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Chapter 2436: Spreading Aftermath
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Since Chris was the one who originally summoned everyone, the key figures gathered in one of the Imperial Castles rooms with remarkable smoothness. This time, the attendees were Marie, the person directly involved, and her father, Baron Ritch. Then there was Marquis Hamilton, the head of Hamilton Marquisdom and the one expected to support the Ritch Barony in this matter, and Eris, the Archlesia Empire noble who, after Chris, had the most contact with Kaito. Aside from those four, only Chris and a few of her close aides were present, making for a very small meeting.
[My apologies for calling you here on such short notice. But I judged that, as Emperor, I needed to understand the circumstances of this matter. Anything related to Miyama-sama has the potential to turn into a major incident if handled poorly, so Id like us to coordinate properly and deal with this carefully. Also, for the sake of keeping matters smooth, Ill omit the house names and titles of Eris Dia Hamilton and Marie Ritch here, and simply address them as Lady Eris and Lady Marie. Lady Marie, this is the first time weve met, but formal greetings arent necessary, and no one will be reprimanded for lapses in etiquette or speech. Please speak freely without fear. The same applies to everyone else present, feel free to speak your mind.]
Chris briefly stated this at the beginning, noticing how tense Baron Ritch and Marie, both low-ranking nobles, were in the Imperial Castle, and reassuring them that their conduct wouldnt be judged.
Before long, the discussion everyone here most wanted to hear began, Maries account. Nervous as she was, she explained everything she remembered, starting from the moment she first encountered Kaito.
As for the content itself, Baron Ritch repeatedly went pale, but the others remained calm throughout.
[I see, I understand the situation. First, let me ease your worries, Lady Marie. Based on what you told us, there was nothing that could be considered disrespectful toward Miyama-sama or anyone around him.]
[R- Really? B- But I accepted so many incredibly expensive gifts]
[Its natural youd feel that way, Marie-sama, but when actually compared to Kaito-samas assets, those things wouldnt strain him in the slightest. Considering his personality, I imagine hes simply pleased that you accepted his goodwill honestly.]
Regarding her fear of having accepted goods worth more than three white gold coins, Chris and Eris both assured her it was not an issue. Hearing that, Marie and Baron Ritch visibly relaxed.
But only for a moment, Chriss expression sharpened immediately after.
[However, its possible this matter could lead in a rather troublesome direction.]
[Eh? Ehhh]
[First, let me confirm something. Lady Marie, is there any fact indicating that you and Miyama-sama have become lovers, or even have some relationship close to that?]
[N- No! Absolutely not! I- I dont mean that Kaito-sama lacks masculine charm or anything like that, but weve known each other for less than 10 days, and weve only met twice, including yesterday]
Hearing Maries panicked answer, Chris nodded once and continued.
[It seems one of my subordinates happened to see Miyama-sama giving Lady Marie clothing at the store, so I asked just to be sure.]
[Y- Your Majesty, then are you saying rumors have already spread of Marie being romantically involved with Miyama Kaito-sama?]
[No. Even though it only happened yesterday, there isnt the slightest sign of such rumors circulating.]
When Chris gave that answer, the pale Baron Ritch and Marie looked relieved while Eris and Marquis Hamilton both grew grim.
[Your Majesty Chris, in other words despite Kaito-sama and Marie-sama being seen in a high-class shopping district and a cafe, places where nobles and related individuals often appear no one is talking about it?]
[Yes. Of course, theres always a chance it spreads later but I believe we can safely assume that Alice-sama has intervened.]
[This is an even worse situation than I imagined.]
[Indeed. Things actually wouldve been simpler if the rumors had just spread normally.]
[ [ Eh? ] ]
Chris nodded at Eris serious question, and even Marquis Hamilton stated gravely that the situation was bad. Baron Ritch and Marie, who didnt understand why that was, looked confused.
Seeing this, Eris turned toward Marie and began to explain in simple terms.
[Marie-sama, for you, if rumors spread through high society that you and Kaito-sama are romantically involved, you would certainly attract curious attention and life would become troublesome However, such rumors spreading in noble society would have almost no effect on Kaito-sama himself. He has virtually no involvement with noble society, and at this point, even if people whispered that hed gained another noblewoman lover, its doubtful anyone with ulterior motives would dare approach him.]
[E- Errr, in other words?]
[In this situation, even if the rumor spreads among the nobility, the ones who would suffer trouble would just be Baron Ritch and Lady Marie not Kaito-sama. Meaning, there should be no reason for Phantasmal King-sama to intervene. But according to Her Majesty Chris, Phantasmal King-sama has intervened.]
[Alice-sama normally just remains an observer when a matter poses no harm to Miyama-sama. But on rare occasions, even when it doesnt directly affect him, she steps in to assist our side. And that only happens when she sees a situation so unfortunate that even she cant help feeling pity In other words, something else is happening here. Something in this case has caused Alice-sama to feel that Lady Marie deserves at least a bit of her help]
After hearing Eris and Chris explanation, Marie and Baron Ritch finally grasped the meaning, and their faces turned deathly pale. There was a sense that something far greater was in motion, though they had no idea what it might be. That eerie tension hung in the air until a voice cut through it, sounding almost exasperated.
[Well, thats exactly it~~ If this were just some silly rumor spreading around, Id be sitting back laughing and enjoying a glass of wine]
[ [ [ [ [ ! ? ] ] ] ] ]
Without anyone noticing, Alice had somehow appeared and taken a seat at the table where Chris and the others were discussing the matter. Everyone in the room felt shock, and an indescribable sense of dread.
Not only had she manipulated the information flow, she had personally appeared That alone suggested that something far more serious was unfolding than they had imagined
Serious-senpai : [Ah, so you actually intend to explain it properly.]
? ? ? : [Well, if we dont warn them in advance, itll probably turn into a huge uproar, and Marie-sans stomach might disintegrate from the stress]
