Clare was incredibly distraught after Orth had told her of his gambit, and not a single day passed where she would tell either of her friends of her woes. However, after Orth contacted her with the good news, it was Tiara who had the misfortune or fortune, depending on the view, because Clare almost crushed and choked her friend in happiness. Still, this was off for quite a while in the future. Right now, the three girls were planning a "tea party" to get a read on the decent boy Saphine had met.

Her biggest concern had been that he had no water affinity. However, a quick talk with her parents, mainly her father, clarified that the Lord of the Sapphire family didn't care as long as he was a noble and his daughter felt he was suitable for her. Lady Sapphire had some more conditions, but the Lord waived all of them in favor of giving his daughter the freedom she wanted.

With the support of her father, the plan was put in place, and Clare's "mansion" was the perfect place to enact it. The main reason for it was that it was almost devoid of nosy people, at least by noble standards, as Clare had only two maids as her staff and a female chef who would come over just to cook and then leave again. Without her regularly visiting friends, Clare would probably feel incredibly lonely in addition to being nervous about her boyfriend's gambit.

Still, the invitation to Avisim Apatite was sent, and the preparations were in full swing, preparing the girls' favorite foods, mainly sweets, made according to Clare's instructions. In addition, Tiara was able to swipe some alcohol from the royal storage, and even if they were not allowed to drink yet, the interest was still there. Using this chance to try it was as good an excuse as they would get.

Avisim read the invitation and had a strange feeling about it. However, not agreeing to an invitation from a high noble would not be polite, and worse, when his father noticed that his second son was invited to spend an evening with the daughter of the Sapphire family, any possibility of finding an excuse was out the window. In the end, he shrugged because the invitation said Miss Sapphire wanted to thank him for getting her home and out of a rather uncomfortable situation. Meaning it couldn't be something sinister. Also, while on their walk home, he had fun talking to her, and in his opinion, she was a bright and funny girl, so getting to know her better and becoming friends or at least good acquaintances seemed to be something he might enjoy.

In preparation for the invite, he got a little gift, and with his father's encouragement in his ears, the boy got a carriage and went to the manor. Avisim was a bit confused because their little meeting wasn't at the Sapphire family home, but put it down to some high noble thing. The boy went to the entrance and knocked. It took only a few moments before the door opened a bit, and a young girl's head popped out. Avisim looked at the girl and noticed her silver hair and bright eyes, his mind churning and asking where he knew her from.

"Yes?" The girl asked.

"Hello, I'm here on the invitation of Miss Sapphire," Avisim replied, putting the matter of the somewhat familiar girl aside for now.

The girl looked him up and down, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable. Then she nodded and shouted back into the mansion.

"Saphine! He's here!"

Then she opened the door completely and made way for their guest. However, the boy hesitated because he didn't expect someone else, who was obviously not of the mansion staff. Still standing outside was rude, and so he entered just to have the door slammed close right behind him while the girl cut off his way out. She gave him a predatory smile that sent shivers down his spine and asked.

"So, what do you think of Saphine?"

Avisim almost smelled some trap, no matter how innocent this girl seemed, and to his surprise, he blurted out the first answer that came to his mind.

"She's nice."

The girl rolled her eyes, conveying that he had just said something obvious and dumb, making him reiterate his answer.

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"I enjoyed our short time together and think of her as a very pleasant conversation partner."

This time, the girl's look was quite a bit more expectant, like she wanted to know something more. However, Avisim didn't know what more she wanted to know. Still, the silence almost dared him to add something, but luckily for him, his host arrived and instantly gave the other girl a stern look.

"Tiara! Do you need to interrogate him?" Saphine scolded her friend.

Avisim's mind, however, latched onto the name and made the connection between the diamond-colored eyes, silver hair, and the name Tiara. To the surprise of the girls, the boy bowed before the princess and stammered.

"Your Highness!" I'm sorry for not recognizing you right away."

"Look at what you did, Saphine!" The princess pouted.

"He would have found out sooner or later," Saphine replied, and Tiara had to concede the point.

"But did you need to ruin my fun right away?" The princess asked non-theless.

"Sorry to interrupt, but why is the princess here?" Avisim asked.

"Sorry, she wanted to meet you because even if she is a bit of an airhead, we have become good friends." Saphine replied, triggering an offended "Hey!" from Tiara, which was promptly ignored.

"Do I need to expect any more surprises?" The boy said diplomatically.

"Only Clare. It's her house, after all. Well, she was gifted it by her soon-to-be father-in-law." Tiara added before Saphine could.

Avisim made a slight bow, and his discomfort was plainly visible.

"Thank you for telling me, your highness." He said, making Tiara groan.

"Ok, forget that whole princess thing. I'm only Saphines friend, and I would be grateful if you could treat me like that. I mean, Clare will also be sad if you treat her as the wife of the next Obsidian family head."

This was a bit too much for Avisim, and he tensed up at this revelation. Being in the presence of one high noble, who wanted to thank him with a nice dinner and a bit of talking, was one thing. He could stay polite for that. But now, with the princess and the seeming fiance of the first Obsidian son, the stakes were higher than he liked. One wrong word could ruin his family.

"Don't say such things!" Saphine scolded Tiara again. "Also, shut up with that topic. You know how Clare reacts to it. This whole next Obsidian head is not sure yet!"

"So you think Orth would break his promise?" Tiara challenged the notion.

"No, but who knows what could happen." Saphine, always the pragmatic, countered.

"Excuse me." Avisim interrupted the girls' bantering again.

"Drop the subservient act. As princess, I promise you that no one here will hold it against you no matter what you do or say. Well, as long as you don't break the law or get handsy with Saphine." Tiara sighed.

"Tiara!" Saphine shouted in protest.

"What? You're quite beautiful, so I have to inform him of this limitation. Right? She is beautiful." Tiara asked the boy.

"Yes, quite." Avisim quickly answered without thinking, only recognizing what he said after the fact when he noticed Saphine reacting somewhat bashfully.

"I mean, she looks quite different from normal Soul-kin women, but not in a bad way. Rather in a quite charming way, like she has great taste in clothes." He tried to downplay, but Tiara's big grin really put him on the spot.

"Are you finished soon?" A third girl, probably the announced Clare, asked, the trio still blocking the entrance. "Food will get cold, and I put too much effort into it to serve it cold."

"Right! Sorry, Clare!" Tiara stated, quickly dashed by her friend into the dining room.

"What did she mean get cold?" Avisim asked.

"Clare is a very good cook and made some fresh food," Saphine explained, linking arms with her "guest" like it was only proper for a noble lady guiding someone.

"Why would she need to get good at cooking? I mean, who cares if the food is cold or bland? It's just food." Avisim continued his questioning.

Saphine looked at him like he had just suggested taking a dump in the dining room is good manners. "I always forget that we are the crazies here. However, if you value your life, don't say what you just said to me to Clare. She's very proud of her cooking skills, and it's delicious. Also, eating right has some advantages."

At the last part Saphine gave the bewildered boy a little wink, confusing him only more. "At least." He thought. "This evening will be interesting". However the only thing he could do was to be patient and take them on their offer to be as honest and blunt as he wanted to be.