One Second Later.

"A special guest?"

Kang Hana's expression looked somewhat excited.

Seeing her silently beam, I thought of someone I hadn't thought about in a long time.

"Don't tell me..."

"Yes. The detective has returned to Korea. He wants to be invited to Eight City. What should we do?"

"Here...?"

A hollow laugh escaped me before I knew it.

No matter how much charisma someone radiated out there, proclaiming themselves a hero or whatever, in the end, people were still people.

Of course, even if I were still a commoner, I would have wanted to see him.

......I had said I wanted to see Aiden Cavendish.

The first semester had already ended. With our departure for the training grounds in Kazakhstan only two weeks away, there probably wasn't much room in the schedule.

There was still a period for gathering opinions in my capacity as student council president, however nominal that role was. I would have to settle things within that window.

Hana said it would be enough to see him from a distance... but wouldn't it be even better to meet him in person?

There was something I wanted to ask Aiden privately, too.

"First, please contact Uncle Chang-jin. I think Eight City allows tours for families."

"Understood."

For now, Kang Hana would continue serving as the intermediary.

Sharing direct contact information right away might get me scolded by Han Jihye.

Apparently, the proper procedure was to communicate through attendants until we met in person, then exchange contact information formally face-to-face.

After Kang Hana left, I asked Han Jihye another question.

"Would it be possible for me to request an audience with Lord Aiden and bring Uncle Chang-jin along?"

"Hmm... In principle, no. But Lady Raebi has already attracted attention in many ways. I imagine Lord Aiden's wishes will be the deciding factor."

'It'll probably be fine.'

I couldn't imagine someone in the world's highest-level class having to worry about an assassination attempt by a B-rank Hunter.

Of course, I was a little concerned about bringing along someone without noble etiquette training, but this was a student meeting rather than a formal social occasion. I trusted them to show some flexibility.

Livi came to see me after lunch.

We hadn't made any particular appointment, but what good would it do to worry about that now? Whatever her intentions, I had effectively saved Livi's life once, and Livi was protecting my political future.

But Han Jihye seemed to see things differently. She gave Livi a bitter smile before speaking.

"You must have been in quite a hurry, Lady Livi."

"Ah... I'm sorry, Ms. Jihye. I was so curious that my feet started moving on their own!"

Livi immediately apologized at Han Jihye's vague reprimand.

I tilted my head at that.

It had always been a very strange phenomenon. April, Vincent, and Matthew all acted the same way. In front of Han Jihye, they didn't throw their noble status around; instead, they acted as though they were willing to defer to her.

What sort of childhood had she gone through to make her so humble?

-Good thing you didn't mouth off to Ms. Jihye. If you'd acted like a jerk, you'd have been screwed.

-......Why?

-Because I was going to punch you in the mouth.

-So why?

-I mean it.

-……What are you talking about? Are you drunk?

'......'

They really needed to tell me something about their past.

Remembering my conversation with Vincent, I mulled it over.

I knew that 'nobles' had existed for far longer than people realized, but whenever I tried to ask, everyone clammed up to an absurd degree.

Just then, Livi waved a hand in front of my face and asked,

"What are you thinking about so intently, Raebi?"

"......"

Right. I might as well ask one more time.

"Sis."

"Yes."

"Tell me about your childhood. I want to hear about it."

Livi's smiling face froze. Her reaction was similar to Han Jihye's. Vincent had openly told me to get lost, while April had demanded an item worth ten billion won.

Convinced there was definitely something going on, I asked again before she had time to think.

"Can't you?"

"I'm not sure. It's embarrassing, and it isn't a particularly interesting story. ......I think hearing about your social gathering today would be much more exciting!"

'So that's how you're going to play it?'

I folded my arms and stared off into the distance.

"Then I won't tell you either."

"Huh? Why?"

"If you won't share your experiences with me, why should I tell you such an interesting story? That's unfair."

"......"

Livi seemed at a loss for words, and the smile slowly faded from her face. She shot me a pitiful look, but I deliberately avoided meeting her eyes.

Given my personality, my resolve would crumble in an instant if I did.

This time, she looked toward Han Jihye as though asking for help. Han Jihye soon approached and whispered,

"Lady Raebi."

"......Yes."

