I glance back up at Ilina, my inner thoughts plainly written on my face. Meeting her gaze, I can see a touch of fear and hurt slowly creeping into her expression as the silence between us lingers, and it almost breaks me. Because I know that she's done nothing to make me doubt her, but she's also asking for a level of blind trust that I'm not sure I'm capable of.
Resolving myself for the consequences, I let out a deep sigh and give her a sad smile.
"I'm sorry, Ilina. You deserve more from me...I hope you can forgive me for thinking about it so long. If you really believe that this is for the best, then I'll grant your favor. You have my complete trust." (Mizuki)
I see relief wash over Ilina like a wave, and for a brief moment there's a hint of tears forming in the corners of her eyes and it looks like she wants to say something. However, the moment passes just as suddenly, and I see her steel herself with resolve once again. She smiles at me with a calm warmth and gives my hand one final squeeze as her voice comes out in a whisper.
"Thank you, Mizuki..." (Ilina)
She immediately lets go of my hand and turns around to face the others in the room, her face now a mask of confidence. She's met with a number of flabbergasted expressions, most notably Elira's.
"There you have it. You most certainly have plenty to gain from publicly supporting our marriage. Specifically, a train and an MMC for each of you. Now, Mizuki has made a huge commitment to our people, despite his reservations about preferential treatment between races.
"Quite frankly, our people have done absolutely nothing to deserve it, but he did it anyway. So, the real question is, how much does that mean to all of you?" (Ilina)
She sweeps her gaze across the still stunned nobles, lingering on Helena and Darak the most, but Tessa's voice is the first one heard in response.
"All this proves to me is that Mizuki's feelings for you are far more serious than I originally guessed, and that he's less rigid than I expected. While that's reassuring, it doesn't change the more fundamental issues. Yes, we stand more to gain short-term than I expected, but that's all. If we were discussing a subtle, informal romance, you'd have a better case.
"However, you're insisting on a public marriage. Mizuki will die of old age long before you become Queen. When he does, there's no guarantee he'll leave those gifts behind. Even if he did, he says we have no way to replicate them when they break. With time, these benefits would quickly be lost, but the ramifications of our future Queen marrying a non-elf would remain." (Tessa)
To my surprise, Tessa's voice is soft, almost sympathetic, and I can't see any animosity towards me in her gaze. Nonetheless, Ilina raises her eyebrows, her voice taking on a challenging tone.
"So, this is about him not being an elf? I find that hard to believe. If I were proposing to marry an Elder Dragon, would you be as resistant?" (Ilina)
Tessa's gaze doesn't waver. She shakes her head calmly.
"No, but that's different. An Elder Dragon wouldn't die of old age, and our people have no negative history with their race. Even then, I'd still be somewhat resistant. Our Queen needs an heir, an elven heir with your lifespan, and I doubt an Elder Dragon husband would be able to provide you one. Of course, if you were to also take an elven lover for that purpose, that issue would be solved, but I digress." (Tessa)
Ilina's lips twist into a humorless smirk.
"Then, what if you knew that Mizuki will live at least as long as I will? What if you could also be sure that he could sire an elven heir like you described?" (Ilina)
Tessa sighs heavily, her expression becoming weary, giving the distinct impression that she thinks Ilina has now devolved into a childish game of hypotheticals. Meanwhile, I see Elira, Dargo, and Cara, all of whom aren't privy to Ilina's plan but know those things to be true, listen for Tessa's response expectantly.
"Even if all of that were possible, it wouldn't change my opinion. It solves many issues, and I confess that it makes exiling you far more problematic since it would last the rest of your life, but it also creates new problems. For one, even if it was only in name, Mizuki would live long enough that he'd become King.
"At this point, I have no issue admitting that I...misjudged...Mizuki. Learning about how tolerant he's been despite the power he wields, I trust that he doesn't need to be our enemy. If circumstances were different, I'd want to make amends for how I've behaved. Truthfully, after seeing him make decisions today, I'll even go so far to agree that he has all the makings of a fine king and husband. But...he's still human.
"If he manages to become King without our people rioting, if anything like an Empire invasion happens under your rule that he can be blamed for, he will be blamed for it. That may very well tear the country apart. Even if the people love him wholeheartedly, and your reign goes down in history as our race's golden age, that may be just as bad.
"How long do you think, with Mizuki as their only firsthand example of humanity, we could reasonably maintain our anti-human policies? What do you think would happen with the Empire or another human country if they weren't so stringently banned? What are the repercussions of that when Mizuki isn't around to protect us anymore, and the fear of humans is a distant memory to our people?
"I'm sorry, but I still refuse to support your marriage, and I'm honestly tired of hypotheticals. We have a real threat at our door to concern ourselves with." (Tessa)
I stare at Tessa in surprise, lost for words just like everyone else. I can't speak for the others' reasons, but...I can't believe that Tessa just gave me such a glowing review. Everything from her tone to her words suggests that whatever personal vendetta she had against me before has been wiped clean by today's events. If I didn't know any better, she sounds downright pained by the thought of exiling Ilina and me.
The unexpected calm after Tessa's speech is suddenly shattered by Helena's flippant tone.
"Well, Tessa may not be sold, but I am. I don't care that he'll kick it in under a century, or that we can't replicate his enchanted items after that. They're all made out of sturdy metals, and it's only the magical components that we can't replace. If we take very good care of them, they'll last more than long enough to make it worth it. If Lady Nedonera sticks it out for her sister-wife after that, and/or learns how to replicate the trains with her own divine power, then that's a bonus." (Helena)
I have to suppress a chuckle over her bluntness, but thankfully several voices follow hers, covering my amusement.
"I concur...I'll support the marriage." (Darak)
"Naturally, I never withdrew mine." (Alara)
"The same goes for me." (Cara)
I glance at Ilina, and I see a wide, victorious grin spread across her face. Meanwhile, Elira and Dargo, who have done their best to abstain from interrupting, wear more reserved expressions as they stare at Tessa expectantly. Catching their gaze on her, she merely shakes her head.
"Their support doesn't change my mind." (Tessa)
The King's and Queen's faces grow solemn, and Dargo lets out a deep sigh, his eyes full of pain and pleading as he looks up at the still smiling Ilina.
"Ilina...dear..." (Dargo)