Inside a private study within the Hamilton Marquis House of the Arclesia Empire—a room that had seen a flurry of activity lately for high-level deliberations—Eris sat with her parents. The table before them was buried under a staggering mountain of paperwork.
"We have managed to narrow down the candidates to some degree, but the sheer volume of background checks and investigative reports is overwhelming," Eris remarked.
"Indeed. However, this is one matter where we cannot afford even the slightest oversight," Marquis Hamilton replied with a grave nod. "I mobilized the full resources of the Hamilton House to scour every available record. Given the stakes, this amount of documentation is only natural."
He reached for a sheet from the pile. It was a comprehensive list of every noble within the Arclesia Empire. It didn't just stop at the heads of houses; it cataloged heirs, younger siblings, and even newborns. Several names were marked with specific annotations.
"...Now then, let us move toward the final selection of the young lords and ladies to be invited to the tea party we promised Kaito-sama."
"Life would be far simpler if we could choose based on character alone," the Marquis continued, "but we must peel back every layer of their background. If we don’t, we won’t know who is truly pulling the strings from behind the scenes."
"Given the complex web of vertical and horizontal alliances in noble society, there are bound to be requests that are difficult to decline. We must account for every variable, no matter how minute," Eris added.
The Marquis and his wife adopted expressions of grim determination as they began to scrutinize the documents once more. They were currently vetting the final guest list for the social gathering Eris had promised Miyama Kaito some time ago.
A fair amount of time had passed since that initial promise, and they were finally reaching the stage where they could send out invitations. However, the situation was delicate; the attendees had to be chosen with surgical precision.
According to their earlier discussions, they intended to exclude the heads of houses and keep the event relatively small, focusing on the younger generation. Even so, Kaito’s political and social influence was so immense that they had to prepare for nobles who would stop at nothing to exploit the connection.
"Father, how shall we handle the matter of companions?"
"Strictly speaking, we cannot forbid them, but if we follow standard etiquette, someone is bound to take advantage of it."
In the context of a noble’s tea party, "companions" was a polite euphemism for bodyguards. Rather than waiting outside with the carriages, these individuals were permitted to stay within the venue. The term was used to avoid causing offense; calling them "guards" might imply that the guest did not trust the host’s hospitality or security.
"If we were to ban companions entirely, some nobles would undoubtedly raise a fuss, questioning what we would do if an incident occurred," Eris sighed. "It is exasperating that people who aren't even the ones invited would find reasons to complain, but..."
"Such is the nature of our society—a world built upon constant checks and balances," the Marquis said. "While it is tiresome dealing with those who only wish to drag others down, that very friction is what keeps the peace. Regardless, we must close any loopholes that might invite trouble."
If they permitted companions without restriction, as was common at ordinary tea parties, guests might attempt to smuggle in high-ranking nobles as their "escorts." While companions were usually professional guards, the lack of an explicit rule meant the position could be easily abused for political maneuvering.
"...Would it be best to limit companions to non-nobles only?" the Marchioness suggested.
"Yes. It is highly irregular, but that way we aren't technically excluding guards. It will surely draw some complaints, but the justification is easy enough to deliver."
"And since Kaito-sama is—however incorrectly—perceived as having a distaste for the nobility, those who receive the invitations might find the restriction easier to accept," the Marchioness added.
They agreed to include a clause in the invitations stating that companions must be commoners. With that settled, they moved on to the core issue: the selection of the guests themselves.
"...Regarding the young ladies, we must eliminate any who might harbor inappropriate intentions. Would it be ideal to focus on those who are already engaged?"
"But would that not create a different problem if Kaito-sama were to actually take an interest in one of them?" the Marquis asked.
"Hmm. Knowing Kaito-sama’s character, I find it virtually impossible that he would demand a young lady as a mistress," Eris replied.
"I see. Since you are the one with a direct friendship with him, Eris, I will trust your judgment on his temperament. Please, disregard my concern."
Once she saw her husband nod in agreement, the Marchioness turned her attention back to the files. "Are there any promising young lords?"
"That is the difficulty... Most men near Kaito-sama’s age have already inherited their titles or are busy with official duties at the Imperial Castle. Beyond them, I have found almost no one with a connection to our house whom I can personally vouch for in terms of character. Father, do you have anyone in mind?"
"No. If we exclude the heads of houses and those holding official rank, the list of candidates shrinks significantly. There are a few whose personalities seem acceptable, but they belong to rival factions. Even though this is officially a personal tea party hosted by you, Eris, inviting them would be politically fraught. It could be seen as an attempt to bait them into switching allegiances using Miyama Kaito-sama as the prize."
"I see... Then it looks like our selection will lean heavily toward the young ladies."
Since the pretext for this gathering was a private meeting between Eris and her personal friends, there were limits to whom they could invite without causing a diplomatic incident.
Finding people who would actually get along with Kaito, possessed decent personalities, and wouldn't trigger the interference of other noble houses was proving to be an exhausting task.
The three members of the Hamilton family continued their deliberation, their faces set in masks of solemn concentration as they painstakingly assembled their list.
Stomach Pain Devil: "And here, let's add just a pinch of stomach-punching agony..."
Serious-senpai: "Whoa, whoa, whoa! This girl’s already been beaten black and blue at the birthday party, and she was still reeling from the aftershocks even once it was over! You’re seriously going to go in for another blow? Isn't that just cruel?"
Stomach Pain Devil: "It’s simply time for the episode where she finally hosts the tea party she promised. All she has to do is invite him and offer him normal hospitality."
Serious-senpai: "Come on! You say it's 'just hospitality,' but you've already planted a visible landmine—no, a visible Napalm Bomb—with this 'Companion' rule! Besides, Eris has been taking non-stop hits to the gut since the moment she appeared. You should show her some mercy! Not only is there this tea party, but she still has the event where she has to visit Kaito's house later! I can't even imagine the levels of stomach pain she's going to suffer from here on out!"
Stomach Pain Devil: "Punching the stomach."
Serious-senpai: "That's why I like it!"