The Underworld King, Kuromueina, was widely known as one of the gentlest of the Six Kings, second only to Liliwood. Her friendly personality and penchant for visiting food stalls earned her many admirers throughout the Human Realm as well.
Conversely, she seemed to have little interest in lavish ceremonies. Whether it was to maintain the power balance within or between nations, she almost never attended parties hosted by nobles or royalty in person, typically sending a proxy instead. Consequently, many nobles had never actually spoken to her.
Elis fell into that category. Since Kuromueina had never made an appearance at any evening party or celebration Elis had attended in her life, this was officially their first face-to-face meeting.
"Chrome-sama! This is Elis-san, a friend of Kaito-kun-san!" Razulia chirped.
"Ah, Kaito-kun has told me about her," Kuromueina replied. "I've been wanting to have a chat with her."
"! ...I offer my greetings to the Benevolent King of the Demon Realm. I am Elis Dia Hamilton, heir of the Hamilton Marquis House of the Arclesia Empire."
Hearing Kuromueina's words, Elis delivered her greeting with a flawlessly refined salute, but inside, she was in a state of absolute panic.
(W-Why!? How was I granted permission to address her? It has to be because I was introduced as Kaito-sama’s friend... Right? Goodness, his influence really is beyond measure!)
The person before her was effectively the sovereign of the Demon Realm. In Elis’s position, even being in the same room made a formal greeting difficult to initiate. Carelessly interrupting Kuromueina's business would have been an act of lèse-majesté grave enough to end a noble's career, even if the King herself didn't mind. It would have provided perfect ammunition for anyone looking to dismantle the Hamilton Marquis House.
If Kuromueina had simply given a brief acknowledgement like, "Sorry to interrupt, but may I speak with Raz for a moment?" or a simple "Nice to meet you," Elis would have only exchanged a polite word or two before departing.
However, by stating she "wanted to talk," Kuromueina had essentially authorized a social interaction. This prompted Elis to provide a formal greeting that included her family name.
"I'm Kuromueina. It's a pleasure. You can call me Chrome; that's what most people call me, anyway."
"I-I am... deeply honored, Chrome-sama."
Not only had she been permitted to speak, but she had even been granted the use of a nickname. The shock was enough to make Elis's ironclad smile falter.
The cause was, of course, Kaito. To Kuromueina, Kaito was a special existence whom she trusted implicitly. Since he treated Elis as a dear friend, Kuromueina viewed her through that same lens. In short, Kuromueina was treating Elis as a new friend of her own.
Elis, however, had no idea why she was receiving such preferential treatment. She felt as though she might foam at the mouth from the sheer pressure.
While Elis suffered through her conversation with Kuromueina, Lilia stood some distance away with a pained expression.
"Milady? Is something the matter?" Lunamaria asked.
"...No, I don't quite know how to describe it. I’ve never spoken to her, but... I feel a profound sense of sympathy for Lady Elis. Just watching her makes my own stomach ache."
"Ah, now that you mention it, she does seem to be in a similar boat. But don't you worry, Milady. Your own future is already perfectly secure. You have the pleasure of meeting otherworld gods who will surely descend later just to see Miyama-sama. You'll have plenty of opportunities to keep suffering for a long time yet. It’s only for now that you can treat this like someone else’s problem."
"Please don't say such terrifying things! I'm trying my absolute hardest not to think about that!"
"Ignore it all you like, it's still going to happen..."
While empathizing with Elis, Lilia reflexively placed a hand on her own stomach as she contemplated the inevitable misery Lunamaria predicted. It was a gesture of solidarity with her internal organs, an unspoken plea for them to rest while they still had this fleeting moment of peace.
Serious-senpai: "Exactly. Kaito has maxed out his favorability with everyone, so the evaluation of his friends gets a massive initial boost. She’s flailing because of the pressure... and Lilia’s feeling it too."
???: "Strictly speaking, it isn't even their first meeting as far as Kuro is concerned. They met back during the Hydra Kingdom’s Founding Festival in that parallel dimension. Kuro probably realized, 'Oh, it's that girl from back then.' Since Elis hasn't carried over those memories, she’s treating it like their first time."
Serious-senpai: "Well, she only asked for directions to Laguna's place back then, so it might as well be the first time."