It was good that you decided to listen to me, but if you had to attend the tea party, you should have mentioned it beforehand!
I sat next to Kyle, pouting. Fortunately, I had clothes that had been made for the engagement, so I was able to avoid looking out of place among the elegantly dressed nobles.
Of course, the system would tell me the original content, so it would be more convenient for me to attend in person...
"Try this too."
Perhaps Kyle noticed that I wasn't in a good mood, because he began to arrange all sorts of desserts on the plate in front of me.
"That looks delicious, too. Would you like more tea?"
I picked up a fork and took a bite-sized muffin. It was so delicious that my grumpy expression melted away for a moment.
When Kyle saw that my face had brightened, he began to lavish me with treats. Muffins, scones, macarons, and even chocolate with a richly sweet mousse cake that would make your tongue tingle.
As I was eating the endless flow of food, Sen, at the table, smiled slightly.
"You still eat well."
"... Oh, yes, no...."
I hadn't noticed it because I was busy eating, but Sen had mentioned that she found her lost name after coming to the Imperial Palace. Didn't she say it was the beloved of the late lord who was killed by his biological mother?
It was probably Belial's doing. If she were to get engaged to a maid from the North, everyone would laugh at her.
I don't know what has happened here, but anyway, if I, as a commoner, treated Sen casually here, it would reflect poorly on her among the other noble girls.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince... How should I address her?"
"Since she's not engaged yet, you may call her Princess Lande."
"Yes, Princess Lande."
Then, a lady with her face covered by a fan said in a sly voice, "Oh my God, you look just like the late Baroness Lande. I would believe you if she came back. If it were the Baroness, she would never have returned."
Unlike her clear laughter, her words carried a sting.
Sen replied nonchalantly, "That's right. Still, I'm glad that I came from a commoner father. If my mother had been born of the palace, she wouldn't have dared to say this to me."
As I watched their conversation silently, a system window appeared lightly in front of me.
[Baroness Lande was the third candidate for Sen, who had a beloved, but was unable to overcome her family's demands and was used to keep the Duke of Klein in check by siding with the Emperor.]
It was exactly what Sen had told me the other day.
She wants revenge on the Empress for the downfall of her family. Therefore, she is trying to regain her lost name and use Belial to establish herself within the imperial family.
I looked at Belial, who was seated next to Sen.
He was talking to other nobles. He said a few words to Sen, but that was all. The two seemed too dry and calm to be lovers.
It was strange.
He doesn't love Sen, but he helps her regain her name and gets engaged? If he had heard about the Baroness of Lande, he would have known that it was no different from siding with my mother's political enemies.
"Do you have no appetite?"
Meanwhile, Kyle was still taking care of me. He touched the glass in front of me for a moment, then pulled the glass of ice water to his side.
"The tea is still hot, so if you're thirsty, drink this."
"... Oh, yes."
He is so meticulous.
I smiled and nodded. Don't just look at me, talk to me. Is he trying to screen out the nobles who were sympathetic to the North?
Ugh, I'd rather be bored than sick. I'll handle it. After all, I followed him to see this.
'Can I see the supporting characters' profiles?'
When I called out to the system, it jumped out as if it had been waiting for it.
[o(*￣▽￣*)o]
You like it! I've prepared a little something for this. Check it right away.
I looked at the older man sitting on the other end. Fiddling with his gray beard, he was chatting nonstop, and he seemed to know a lot. It didn't look very serious, though.
[Ron Castanets, the second son of the House of Baron Castanets and the Head Merchant of Castanets, with the largest estate in the Northeast.]
This was the Head Merchant of Castanets. He's shrewd.
[Trying to expand his business north to increase its size.]
However, there was no way that there was only one major merchant in this large piece of land.
If a competitor in the south was pressuring his business, he could have considered Blake's estate. Since it is barren land, they must be eager to buy crops from other regions even if they spend more money.
Since he is the second son, he will not inherit the family name, and if so, he will continue to build the business, but he cannot be satisfied with the position of the fourth largest merchant.
'If you coax him well, he will at least be useful. Let's hear what they have to say.'
I pricked up my ears and listened to Ron, who just happened to laugh out loud.
"So, the man in the strawberry-patterned sweater came in barefoot!"
... Let's stop listening.
No, how far is the rumor about that damn strawberry sweater spreading? Did he report that the Head Merchant had come to the capital? Is he really asking about a customer's personal history like this?!
