"My dear, are you alright?"
Meria heard his father's voice heading further away from him and instantly knew his father was trying to protect his stepmother from whatever disaster would occur.
He braced himself for the pain that he was about to feel as well, but nothing happened.
Meria opened his eyes and read the paper in front of him with surprised eyes.
[I'm sorry if my small prank surprised you. I just wanted to make a strong impression on the famous General Meria.
You have heard about me before, so I will not bore you. However, I would like to extend my hand and welcome you to my tea party.
Ps: I also hope you look forward to being my knight in the future. I am already looking forward to the time we will spend together.
Pss: you don't have a choice. The papers have already been signed.
Psss: Also, I know your secret, so I think you will need more time to escape it.]
The Saintess's letter was eccentric and a little bashful at the same time.
"S-So, what did the Saintess ask of you? Did she finally realise that it was a foolish decision on the emperor's part to marry you and ask you to annual your engagement?"
Hope filled his stepmother's voice, and Meria felt delighted to crush her budding hope.
"The Saintess invited me to a tea party she is hosting. She also informed me that I was going to be her knight. I need to head out and prepare for my departure. I must live in the temple until the Saintess lets go of me."
Meria informed his father, but he kept an eye on his step-mother.
Her face was red at first, but it slowly calmed down.
'She must be glad to be rid of me. With my presence no longer in this house, my stepmother can work her way into controlling the servants. Not that I care much. I know I will not be inheriting my father's title.'
A beta could inherit the title under specific circumstances; technically, Meria fulfilled these conditions.
However, his father had married his current wife because her offspring would inherit his title and wealth.
Meria had no right to dream of such a thing in the first place.
*Sigh*
"Looks like we have no choice but to accept the Saintess's invitation. But Meria, always keep your guard up. We do not know what the Saintess plans, but we know she is not fond of the emperor."
"Whatever she is planning, you need to keep your distance, alright?"
Meria looked at his father and nodded.
"W-Wait a minute. This is not fair. Why does Meria get to attend the Saintess's tea party and not me? I am the socialist in the family, so I should have gotten this invite. Father, there must be some kind of mix-up-!"
Fiona could not hold herself back anymore, and she knocked the door open.
She looked embarrassed at first, but her face quickly hardened.
Fiona waited for her father to say anything, but the general was shocked to see his daughter's sudden entry.
"Fiona, there was no mistake in the letter. It was addressed to me and officialised my position as the Saintess's knight. I am sure the Saintess would not appoint a fragile omega as her guard."
Meria was not trying to insult Fiona, but these words sounded like an insult to her.
'No, Fiona, you need to calm down. You must change your strategy since you failed to get into the emperor's good side. Getting close to the Saintess will open a new world for you. So, you must get into this tea party at any cost.'
"Father, this is not fair. First, the emperor ignored me by not sending me an invite, and now the Saintess. This is a matter of my honour, father. I need to go to this tea party at all costs."
Fiona was as close to begging as she could get.
But even then, she did not say anything to Meria and instead turned toward her father.
She knew her father had a soft spot for her and would not turn her away.
"We cannot do that, Fiona. You were only allowed into the royal party because I vouched for you. But I doubt the temple would consider my words as worthy."
General Fluorite denied his daughter what she wanted for the first time.
The heartbroken look on Fiona's face was too much for him to take, and he quickly turned his head away.
"My dear, I know we do not have an invite for Fiona, but can't she go with Meria? He received an invite, which did not say he could not bring his sister along. She can escort him to the party since he doesn't have much experience."
Meria looked at his stepmother with a suspicious look on his face.
It was well-known that a party invite was only issued for one person unless specified otherwise.
However, Lady Fluorite was clever and could twist the situation to fit her needs.
*cough*
"I still don't think we should risk it. The temple is-"
"Father, brother Meria is not used to social functions. He doesn't know how to defend himself verbally if he is attacked. He needs someone experienced to combat the Saintess's strategies safely."
When put that way, the Fluorite patriarch could not deny his daughter's words.
He knew that his choice could offend the temple and his son, but General Fluorite had to ask.
"Meria, I think Fiona has a point. You have never attended a banquet as a guest before; the royal ones do not count. I think you should take her along as your support."
An awkward silence descended over the group, and Meria knew he needed to make a choice now.
'Looks like there is no way out of this. Let's just accept my fate and take Fiona with me. If nothing else, I am sure it would serve to irritate the Saintess and make her let her guard down.'
That was the only positive Meria could see in this situation.
He looked toward Fiona's overly excited face and instantly felt like backing out.
The only thing keeping him from doing that was the threat the Saintess had made about knowing his 'secret.'