Essentially, the women present here are warriors who usually wield weapons and fight. Therefore, everyone seemed to be struggling, unaccustomed to wearing dresses.

As if to prove it, the men of the “Sword of Heaven” cheered the moment they saw the women of their organization, but then began to smile wryly when they saw their clumsy movements.

The same went for Romilda and Katora—Romilda wore a dress with white as the main color, and Katora wore one with red. At parties hosted by nobles, dresses are usually luxurious and heavy, with skirts touching the floor, but this time was different.

They probably took our feelings into consideration. At least it didn’t seem heavy, and the decorations were relatively simple. It felt like something light to match this feast. However, everyone was wearing heels, and perhaps because they weren’t used to them, their steps were a bit unsteady.

Amidst all this, there was one person moving with complete composure… Sofia.

Dressed in a sky-blue gown, her steps were firm, and her aura was different from the others. Her hair was neatly tied up, exuding a charm unlike her usual self.

Surely, the dress she wore at the castle was of a different kind. Nevertheless, her appearance was more than sufficient to convey her princess-like aura.

…Thank you for waiting.

Sofia said. I replied, “Yeah,” but… I couldn’t think of anything else to say at the moment.

“As expected, a Princess is different.”

Richard, on the other hand, made a lighthearted remark. Sofia then gave a wry smile.

“I’m just used to it… Lord Ruon, what do you think?”

“Hmm, oh, it suits you.”

I couldn’t come up with any clever words, but Sofia smiled happily and replied, “Thank you.”

I should be used to interacting with her, but my heart beat a little faster. As a Princess, this kind of appearance might be more normal, but… it was new to me.

“Katora, you’re really struggling, aren’t you?”

Next to them, Yusuka and Katora started talking.

“Are you okay? Don’t fall.”

“I know… I’m a little happy I could wear a dress, but I’ll never wear heels again.”

Yusuka laughed at the declaration—meanwhile, Romilda remained silent, shifting her gaze to me and Sofia.

“Is there something on your mind?”

When I asked, Romilda shook her head. Was she curious about our attire?

“—Well then, since everyone has gathered, I suppose I’ll speak.”

Exon said. I looked ahead to see him smiling. Anastasia was standing nearby as well.

“This time, Anastasia has agreed to cooperate, and to celebrate that, we’re holding a Feast. Regardless of the circumstances, I want to thank Anastasia for providing the opportunity to arrange this event. However, don’t drink too much.”

He warned, and Anastasia smiled—perhaps to indicate that it wouldn’t be too formal.

“Well, we’ve gathered here as a social event, but… let’s not talk too much about the battle here. This time, as the name ‘social event’ suggests, I want to focus on deepening our friendly relations. We can discuss things tomorrow.”

As he said that, a Maid brought glasses.

“Then let us begin—let us strengthen our unity to overthrow the Emperor.”

With those words—the small Feast began.

Starting with Anastasia ignoring Exon and beginning to drink, the Feast quickly became lively. Or rather, the organization members started making noise once the alcohol kicked in. However, since the Marquises also seemed to be joining in, it probably turned out for the best.

In contrast, our table became a pleasant scene with moderate conversation. The difference in atmosphere was stark, but personally, I preferred this kind of vibe, so it was good—

“This table is quite quiet, isn’t it?”

No, it wasn’t good. Anastasia got involved with us.

“Come on, come on, you’re drinking too slowly, aren’t you?”

“…We’re enjoying ourselves over here.”

“Indeed, making noise isn’t the only way to enjoy a Feast, is it?”

Sofia said, as if offering a lifeline. But for a drunken Anastasia, she was an easy target.

“Are you drinking?”

“Not much alcohol…”

“How boring. What’s the point of not making noise at a time like this?”

…She’s a belligerent drunk, isn’t she? Looking around, everyone was giving a wry smile.

“Oh, that’s right. There’s something I’ve been curious about. Shall I ask about it now?”

“To me?”

“Sofia, she’s drunk and being bothersome, so you don’t have to take her seriously.”

I had a bad feeling, so I mentioned that. Then Anastasia showed a displeased expression.

“How rude you are, Lord Ruon. I’ll have you know, this is a very important matter.”

“You can’t trust anything someone says when they’re drunk.”

“I want you to listen to the content and judge for yourself.”

She turned her head to Sofia and said,

“What is your relationship with Lord Ruon?”

See? It always comes back to that.

“…I am his attendant.”

“Hmm, that’s not the answer I wanted.”

“Sofia, you don’t have to answer seriously.”

I said that after a deep sigh, then called out to Anastasia.

“Hey…”

“It’s fine, isn’t it? It’s not like it’s going to hurt anything. Besides, I was curious about a lot of things.”

—Here, her eyes sharpened. But a smile played on the corner of her lips, so I knew she was speaking playfully.

“It seems to be true that there’s a relationship of trust, but are there feelings beyond that?”

“…New wine has arrived. Shouldn’t you go?”

When I mentioned that to divert the conversation, Anastasia muttered “Oh no” and left the scene.

“I can tell you’re enjoying yourself.”

Richard commented. I nodded deeply, relieved that the commotion had passed. Just as I was about to resume eating, Abel approached me.

“It’s calm over here. Let me rest for a bit.”

“It seems you’re not good with those kinds of places.”

When I said that, Abel nodded honestly.

“Still, it was good to have this kind of stage prepared. We were hit by the Imperial Army, and our organization became smaller, so there was stress. I think I’ve been refreshed.”

I looked at the still-noisy members of the organization. Their expressions were bright.

“Mr. Ruon, I apologize for this at the feast, but please let me confirm something. This is about what happens from tomorrow onward.”

“…As for us, we plan to talk with the Marquis again before we make our move.”

“I see. Do you have any specific candidates?”

“I’m still undecided. There’s not much time, and it’s a difficult decision.”

“I see… I will probably be moving with the Marquises. The humans in our organization will do the same. However,”

Abel looked at Katora.

“You, please act together with Mr. Ruon.”

“Y-yes.”

Katora nodded. Here, Abel asked in a low voice,

“About the situation?”

“I haven’t told him yet. Especially about the Emperor Candidate, I thought it might put pressure on him.”

Besides, with Romilda and other things, there was no time to talk. Abel nodded slightly at this fact.

“We’ve heard about the Five Knights… So you’ll be training with Yusuka, who is a Knight?”

“That’s right.”

“We will cooperate as much as possible with that… If we find any potential candidates, we’ll contact you.”

When I replied, “Please do,” Abel gave a small bow and then returned to the members of his organization.

Given his position, he seems to have a lot on his plate… Just as I was thinking that, Sofia approached me this time.

“Lord Ruon… I have something I’d like to talk to you about.”

So formally… Given what happened with Romilda earlier today, she must be concerned about herself.

“Alright. Where shall we talk?”

“Let’s go to the garden.”

I nodded and went outside with Sofia.