◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
One day, the door to Flio's house swung open. "I'm home!" came
Garyl's cheerful voice.
"Oh! Big brother Garyl! Welcome home!" Rylnàsze came running to
greet her brother, Sybe in his unicorn rabbit form and his wife Shebe right
behind. Farther behind them, the couple's children, Sube, Sebe, and Sobe,
came trailing along.
"Thanks for coming to greet me, everyone!" Garyl said with a smile and
a bow as the five unicorn rabbits gathered around him, standing on their
hind legs and snuffling proudly.
"Where is big sister Elinàsze?" Rylnàsze asked.
"She said she was gonna stop by the Fli-o'-Rys General Store today,"
said Garyl.
"Oh, I see!"
Garyl made his way into the living room, where his father Flio was
waiting. "Welcome home, Garyl," Flio said.
"Thanks, dad," said Garyl, returning the greeting. Then, he noticed the
other person in the room—a woman. "Huh?" Garyl's eyes opened wide in
surprise.
"U-Um..." the Maiden Queen started. "W-Welcome home, Garyl!"
"M-Miss Ellie?" Garyl asked, his expression a mixture of joy and
confusion. "Wh-Why are you in our house?"
The Maiden Queen looked down at her feet, cheeks flushing red with
embarrassment, apparently unable to speak. Noticing her predicament, Flio
took over and explained the situation, smiling his usual easygoing smile.
"The Maiden Queen is trying to deepen her understanding of the lives of
her subjects, and so she wanted to find an ordinary household where she
could stay and participate in daily life on her days off. We were just
discussing whether or not our house would be suitable. Personally, I'd say
we won't know until we try it, but what do you think, Garyl?"
O-Of course, it was Leusoc who proposed this whole plan... the Maiden
Queen thought to herself.
The small amount of progress Garyl and the Maiden Queen had made in
deepening their relationship during their trip to the Calgosi Coast had only
exacerbated Leusoc's sense of crisis about the whole affair. "The only way
to solve this is to have you and Garyl live under the same roof!" she had
declared and had immediately begun brainstorming with Flio to try to think
of a plausible enough pretext.
"O-Oh!" the Maiden Queen said, looking up at Garyl with slightly
pleading eyes. "A-And while I'm spending time under your roof, I would
like it if you would treat me not as the Maiden Queen but as Ellie, the
ordinary girl..." She was wearing a pair of false glasses in an attempt to
disguise her identity.
Garyl smiled cheerfully. "Of course she can stay! I can't think of a
single reason to refuse!" He rushed up to her, lifting her off her feet and
grinning from ear to ear.
"Huh? G-Garyl?!" Ellie exclaimed as Garyl held her in his arms. This
time, it was her turn to be unsure if joy or confusion was the appropriate
reaction.
"Miss Ellie?" said Rys, smiling as she poked her head in from the
kitchen. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt you when you seem to be enjoying
yourself so much, but could you perhaps give me some assistance?"
"O-Oh! Of course! Coming!" Ellie said. Garyl placed her back down on
the floor, and she ran off towards the kitchen in a considerable rush.
"I would like you to try peeling vegetables today, if you don't mind,"
Rys said.
"Y-Yes, understood!" said Ellie. "S-So...you want me to peel all of
these?"
"That's right," Rys confirmed. "This is a large household full of big
eaters, after all. I trust you're up to the task?"
"Y-Yes!" Ellie replied, straightening up her back. "I will do my best!"
She took a knife in one hand, grabbed a potalpo from the basket Rys had
handed her, and began to peel with a very serious expression on her face.
She was doing her best, but her skills left something to be desired.
Flio and Garyl smiled as they watched Ellie work in the kitchen. "It
looks like Miss Ellie's giving it her best shot, in a number of ways," Flio
said.
"That's right," said Garyl. "And I've gotta give it my best shot too, so I
can get into the Klyrode Institute for Chivalric Education!" And with that,
he hurried back for the front door. "Dad? Would you mind helping me study
magic until dinnertime? I still have a lot of trouble with flying spells..."
"Sure!" Flio said, smiling back at his son. "Let's head outside, then."
When did Garyl become this mature...? he wondered to himself as he
followed Garyl out the front entrance.
The evening sun shone down on Flio and Garyl as Flio helped his son
practice flight magic while dinner was being prepared. Eventually, Elinàsze
made her way home and joined in on their impromptu lesson, as did Hiya
and Damalynas. More and more people came to watch, until eventually a
great crowd had gathered in the front garden. It was another peaceful day
for Flio and his family.