"I'm sorry—I'm late."
When Lillian arrived at the banquet venue, it was already four in the afternoon, a full hour past the scheduled time.
Many of the guests were visibly displeased. However, the host of the banquet—the chairman of the Marleen company and head of the Stratmann family, Elliot—walked over warmly and said, "No matter."
"Come," Elliot continued naturally. "There are quite a few elegant young ladies inside who would love to meet you. Let me introduce you."
He spoke with effortless familiarity, as though this were not their first meeting, but a reunion between old friends of different generations.
Lillian studied the man. Elliot appeared to be under fifty, tall, well-built, with refined features. His manners were impeccable, and his conversation put people at ease, never giving off an air of condescension.
"This is Miss Lianne."
"Hello," Lillian said politely. The girl's eyes lit up when she saw him. She smiled and nodded.
"Hello. I've heard quite a lot about your exploits."
"The honor is mine."
Though he spoke politely, Lillian was already guessing Elliot's true purpose in inviting him. By all rights, he was merely a newly promoted squad captain—hardly anyone of importance in the Military Police, with little real authority. Someone like him shouldn't have been invited to such an event.
And yet not only had Elliot invited him—he was personally hosting him. Was someone pulling strings behind the scenes?
From the people he'd dealt with so far, the divisional commander was the only one with strong ties to Stohess District.
He glanced around and soon spotted the divisional commander inside, chatting and drinking with several others. So he was here too.
In that case… perhaps they were trying to recruit him.
Just then, a voice beside him said, "So you're the Lillian everyone's been talking about?"
The tone was far from polite. Lillian looked up and saw a young woman in a long dress, her delicate features framed by emerald-green eyes filled with faint provocation and disdain.
"Ah—Miss Diana," Elliot said, stepping half a pace back and bowing slightly.
Lillian could immediately sense the shift in attitude—this was the deference of someone lower in status toward someone above.
If even the chairman of the largest chamber of commerce in Stohess behaved like this, then who exactly was she?
"I heard you survived outside the Walls for an entire year," Diana continued. "Impressive, really."
There wasn't the slightest hint of praise in her voice. "If I were you, I'd rather kill myself than live so disgracefully. Maintaining one's pride is important, don't you think… Lillian?"
"..."
Lillian had no idea who she was, but he didn't feel like arguing. He casually nodded.
"Ah. Yeah."
With that, he turned away, walked over to the table laden with food, picked up a piece of cake, and started eating.
Diana froze.
Her breathing stalled as she stared at Lillian in disbelief. A few seconds later, anger surged across her face. She took a step forward—then stopped.
To initiate conversation twice with a lowly commoner would be beneath her dignity.
As that thought crossed her mind, she clenched her teeth, shot an icy glare at the visibly awkward Elliot, and said coldly,
"Mr. Stratmann, your banquet really does invite just about anyone. I have no intention of staying in the same room with someone so vulgar."
"Miss Diana—"
Elliot tried to say something to smooth things over, but she didn't give him the chance. With a snort of contempt, she turned and left. Several men and women with unremarkable appearances inside the hall followed after her—it was clear they were her entourage.
Lillian naturally noticed the woman storming off. He also knew it was because of him, but he didn't pay it much mind. Elliot, who had followed her out, returned shortly afterward wearing a bitter smile.
"So," Lillian asked casually, "who was that?"
"Sigh…" Elliot let out a breath. "A very distinguished guest—from the capital."
"Oh…"
The moment Lillian heard the capital, he understood. The girl was almost certainly a noble.
That explained Elliot's deferential attitude. After all, no matter how influential a merchant he was, his status still fell far below that of the nobility.
Within the Walls, even if you earned ten or a hundred times more than a noble, without actively fighting for political standing, you were still nothing more than a taxpayer burdened with heavy levies. In fact, ninety percent of successful merchants came from noble families or were related to them in some way.
Of course, the top-tier nobles never engaged in commerce at all. Just like the girl had said earlier—pride. Among certain nobles, business was something only lowly people did. They themselves merely ate, drank, and lived off the taxes collected by the state and local governments.
"Still, you don't need to worry too much," Elliot added. "Miss Diana may be arrogant, but she doesn't mean any real harm."
"..."
Lillian finished the cake in his hand and finally spoke.
"Chairman Elliot, let's be frank. I don't believe I'm qualified to attend an event like this. If you have something you need, it'd be better to say it directly."