Kyle followed my gaze and looked at the other side, muttering curiously.
"Strawberry pattern?"
"I didn't know that sweaters were sold in the world. It's sloppy as if a beginner made it himself, but it's like he forcibly increased the size again...."
Kyle seemed to think of the strawberry sweater he had knitted for me.
Yes, that's right. Actually, I can't even say that the sweater hasn't stretched.
I quickly turned around and blocked Kyle's view.
"Haha, it seems that strawberry patterns are trendy these days."
"... Is that so? Then even if Cashew Nuts doesn't have strawberry prints...."
"No, it's not. That's not it."
Do you have to wear a full strawberry set? Knit something else!
Anyway, not for now, but after the topic is over, I'll talk to you. It wouldn't hurt to give Kyle a little tip.
I turned my head and began to look at the other nobles.
[Jaden Piroke, a distant cousin of Duke Klein, who has a mean personality and takes care of the Duke's dirty work.]
I can't deal with him.
[Earl Poppins, hostile to Duke Klein.]
'... Huh?'
You don't get along with Duke Klein? Are you talking to Belial like that?
I looked awkwardly at Belial as he laughed and conversed with his grandfather's enemy.
A few nobles were stationed around him, and the system popped up and told them what their relationship was with Duke Klein.
[The family originally lived in a mansion in the capital, owned a mine and supplied jewelry, but lost their patron after the Empress lost favor.]
[He was insulted by Prince Lorenz and expelled....]
[As a longtime friend of the lord....]
'...?'
Something was wrong.
Most of the people I identified were sympathetic to Belial. However, they were also related to the late Baroness Lande or had a bad relationship with Duke Klein, his maternal family.
I felt a subtle undercurrent. To be precise, the aristocrats seemed to be divided into two halves. Either they were close to Belial, or they were close to the Empress and Lorenz.
[乂(>◇< );;;] Don't slack off, give me more. Don't you see the atmosphere right now? I don't know when we'll get together like this. Engagement parties are crazy! [ (x_x) ] Don't procrastinate! Make the most of this opportunity!
I was staring into the air and arguing with the system, when someone came close to me.
"Are you with His Highness Kyle Jane Meinhardt?"
I flinched, turning around as the system windows quickly dissipated.
"Yes, and you are?"
"Excuse me, are you a wizard?"
"Yes? I don't know who you are, as you haven't introduced yourself. Shall I ask the system?" Just as I was about to ask System to confirm who he was, the man's eyes narrowed.
"Is that so? I've been feeling a hint of magic from you since before."
Did you watch me before? If he had seen the scene where the nobles were scanned and identified through the system, he might have misunderstood that I was using magic. I couldn't deny it. I was in a hurry to get into a bind, and it was time to choose a suitable excuse.
"I think it's because of this," Kyle squeezed my wrist lightly. A sparkling blue gem was emitting a strange glow in the sunlight. "It is an object that contains magical power. I gave it to you. I think it's confusing with this."
"...."
"Do you have any objections?"
"... No, I don't," I said, grabbing my wrist and looking up at Kyle. I don't think he believed that, but was he covering for me? Fortunately, the awkward silence between us quickly disappeared. It was because an unexpected commotion broke out on the other side.
"Princess Sen is kind to her maids, isn't she?" laughed one of the nobles sitting close to the table, waving a fan decorated with peacock feathers. Their mouth was smiling, but their eyes weren't smiling at all.
"Is it because she came from a maid background? She doesn't seem to hesitate. The commoner brought by His Highness Kyle... Oh, we met at the servants' quarters in the North?"
"What is that...." Suddenly, I stumbled over my words. I tried to say something, but Kyle grabbed my wrist to stop me.
"Don't interrupt, he's the First Prince's cousin," he said, implying the backing of Duke Klein.
I frowned and looked across the street. While Belial was away for a while, those close to the Duke of Klein seemed to take the opportunity to undermine him.
"Well, what you have seen and learned is terrifying," he said, referring to the Emperor's decision to take Kyle's mother, Jane, as his maid.
"...."
Kyle's grip on my wrist tightened tightly. It seemed that he had forgotten that he was holding me. But it wasn't the time to worry about my mother being insulted. I had no choice but to endure it.
By the way, if you're the First Prince's cousin, you're Belial's cousin, right? ... Isn't this a dysfunctional family? Is this really how it is?