After Arnold’s appearance, the tea party was thrown into complete chaos.

A venerable man with gray hair and imposing stature.

And even the owner of this hotel.

There was no one in the room who couldn’t recognize the combination of all these factors.

Of course, that included Odette.

“……Lord Arnold?”

“Most people do call me that.”

Arnold lightly raised an eyebrow, affirming Odette’s words, and then added as if he’d just remembered,

“Ah, but just because I own this hotel doesn’t mean I’d rudely intrude upon other people’s social events.”

As if to say he’d gone on for too long because he felt like he’d been impolite, Arnold added with a mischievous tone,

“I happened to overhear Ertman’s name as I was passing by. It’s not something I can ignore, given how deeply unsettled it makes me. It truly gets difficult as you age. I trust you understand, Miss.”

“……That’s not something I should presume to understand. The hostess of this occasion is Duchess Patrice over there.”

“It doesn’t matter who the subject is; the message was conveyed, so they should understand.”

With a dismissive wave of his hand, Arnold made it clear he was uninterested.

Although his tone remained nonchalant, the smile had completely disappeared from his face.

“What I want to know is this: what conversation took place here that led to Ertman’s name being mentioned?”

His voice grew darker, his tone more solemn.

With just those few words, Arnold had quelled the noise in the room.

As if demonstrating what an overwhelming presence a human could possess.

There’s a common habit people exhibit when confronted with such a moment.

They usually look toward the source of the issue.

And Arnold astutely caught those fleeting glances.

“So, it seems someone here has been talking. Would you care to explain what happened?”

“Uh, well, you see……”

The faces of those singled out turned sour.

How could they possibly say, ‘We bad-mouthed Ertman to plot against the fourth princess,’ especially in front of Arnold?

One was so perplexed they couldn’t speak and looked around; another, perhaps feeling humiliated, snapped at Duchess Patrice.

“Duchess Patrice! You’re the hostess of this tea party; how can you overlook this rudeness? Lord Arnold is a clear intruder!”

Shifting the blame onto someone else—a wise decision.

Especially considering Duchess Patrice likely had them under her influence when they were bashing Ertman.

‘Perhaps she promised to cover for them as long as they played a minor role.’

But since Duchess Patrice was pretending to have nothing to do with it, their anger was understandable.

“I’m disappointed that you don’t intervene while an uninvited guest interrogates invited ones!”

“What? Are you not thinking before speaking? You all ruined my tea party; if anything, I should be receiving an apology from you!”

And naturally, Duchess Patrice had no reason to admit the truth.

‘No one could attack me in this situation anyway.’

Many were relieved that Odette wasn’t saying anything, so nobody wanted to provoke Arnold by attacking her, leaving them to argue among themselves.

Just when Arnold was about to speak again,

“Arghhh!”

Another uninvited guest appeared.

A young man who had run in so fast that his neatly styled hair was in disarray; he was panting heavily as if terrified.

The manager of this hotel, Yanick.
The hotel manager, Yannick, was in a cold sweat. He had just defused a ticking bomb and left the scene, only to find that bomb near where esteemed guests had gathered.

“Your, Your Highness. The tea set I mentioned is prepared, so please, please come this way…”

“Tsk, I should go.”

Arnoldt, annoyed by Yannick’s demeanor, clicked his tongue lightly. Before turning away, he abruptly spoke to Odette.

“Speaking of which, there.”

“…?”

“Would you mind joining me for tea time? It seems we both have no reason to stay here any longer.”

Suddenly?

Odette considered for a moment whether Arnoldt was referring to someone else, but it seemed unlikely given their proximity.

Of course, Odette had no reason to accept Arnoldt’s invitation either.

“Thank you for the invitation, but I’m fine. I don’t want to cause any inconvenience.”

“Inconvenience? What’s the problem with making one more seat? Right, Yannick?”

Suddenly put on the spot, Yannick, who was already on edge due to his anxiety and unease, nodded his head vigorously.

“Ah, ah! Yes! Absolutely!”

With his experience as the manager of the Wellington Hotel, Yannick had a rough understanding of the atmosphere.

In precarious situations, such survival skills often come in handy.

‘The tea party is in total chaos.’

And the mere fact that Arnoldt was present indicated this was no ordinary situation. The one silver lining was that Arnoldt did not seem too upset.

Which meant,

‘If things go well, I can keep His Highness in the hotel!’

Yannick looked at Odette imploringly, his judgment clear.

Forget about face, he was desperate.

Seeing this, Arnoldt added in a slightly more gentle tone,