Chapter 637

Meeting Between Kou and Lord Sazaby (1)
When I told Lord Sazaby that Young Lady Kou wanted to meet with him, his reply came almost immediately.
He said they were returning the day after tomorrow, but he could spare some time tomorrow.
Which meant… Young Lady Kou had to get ready in quite a hurry.

“W–wait, Lily!? What do you mean, tomorrow!? As in, literally tomorrow!?”

“It’s not my fault. Lord Sazaby and the others are rulers, after all—they can’t stay away from their country for long.”

“I get that, but—what about a gift, or proper formal clothes so I don’t offend anyone…?”

“As long as it’s not something in black tones, it won’t be a problem.”

Before Young Lady Kou could start spiraling over outfits, Plum stepped in with timely support.
Right—since she’s Lord Sazaby’s daughter, she’d naturally know how to handle etiquette for these meetings.

“When meeting with my father or other members of the vampire nobility, avoid black. Apart from that, there’s no real taboo. For a first meeting, it’s best to wear something modest—not too flashy, but not too somber either.”

“I see. In that case, I already have something suitable.”

“And as for gifts—those are unnecessary. In the Darshe Principality, it’s an unspoken rule that bringing gifts to formal meetings, tea parties excluded, implies ulterior motives.”

“Huh… even the etiquette rules are different there.”

“Lily has an advantage since most of her household staff are from the Darshe Principality, but that doesn’t apply to you. If you plan to deal with the Principality in the future, rely on her guidance.”

“Yes, I’ll do that. Lily, I’m counting on you tomorrow.”

Well, I’d be attending anyway.
Call it part of my social duties.

The next day, we met Lord Sazaby at the Darshe Principality Embassy.
Neither Lord Bastaraf nor Lady Aliulus were present.
From the whisper I received in the waiting room, it sounded like they wanted to have tea with me after the meeting, so they were certainly nearby.
But the fact that the Grand Duke himself was meeting with us directly—that definitely carried weight.

“Welcome, guests. I believe this is our first time meeting, Young Lady Kou?”

“Yes. I am Kou of House Vardmoi, daughter of the Marquis and his heir. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to meet with me today.”

“Indeed, I was quite busy. I’m set to return to the homeland tomorrow. Even with long-distance teleportation, there are still many matters to settle before I go. Next time, I would appreciate a bit more notice before a meeting request.”

His sharp words hit Young Lady Kou squarely.
Well… she kind of deserved that one. It *was* pretty last-minute.

“My apologies. My father’s absence delayed the process of securing permission to act as his proxy.”

“The Marquis of Vardmoi, yes. I heard he left to correct the misconduct at the noble academy. So he has yet to return.”

“Y–yes, that’s correct.”

“Well, I’ve no intention of digging deeper into that. Let’s move on to the main matter. I don’t have much time. Tell me—what is it your house seeks from my nation?”

… Direct as always.
I wonder what exactly Young Lady Kou came here hoping to achieve.

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