Fresia averted her gaze at his question and changed the topic. "Well, there's no other information that you should be concerned about… Oh!" She snapped her fingers as if she had just remembered something. "Now that I think about it, there's information that Marquis Lennox has been gathering more soldiers for his army."

Max wrinkled his forehead at her words. "That's not the kind of information I shouldn't be concerned about," he stated.

"I'm sorry."

Max glared at Fresia for a moment, then stroked his jaw as he mumbled to himself. "That man has always voiced his opinion about gaining a larger army…" Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Does that mean that there have been suspicious movements from Lagon?"

"But the spy living in Lagon's territory said he didn't see any sign of such things. He only said the plundering of food has been worse around the base lately, but that was it."

"Have they figured out what the stolen food was for?"

"I was told it was to prepare for the famine. They have been drying precious non-grain products such as fruits and meat for storage."

Max smirked at her reply. "Preparation for the famine, huh? That's a good excuse to collect provisions."

Fresia's eyes went wide at the word 'provisions.' 'Ah, is that how they've been tricking everyone?'

"Contact Marquis Lennox for a secret rendezvous," Max ordered at that moment.

"But the emperor currently views Marquis Lennox in a negative light…"

"Yes, if something were to go wrong, it might seem like a rebellion."

Fresia raised her voice at his stark remark. "It's too reckless. This could be dangerous, you know!"

"It's dangerous, but it can't be helped."

Speculating that the foolish emperor must have been thinking about launching an attack on the southern border, Max pondered, 'What if I assist Marquis Lennox before then and lead the war against Lagon to victory?' It wasn't long before he came to a decision.

"If we succeed, not only will the southern forces be on my side, but the whole empire will support me as well."

* * *

The day of the tea party had finally arrived. After finishing the preparations, I looked over the teaware and tea food that was going to be used at the party. I had prepared a three-tier tray filled with small sandwiches, cookies, and cupcakes decorated with flowers. I had also picked out a tea set based on what noblewomen my age would enjoy.

'Alright. This should be good enough.'

At that moment, Merilyn called out to me. "The guests have arrived, my lady."

At her words, I started making my way to the porch. When I reached the door, I saw a group of familiar faces. Among those faces was Lady Terrence.

'Ah, I didn't expect her to come.'

When we made eye contact, she greeted me with a slight curtsy. "Thank you for the invitation."

Despite what had happened between us, her eyes were calm.

'Why?' Before I could come up with an answer, all the other ladies followed suit and greeted me. I returned their greetings with a nod, then noticed that a certain person had not yet arrived. 'That reminds me, is Max… not coming today?' I had asked if he was available just in case he wanted to attend, but he was nowhere to be seen.

'Well, it's not like we're actually dating… I understand if he's not able to be here.' This was the first party I was hosting. I didn't want it to be grand, but I also didn't want to make a mistake and give anyone the chance to find fault with me.

"Thank you all for accepting my invitation." Normally, it was customary for the master of the household to greet the guests. But since this was only an informal tea party, I hadn't told my father about it, and I was positive that he was just going to view it as bothersome.

'I guess the butler would have reported to him about this… but it's not like he has a reason to care either.'

As a result, I was greeting the guests alone. However, I could see that everyone had a strange expression for some reason. 'Huh? Why are they making those faces?' When I had just noticed that something was off, I heard a voice come from behind me.

"Welcome."

I was startled and turned around to see my handsome father sporting his ceremonial suit.

'Why is my father here…?' Before I could answer my question, multiple voices rang throughout the porch.

"We greet Duke Floyen, the great hero of our empire." The noblewomen welcomed, politely bowing to my father in respect.

The duke was treated on par with the king of a foreign country, and it was customary not to raise one's head until the person allowed it. Even so, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable seeing my guests with their heads down.

'I guess it can't be helped, given that this is a hierarchical society.' I tried to accept this truth, when I heard my father's voice.

"You may raise your heads."

The women lifted their heads in unison at the unexpected permission. Even though my father was receiving hopeful gazes that an ordinary person might find burdensome, he managed to speak in an earnest tone.

"There's no need to be so formal, seeing as you've all visited as my daughter's friends."

His words made me feel strange, as if I had actually become his beloved daughter. 'Why is he doing this?' I tried to organize my thoughts, but my father didn't give me a chance to.

"Please, I wish you all a comfortable time."

"Thank you for your consideration," my guests said in unison.

After receiving their words of gratitude, my father turned towards me and spoke. "Have a good time."

I quickly pulled myself together and lowered my head. "Thank you, Father."

"His Grace, Duke Floyen is truly kind," someone mumbled softly when my father disappeared from sight.

'Kind…' If we were like any other father and daughter, I would have made a great fuss to affirm those words. However, I could only nod passively as what I just witnessed was an unfamiliar sight, even to me.