The housewarming party was tomorrow. Despite being the homeowner, I hadn't been involved in a single bit of the planning, and today I was expected at the Sinfonia Royal Castle. I was currently waiting by my front door for my ride to arrive.
The reason for the summons was a letter from King Ryze, asking me to stop by the castle before the party. To summarize the contents... well, even though I had built a house right in the middle of the Sinfonia Royal Capital, I apparently wasn't being treated as a Sinfonia citizen.
At a glance, it might have looked like I was being ostracized, but the reality was much more extreme.
For all intents and purposes, my property was being treated as a special district—an independent nation, essentially. The laws of the Kingdom of Sinfonia no longer applied to my home. Consequently, I had no obligation to pay taxes, and the state was prohibited from issuing orders to me or anyone living under my roof, barring a dire emergency.
I was told that the King wanted to provide me with a formal document certifying this special status, largely to ensure the rest of the nobility understood the situation. To be honest, I wanted to say I had no clue why things had escalated to this point, but...
"Hey, Alice."
"Yes?"
"About this... is the person I'm thinking of—the God of Earth—involved in this somehow?"
"...Well, I was the one who actually proposed the idea, but the root cause is ninety-nine percent likely to be her."
"...I thought so."
I figured as much. Looking back, I really should have been more mindful of her. Ryze-san... and probably Chris-san and Laguna-san as well. I felt a pang of guilt; my lack of foresight had undoubtedly caused them a massive amount of unnecessary stress.
While I was lost in my apologies to the absent monarchs, I saw Lilia-san and the others emerge from the mansion next door. As the head of a ducal house, Lilia-san was also involved in the day's procedures. Even though our houses were adjacent, the sheer size of the estates meant there was a fair distance between us, but I could clearly see them preparing their carriage. Since she was attending in her official capacity as Duchess Albert, we were traveling to the castle separately.
As I watched them, a luxurious carriage pulled up in front of my own gate.
A woman about 150 centimeters tall stepped down from the driver's seat. She had wavy, blonde semi-long hair and striking red eyes. Clad in silver armor, she carried a massive greatsword on her back—one so long I couldn't imagine how she managed to draw it, as it looked twice her height.
I hadn't spoken to her before, but I vaguely remembered seeing her guarding Ryze-san during the Six Kings Festival. Was she a Royal Guard?
The woman walked through the garden toward me and gave a shallow, polite bow with one hand over her heart.
"I apologize for the wait. I am Rachel, and I have been tasked with serving as your guide today."
"Ah, um, it’s nice to meet you. I'm Kaito Miyama."
"I am humbled by your gracious greeting."
She had a distinct, formal way of speaking, and her every movement carried the refined grace of the upper class. As I was taking in her professional aura, she relaxed her posture slightly and offered a wry smile.
"It seems 'my husband' caused you some trouble in the past, Miyama-sama. You have my sincerest apologies."
"Your husband? Um... do you mean Ryze-san?"
Hearing the word "husband," the first person I thought of was Ryze-san, given his reputation for having many wives. Rachel-san smiled again and shook her head.
"His Majesty the King is certainly a charming man, but he is unfortunately not quite my type. My husband is the 'Stylish Skeleton' you're acquainted with."
"...Eh? A skeleton... you mean Zex-san?"
"That is correct."
I was floored. Rachel-san was Zex-san's wife? To be honest—and I knew it might be a bit rude to think—it was quite a shock. Even though I understood that people of all races fell in love in this world, I had a hard time picturing a romance involving a Lich like Zex-san.
"Does that surprise you? It really shouldn't."
Rachel-san reached down and unfastened a piece of her armor, revealing her arm. To my astonishment, her limb featured smooth, spherical joints—just like a doll's.
"I am a Demon of the Undead-type known as a Living Doll. For me to marry Zex, who is also Undead-type, is actually not unusual at all."
"I-I see..."
That explained the subtle sense of oddness I'd been feeling. Looking closely, I realized she hadn't blinked a single time. I wondered if her race was similar to Zwei-san’s. It seemed that every time I met a new Demon, I made some kind of discovery.
While I was chatting with Rachel-san, Lilia-san and Sieg-san walked over to us. They both bowed deeply and respectfully, with Lilia-san taking the lead.
"It has been a long time, Knight Commander Rachel."
"Well, well, if it isn't Lilianne and Sieglinde. It has been a while... Oh, forgive me. I should say Duchess Lilia now."
"Fufu, I'm just glad to see you're as well as ever."
"It's a bit strange to call a Living Doll 'well,' but I appreciate the sentiment. You both seem to have grown significantly stronger since your days in the Order. Especially you, Lilia-sama; I doubt I could even hold my own against you anymore. As your former superior, I couldn't be prouder of how far you’ve come."
It turned out that Rachel-san was the Knight Commander of the Sinfonia Kingdom's Order of Knights, and she was an old mentor to Lilia-san and Sieg-san. Watching her beam with genuine pride as she admitted Lilia-san had surpassed her gave me a good sense of just how kind a person she was.