"Ah!"
"How could this be..."
When night fell, Emilia, Annie, Ram, Rem, and their host, Anastasia Hoshin, who had invited them here, had all finished bathing and changing into dry clothes. They emerged together from the inn's hot-spring baths and entered the large dining hall, where everyone sat directly on the floor. Only then did they discover in astonishment that several familiar faces had appeared.
"Felt, Crusch Karsten, and Priscilla Barielle..."
"Why are you all here?"
Naturally, Emilia had never expected all five candidates for the throne to gather in one place, so she covered her mouth and exclaimed in surprise.
"Please don't be so surprised, Emilia."
"Actually..."
"Just like you, Crusch and Felt were invited by me. As for the details, why don't we talk while we eat?"
Anastasia Hoshin, now dressed in a snow-white gown, smiled as she came out from behind Emilia and explained things to Emilia, Crusch, Felt, and the others, who were equally bewildered.
After bathing together in the hot springs and fooling around as they went about their daily routine, she and Emilia's group had become fairly familiar with each other. They were not close friends yet, but at least they could now address one another by name instead of treating each other merely as competitors.
Of course, she had not mentioned the "Blood Bride," Priscilla Barielle, just now, because Priscilla had come uninvited. Anastasia simply had not felt comfortable refusing her entry or driving her away.
Still, her arrival was not a bad thing. The upcoming matters would keep the candidates busy for quite some time, and having another ally was always beneficial.
"Ah!"
"I see..."
With a soft exclamation, Emilia nodded as if she understood, then did not ask any further questions.
"All right!"
"Emilia, now that everyone is here, let's take