Chapter 58

"Princess Letitia has honored my invitation today. Does this mean that you will walk the same path as our camp?"

...It feels like déjà vu.

I'm reminded of Dears when I first visited Lady Natalie's palace.

Dears assumed that since we were both human, I would support Lady Natalie.

And now, with Lady Natalie's influence waning and Lady Kate's influence dramatically increasing, it seems that Lady Kate assumes I will join her camp.

Indeed, if time passes without any major upheavals, Lady Kate is the most likely candidate to become the next queen. Furthermore, if I, the current queen, who is merely a figurehead, support Lady Kate, her victory would be even more secure.

If I want to ride the winning horse, I should join Lady Kate's camp and work to ensure a good relationship between my homeland and her after she becomes queen. I understand this, but there are a few concerns that prevent me from nodding in agreement.

"...I want to get along well with Lady Kate, and also—"

"! What a wonderful answer!!"

Lady Kate's cat ears twitched, and her face lit up. However, there is more to my words, and I feel bad for her, but I can't just leave it at that.

"—I also want to get along well with Lady Iriena."

"......What do you mean by that?"

Lady Kate's joyful expression turned to a glare. Her reaction confirms that it will be difficult to support her as the next queen.

Even in this short conversation today, I can tell that Lady Kate is someone who shows her emotions openly. While I don't dislike emotional people, I wonder if it's suitable for someone aspiring to be queen. If she can't control her behavior to some extent, there will be many problems once she becomes a member of the royal family.

"Princess Letitia, why did you mention Lady Iriena's name?"

"I was invited by both Lady Kate and Lady Iriena today. It's only natural that I want to get along well with both of you."

"It's an honor. I also want to have a long and pleasant relationship with Princess Letitia."

Lady Iriena spoke, but Lady Kate decided to ignore her. The suspicion and dissatisfaction in Lady Kate's eyes as she looked at me were unmistakable.

"Princess Letitia, to be frank, joining my camp is the wisest and most beneficial choice. As for that... I mean, Lady Iriena, although she is eloquent, considering the size of her territory and other factors, it is almost impossible for her to be chosen as the next queen over me."

"......That may be true."

"Then why won't you nod in agreement? Is it because I am a beast person that you look down on me?"

Lady Kate's misguided accusation made me inwardly smile wryly. I have no prejudice against beast people, and even if I did, I wouldn't show such personal feelings in front of a beast person like Lady Kate.

On the contrary, Lady Kate herself seems to have a clear bias against humans. Given the longstanding tensions between beast people and humans, it's understandable, but supporting her as the next queen makes me hesitate.

Most of the residents of my homeland are human. If someone with a strong bias against humans like Lady Kate becomes the next queen of the Wolfwald Kingdom, it could strain relations between our countries. However, I can't just say that outright, so I decided to shift the focus away from Lady Kate.

"I get along well with beast people in my palace. If I were to look down on beast people and favor humans, you would have seen that in my treatment of Dears and his group during the birthday celebration, wouldn't you?"

"......That's true, but... Then, what about your treatment of Lady Natalie? You invited her to your palace just the other day. Can you explain your intentions in being close to her, who was once the master of Dears?"

"Lady Natalie failed to control her subordinates, but she herself had no ill intentions."

"Does that mean it's fine because she had no ill intentions? That's just favoritism among humans—"

"Haha, Lady Kate, do you really not understand?"

"......What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

Lady Kate glared at Lady Iriena, who had interrupted the conversation. Lady Iriena, undaunted, looked at Lady Kate as if she were a child.

"Do you understand that Princess Letitia, who reported Dears, might have been resented by people from Lady Natalie's camp?"

"That's just resentment."

"Resentment is still resentment. If Princess Letitia were to treat Lady Natalie coldly in such a state, what do you think would happen?"

"......That..."

Lady Kate's voice trailed off. She seemed to realize something.

The reason I invited Lady Natalie to my palace. While I do want to support her personally, it's not just for that.

I reported Dears, but I only disliked the group directly responsible for the crimes. I wanted to show that I had no ill feelings toward Lady Natalie, so I invited her to a tea party. By doing so, I hoped that her subordinates would not openly show hostility toward me.

"Lady Kate, I have no intention of being hostile toward Lady Natalie, or you and Lady Iriena. Do you understand?"

"......If you have no intention of being hostile, then why don't you join my camp?"

"It might come to that eventually, but isn't it too early? This is the first time we've met face to face, isn't it?"

"That's true, but..."

"We come from different countries and are of different races. It's natural that it will take time to understand each other."

"......Fine. Let's put aside the difficult talk for today and enjoy the rest of the meal."

I feel relieved that Lady Kate has backed down. She doesn't seem as high-handed as Dears, who would consider you an enemy if you didn't become an ally on the spot.

Lady Kate may not be good at controlling her emotions or playing politics, but she might not be a bad person. Her strong reactions toward me are within a tolerable range considering the racial differences. If we take the time to build a relationship, her attitude might soften, and her bias against humans might lessen.

For today, I'll consider this a good first contact. As I try to relax and resume eating, I feel a gaze. Glancing around, I think I see Lady Iriena looking at me.

Unlike Lady Kate, her expression is hard to read, so it might be my imagination. I pick up my fork and bring a piece of beef, drenched in sauce, to my mouth—

"???"

I freeze for a moment, then swallow the piece of meat as if nothing happened.

It's too salty. Painfully salty.

My throat is dry, and my mouth feels like it's filled with seawater.

Even if the dishes are generally salty, this level of saltiness is abnormal. Compared to the other dishes, the seasoning is clearly off.

However, as a guest, I can't just point it out, so I continue to eat with a neutral expression. I see Lady Iriena eating the same dish with an unchanged smile.

Is the seasoning only off for my dish, or is Lady Iriena also enduring the taste to avoid causing a scene?

As I consider how to respond, Lady Kate also reaches for the beef.

"!! What is this taste?? Are you making fun of me??"

Lady Kate slams her fork down on the plate and stands up. My efforts to avoid a scene are in vain, and her emotional nature has made it impossible for her to hold back.