I'm stunned to silence for a little while, but eventually climb to my feet as well.
"I-Ilina, I don't think…" (Mizuki)
Ilina cuts me off again with a smirk and a dismissive gesture.
"Relax, Mizuki, it was just on the cheek. Nina and I have an agreement, so feel free to tell her about it. If she takes issue, her and I can talk again." (Ilina)
Ilina gives me a smile and is acting nonchalant, but I can see her blushing slightly. Nina and her are talking about me like they negotiated timesharing contracts, but I'm a person not a beach house! I shake my head in exasperation, but I decide that it's best to move on.
"Ilina, that aside, I actually need to talk to you about our trip to the Elven Kingdom. There are a number of serious topics I'd like us to discuss." (Mizuki)
Ilina's expression turns somewhat nervous as she responds.
"Yeah, I suppose that we do. I'm nervous about bringing you around my family, especially my mother. I'll also be revealing that I snuck out of the country, and dragging a dangerous Elder Dragon into the palace, so I'm sure I'll be getting lectured extensively when we return. I'm glad we're closer now, though, because I at least trust you to not cause trouble. What did you want to discuss?" (Ilina)
"Well, for starters, what group dynamic we should present to your family. If possible, I'd like you and Klaus to act as though I'm Nina's subordinate like before. If the elves think that Nina is stronger than me and I follow her orders, I think they'd be less likely to act on their prejudice or to fear me. I don't mind you mentioning that I seemed strong, just not how strong. I know you might consider this lying to your mother or something, so I wanted us to discuss it." (Mizuki)
Ilina looks conflicted, but she responds surprisingly quickly.
"I'm not sure how my mother will react to you, since we're not as close as you'd assume. My father, the King, would probably be okay to trust, but he'd tell my mother anything he learned. So, as much as I don't want to hide information from the Queen of my own country, I think it's for the best if we do exactly as you suggest. I'll make sure to convince Klaus to keep quiet about you, and we'll just act like everything we learned about you after you freed the elves didn't happen." (Ilina)
I smile at her apologetically.
"I really appreciate that, Ilina, and if you have any requests for me about what to say or do when we get there, I'm happy to reciprocate?" (Mizuki)
Ilina smiles gratefully, then looks a little embarrassed.
"Uhm…actually…could we keep how close we've gotten a secret for now? As you can imagine, it might cause serious issues with the elven royals and nobility if they knew a princess was so close with a human. They're judgmental like that. I'm not embarrassed of our friendship, I promise, I just don't want to cause any more trouble while we're there. So, just pretend that we're polite acquaintances?" (Ilina)
I nod my agreement with a warm smile, and bite back my desire to tease her.
"Sure thing, and I'm not offended. I don't care if it's a secret. So long as we're friends with each other, that's good enough for me. Anyway, my next question was if Zara and Alto can accompany me as part of Nina's party. I figured it wouldn't be that weird, since leaders of other nations usually travel with an escort." (Mizuki)
Ilina nods thoughtfully as I speak.
"Yeah, I was a little resistant at first, but you're right. If you consider Nina kind of like the leader of a major country, it would be rude to refuse her small escort as well. So long as you are sure that everyone won't cause issues or start anything, I'm fine with that. You should ask Alto if she's fine with your ruse though, since she may have to lie to the Queen." (Ilina)
Ah, that's actually a really good point.
[Hey, Alto, can we talk really quick?] (Mizuki)
Alto looks surprised, then runs over to Ilina and I after my thought message. She's wearing a curious expression on her face.
"Hey, Mizuki, what did you want to discuss?" (Alto)
"I was telling Ilina my plan for our visit to the Elven Kingdom tomorrow. The story is that I'm Nina's subordinate, and weaker than her if anyone asks. The question is, are you okay backing up that story? It may involve you lying to the Queen if you were asked directly." (Mizuki)
Alto has a solemn face, but nods.
"Yes, I'd already come to terms with that, especially if Princess Ilina is on board. I don't want to lie to my Queen, but if the truth caused aggressive actions from other elves, I'd never be able to forgive myself for the collateral damage of you defending yourself. I'll stick to whatever story you want, as long as you think it's best for everyone's safety." (Alto)
I nod at her appreciatively.
"Thanks, Alto, you can go continue training if you want. That was all I needed to know. Ilina and I will sort out everything else." (Mizuki)
Alto nods, then takes off back to her training with a wave. I turn my attention to Ilina.