There were around thirty to forty people present—together they practically formed the ruling network of Stohess District. No matter how he looked at it, Lillian, a Military Police officer who had been stationed here for less than a month, had no place among them. Even if the divisional commander was deliberately trying to pull strings for him, Elliot must have had something he wanted.
Sure enough, Elliot fell silent for a moment. He then led Lillian to a quieter corner and revealed his concern.
"My daughter went missing ten days ago."
"..."
"I reported it immediately," Elliot continued, "but there's been no progress at all." He glanced toward the divisional commander chatting and drinking nearby and gave a self-mocking smile. "It was probably kicked around like a ball between departments. Honestly… is this what I get for paying so much in taxes every year?"
"The Military Police are always like that," Lillian replied calmly.
As mentioned before, wealth alone carried little weight inside the Walls. Merchants ranked below both the military and the nobility—even the head of a major company was no exception.
Taxes were mandatory under royal law. Refuse to pay, and the Military Police drinking with you today could raid your home tomorrow. Without political standing, wealth only made you a fat sheep in the eyes of the ruling class. And the thoughts of sheep were never something the masters cared much about.
"You want me to look for your daughter?" Lillian asked.
"Yes." Elliot nodded. "I can tell—you're different from other Military Police officers. You have a sense of responsibility."
"..."
"Of course, I won't burden you without compensation. You'll be paid generously."
Lillian thought for a moment, then glanced at the cakes on the table.
"Payment aside… can I take some of these cakes with me? They're pretty good."
Elliot blinked in surprise.
"Our salaries are low," Lillian added casually. "We can't afford things like this."
"No problem, hahaha." Elliot laughed. "I'll have a whole box packed for you."
"Much appreciated. Then, about your daughter—I'll need more detailed information."
---
Evening
After learning everything he needed, Lillian left. He had no interest in chatting with spoiled heirs of officials and merchants.
Carrying a box of cakes, he had just reached the entrance of the Military Police headquarters when someone suddenly jumped out from behind a stone pillar, hands raised like claws, lunging toward him.
"Ah!"
"..."
Seeing that Lillian looked mildly surprised but not frightened at all, the girl deflated a little.
"…Didn't scare you."
"Karen? What are you doing here?"
Lillian stared at the short-haired girl in front of him, genuinely surprised. For a moment, he hadn't even recognized her.
Karen was the child of the woman who had previously provided clues about the bandit group. After the incident, worried about her, Lillian had suggested she become a soldier. She agreed immediately, and he personally took her to the Stohess training corps to enroll her.
More than half a month had passed since then—and she had changed drastically.
The frail, despondent girl was gone. In her place stood a vibrant young woman brimming with energy. She wore the cadet uniform, her hair cut short, looking a bit like a short-haired Sasha. Her light-brown eyes were bright and beautiful.
"We're on break today," Karen said. "So I came to see you… I mean, you all."
"Thoughtful of you," Lillian said warmly. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come on, let's go to the mess hall. By the way, how did you know I'd be back now?"
"Annie-nee told me!" Karen said as she followed him. "She said you went to a banquet. I thought you wouldn't come back, but Annie-nee said you definitely wouldn't stay long and would run back soon."
"..."
Karen giggled. "Looks like Annie-nee really understands you, Lillian-nii."
"…I guess so." Lillian paused, then asked, "How's the training corps? Is it intense? No one giving you trouble?"
"No, not at all!" Karen shook her head enthusiastically. "Everyone's really nice to me. The instructors take good care of us too. My classmates keep asking about you—they really admire you!"
"Is that so? Well, that's not bad at all. Haha."
As they chatted, the two of them arrived at the mess hall. Lillian's squad of new recruits were all there. They had all been through the bandit incident together, so they naturally recognized Karen. Everyone treated her like a little sister, and now they were all scrambling to buy her food.
Lillian set the box full of cakes on the table and opened it. The moment everyone saw what was inside, their eyes practically lit up.
"Let's upgrade today's meal a bit," Lillian said—but before he could finish, Robert had already reached out to grab one.
Lillian smacked his hand away.
"Fast hands you've got there."
He picked up a piece himself and handed it to Karen first. She accepted it happily and said sweetly, "Thank you, Lillian-nii!"
"I want one too!"
"Whoa, this cake is amazing!"
"Annie-nee, you should have one too~"
"…Mm. Thank you, Karen."
Hearing that, Lillian looked over—and froze for a moment.
Rarely did he ever see it, but Annie actually had a faint smile on her face.
The next second, however, when her gaze met his, the smile vanished instantly, replaced by her usual cold expression.
Seriously… why does she always keep such a stiff face?
She looks really good when she smiles.