Shortly before the appointed time of 2:00 p.m., Jin and his friends returned to the royal castle.
They used the servants' service gate for both the way to and from the castle.
"I wonder how the security works here?
Jin was a little concerned.
"I heard that the guards at the gate remember the faces of everyone who leaves and comes back.
Jin wonders if this is some kind of special skill.
If anything, Jin is not very good at remembering people's faces.
A former classmate once told him that he would never make it as an insurance salesman.
Aside from that, after passing through the service gate, we headed for the outermost section of the castle, so to speak, through the to the .
(Hmmm, do they keep an eye on each other?)
On the way there, he just followed Veronica silently, but on the way back, he had more time to observe her.
When Jin and the others returned to the central section of the castle, the guest room, Balfeeza Walker, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, was waiting for them.
"<>, did you have a good time?"
"Yes, it was quite interesting.
"Yes, it was quite interesting. Now, please take a bath in the bathroom first.
He was aware that we were probably sweating and dusty from our walk through the city.
They were allowed to use the small bathrooms separated for men and women, and Jin and Erza came out of the changing room at about the same time after they had washed off their sweat and changed their clothes.
A maid waiting outside guided them to the place where the tea ceremony was to be held.
"Wow. ......"
"......"
It was a so-called .
Red, white, yellow. Summer flowers and grasses were in full bloom.
A sunshade like a reed screen was hung to block the summer sun, making it cool.
A round table was set there, and tea was being prepared.
"Welcome, <>, My Lady.
King Cesar rises to greet them.
Present are the king, SS commander Kirk Atwood, and several attendants.
There is another beautiful woman in her mid-twenties.
"...... Mr. Merfe?"
The name spilled out of Elsa's mouth.
Yes, it was Merve, the former King Richard's mistress.
"Erza-sama, she wanted to congratulate me herself.
King Cesar explains why she is here.
"Erza-sama, Jin-sama, congratulations on your marriage.
Merve stands up and bows deeply.
She feels indebted to Elsa for treating her beloved Richard, and had hoped to meet her in person to congratulate and thank her.
Thanks to you, my master is now able to move as well as a human being. Thank you very much.
"No, no, it was only because of your devoted care of Mr. Merve. I only assisted her.
That's not true! If it weren't for Erza-sama, I'm sure I would still be at ......."
Merve's gratitude seemed to know no bounds.
"No, truly, I am grateful."
King Cesar added.
"Oh, thank you very much."
Erza turned red with embarrassment.
Five minutes later, the tea party begins.
"Thank you for your hard work this time.
Merve knew that Jin and Erza were not good at such fancy events.