I was about to meet the Crown Prince's Fiancée, but there was one question I had to ask first.
"May I ask—was she chatting with his highness the crown prince?"
To be honest, I really wanted to see how terrifying her expression would be when she looked at the Crown Prince, so he absolutely had to be present.
"No. I told Elena about you, and she said she wanted to talk with you alone."
Alone!? If I'm left alone with someone I've just met—someone from a different background, with unknown interests—it'll definitely turn into awkward small talk.
Besides, that was probably just a polite excuse. There was no way she truly wanted to chat with me one-on-one. I quickly said to the queen,
"But I don't have any topics to talk about with the Fiancée. Your Majesty, could you please call his highness the crown prince and her highness the princess as well? I don't want to talk alone."
The Princess and the Fiancée seemed to be very close, so they should have plenty to talk about.
"All right. I'll have Steve and Sophia go keep Elena company."
"Thank you very much. But before that, please allow me to use the restroom."
I needed to wash my hands and tidy myself up. First impressions were important, and since I'd been summoned by the King, I couldn't leave a sloppy impression.
"Edward, take Mr. Karen to the restroom. I'll go call Steve and Sophia, so I'll excuse myself."
"Go ahead."
After the King and I came out of the restroom, he led me toward the reception room. Along the way, he started a conversation.
"Karen, can't you tell what kind of person Elena is just by talking to her one-on-one?"
When facing someone I've just met, if I don't have anything I want to ask them, I won't take the initiative to speak. If anything, I'm more of a passive person.
If the Fiancée was also passive, then we'd just fall into silence.
"I think observing from the sidelines is a better way to understand someone. And honestly, I really don't have any light topics to chat about with her."
"Then do you have any heavy ones?"
"No—just nothing you can talk about when you've just met."
"Like what?"
"Asking whether she bullies female classmates."
That was one of the questions I wanted to ask, but who would talk about something that sensitive with someone they'd just met? That kind of question only comes at the very end, after you already understand the person.
"Yeah, that's definitely not something you can talk about with a stranger."
The King nodded in agreement. Then he suddenly stopped. I stopped as well and asked,
"Why did you stop?"
The King pointed at a door with his thumb.
"We're here. The future of the next generation is in your hands. I'll take my leave."
"Please don't put that kind of pressure on me. Take care."
After waving the King off, I took a deep breath to ease the pressure he'd dumped on me. Then I knocked on the door to let the people inside know, waited two seconds, and opened it.
The moment I opened the door, I saw the Crown Prince, the Princess, and a lady with long navy blue hair—she must be the Fiancée. As soon as the Crown Prince saw me, he stood up straight, stiff like a soldier. What was he doing?
When the Princess and the Fiancée saw him stand up, they stood as well. I closed the door behind me and greeted the Crown Prince and Princess first.
"Hello, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Princess."
"Hello, Mr. Karen."
"Hello."
Why were they being so polite to me?
"The lady beside Her Highness the Princess must be His Highness the Crown Prince's fiancée. Hello, my name is Karen."
The Fiancée was seated beside the Princess, while the Crown Prince sat opposite them. After hearing my introduction, the Fiancée lifted her skirt slightly and introduced herself.
"Hello, Mr. Karen. My name is Elena Putley. I've heard of your deeds from Her Majesty the Queen, and I'm honored to speak with you."
I was very curious about what the Queen had told her, but I decided not to ask. It felt like it would be about the cake. I smiled politely and replied,
"The honor is mine. I hope you won't find me disagreeable. May I ask what you were talking about just now? Please don't mind me—feel free to continue."
Please, just keep chatting. I'd be perfectly happy as an observer. But the Fiancée responded a little shyly.
"Well… we were just talking about you."
Why talk about me!? There are so many topics in the world, and you had to choose me!?
"What exactly were you saying? May I know?"
Even though I really wanted them to say it immediately, I still had to stay calm and not be rude.
"I was curious about what kind of person you are, so I asked Their Highnesses."
"I'm also curious how Their Highnesses described me. Could you tell me in detail?"
After I said that, I looked at the Crown Prince and Princess. They both looked away. So they really were badmouthing me!
"Your Highness… Sophia… may I say it?"
The Fiancée sought their permission, but they hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing.
"…All right."
"O-Okay."
"Mr. Karen, I—"
Just as she was about to speak, I raised my hand to stop her.
"I'm sorry, I'm no longer curious. Both of Their Highnesses look very uncomfortable. In situations like this, it's usually either bad things being said or embarrassingly good things. I'll assume it's the latter. Right, Your Highnesses?"
I was giving the Crown Prince and Princess a way out. I also didn't want to waste time on this—I just wanted to wrap things up and go home.
"…That's right."
"…Yes."
Why the hesitation? So it really was badmouthing me. I'd deal with them later.
"That's getting off topic. Standing around isn't very comfortable—let's sit down."
After saying that, I walked over and sat beside the crown prince. The Fiancée, however, remained standing and said to me,
"Mr. Karen, I'll have someone prepare your tea."
"Thank you."
Soon after, a maid in a short skirt came in to pour my tea. The Fiancée's cup happened to be empty as well, so the maid refilled it. Afterward, the Fiancée smiled and thanked the maid—big bonus points for that.
I could tell her gratitude was genuine. She'd clearly received a very good upbringing and didn't look down on others because of her status. You could say she was a breath of fresh air among nobles.
Then the Fiancée slid a plate of cookies toward me.
"Mr. Karen, these are cookies I made. I hope you won't mind."
I casually picked one up and remembered the Princess once saying that the Fiancée often baked cookies for her. These cookies were beautifully made and looked delicious.
"Your cookies look wonderful. I'm sure they taste great."
"You flatter me. I'm still working on improving."
I put the cookie into my mouth and chewed carefully. They tasted about as good as the ones sold in shops—so they were good. I gave her a thumbs-up.
"This is delicious."