"You would be in trouble if you heard the answer right now."

"Why?"

"……Because your secret would leak out, too."

She meant that I ought to worry about someone with loose lips. It was certainly frightening enough to put lives on the line.

The sullen feeling that had come from thinking I was being left out began to ease a little.

'There really isn't a more dangerous type than someone who answers every question they're asked...'

In the end, I had no choice but to back down.

"All right. I'm sorry for suddenly being so stubborn."

Even so, a dejected voice still escaped me. I didn't know what drove it, but I had been obsessed with 'becoming a complete Douglas Kim.'

The thought that I alone was always left out made disappointment slowly well up inside me, even though I understood the reason intellectually.

Livi looked at me with a complicated expression.

She seemed to think deeply for a moment, then stood from the seat across from me and sat beside me.

She gently took my hand and began to speak.

"Don't let it weigh on you too much. You'll learn when the time comes anyway, and there are things in this world that are better left unknown. You may not believe me... but in a way, I'm envious of you, Raebi."

......Envious of me?

I looked at her, wondering what she meant, but as usual, there was no answer.

I nodded without pushing any further.

I couldn't understand what Livi meant, but I sensed an inexplicable sadness in her complicated eyes.

"Now! Since we've comforted the crybaby, shall we finish hearing your story?"

"I'm not a crybaby."

"Hehe, I never said Raebi, did I? I suppose it struck a nerve."

……Ugh, how childish.

This was a fight I could never win. I humbly accepted the strange nickname and began telling her about the social gathering.

It was a gathering that even a born noble could hardly hope to gain access to, so Livi listened to my story with keen interest.

While we were deep in conversation, Kim Chahun came to see us as well. He was curious about why I had been summoned to the social gathering.

"Oh my, did you give prior notice before coming?"

"......Just give me a break. I got chewed out so badly for not knowing anything about what happened."

Apparently, his father and family head, Kim Shin-ro, had unleashed a barrage of nagging on him. He said it had been especially exhausting because his siblings and mother had called one after another with furious complaints.

Seeing him ask while even toning down his normally nauseating way of speaking, I felt sorry for him and eventually offered him a chair.

"If you tell anyone about this, I'll report you to Lady Bella."

"Ah... Now that is genuinely terrifying. All right, I promise. But are you really okay with telling me? Honestly, I came expecting to be turned down."

"You did...? Then go back. I've changed my mind."

"Oh-ho, as expected. That provocative way you toy with people's hearts..."

"Ah! Fine! I'll tell you, so stop talking."

Douglas Kim and Asadal were practically within arm's reach. Rather than blindly hiding the truth, I decided to provide a limited amount of information.

Once my workshop opened, my general item-crafting ability would be revealed anyway, so I decided to tell him an appropriately vague story while leaving out anything about the items' rarity.

Livi also played along without showing any surprise.

"Hmm... So you have advanced crafting abilities."

"What do you think? Impressive, right?"

"It is impressive, but did Lady Bella really invite you for that? The Cecil family must have item crafters of their own, so it's strange."

Kim Chahun wasn't immediately convinced, however. The instant his eyes sharpened, I remembered that Asadal was still Asadal.

His buttery way of speaking sometimes made me forget that he was a noble at all.

While I was wondering how to answer, Livi held out the hand wearing her ring. It was the piece I had made at April's request.

"Raebi possesses the world's finest precision craftsmanship. That means she has complete freedom in her designs, which should be more than enough to appeal to noblewomen."

"I see. I failed to grasp the profound intentions of my ladies. I should have known the moment I saw those hands, fair as a white-jade fairy's..."

'Ugh.'

The moment he'd gotten everything he wanted, his usual manner of speaking came right back out. Since dinner was approaching, I pretended to be tired and hurriedly ended the gathering. I couldn't afford to ruin my appetite before eating.

"That's all for today. Ms. Nari, you may go rest now."

"Thank you for your consideration."

An Nari folded her arms and withdrew. The dark circles beneath her eyes were deep, suggesting that the stress she had endured had been considerable.

Even meeting Iroha regularly must have been a constant strain, and then there had been the highest-level social gathering. This was a situation even I hadn't anticipated.

"We really need to recruit another female guard as soon as possible... This schedule seems too harsh for a D-rank teenager."

