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That evening, we had been invited to dinner by Cameron Fourier, the head of the envoy delegation. Well… to be honest, it was more like we’d been invited again this evening.

Today was the 4th day of the Second Red Moon. It had already been six days since Papa Howard and the others departed.

My search ability could perceive up to a radius of about ten kilometers. From Amukham House to the edge of the forest was roughly four kilometers. From there, it was another five kilometers to the place where they camped on the first day, the Hill of Lamentation.

The day after they left that hill, they had already moved beyond my detection range. I even tried going as far as the first station to search again, but by the next day, they were completely outside my range.

I thought many times about secretly slipping into the forest to check on them. But if I used the Invisible skill, I had a feeling Anne-Marie would notice. Well… even if she did notice, she’d probably keep quiet about it…

I even considered sneaking deep into the forest, concealing my presence, and preemptively eliminating any Demonic Beasts that might threaten Papa Howard and the others. But… that felt like it would wound Papa Howard’s pride.

Because I understood, at least to some extent, that male dignity kind of thing… I hesitated both to stop him and to help him. At the same time, I just wanted him to stay home. I wanted him to stay by Mama Sonia’s side. That feeling was strong too, and it had created a painful dilemma inside me.

Still… given that Papa Howard was fully equipped, I believed he could easily take down even the monsters around fifty kilometers into the forest’s depths. If my memory was correct, monsters at that depth had a Threat Level of about 100. Against that level, even in a one-on-one fight, neither Papa Howard nor Conrad would have any trouble. But for the knights of the order… that would be extremely difficult. So for this expedition, they probably wouldn’t go that deep, or so Papa Howard had said.

So there shouldn’t have been anything to worry about… There shouldn’t have been.

And yet… ever since we heard that, both Mama Sonia and I felt this strange knot in our chests. That knot was still there now… and if anything, it was slowly growing.

It had been almost a week since the expedition entered the forest. There should have been some kind of message by now, through a messenger or something, but there was nothing. That only made the feeling worse. Tomorrow would make it exactly one week. I decided that I’d go into the forest tomorrow night if we still didn’t hear anything by then.

And then there were Cameron Fourier’s invitations, which only served to grate on my already anxious nerves.

This wasn’t even the first time. No, these dinners had been happening since the very night the expedition departed.

The first night was fine, since the Dulles and Croque houses were there too.
But after that… it became just Mama Sonia and me. Mama Sonia tried to politely decline, saying we couldn’t attend every night. But even then, he insisted, over and over, that he wanted to dine with just me. Mama Sonia refused that as well, but he kept pressing. So in the end, I accepted, thinking that, as the daughter of the Cloud family, hosting them was part of my duty. Mama Sonia was worried, though.

And honestly, I’d already noticed. This old man’s target was me. And he was getting more and more obvious about it. The way he looked at me was just… blatant.

Being in a woman’s body, I learned for the first time just how clingy a man’s gaze could feel. Even when he pretended not to look, those glances at my neckline, my back, my waist, my hips… I could feel them. Honestly, it made me want to go back and punch my old self in the head. To yell at my past self for being such an idiot.

Well, that said, just because I knew he was looking didn’t mean I was going to show anything on purpose. The only time I wore a dress with an open neckline or back was at the welcoming banquet. Since then, I’d only worn outfits that were properly covered. I was not some cheap girl who showed skin for free, you know!

And yet… the way his gaze crawled over me, like he was trying to see through my clothes… was just unbearable! Seriously… I had forgotten just how powerful a man’s imagination could be. Ugh, just thinking about it gave me chills.

Honestly! At his age, staring at a fourteen-year-old girl like that… what a disgusting creep. Don’t go getting worked up over a kid like this!

…Hm? Wait. Huh? That felt like I just threw a massive boomerang at myself… No, no, it’s fine. Totally fine. It’s me, after all!! Yep. No problem!!

Anyway, dining with a man like Fourier, who clearly had ulterior motives and couldn’t even hide them, was nothing short of torture. Everything he talked about was just self-praise, followed by stories of life in the royal capital. How well-developed the city was. How magnificent the buildings were. How grand and beautiful the streets were. How refined the people were, all dressed in the latest trends… It just kept pouring out of him endlessly.

“So, what do you think? Has your interest in the royal capital grown?”
“…Yes, it certainly sounds like a wonderful city, from what I’ve heard.”
“Of course! Of course! If you so wish, Princess Susie, I would be delighted to personally guide you there. In fact, why not study in the royal capital? I would spare no expense for your sake! I could have a residence prepared immediately!”
“No… I truly appreciate the offer, but I plan to attend school in Dekenbel next year.”
“…Ah, the Miria Castell Boarding School, I presume? A prestigious institution, indeed, with a sister school in the capital. However! If I may be so bold, you are far too remarkable to remain in such a rural place!”
“…A rural place…?”
“Indeed! Only in the royal capital can your talents truly flourish! That dazzling city is where you belong!”

(Ahh… so that’s his angle. He’s trying to lure me to the capital.)

He went on and on about how amazing it was, and how much of a backwater Amukham was.

I honestly couldn’t care less about the Royal Capital. I was already reluctant about going to Dekenbel… There was no way I could go somewhere even farther away! Leaving Amukham… Living far away from Mama Sonia and Papa Howard for a long time… That was absolutely out of the question.

But of course, he didn’t understand any of that. He just kept pushing his “royal capital is amazing” agenda harder and harder.

It was bad. I was starting to get irritated. Not only was he praising the capital, but he was also now openly putting down Amukham as some remote countryside.

“And besides,” he continued, “forgive me for saying so, but your father, Lord Cloud, is already quite advanced in age. Would it not be a form of filial devotion to show him your refined self in the capital as soon as possible?”

(Now I’m seriously pissed. Did this pig just imply Papa Howard is some old man with one foot in the grave?! Has this guy even seen him?! That dignified, powerful presence?! …You know what, maybe I should just rip off that oversized nose of his. …No, no. Calm down. I shouldn’t go down that route. Reflect, reflect.)

Even Anne-Marie, who was accompanying me, had a rather ominous look in her eyes.

Yeah… this was getting risky. It would be better to wrap this up quickly. As such, I ended the conversation at an appropriate moment and took my leave.

Honestly, these dinners with Fourier were exhausting. The way he just kept talking, ignoring whether the other person even wanted to listen… It felt like being in some shady club or cult recruitment tactic.

(…Wait. Does that mean unless I firmly refuse… this is going to keep happening forever? Nooooo, make it stop…)