Chapter 19: Self Consumption
Emerging from between the trees, Elise gradually stepped into the faint moonlight, her breath turning to white mist in the cold air as she approached him.
She stopped a short distance away, her eyes falling to the extinguished cigarette at his feet before looking back up at him.
"Is it really that good?"
"Hm?"
"The cigarettes," she clarified with a curious tilt of her head. "Are they really that comforting? My father smokes from time to time, and he always says it helps ease his mind whenever he’s overwhelmed. I was wondering if... maybe it’s the same for you."
Ilya looked down at the cigarette one last time before giving a small shrug.
"I don’t know if I’d call it good."
He slipped the empty cigarette pack back into his pocket.
"...But for a little while, it makes the cold easier to forget."
Elise watched him, feeling as though there was far more meaning behind those words than the cigarette itself.
"...Is it alright if I try one?"
"Huh?"
Ilya looked at her in mild surprise.
"Well... they’re not exactly good for you," he replied. "Even if modern medicine can deal with most of the long-term effects, people still tend to look down on smoking. Besides, I don’t think it’s something worth picking up out of curiosity—"
"Can I?"
Ilya stared at her for another second before letting out a sigh.
"...Help yourself."
He pulled the cigarette pack from his pocket and held it out to her.
Elise carefully took one between her fingers, examining it from every angle as though it were some rare magical artifact instead of an ordinary cigarette.
After a moment of hesitation, she awkwardly placed it between her lips before looking back at Ilya with an expectant expression.
"...Now what?"
"...You’ve really never done this before."
"I haven’t."
"Here."
Ilya flicked open the lighter and held the small flame in front of her. Elise leaned forward a little too cautiously, and after a second, the tip of the cigarette finally caught the flame.
"Cough! Cough...!"
It didn’t take long for Elise to double over, coughing repeatedly as she hurriedly pulled the cigarette away from her lips, tears beginning to well at the corners of her eyes.
"I-It burns...!"
"...That’s usually how first cigarettes go."
Without a trace of surprise, Ilya took the cigarette back from her before she accidentally dropped it onto the snow.
"Like this," he said.
Without thinking much of it, he placed the same cigarette between his own lips. The moment Elise realized what he had just done, her face instantly turned bright red, and she hurriedly pointed at the cigarette with wide eyes.
"W-Wait! That was just in my mouth—"
Ilya leaned forward and raised a finger to his lips, quietly signaling for her to lower her voice, completely oblivious to her outburst.
Holding the cigarette between his fingers, Ilya took a slow, measured inhale before removing it from his lips.
"Don’t pull too hard," he explained. "Just draw the smoke into your mouth first. Most people try to inhale everything at once, and that’s exactly why they end up coughing."
He demonstrated once more, slowing each movement so she could follow.
"Take a small draw, pause for a moment, then inhale gently. It’s easier that way."
Elise watched with complete concentration, nodding far more seriously than the lesson probably deserved.
Taking a careful breath, she raised the cigarette to her lips once more and tried to imitate exactly what Ilya had shown her.
This time she managed to draw in the smoke more gently, though only a second later she was coughing all over again, hurriedly waving the cigarette away from her face.
"Ugh... it’s really bitter..." she complained, her eyes watering. "Why do you even like this stuff?"
Ilya couldn’t help letting out a laugh.
"Pfft—It’s an acquired taste. Besides, there are flavored cigarettes on the market these days. I’ve never tried them myself, but I’ve heard they’re supposed to be a lot easier on beginners—"
Halfway through his explanation, Ilya suddenly stopped.
"...What?"
Elise smiled to herself, her eyes turning crescent. "You really can talk this much after all."
"...Is it that strange?"
"No." She laughed. "It’s just... such a gap. I wasn’t expecting it..."
Their conversation continued for another minute. Then, from farther down the trail, another figure gradually emerged from the darkness.
"Oh."
Siegfried.
The Crown Prince slowed to a stop the moment he noticed the two of them chattering. His eyes wandered from the cigarette in Elise’s hand to Ilya standing beside her before a knowing smile slowly spread across his face.
