Blair decided it worked in her favor and spoke in a composed tone.

“We are doing this precisely to prevent a scene, my lady.”

“And not simply picking a fight because he is from Armos?”

At that, the Bolton knights’ faces crumpled.

“We don’t know which family you belong to, my lady, but we are knights of House Bolton.”

Acting like marquises when they aren’t even close.

Blair found their posturing thoroughly tiresome, but she kept it off her face and continued.

“Which is exactly why I’m saying this. If you cause a problem here, it could lead to a diplomatic dispute.”

“A, a diplomatic dispute?”

That seemed to finally rattle them, and their expressions shifted to alarm.

“With so many foreign guests gathered today of all days, I doubt the marquis would be pleased if something unpleasant were to occur.”

But as if to salvage their pride, the Bolton knights refused to back down easily.

“We are simply carrying out His Majesty the King’s orders to maintain security. What do you mean by unpleasant?”

“Are you saying His Majesty ordered you to turn away Armos nationals without any proper verification?”

“That’s not what we’re saying—!”

They trailed off with disgruntled expressions.

“If this becomes a diplomatic matter, Marquis Bolton will find himself in a very difficult position. All the more so given that he holds a post as diplomatic envoy.”

Blair presented them with the most effective threat she had.

“And you would both face rather grim consequences as well.”

The effect was immediate.

“Sh, show us your invitation!”

The Armos knight, who had been standing there looking at Blair with a blank expression, reached into his armor and produced something. He then held out a crumpled, creased invitation.

“……?”

Why is he giving it to me.

Blair looked at the invitation thr*st toward her with a puzzled expression. The Bolton knights looked equally baffled.

Blair took it with a mildly reluctant expression and read the recipient’s name aloud.

“To His Grace Rashid Remarque of the Armos Islands……?”

Rashid Remarque was the young duke of the Remarque family, which ruled the Armos Islands. He had not yet inherited the title of Grand Duke, but he was known to hold considerable real power.

Was he a knight in the young duke’s service?

The blood-stained armor was hard to make sense of, but in any case, the invitation bore the Remarque name.

“R, Remarque?”

“Ahem. It seems you are a knight escorting His Grace Remarque.”

The Bolton knights could not hide their flustered expressions at the name written on the invitation.

“M, my apologies. We were being overly thorough with security.”

Every trace of how they had treated him moments ago was gone.

“The hall where the banquet is being held is that way. His Grace Remarque will likely be there as well.”

They helpfully pointed out the location of the Great Hall and disappeared in a hurry.

“Haah.”

Why am I the one left feeling embarrassed.

Watching the knights vanish after casually engaging in discrimination and then fleeing the scene, Blair let out an involuntary sigh.

“……Not all knights of the Kingdom of Eiron are like that.”

Blair said it out of a vague sense of awkwardness.

“I’ll apologize on their behalf for what was said.”

Please don’t go running to the young duke of Armos about this. Blair added the words with a private worry about a headache she did not need.

But the Armos knight was sharper than she expected.

“Why would you be the one to apologize.”

“……Pardon?”

“Is it because you want to prevent this from becoming a diplomatic matter?”

Her true motive exposed immediately, Blair decided she might as well be honest.

“I can’t say that’s entirely untrue.”

She shrugged.

“But it’s also true that I feel ashamed and sorry for what they did. That was blatant discrimination, what just happened.”

Race and rank may differ, but using that as justification for violence was reprehensible.

“So someone ought to apologize to you.”

She felt the man’s grey eyes watching her steadily.

“……Most Eiron nobles don’t take responsibility for the wrongs of those beneath them. Let alone feel ashamed.”

It was not a tone dripping with contempt. He was simply stating a fact. But that made it worse. Being lumped in with hypocrites was the last thing she wanted.

“There are all kinds of people. I’m not someone who gets caught up in prejudice or assumptions. You seem to be, though.”

The man said nothing.

Was that too cutting.

But for some reason, the Armos knight was smiling with what looked like amusement.

“I see. I made a mistake.”

“……If you know it, then we’re fine.”

At that, the knight let out a small laugh.

Blair was watching him with an expression that said she did not understand what was funny, when the clouds parted and moonlight fell full across his face.

Selina would have fainted.

He was handsome by any measure. Not the same flawless, sculpted quality as Kalintz, but a rugged kind of good looks.

The thought of Kalintz brought the scene from the banquet hall drifting back, and Blair shook her head.

“Well, the banquet hall is that way, so take care. I’ll be going.”

She was about to turn and leave when a low, heavy voice came from behind her.

“What is your name.”

“……Pardon?”

She turned back to find he had stepped one pace closer.

The Bolton knights are gone, so it should be fine to say.

She hesitated for a moment at the unexpected question.

“What business does a man have knowing another man’s wife’s name.”

A familiar voice cut in. A voice in a thoroughly foul mood, thoroughly twisted out of shape.

“Oh…… how did you get here……”

Whether he heard her or not, Kalintz strode forward and planted himself squarely at her side.

“Who is this. Everything about him looks suspicious.”

His sharp eyes flashed like a predator’s.

“He’s a knight from the Armos Islands, in service to His Grace Rashid Remarque—”

“Blair, I wasn’t asking you.”

The thoroughly furious voice left Blair speechless. Who exactly was angry at whom here.

“……You’re married, then.”

The Armos knight murmured quietly. Then he met her eyes and gave a slight bow of his head.

“Thank you, Blair.”

“Oh……”

Blair had reflexively started to return the farewell when she felt something ominous radiating from beside her and stopped.

“Unbelievable. What exactly is going on here.”

“Why are you so worked up?”

Blair lowered her voice and grabbed Kalintz’s arm.

He clearly knew that getting into a confrontation with a foreign guest would do no one any good. Blair could not understand it at all.

“……Ha.”

But Kalintz was wearing an expression of pure disbelief, like someone who had been betrayed.

By then, the Armos knight had vanished in the opposite direction from where they had pointed.

“Oh? That’s the wrong way. Is he bad with directions.”

“Blair.”

At the voice straining to hold back anger, Blair gave a small cough and looked at him.

“Why are you out here. And who in the world was that.”

The tight set of his jaw told her he was genuinely furious. She had no idea why.

“He seems to be a knight escorting His Grace Remarque.”

“And yet.”

“The Bolton knights on duty were behaving badly. I only stepped in because I was worried it might turn into a diplomatic dispute.”

His expression darkened further, and Blair quickly added,

“I didn’t say who I was, so there’s no chance of it reaching Duke Brienne’s ears.”

“That’s what you think the problem is…… ha.”

“Then what exactly is the problem?”

Who was it that drove her out here in the first place. His attitude, getting angry at her when he knew nothing, was baffling.

“The Bolton knights are bad news. What would you have done if something had happened to you?”

“At a Founding Festival banquet, with a noble present? Hardly. And that Armos knight wouldn’t have stood by quietly either.”

“You trust a foreign knight you’ve never met rather easily.”

“If we had known each other, none of this would have happened in the first place. I could have just given my name and walked in with him.”

“What? Together?”

It seemed like sparks were flying from Kalintz’s eyes.

“Why are you so angry about this?”

“Did you forget the contract clause? No romantic involvement with anyone other than each other.”

“……What?”

Blair was genuinely at a loss for words.

“That means a romantic relationship, as in between a man and a woman!”

“Ha. Do you know why that man was asking for your name?”

“He was curious, so he asked. What’s wrong with that?”

At that, Kalintz dragged a hand down his face.

“Haah. You can’t even pick up on something like that.”

Kalintz let out a long, exasperated sigh. Blair stared at him with an incredulous look.