Chapter 70

The days until Manila Day passed in the blink of an eye.

I was quite busy, but Lady Kate and her subordinate chefs must have been swamped with work.

"But thanks to that, it seems we managed to make it just in time."

Holding hands with Lucian, I stepped down from the carriage in front of Lady Kate's villa. Today, I had been invited by Lady Kate as planned. I also wanted to see if Manila Day would go smoothly—

"Oh, it's Lady Letitia."

A somewhat displeased voice came from behind. It was Lady Siena, beautifully dressed but unable to hide her true nature. She, being Lady Kate's half-sister, was also an invited guest.

"I'm surprised. I thought Lady Letitia was a wise person."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"......What are you thinking?"

Lady Siena, standing next to me, lowered her voice and asked.

"I know that Lady Letitia has been communicating with her half-sister recently. It seems you're up to something, but I think it's futile. On Manila Day, it's customary to eat dishes made with salt, a specialty of our territory. No matter how many new salt dishes you come up with, it's impossible for you, an outsider, to match the skill of our territory's chefs."

"Isn't it possible that an outsider might think of something?"

"It will only be a superficial effort."

"Is it? We'll know the result soon enough."

We arrived at the dining room. As the door opened, there—

"Lady Letitia, good day. Welcome today."

"Good day. It's been a while since we met outside our respective villas."

"Oh, you look so cute today. Did you come with your kitten? Are you two close?"

I was greeted in turn by Lady Kate, Lady Natalie, and then Lady Yi Reina.

"Wh-What? Why are the other princess candidates here...?"

Lady Siena was frozen in place.

"Oh, Siena, welcome. I'm glad you came today."

"!! Sister!! What do you mean!? I didn't hear anything about inviting other princess candidates on Manila Day!!"

"Is there a problem? Manila Day is a day to invite and entertain important guests. Lady Natalie and Lady Yi Reina are also duchess daughters and will share the future of this country with us."

Lady Kate said this calmly, as planned.

Manila Day, like other such events, is a day to entertain guests, and the caliber of the guests reflects the status of the host. Therefore, Lady Kate's status would naturally rise by inviting us, Lady Natalie, and others. For me, it would be seen as a response to Lady Kate's invitation, so I wouldn't be considered part of her camp externally.

For Lady Natalie, there were also advantages to accepting Lady Kate's invitation. Given that she has almost no chance of becoming the next princess, deepening her relationship with Lady Kate, the current frontrunner, is significant. Despite the gap between humans and beast people, today, their interests aligned, and they came to an understanding.

When I proposed this to Lady Natalie, she thought for a moment and nodded. Lady Siena and her supporters, who are even more distant from humans than Lady Kate, would not want Lady Siena to become the next princess.

After obtaining Lady Natalie's agreement, Lady Kate and I sent invitations to Lady Yi Reina. While her true intentions are unclear, she doesn't seem to want to cause a stir. Knowing that Lady Natalie and I had decided to attend, she agreed to come, perhaps to observe us.

And there was one more person, less noticeable. Lady Phylia, the princess candidate with black hair who lives in the southern villa, was also here. She generally welcomes all comers and lets all go, so she accepted the invitation.

With this, Lady Kate has invited three princess candidates, making for an impressive lineup of guests for Manila Day. I hoped this would offset the last-minute chaos and thwart Lady Siena's plans.

As I greeted Lady Phylia, whom I was meeting face-to-face for the first time, the dining room door opened. Tension ran through Lady Kate and Lady Siena. It was their father and the one who held their fate, Duke Garon.

He was a middle-aged man with the air of a mountain cat, or rather, a large mountain cat. His hair color was similar to Lady Siena's light brown, and his slightly upturned eyes reminded me of Lady Kate's.

After welcoming Duke Garon and a few other guests, the banquet finally began. Dishes were brought to our table all at once. Although the kitchen was busier with the addition of Lady Natalie and the other two guests, I had been told that the capacity was just enough, so it should be fine.

First, a salad with large grains of salt sprinkled on leafy greens was served. It was a simple dish but perfect for a palate cleanser.

Next to it, a round bread, baked to a fluffy texture and sprinkled with salt, was placed. The dough also contained salt, which enhanced the sweetness of the butter, but like the salad, it was a common dish in Lady Kate's hometown.

The main dish, the new recipe I proposed, was the last to be served. As it was brought in, someone muttered under their breath.

"A large block of salt...?"