The Invitation

Huff... Partner, are you enjoying such delicious food?"

After finishing the prepared fish dish, the content Midnight Aegis—whom we now call "Night" as per his request—expressed his satisfaction.

It was decided that we would use nicknames because, as he put it, "Oh, since we're partners, it's only natural to call each other by nicknames!"

My nickname? I go by "Ely," I don't know but for some reason....It just feels familiar.

However, Serena—or rather, "Rena," as she insisted, seemingly displeased with the idea of midnight Aegis calling me by a nickname at first—had her own way of expressing things.

The cuteness Rena displayed at that time, well, just recalling it makes my chest tighten, but that's a privilege only I have, and I can't share it with anyone, especially not with guys.

Anyway, Rena and I ended up calling each other "Ely" and "Rena."

"Night, is it delicious?"

"Yeah!"

I've heard that magical beasts primarily feed on mana. However, the methods of mana supply vary. Some beasts, like Night, absorb it from nature and the earth, while others directly ingest from living beings that possess mana—humans included.

In that sense, it was fortunate that we could defeat Yeti before it caused harm.

There were hardly any creatures on Wort Island that Yeti could prey on, and it was evident that it would soon attack the nearby town.

Thankfully, it didn't do so before my arrival or else the kingdom knights would have been mobilized that in turn would have caused me to lose Shield of Midnight Aegis.

While pondering on such matters...

"Lord Elysion."

"Hm? What is it, Mir?"

Mir arrived, showing a somewhat troubled expression. Although she occastionally teases and mocks me and Serena, she generally doesn't display much emotion.

"Well..."

According to Mir, during the one month we were absent, party invitations arrived daily, all from a single person.

"And the sender is?"

"...The Duke of Nethercrest's household."

Well, this is troublesome.

Speaking of the Nethercrest household, it was a noble family founded by the younger brother of the king from two generations ago.

While not comparable to Rena's family, the Duke of Ravenhurst, they traced their roots back to the former royal family. I can't afford to be rude.

No, even allowing the party invitation to be left unanswered for a month is already quite disrespectful. 'What should I do?'

Above all, Frederica, the eldest daughter of the Nethercrest family, is the fiancée of the Crown Prince, Chris.

Attending a party at the Nethercrest household would mean running into Chris. I definitely want to avoid that.

"What do you think?"

"...Is it impossible to avoid replying at this point?"

"That's probably difficult..."

"Yeah..."

No, even if I decline, it will still cause offense, and if I attend and meet Chris, that's not desirable one for me either.

"In addition, even though Lord Elysion, you have been on good terms with them for a while now, there must be a reason for them to persistently invite you like this. It might be rather dangerous to keep it on hold."

"Hmm..."

Now, what should I do?

I really don't want to go, but I'd like to know the reason for receiving so many invitations.

"Miss will be here soon; how about consulting with her at that time?"

"That's a good idea."

Even if I can't come up with an idea, Rena, who is my girl, might have a good answer.

….

…

..

.

"A party at the Nethercrest household, huh?"

"Y-Yes, ughhh!?"

"Nyaa, do your best! Just like that, roll and dodge!"

I immediately consulted Rena, who was sparring with me in the training ground.

Of course, I am currently in the midst of training, and just as her sword's edge grazed my cheek, I managed to narrowly dodge it. Night, who was cheerfully supporting me, is annoying.

"Well, I've also received an invitation, and it seems they want to meet us, the engaged couple. Um...something like 'future family' was mentioned in that."

"Geheh!?... I see..."

I see. For Frederica, who will soon be living together in the royal palace, she probably wants to get to know us as her future family.

However, meeting me, who is called the "incompetent prince," won't offer any benefits. I can say one thing for sure from the game, nethercrest family is up to no good.

Inside the game's plotline, Chris was almost manipulated by their dark and was abruptly saved by Vikir to later become buddy-buddy with the protagoanist.

"S-Rena-lady, what do you think?"

"Ely, please just call me 'Rena.' Honorifics like 'lady' are unnecessary."

"Ah, ahaha... I'm sorry. So, what do you think Rena, we should do?"

"Of course, it would be better to attend. I also want to meet Lady Frederica and confirm what kind of person she is."

If that's the case, the answer is clear.

"S-So, um, can I have you, my prince accompany me to the party as my fiancée?"

"Yes... I'd be delighted."

After receiving a powerful blow to the stomach and gasping for breath, I knelt in front of her and she asked for my favor. Rena, displayed a melting smile after I agreed with her request.