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“Exactly, Fräulein Lieselotte. Imagining the sight of even someone like the Iris Princess getting worked up over trivial matters, let alone the lovely maidens clashing over me, is enough to make my heart burst with anticipation.”

Viola furrowed her elegant brows.

“Huh? When did we ever end up fighting over you?”
“Oh, is that not the case? Given that the topic arose from the tea party I’m hosting, I naturally assumed so.”
“That’s not it!!” “That’s not what happened!!”

Viola smiled wryly at our synchronized rebuttal, then discreetly turned towards me only to wink. It seemed that she was subtly signaling that she was covering for me for having almost disrupted Princess Lieselotte’s mood.

She’s… quite adept at handling girls, isn’t she?

Inexperienced young ladies might easily fall for her right away. In my case, pickup tactics used by men are quite obvious to my eyes, so they simply don’t work (especially when the other party is not a man, and I’m not exactly a delicate young lady either).

(…I wish Luke would be here sooner.)

Half-reflexively, I looked towards the back door of the classroom, where Luke had been summoned and left, looking for any sign of his sincere, albeit awkward, kindness.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Daniel, seeing my profile, muttered a small “Oh?” and then, for some reason, he wore a heartwarming smile, as if seeing something pleasant.

What’s with him?

Just as I pondered this question, the door opened, and a woman in a maid uniform, appearing to be around 18 to 19 years old, entered. She bowed deeply to us, glanced around the classroom, and then addressed one of the attendants standing behind the students at the back.

“ —Excuse me. I am from the House of Aulanthia. I was wondering if the Imperial Nobility, Sir Lucas Leonhardt, is present?”

Aulanthia?!

“Master Lucas is being summoned for a meeting for the representative oath and is currently away from the classroom.” The elderly butler-like man, one of Luke’s attendants, stepped forward and replied so.

“I see. In that case, would you please hand him this invitation? It’s from his fiancée, Lady Syltianna. Lady Syltianna was scheduled to attend today’s entrance ceremony as well, but due to circumstances, she unfortunately cannot leave the mansion for a while. Therefore, she wishes to arrange a meeting with Sir Lucas.”

Receiving the offered letter, the butler confirmed the wax-sealed envelope turned over to reveal the crest stamped upon it, and then nodded lightly.

“Certainly… I will take care of it. I shall convey the message without altering a single word,” the butler replied politely, wearing a benevolent smile. “However, the term fiancée may lead to some misunderstandings. Considering both parties’ positions, it would be appreciated if you refrained from casually mentioning it in the future.”

“…My apologies.”

With a nod and expressionless bow, the maid bid farewell as she left the classroom. After seeing her off, the Butler turned to us and bowed his head. “I apologize for the disturbance.”

“―The Aulanthia Family, huh? Come to think of it, there have been various rumors circulating about the Ragweed… Princess Syltianna joining us as well. I thought she’d be here from today, but it seems she won’t be leaving the mansion for a while. I wonder if something happened to her?”

Princess Lieselotte tilted her head inquisitively.

“Speaking of which, I’ve only heard rumors and haven’t seen the person herself. Have you, Fräulein Lieselotte? She is technically your vassal.”
“No, I haven’t.” “No, she hasn’t.”

I answered that reflexively, earning a curious look from Lady Lieselotte.

“…Why did you answer it?
“Uh, well, I just felt like it…”

“Hmm. Nevertheless, this class is shaping up to be quite entertaining. With the Iris Princess, the Hydrangea Princess, and probably the Ragweed Princess joining this class, all the rumored Flowers are gathered here.”

Ragweed isn’t a flower!! Everyone in the classroom mentally commented at the same time.

“Ah, Fräulein Julia, you’ll probably be given a flowery nickname soon enough, too. Judging by your hair color, perhaps something like Cherry Blossom Princess…” After murmuring to herself, Viola cast her gaze into the air with a look of dissatisfaction. “Hmm~~ In the Archipelago Union, they say Cherry Blossoms can also connote madness, possessing both beauty and fear. So, something more tender… Why, a divine peach blossom fits you mighty well.”

“Peach, huh… In a sense, it might be fitting.”

Feeling a gaze around my chest area, I reflexively hid them behind my arms.

“Um, please don’t think too seriously about it. I’m not someone deserving of such grandiose titles.”

First of all, being called Peach Princess might lead me to a fate where I would be frequently abducted by some kind of Demon Turtle and had to be saved by a mustached plumber, so I would very much not want it.

“You deserve it very much, but indeed, decisions like these are not usually made on the spot.”
“Indeed, that’s true.”

Seeing Viola’s wry smile and the shrug from Lady Lieselotte, I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the immediate crisis had passed.

However, I had been expecting to meet the rumored Ragweed Princess at any moment, but according to the servant who brought the letter earlier, it seems she won’t be showing up at the academy for a while.

I had hoped to make contact with her sooner, but it seems fate has other plans.

Since Luke received an invitation, maybe I could insist on accompanying him… Well, it would be beyond rude and inappropriate for someone without any acquaintance or invitation to tag along.

For now, I decided to wait for Luke to return before determining my course of action.

(But refusing an invitation from royalty to a tea party would also be rude. What should I do…)

As I pondered excuses for declining, I glanced at Viola, who wore a refreshing smile, and Lady Lieselotte, who kindly reassured me; “It’s a sudden invitation, so it’s fine to wear your uniform.” Their caring expressions made me smile ambiguously.