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“May I have your permission?”

Rizeria hurriedly urged for a response before she could find another complaint. However, she seemed at a loss for words against my excuse, merely pouting her lips multiple times while staring at me with wide, round eyes.

“W-well then, it can’t be helped. Elysia… I shall permit you to possess the Holy Sword.”

And with that, Rizeria abruptly turned her face away and shouted in a gruff voice. It was clear how frustrated she was, as her face turned completely red, all the way to her ears, unable to rebut my words. I had intended to win Rizeria’s favor, but I had made a poor impression right from the start.

“Thank you for your understanding. As I’ve heard, Lady Rizeria, you are not only beautiful but also have a lovely heart.”

But I wouldn’t give up just like that. On the contrary, this was the perfect situation to ensure that she recognized my presence in her mind. Instead of viewing it negatively, I could twist the assessment of me in my favor.

To do that, a little flattery was nothing. I didn’t yet know her inner self since I hadn’t spoken with her much, but at the very least, it was true that she was undoubtedly beautiful, so it wasn’t entirely insincere.

“You’ve heard about me?”

At my words, Rizeria turned her head back towards me, this time with a slightly excited tone.

“Of course. Is there anyone in this Empire or the social circle who doesn’t know Lady Rizeria? Even though I’ve chosen the path of the sword, I’ve heard of your reputation.”

“Th-that’s only natural!”

Rizeria turned her head away again, but while she spoke as if it were natural, her lips were subtly twitching in a peculiar manner.

Certainly, my knowledge about her largely came from information from my past life, but her name was indeed quite well-known.

The Griffin Academy also has a general department and is quite successful, but it has certainly become more famous for its swordsmanship and magic. As a result, Rizeria, who didn’t deal with either swordsmanship or magic, hadn’t enrolled in the Griffin Academy and ended up graduating from another academy instead. I heard she even ranked first in her grades and served as the student representative.

It seemed unlikely that much would differ in this life.

If she had enrolled in the Griffin Academy, we might have bumped into each other at least once. It was hard to shake off the regret of not having met her then, as I wouldn’t be struggling to break the ice now.

However, thinking back to the incident that occurred three years ago at the Griffin Academy, I felt fortunate that she hadn’t enrolled there. If Rizeria had been present, I couldn’t guarantee we would be having this conversation now.

“I too am the daughter of a commoner. Being a swordmaster, I understand how important a sword is, so this level of consideration is only natural.”

At least the immediate crisis was resolved, and the other ladies, who were eyeing the Holy Sword, had also stopped their fuss. I swiftly picked up the Holy Sword placed on the table and discreetly slipped it out of sight beneath. Although I said I understood and accepted it, there was no need to have a weapon lying around just to irritate her further. Why stir up trouble where it’s unnecessary?

“Elysia, I’ll pour the tea right away, so please wait a moment.”

Once the conversation between the two settled down, one of the ladies seated at the table picked up the teapot and said. It seemed that pouring and serving tea was something they did themselves rather than relying on a servant.

“No! I’ll pour the tea for her. Since it’s her first time at my gathering, it’s only natural as the host and the invitee to serve her a cup.”

With that, Rizeria snatched the teapot she had just picked up from me.

For a lady from a duke’s family, it wouldn’t be unusual for her to have servants to handle such small matters, but her actions in pouring tea seemed very practiced. It was a demonstration that her haughty demeanor was not arrogance but simply her being dignified.

I talked a few words with her while sipping the tea she poured. In fact, when I first entered the salon, I had worried about what to talk about with ladies who appeared like they wouldn’t get their hands wet even a little, but surprisingly, the conversation flowed easily.

Thanks to my past experiences of drinking tea with friends, I didn’t make any blunders with the basic etiquette of a tea party, and oddly enough, my adventure stories seemed to captivate them as they listened intently.

“Oh my. I’m sorry. I’ve been talking too much about myself! I got a little carried away without realizing it.”

However, the attentive expressions of the ladies in the salon had made me excited and babble. The other ladies didn’t mind my stories, but Rizeria, on the other hand, might perceive this differently. Even now, she was discreetly glancing away to avoid making eye contact with me.

In this tea party, she should have been the center of attention, yet I had stolen that spot, so it was only natural for her to feel a bit sulky. When had she ever received such treatment when she’d always been the main character wherever she went?

So when the moment came when my adventure story had reached a suitable pause, I stopped my narrative and offered an apology.

“No, it’s okay! It was rather enjoyable since I don’t usually hear such stories. Right, Lady Rizeria?”

“… It wasn’t the sort of content one shouldn’t hear.”

Rizeria’s response was surprisingly mundane. While she could have been angry, her gruff voice remained, but there was absolutely no trace of anger contained within it.

Yet, I shouldn’t be deceived by that demeanor. Being someone who has been in the social scene for a long time, it would be incredibly easy for her to wear a mask of a smiling face. Perhaps beneath that calm exterior, she still harbored bad feelings towards me.

“Since I only talk about swinging swords every day, how about you share a story, Lady Rizeria? I’d love to hear your story, which I assume is from a world quite different from mine, as I’m curious about your perspective that opposes mine.”

