After finishing the noodles Rion made, the doll leaned back leisurely, sipping the warm tea before him.
“Hmm... this tea isn’t bad. Must be from a premium brand.”

Rion rolled his eyes.
(That’s just cheap tea from a street stall...)

Elarion studied the cup for a moment, then looked up at Rion with a serious expression.
“So, you’re telling me this world has no kingdoms? No magic?”

“Yes,” Rion replied with a nod. “We live by technology, not magic.”

Elarion frowned, glancing at the light on the ceiling.
“Then how does that lamp glow without a magic crystal?!”

“Because of electricity,” Rion explained casually.

“Elec...tricity?” Elarion repeated, as if he’d just heard a forbidden spell.

He turned to the window, his expression growing somber.
“Perhaps... I’ve been cast into another dimension. When those mages came after me, the curse trapped me inside this doll’s body... and now I’ve ended up in a foreign world.”

Rion looked at him with sympathy—though he couldn’t help finding the drama in his tone a bit amusing.
“Hey, uh, comm— I mean, you,” Elarion corrected himself as Rion glanced at him sharply. “When you found me, was there some kind of magic circle around you?”

“Magic circle?” Rion shook his head. “Nope. You were just lying under a tree.”

Elarion lowered his gaze.
“Then... I can’t return to Aurevienne. At least, not yet.”

Rion scratched the back of his head.
“You can look for it tomorrow. When I head to school, I’ll go with you to that spot.”

Elarion looked at him for a moment, then turned away—his expression somewhere between embarrassed and prideful.
“Even though your face is unsightly, your manners aren’t half bad.”

“Hey!” Rion glared at him. “Is that really how you talk to your rescuer?”

“Hmph.” Elarion turned his head away in feigned indifference.

With a sigh, Rion sat on the edge of the bed.
“Alright, Your Highness—what was your name again? I forgot.”

Elarion stared at him in disbelief.
“You’ve already forgotten? I said it clearly earlier.”

“Your name’s too long.”

Elarion took a deep breath, then declared proudly,
“Elarion van Auralithia Eiravell, Prince of the Kingdom of Aurevienne.”

Rion blinked. “Elarion, huh? Our names sound kinda similar. But it’s weird to call you that. I’ll just call you Ravell—short and simple.”

“Hey!” Elarion protested immediately. “It’s improper to address a prince by his last name! Only certain people are allowed to call me that!”

Rion gave a small grin.
“Told you—there are no princes or nobles here. Everyone’s equal. So, Ravell, you’d better get some sleep. Tomorrow we’ll go find your magic circle.”

Elarion shot him a sharp look.
“Just wait until I return to my true form.”

Rion pulled up his blanket with a faint smile.
“Go ahead—if you can.”

The room light dimmed slowly.
Outside, the rain still whispered against the window, and in the quiet that followed, a small voice came from the table’s edge.

“Rion... thank you.”

Rion didn’t reply—he was already fast asleep.