The prank

"Young Lady Em'raldio, there is a limit to jokes and teasing. You are the daughter of the current Empress of the Emeraldios Empire. Even with my engagement in mind, the difference in status between the two of us is undeniable."

The gold-haired girl let out a soft sigh and put down her teacup to put down her response.

"But you said you like my brother!"

Bjorki pointed out before she could stop herself.

"Young Lady Em'raldio, it's quite the harsh spot you're putting me in. If I may, the implication you suggest, whether on purpose or by accident, is a scandalous one considering my position."

Melinda ended up furrowing her brows and pointing out.

"Then why don't you say that you like me too and lessen the impact!?"

"Because it would be a blatant lie."

Bjorki bit her lips before complaining and ended up receiving an instantaneous answer.

Melinda's response really was so fast that it took others to realize that she actually said what she did.

It certainly didn't help that the gold-haired girl tilted her head in a way that showed off her face and both eyes which brought back her naturally sharp glare that freezed up the blue-haired host.

"...before you continue to spiral more and more into the incorrect assumption, I would like to remind you of your status, Young Lady Em'raldio. In your position, at some point, you were, or even still are, considered as a spouse for my beloved. No matter how secure I feel about the strength of the feeling between him and myself, I can act neutral around the potential threat to our relationship, but suddenly starting to like her is beyond my capability. My apologies."

Melinda closed her eyes to hide the fact she was rolling them and revealed before straightening her back and picking her teacup back up.

"As for liking Young Lord Em'raldio, it's nothing more and nothing less than acknowledging the person my future husband will be working with some time in the future."

She added while catching a glimpse of other girls nodding to themselves with understanding in the corner of her eye.

From their perspective, Melinda was talking about the crown prince of Diamondium Kingdom, Ester.

Not even one of them imagined that Melinda's actual beloved was much, much closer.

Honestly speaking, when the gold-haired girl first learned that the officials at the church of the goddess Perseverance were considering political marriage for Zane, their chosen champion, to increase his legitimacy, that particular religious organization was about to be erased from the face of the earth. Only the monstrous young man himself managed to prevent that calamity.

"That said, none of it means that I am hostile towards you or anyone else for the matter."

Melinda added, just in case someone present missed her point.

"The first snack of the party has…! Oh…"

The main waiter opened the side door with gusto, announcing the arrival of food only to stop right in his tracks at the sight of the less than optimal.

"Ah! That's right! The snacks! This particular dish is considered a delicacy, and if prepared in the correct way, it is light enough to be considered a snack!"

Although the waiter might have thought he made a blunder, his interruption was the very thing that Bjorki needed to get back into the proper mindset as she clasped her hands together and announced.

"Please, do start serving it!"

"At once, Young Lady."

The blue-haired girl added, and the waiter breathed out in relief. He bowed his head to her, backed off into the other room, and unleashed his subordinates, carrying plates with steaming lightly browned toast and rather sizable egg cups holding brownish eggs similar to the ostrich ones.

"...!"

Unbeknownst to the others, Melinda Fernioette twitched at the first glance of the waiters, lowering her head so much that her face could barely be seen and staying completely silent.

She didn't look up even when the food war served to everyone...

"...Young Lady Fenrioette…!"

"..."

…although that statement about no one noticing her reaction might not have been true, as Lidia Envegio - the girl who suggested the idea of the te party to Bjorki - leaned in behind the one other girl separating her from the gold-haired girl and whispered with an unexpected expression.

She seemed… apologetic, especially once Melinda barely moved her head towards her to listen in what she had to say.

"Young Lady… I… apologize… I suggested this dish in order to be mean to you…"

"..."

Lidia whispered in a guilty voice, not noticing that Melinda clenched her fists in absolute silence.

"I'm sorry for making you upset. But don't worry! Those are Basilisk eggs! They only look similar to Kobold eggs! It was meant as a mean prank, but… I… I wanted to make you throw a tantrum and not… not like that…"

"...!"

The girl confessed, biting her lips and shifting in unease on her seat, causing the gold-haired girl to straighten her back and stare at her in shock.

"Basilisk…?"

Melinda gulped down her saliva and asked in a shockingly timid voice while pointing at the egg in front of her.

"..."

Interestingly enough, at her question, Bjorki flinched, and the spoon she was about to crack stopped an inch away from the upper part of the egg.

"Yes! Basilisks are one of the few monsters that spawn as eggs near a swamp. In order to evolve - that is, hatch - they need to spend a set amount of time in close proximity to Purple-venom Toads. They are very strong creatures, so getting rid of them as soon as possible is very important. My family territory is neighboring Ir'ceguns' territory, which overlooks the largest Basilisk Spawning Ground and is also the largest exporter of Basilisk eggs! Ah…!"

Lidia nodded her head vigorously and started explaining. Halfway through, she changed her tone into a boastful one, only to realize it and let out an embarrassed gasp. Then, noticing that everyone's attention had shifted to her, she slouched down with her face completely red.

"Wh-what I wanted to say is that my mother is a big enthusiast of Basilisk eggs because they are apparently good for your skin and hair, and we have it for dinner or breakfast pretty often… that's why… I thought serving Basilisk eggs that look identical to Kobold eggs would be… a… harmless enough way of getting to you and drop that perfect act… since you carry the Kobold one everywhere and clearly care for it very much…"

Lidia continued speaking but grew increasingly embarrassed and ashamed of herself the more she revealed.