Although the scenario Elis had envisioned collapsed with her very first move, she proved herself the true heir of a high-ranking noble house. Despite her internal turmoil, her smile remained unwavering as she approached Kaito and Jutia with a polite bow.
"Kaito-sama, Jutia-sama, welcome to my shop. I happened to be here on an inspection today and was late to notice your arrival. Please accept my sincerest apologies for the delay in greeting you."
"Oh, no, please don't apologize. To be honest, I didn't even expect you to be here. I hadn't read the magazine article closely enough, so I didn't realize you were the owner at first."
"I see. Well, that is quite understandable. Unless one is a fellow noble, most customers don't look into the specifics of shop management before they go shopping. If anything, I am simply delighted that my store caught your eye, Kaito-sama."
As she spoke with Kaito in a calm, melodic tone, Elis felt a wave of relief wash over her. She had carefully selected her words to guide the conversation this way, and so far, it was going perfectly.
(Thank you, Kaito-sama. This is an excellent flow. The other customers—the nobles in particular—are definitely eavesdropping. If we keep this up, it will cement the idea that our meeting was a pure coincidence. I might actually be able to suppress those strange rumors after all...)
By apologizing for her late arrival and mentioning her "inspection," she had prompted Kaito to provide the necessary follow-up. This naturally signaled to everyone listening that Kaito was here solely to shop and that Elis’s presence was an accident. It proved she hadn't invited him, and he wasn't here specifically to see her. It was a masterful recovery—a perfect display of the social grace required of a noble when faced with the unexpected.
"Still, I did hear this was your shop right before we arrived, and I was hoping I might run into you, Elis-san. I'm glad we did. Oh, and like I mentioned in my letter, thank you so much for the lovely handkerchief."
"I... I see. If it pleased you, then I am truly happy as well."
And just like that, her carefully constructed defense shattered under the weight of Kaito's characteristic kindness.
(Kaito-sama... people are going to misunderstand that, really! I only sent that handkerchief as a return gift for everything you've given me, but saying it like that makes it sound like a romantic token! Everyone here is going to assume... well, they’re going to assume exactly that. I can't even correct him without looking desperate or being rude...)
As far as the eavesdropping nobles were concerned, the narrative was now set: Elis had sent Kaito a personal gift, and Kaito was clearly smitten with it. Elis realized that any attempt at damage control was now futile. Her eyes took on a distant, hollow look, but she forced herself to turn and greet the princess.
"Jutia-sama, I believe you have visited us before. Thank you for returning."
"The chocolate here is delicious, and it pairs perfectly with black tea! I’m quite a fan myself! Elis, we didn't really get a chance to chat last time we met, so if you're free, I’d love to sit down for some tea and a long talk sometime zei!"
"Huh? Ah... yes! It would be an absolute honor!"
That offer was so far beyond Elis's expectations that her professional mask slipped, leaving her momentarily stunned. It was an incredible development; in noble society, Jutia’s words were essentially a standing invitation for Elis to host her at future tea parties.
(What? Why? How? I haven't done anything to deserve this kind of recognition from Jutia-sama... Wait, could it be because Kaito-sama likes me? Is his opinion of me influencing hers?)
Her intuition was spot on. Though Elis didn't know it, Jutia was incredibly fond of Kaito. In her mind, anyone Kaito held in high regard was naturally someone worth knowing. In short, because Kaito was close to Elis, Jutia wanted to be close to her too.
The end result was a new, powerful rumor taking root: Elis Dia Hamilton, the heir of the Marquis House, was not only on intimate terms with Kaito Miyama but was also a personal favorite of the Great Tree Princess.
Thinking of the social storm that was about to break over her, Elis unconsciously pressed a hand against her stomach.
Serious-senpai: "Would someone please stop him?! She’s being handled like a punching bag! At this rate, Elis's stomach life is already at zero!"