As Lovino ends his story, Elise comes back to reality. She looks down at the ground and mumbles, "I can't believe I forgot all that."
"You were little, it's understandable." Lovino told her, shrugging.
"I am sorry my grandfather killed your father." She said, looking down in shame.
He put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's not your fault, and you shouldn't have to suffer for what he did, nobody should," he said, "that's why we're ending this war."
Elise nodded and said, "thank you."
There was a short period of silence before Lovino asked, "How do you think we can end this war anyways?"
Elise fiddled with her ribbon, before saying, "We just have to show them that war is not the answer to the sins of one man."
Lovino gave her shoulder a squeeze, smiling. "Let's write up a peace treaty, si?"
The two spent nearly an hour writing and making compromises before Lovino got up, looking at the watch around his wrist. Elise looked up at Lovino, slightly surprised by his sudden action.
Lovino muttered something under his breath and started picking up the papers they had spread across their table, saying "I have to go; I have to meet with Emma. Meet me back here tomorrow?"
Elise nodded and helped him organize their papers. "I'll take these home with me," she offered.
Lovino thanked her and kissed her forehead before dashing out of the café. Elise shyly skimmed her fingers against where his lips touched and blushed. She put the papers in her bag and sipped her coffee, watching the window for the driver to come to deliver her home. When he arrived she grabbed up her bag and skipped out to the car.
It was a different, friendlier, driver this time who responded to her small talk. They discussed the weather and the driver asked Elise about affairs in Berlin. Elise told her she honestly knew nothing about family business. Eventually came the topic of what Elise was doing at the café. Elise panicked internally; she had no idea what she could say she was doing there.
She blurted out the first lie she could think of, saying, a little too loud, "I was on a date!" Realizing what she had just said she continued on with "please don't tell my brother."
The driver chuckled before agreeing not to tell Basch. The driver told Elise to just come to her whenever she needed to go on her secret dates as they arrived back at the estate. Elise bowed her head and thanked the driver before skipping from the garage and up to her room.
As soon as Elise arrived in her room she slipped the papers from her bag under her mattress where, hopefully, nobody would find them. She ran to Basch's office and entered unannounced to see him yelling at some people in suits. When he saw Elise enter his face visibly softened from the harsh angry expression to a kind welcoming face ushering Elise in. Elise, not wanting to intrude more than she already had just quietly said "er, I'm home now, hello brother, I'll be in my room," before scurrying away. As she walked away she heard the shouting resume.
When Elise returned to her room she began to make the necessary call home to her father. The phone rang for a few minutes before her father's familiar voice came over the line.
"Hello," he said, sounding annoyed to have received a call at the present time.
Elise cheered back "Hi daddy."
There was a short pause before Roderich asked "Who is this?"
"How many people call you Daddy?" Elise asked, confused.
Elise could nearly hear him thinking before he piped up "Oh, Elise! It is wonderful to hear from you, how's Switzerland?"
"Switzerland is good; it's been nice to see Basch again. How's Germany?" she asked, barely caring.
Her father sounded so cheerful to talk to her when he said "Oh it's wonderful; your old uncle Ludwig is as strict as ever, Gilbert broke a lamp yesterday, and Edwin's condition has been improving steadily."
Elise rejoiced to here of her young brother getting healthier. "Oh, daddy, that's great," she cheered.
Roderich coughed rather awkwardly before saying, "well I have to be getting back to work, I'll talk to you tomorrow?"
"Sure thing," Elise agreed, hanging up the phone. She picked the phone back up immediately and dialed the number of her uncle Ludwig. She rolled around her small bed as she waited for him to answer.
After about a minute Ludwig picked up the phone with a harsh, "Hello, state your business."
Elise was concerned by his angry tone and politely said, "I am sorry Uncle Ludwig, was this a bad time?"
Ludwig audibly gasped upon realizing he had just yelled at his niece. He immediately changed to a kinder tone when he said, "Good afternoon Elise, it's lovely to hear from you. How are you?"
Elise smiled when she heard him sweeten up. "I am good Uncle Ludwig; I was just calling to ask about family affairs, I didn't get to hear your lunch time speech since I'm in Zurich," she said in her sweetest tone, trying to win his favor.
Ludwig was elated to hear that Elise was actually interested in business and began rambling on about everything the family was doing. "Well, the war with the Vargas' is going well; there hasn't been a loss in three months." Elise silently rejoiced at this news. "And discussions of alliances are going smoothly. The Oxenstierna's seem very eager to partner with us and we may be able to form an alliance stronger than any other before. The Adnan's may partner with us but we are still in the early stages of arrangements." Elise ignored most of this information as she didn't particularly care.
After his long speech on family business Elise piped up asking, "Would it be possible for the war with the Vargas' to ever end."
Ludwig laughed over the line, "Of course it will end, we will win any day now, don't you worry, little one. Now I'm sorry but I must get back to work."
Elise said, "Goodbye" and hung up the phone. She spent the rest of the day thinking up arrangements she and Lovino could make to end the war, land deals and trades, that would ensure a truce.
[as always reviews are wonderful and amazing]