Hoshino did not beat around the bush. She unfolded the letter and handed it over.
"Ah, it's my younger sister."
After just one glance, the princess inside the tent sighed.
She seemed completely unconcerned with the letter. After reading it, she handed it back to Hoshino.
"She hasn't been doing this for just a day or two. You aren't the first to receive a letter, but you are the most surprising one... so much so that we have no choice but to take this seriously. On my way here, I even heard people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs grumbling under their breath."
"So?"
Hoshino remained unmoved.
Separated by a veil, she could not make out the person inside clearly. All she could vaguely see was a pair of sheep horns.
She began imagining the woman inside as a mature version of Eyjafjalla again. She wondered when she would finally get to see the twins' true faces. Leithanien's emblem was a sheep, and sheep seemed to hold some special significance here.
"Where is your younger sister?"
"She's sick."
Hoshino understood somewhat, but she did not nod, merely accepting that utterly ridiculous explanation.
When she had left the tower, though a light veil had kept her from seeing the woman's face clearly and they had exchanged only a few words, Hoshino had still keenly picked up on something.
This elder sister's attitude was weak.
She was truly afraid. Hoshino's arrival alone had frightened her immensely.
But why?
Hoshino had never quite understood it. This was the empress who had overthrown the old king. Subjectively, Hoshino believed someone like that should possess the bearing of a dynasty's founder.
If she could not figure it out, then she would not think about it. All confusion came from insufficient information.
"Have fun... in Leithanien?"