—the one lacking vision had been herself.
Inside what seemed a common diamond, a ghost like the man before her was actually bound.
That was entirely beyond her expectations.
Yet instead of alarm, she felt a measure of relief.
Because his presence, helping Diancie grow, had solved her greatest worry.
Diancie, with her physical limitations, had never been suited to bear the role of Queen.
But Dianna's own body grew weaker day by day.
Every day she was forced to think about what would happen after she died, how to pass the throne smoothly to Diancie.
And for so long, she had found no good answer.
Even breaking the bottom line, asking humans for help—
none of them could possibly match her kind's lifespan, living for centuries.
But now, at this critical moment, this ghost had appeared.
"Diancie may not be very clever, but she's kind at heart."
"I hope… you'll treat her well."
After some thought, she spoke sincerely.
As for her own condition, she had no intention of mentioning it.
In her mind, that was already a settled matter, not something that needed to be revealed too early.
"I will."
Elias nodded, promising.
At such a time, a swift answer was the most reassuring.
Hearing his firm response, Dianna felt satisfied.
And yet… she realized she was a little envious of her successor.
At a time when her future looked bleak, Diancie had met such a companion—one who could both protect her and help her grow stronger.
Luck like that was rare beyond compare.
Her own situation was just as grim, but clearly she was not so fortunate.
At that thought, she let out an involuntary sigh.
Seeing this, Elias narrowed his eyes slightly.
He guessed what Dianna was thinking.
After a moment's consideration, he spoke:
"If you're willing, I can examine your body."
"Maybe… there's a way to heal it."
At his words, Dianna, lost in thought, suddenly snapped back.
After hearing clearly, her breath caught sharply.
Her gaze sharpened at once, fixing on Elias.
"You know about my condition?"
So many Carbink in the clan hadn't noticed—how could a ghost tell something was wrong with her?
At that, Elias spread his hands and said:
"If you look closely, it's actually quite obvious."
As he spoke, he released a trace of psychic energy.
Dianna fell into silence.
She hadn't expected him to be able to use psychic power as well.
Were there even types among ghosts?
Thinking this, she mulled over his earlier offer again.
To examine her body…
She knew it was most likely futile, but strangely enough, a faint sense of anticipation welled up.
She wanted, somehow, to give it a try.
"If you're willing, then try it."
After a moment, she nodded, feigning calm as she agreed.
At the same time, she extended a slender arm, indicating Elias could begin.
---
T/N:
"Mm. If you've read this far, I suppose you're at least a little invested."
"If you want to support the translator, there's a Patreon here: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional—think of it as tossing a few extra coins on the counter. Early chapters are just a bonus side-effect of that support."
"This place also has its own strange currency… Powerstones. For every 100 Powerstones the story gets, you'll receive 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp… you can do the math."
"If you'd rather talk than throw money or stones, there's a Discord: discord.gg/wisetl. Go there if you want to complain, theorize, or poke the translator for more updates. Just don't expect me to mediate your arguments."
Say thank you to Maomao guys