"Hey, you two," he called out. "Dinner’s ready! If you don’t hurry back, Gilbert’s going to finish everything before either of you gets a chance!"
Ilya let out a chuckle before looking toward Elise.
"Shall we head back?"
"Yeah." She nodded before hesitating. "...And, um... thanks for letting me keep you company. I know things have been a little awkward between us lately, but—"
"Yes."
"...Ah."
Elise stood there for a brief moment before letting out a small, awkward smile, deciding not to continue the conversation. Turning around first, she made her way back toward the camp, leaving Ilya and Siegfried to follow several steps behind.
The two walked side by side in silence for a while, the only sounds accompanying them being the crunch of snow and the laughter coming from the campsite.
"Hey, Ilya."
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
Siegfried rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Do you like Elise?"
Ilya glanced at him. "...What brought that on all of a sudden?"
"To be honest..." Siegfried admitted with a sheepish laugh, "I like her. She’s kind, easy to talk to, and somehow always manages to make people feel comfortable. But..."
He looked toward the camp where Elise had already disappeared.
"...I get the feeling she likes somebody else."
Ilya wasn’t particularly surprised.
After all, Elise was the story’s heroine, while Siegfried was its protagonist. From the very beginning, they had always been the pair the narrative revolved around.
If anything, hearing the protagonist admit his feelings this early simply confirmed that the story was still moving along familiar tracks.
"Is that so?" Ilya replied. "Then you don’t have to worry, Your Highness. Elise and I were close once, but that’s all in the past. I don’t see her that way."
Siegfried nodded slowly. "...That’s a relief."
Then, after another few steps, he spoke again.
"...The problem is, I don’t think the past is the problem."
"Hm?"
"I think..." He let out an awkward laugh. "I’m pretty sure Elise still has feelings for you..."
"...Huh."
Ilya wasn’t oblivious.
None of that was supposed to happen, according to the story he remembered, yet somehow, reality had already long diverged from the novel that even that wasn’t particularly surprising.
"So here’s what I’m confused about," Siegfried continued. "If that’s really the case... what am I actually supposed to do?"
He scratched his cheek with an embarrassed smile.
"Do I start smoking too?"
"...."
"Ah, that’s not meant as a jab," Siegfried hurriedly clarified. "Sorry if it came across that way..."
He let out a helpless sigh.
"...It’s just that I’ve been wondering lately whether I’m missing something. People are always telling me I’m dependable, or kind, or easy to get along with, but sometimes I wonder if that’s all they see. Maybe I’m just... too straightforward. Too nice. The sort of person everyone likes, but no one ever falls in love with."
"...."
Ilya stared at him for a long moment.
’What on earth is this guy talking about?’
Of all people, Siegfried had chosen to ask someone with absolutely no experience in romance.
More importantly, he was the Crown Prince of the Empire. Countless noble ladies admired him already, so if he had fallen for someone who wasn’t immediately swept away by his title, that was hardly a problem Ilya believed anyone else could solve.
"Should I become more like you, Ilya?"
The question was asked with a laugh.
Yet behind that easygoing smile, Ilya sensed a meaning that wasn’t nearly as lighthearted.
"Your Highness."
"It’s Sieg."
"Your Highness," Ilya repeated calmly. "It might not seem that way, but I still have enough self-respect to know what you’re trying to say. If you’ve come here wondering whether you should start acting more like a troublemaker just because you think that’s what Elise likes... then I can’t even pretend to entertain that idea, even if it comes from you."
He met Siegfried’s gaze without the slightest trace of humor.
"Don’t mistake my life for qualities worth admiring."
Whoosh——
The mountain wind brushed through the trees as the air gradually grew colder.
Siegfried stopped walking, his golden eyes remaining fixed on Ilya as the smile on his face slowly softened into something more thoughtful.
"...I really did think I was overthinking it... But now I’m certain..."
"...?"
"Ilya. You’re a wizard, aren’t you?"
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