While it would be a great help if the other ladies could also support me, even if they all joined forces, they wouldn’t be as significant as Rizeria alone. Thus, instead of entertaining the other young ladies, I passed the baton to Rizeria, who should originally be the star of the event, allowing her to naturally take center stage again.

“Would you like to know about me?”

“Of course. I’m curious about none other than Lady Rizeria’s story. While Elysia’s story might just serve to satisfy my curiosity, I can’t help but wish to know more about you, Lady Rizeria. I truly want to hear it.”

“W-well, if you’re asking that much, I have no reason to refuse.”

Fortunately, she smoothly took the baton I had passed. It seemed she had sensed the underlying thoughtfulness in my gesture, for despite maintaining her gruff demeanor, a small smile lingered on her lips.

“Speaking of which, I heard not long ago about a good marriage proposal coming your way, is that true?”

“H-marriage proposal? It was just passing chatter, nothing more! It’s absolutely unfounded! Absolutely, absolutely! There’s no such thing! Do you understand? I have neither a person I’m meeting nor someone I’ll marry, so please don’t misunderstand!”

She was so flustered that she suddenly jumped up and shouted, causing everyone in the salon to turn their attention to Rizeria. Realizing her mistake immediately, Rizeria squeezed her eyes shut as though nothing had happened and quietly sat back down.

Well, it wasn’t surprising for her to react so sensitively to the word “marriage proposal.” For women in their early twenties, that period is truly their prime blooming time. Of course, the duration of that blooming might vary from person to person, but the passage of time is something that cannot be defied.

As a result, aristocratic young ladies frequently marry off early, starting around their early twenties, whether through love or arranged marriages.

In that context, Rizeria, possessing exceptional abilities and high status, had no reason to tie herself to an arranged marriage and abandon her personal ambitions.

“Of course, if a good person were to appear… I would consider it positively.”

Unlike before, Rizeria quietly whispered while looking at me in a slightly more demure voice.

“Whoever it may be, the person who wins Lady Rizeria’s heart must have saved the continent in their past life.”

“There’s no need to go that far back! I… well, I would still hope they would save the continent, though.”

Luckily, it seemed Rizeria’s mood had lightened thanks to my efforts, as she began to share her own stories with a sense of joy. Of course, she skipped over the topic of the marriage proposal.

*

“Well then, it’s time for me to take my leave. Thank you once again for the invitation.”

It was impossible to have a tea party that lasted forever. Since those who were quick to leave had already begun to trickle away, there were now some empty spots visible in the salon. I too stood up to leave.

If I only had a bit more time, I could surely make Rizeria my ally, but this was enough for now. Even if she wouldn’t always side with me unconditionally, I judged that she certainly held some affection towards me, at least enough to rate me favorably whenever my stories came up.

“Um, that…”

However, Rizeria, as I was about to say goodbye and leave, hesitated and grabbed my attention, as if she had something left unsaid. Her appearance was a stark contrast to her usual confident demeanor, momentarily causing my heart to sink, wondering if I had done something wrong.

“Do you have something to say, Lady Rizeria?”

“There’s… a tea party scheduled for tomorrow as well. Do you have time?”

Thankfully, it appeared that it was merely unnecessary worrying.

“Well, I’m not sure exactly how long I’ll be here. But I think, at the very least, I’ll still be at the castle tomorrow.”

I’d felt that time was short during our conversation, so I was grateful that Rizeria had brought it up.

“Tomorrow, we won’t be meeting here, but rather in my personal garden with just a few people, so please keep that in mind. I’ll send an attendant with the details.”

Rizeria mentioned that I would surely be attending, based on her saying that without any confirmation. Of course, that didn’t mean I intended to reject her invitation.

“It’s an honor to be invited to such a gathering.”

Perhaps satisfied with my answer, Rizeria’s lips faintly curved into a smile. But did Rizeria realize that it was actually me who wanted to smile? Although today was only a half-success, I would definitely make her my ally tomorrow.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Leaving her without any special farewell, I slowly scanned the salon for Luna in order to leave. The others would have easily recognized that Luna was my companion when I entered, so if there had been any issues, they would have called me over. But with no news until the end of the tea party, it seemed there had been no mistakes.

“Luna!”

“Ah, Senpai!”

It didn’t take long to spot Luna, as the salon wasn’t very large.

What surprised me was that Luna seemed to blend in well with the other young ladies. It wasn’t just a casual joining; she was actually leading the group.

Waving goodbye to the group she had been talking to, Luna quickly made her way toward me with an eager bounce in her step. Although Luna hadn’t seen the longing gazes of the young ladies behind her, they were definitely glued to her back. A few here and there looked like they wanted to glare at me, but since I hadn’t caused any trouble, it was probably just their poor eyesight.

“Hehe, I’m so glad I followed Senpai. Today was really fun!”

“Really? That’s a relief. We should probably get back, as the boss and Lilith are likely waiting for us. It’s time for dinner.”

“Yeah!”

With Luna clinging to my arm as always, I led her outside the salon. On the way back, I suddenly felt curious and asked Luna.

“By the way, I noticed you seemed to get along well with the other girls. Do you have any tips?”

I thought it might help for my meeting with Rizeria tomorrow.

“Well, I’m not sure? I just did what I usually do, following Senpai’s lead…”

Luna’s answer wasn’t particularly helpful.