I decided to introduce Gurin-san to Lilia-san first, so I spoke to her as we made our way through the crowd.
"Gurin-san, would you mind if I introduced you to Lilia-san... I mean, Duchess Lilia Albert? Among the nobles I know, she’s a kind and approachable person who’s incredibly knowledgeable about high society. I feel like she’s the best person for you to meet..."
My next choices would have been Amalie-san, Orchid, or Chris-san, but since they were all royalty, I figured Lilia-san was the better option. Well, technically, Lilia-san was once royalty as well...
Upon hearing my suggestion, Gurin-san’s eyes began to sparkle.
"H-Her Excellency Duchess Lilia Albert!? You mean the woman currently sitting in first place in the Most Active Noble Ranking... the legendary high-ranking noble I've always admired!?"
"A noble ranking? Does such a thing really exist?"
"Ah, Kaito-san, please just ignore her. It’s apparently a ranking that only exists inside Gurin-san’s head..."
I wasn't quite sure what that was about, but the reaction was positive nonetheless. It seemed that to Gurin-san, Lilia-san was an idol of sorts, so she had no objections.
"I can't believe I'm going to be introduced to Her Excellency Duchess Lilia Albert! I'm so moved! For someone of my status, it would normally be impossible to even speak with her, so I had already given up hope..."
"You don't need to be that nervous. Lilia-san is a truly kind person..."
As we spoke, I used Sympathy Magic to locate Lilia-san and headed toward her, only to encounter a slightly strange sight. I found Lilia-san, but some distance away, Luna-san was standing back, watching her from the periphery.
"...Luna-san, what are you doing?"
"Ah, no, I saw that my mother's side seemed fine, so I came back. I'm currently observing the way Milady attracts hardships to herself like a black hole."
"I don't quite understand why you're just watching. Don't you think you should help her?"
"Fundamentally, someone of my status cannot join that conversation. Besides, I have no desire for my own stomach to start hurting..."
I had a feeling the latter part was the real reason. After exchanging a few brief words with Luna-san, I continued toward Lilia-san. I could see her talking to someone who appeared to be Astaroth-san.
I say "appeared to be" because the person she was talking to was clearly wearing a cow kigurumi that Alice must have made. I’d heard from Pandora-san that Astaroth-san usually wore a costume given to her by Alice, so that was almost certainly her. I couldn't tell if the formal suit she wore over the costume was part of the original design or something she'd added for the party.
"This is... Miyama-sama."
"Hello, Astaroth-san. I'm sorry, were you in the middle of a conversation?"
"No, I have already completed my formal greeting to Duchess Lilia. If you wish to speak with her, please, be my guest. I shall go inspect other areas..."
"I'm sorry if I'm intruding. Please enjoy the party, Astaroth-san."
"You are too kind."
Just as Luna-san had suggested, Lilia-san looked quite overwhelmed and exhausted. Because of that, I approached her somewhat forcefully, cutting into the conversation. Astaroth-san noticed me before I even spoke and considerately stepped away after giving a polite bow.
When I turned to Lilia-san, she was looking at me as if I were her Messiah.
"Kaito-san... Truly, you've arrived at the perfect time..."
"Luna-san mentioned that you were struggling with something again. What happened?"
"It's just... executives from the Six Kings whom I've never even met before have been coming by one after another to greet me. The social pressure is... Luna and Sieg abandoned me and fled ages ago."
"I-I'm sorry to hear that... Ah, right. There are some people I want to introduce to you, Lilia-san..."
"..."
That was strange. Why did her eyes suddenly go dull like those of a dead fish? I almost felt as if she were silently accusing me: "You made me think I was saved just to hit me with a surprise attack? Do you have no heart?" Given my track record, she wasn't exactly wrong to be suspicious, but it was still a bit much.
"What is it this time? Is it the god of some world, or perhaps a ruler from another dimension?"
"I mean, I can't blame you for thinking that given my past behavior, but they're actually just normal people... they're friends I met during the Flying Board Tournament. This is Gurin-san..."
"P-Pleased to meet you! M-May I offer my humblest greetings to Her Excellency, ah, um... My name is Gurin!"
"And this is An-san."
"O-Ooh, it is an honor to make your acquaintance. I am Rimegite Rinoria Gisurudo Ametes An of the Cruel race. P-Please, you may call me An..."
Both of them were stiff with tension. Lilia-san had a stunned expression, as if she were witnessing something incredibly rare.
"...Kaito-san, come to think of it, I'm actually a pretty important person, aren't I?"
"Well, you are a Duchess."
"That's true. It's just... the people Kaito-san usually brings to me are such that seeing someone visibly nervous just from meeting me feels remarkably fresh..."
Actually, this might be the first time she's seen this kind of reaction. Acht and Eva weren't used to formal speech, but they were used to being around people like Kuro, so they didn't get nervous. Akane-san is fundamentally thick-skinned, so while she was respectful of Lilia-san's status, she was never paralyzed with fear. This really was a novel experience for her.
Serious-senpai: "Exactly. She’s a Duchess. In any normal situation, her status would be higher than almost anyone else... But because Kaito almost exclusively brings around people who exist outside the realm of common sense, even Lilia's own perspective on her status has been completely numbed."