Late into the night, everyone slept soundly. This time, Grin did not dream of being executed by firing squad again... The next day.
Grin slowly woke up, gently withdrew his hand, and stretched with great effort.
Seeing that Betty and Rem were still asleep, Grin did not disturb them and quietly slipped out of the room.
He felt a sneaky sense of having a good time and then skipping out without paying.
"Green-kun, what are you doing, meow?"
Felix's voice startled Grin, who was slowly closing the door.
He quickly turned around and covered Felix's mouth.
"Shh! Don't disturb my wives' rest."
Felix nodded, and only then did Grin release his hand.
The cat-eared crossdresser gently sniffed the scent on Grin:
"Haha, Green-kun actually has the mixed fragrance of different women on him. You're truly a sinner, meow."
"But this puts Feli-chan at ease, at least confirming your sexual orientation is normal, meow."
Grin reached out, wrapped an arm around Felix's shoulder, and whispered demonically into his ear: "Haven't you heard of liking both men and women?"
"Eek!"
Felix shuddered all over, his fur practically standing on end.
"No... no... don't joke like that, meow."
Felix kept backing away, broke free from Grin's hold, retreated to a safe distance, then turned and ran.
"Lady Crusch has invited you and Lady Emilia for morning tea. If you need a guide, please go find Old Man 威尔. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be going now, meow!"
"Hahaha, so easy to tease."
Grin walked to the window, brought his thumb and forefinger together, and whistled.
A carrier pigeon descended from a tall tree in the garden and flew onto the windowsill.
This little fellow was Otto's messenger, always following him for easy communication.
Grin stuffed a previously prepared small note into the bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's leg and released it... After finishing this, he began searching for the location of the tea room.
Just as he turned the corner, he bumped into Wilhelm, who was coming his way. The other man still had that meticulous appearance, as if he had been waiting there specifically for him.
Upon seeing Grin, the old master gave a slight nod of greeting: "Lord Gelin, Lady Crusch and Lady Emilia are already waiting in the tea room."
Grin smiled in response, "Please take me there."
The tea room was filled with a faint aroma of tea. Crusch was sitting upright at the table, holding a white porcelain teacup, her gaze fixed on the garden outside the window.
Hearing footsteps, she turned her head, her golden eyes holding a touch of warmth:
"Lord Gelin, you are earlier than I expected. I have been looking forward to this meeting for a long time."
Emilia also looked up from the tea snacks, her silver hair shimmering softly in the morning light. She smiled and waved at Grin:
"Grin, come sit quickly. Crusch prepared a very rich selection of tea snacks."
Grin strode over, unceremoniously sat down beside Emilia, picked up a cookie, and stuffed it into his mouth. The sweet but not cloying taste melted on his tongue.
He spoke with his mouth full: "Emilia, you're up so early. You drank so much yesterday, doesn't your head hurt?"
Emilia's face flushed slightly red. Although she didn't know what happened after she got drunk yesterday, she could guess she must have acted foolishly.
"I don't know what happened either. I only drank a little bit of wine, and my mind started getting fuzzy."
Crusch set down her teacup, a faint smile curling at the corner of her mouth: "Allow me to apologize to you. I did not know beforehand about Emilia's tolerance for alcohol."
"It's fine. On the contrary, thanks to you, I got to see another cute side of Emilia."
Emilia's cheeks instantly turned as red as ripe cherries. Her Fingers subconsciously tightened on her skirt, and even the tips of her ears flushed pink.
She hurriedly picked up her teacup and took a sip, but the warm tea couldn't suppress the restlessness in her heart. "G-Grin, don't talk nonsense..."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Crusch, afraid that her unbecoming appearance would be laughed at by this dignified Duchess.
A certain cat-eared crossdresser was taking advantage of Grin's blind spot, stealthily creeping up behind Crusch.
"Lady Crusch, you must be careful of this guy Grin, meow."
Felix's voice was soft and urgent, and he couldn't help but sneak a glance in Grin's direction, afraid of being caught.
Hearing this, Crusch turned her head slightly, a trace of helpless amusement in her eyes. She raised her hand and gently patted the back of Felix's hand:
"Alright, stop sneaking around. We have guests. It's too impolite of you."
Upon hearing this, Grin immediately raised an eyebrow and said while chewing his cookie, "Hey hey, I'm still sitting right here, Haki Fei."
Hearing Grin's voice, Felix straightened his back instantly as if his tail had been stepped on. When he turned around, his face had already switched to a righteous expression:
"Of course, meow! Green-kun just scared Feli-chan. Lady Crusch, when dealing with a guy who likes to tease people like this, it's easy to get taken advantage of."
Emilia gave Grin a stern look, then nodded apologetically towards Crusch.
"Grin is usually this mischievous. If he causes you any trouble, Crusch, please forgive him."
"No need for that, Emilia. Both you and Lord Gelin are my honored guests."
Crusch smiled and shook her head, raised her hand to pull Felix to sit in the empty seat beside her, then turned her gaze back to Grin. Her expression lost some of its casualness, becoming more solemn:
"Alright, let's end the jokes here. Felix, come over. It's Just right good for you to hear what we are about to discuss next."
Felix was taken aback upon hearing this, his ears drooping slightly: "Is it about those missing merchant caravans on Flügel Avenue, meow?"
Crusch nodded, her golden eyes turning to Grin, sharp as a blade:
"Correct."
"Lord Gelin, you must have already heard some rumors from Wilhelm, haven't you?"
The old master took a step forward, coming before Crusch, and lowered his head full of apology.
"Lady Crusch, I sincerely apologize! This old man failed to restrain his own heart."
Crusch raised her hand to stop him, the aura of a ruler emanating from her.
"Raise your head, Wilhelm. I forgive all your actions. Carry this apology and repay me in battle."
"Hai!"
Wilhelm bowed deeply, regained his dignified demeanor, and stood back behind Crusch.
Feeling Crusch's scorching gaze, Grin paused his cookie-chewing.
His fingertips slowly rubbed the edge of the table. He swallowed the last bite of the sweet snack, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth:
"Has Your Grace truly prepared to take action against the Fog Demon?"
Emilia's hand holding the teacup tightened sharply. Her silver-blue pupils widened suddenly, clearly startled by this name.
She had always thought Crusch invited her here as a guest with the purpose of befriending other factions.
These complex matters now were making her little head spin.
All traces of amusement instantly vanished from Felix's face. His cat ears stood alert, and his gaze towards Grin was full of scrutiny.
Could this unreliable man really have escaped alive from the White Whale's attack?
Crusch raised the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with confidence.
"The swords have been sharpened. What we need most now is information on that demon. After all, the more we understand it, the higher the survival rate for my warriors."