"Hehe, it would be burdensome even for someone who wasn't D-rank. More importantly, Lady Raebi, I have a response from former Ambassador Lee Chang-jin."

"Oh, right. What did he say?"

Kang Hana lifted her smartphone screen and showed it to me.

"As you can see, he's very pleased. He says he can come as soon as tomorrow."

'......Oh, wow, my connections just went through the roof?'

"Pfft! Why are you talking like that?"

"Ah, well... The ambassador is quite the modern man."

Modern, my foot. He was completely old-school.

Apparently, embarrassment was the other person's problem, because Kang Hana turned red with embarrassment.

It seemed that even a handsome middle-aged man couldn't hide his age.

I immediately asked Han Jihye to coordinate the schedule. She sent a letter to the British student council office and received a reply.

It said to come to the student council president's office the evening after next with a companion.

After informing Livi and Kim Chahun of the invitation, we arranged a room where the Lee Chang-jin family could stay temporarily.

"Uncle!"

The next day, as soon as Lee Chang-jin appeared in front of the lodging with his family, I ran over and threw my arms around him. I couldn't contain my excitement at seeing a familiar face.

He had been about to cross his arms, but accepted me with a flustered expression.

"Goodness, you'll hurt Lady Raebi!"

"Uncle......?"

When I raised my head at his strangely disappointed tone, he whispered to me,

'You idiot, what are you doing acting spoiled in front of everyone?'

......Oh.

Come to think of it, I could feel an intensely sharp gaze from behind me. I remembered Han Jihye telling me not to show how happy I was, even if I was glad to see him.

Lee Chang-jin carefully set me down, then he and his family bowed and formally greeted me.

I also straightened my posture and held out my hand to him.

"Welcome, former Ambassador to Egypt Lee Chang-jin."

"Thank you for inviting us, Lady Raebi."

I escorted Lee Chang-jin and his party to their room. They had unfortunately been assigned to the men's floor, but Kim Chahun appeared under the pretense of coincidence and intercepted them, saying, "I'll show you around instead."

Judging by his expression, he seemed to have taken an interest in Lee Chang-jin.

'Nothing will happen, right?'

"Hana, follow Ambassador Lee and report to me in real time."

"Understood."

"Dayoung, you remember, right? As announced in advance, today is a special assignment."

"Of course I remember! I'll do my best to show them around!"

I gave Kang Hana an opportunity to catch up with him under the pretext of assisting, and asked Pyeon Dayoung to give the Lee Chang-jin family a tour.

I wanted to go with them, too, but I was told they would feel uncomfortable with me following around like 'an executive trailing a new employee.'

Whatever Lee Chang-jin thought, his family still saw me as unquestionably a noble.

I keenly felt how much my status had changed as I waited for the tour to end.

"Huh? Aren't you coming back to the lodging?"

But the schedule became slightly complicated.

After his family kept complaining that he was making them uncomfortable, Lee Chang-jin decided to spend the night at the artificial hot spring.

I had planned to tell them that they needed to meet Aiden... but since things had turned out this way, I decided to make it a surprise instead.

The next day at three o'clock, I invited Lee Chang-jin alone.

"You're here?"

"Yep."

"'Yep'? That's rather curt, isn't it?"

"Hmm...... Want me to make it longer?"

He was being remarkably bold despite Han Jihye's presence. His characteristic blunt, bulldozing personality really hadn't gone anywhere.

Since I had asked Han Jihye in advance to 'let this one slide,' she remained silent without saying anything, and we were able to enjoy a comfortable tea time.

We asked after one another and traded stories. We hadn't done anything in particular, but before we knew it, about two hours had passed.

"......You were invited by Bella Cecil? Really?"

"I'm telling you, I was!"

"Wow... That's incredible. I think I would've fainted."

"……Hehe, you have nothing to be jealous of. You'll have a similar experience soon, Uncle."

"I'm not particularly jealous... Wait, a similar experience?"

A flicker of unease passed through Lee Chang-jin's eyes as he asked what I meant.

I didn't know why he had suddenly reacted that way, but I grinned and delivered some tremendous news.

"I'm meeting Lord Aiden this evening! And you'll be coming along as my companion!"