Chương 598: Chapter : 598

"Negative," Ira countered smoothly. She did not break her blank stare.

"Your parents are highly concerned with social status. If you claim that you were rejected by a commoner, it creates a massive social scandal. Your parents will be entirely humiliated by the rejection. They will spend all their energy attempting to hide the embarrassment from the Inner City nobles. They will be too distracted by damage control to orchestrate a new marriage for at least six months." Sayma processed the logic. Her brilliant mind ran the calculations.

She realized Ira's plan was actually incredibly smart. A public rejection would absolutely humiliate her strict parents. It would buy her a massive amount of time. But Sayma did not want to give up her fake date. She liked spending time with Ken.

"The logic is sound," Sayma admitted reluctantly. She gripped her notebook tightly.

"But I completely refuse to authorize it. I initiated this ruse. I will finish it. I am taking Ken to the botanical gardens."

"No, you are not!" Naomi shouted loudly. She stepped in front of Ken again.

"If anyone is going on a date with him, it is me! I will pretend to be his girlfriend! My family already disowned me! I have zero social standing to ruin! It is the perfect cover!" Elma suddenly walked into the living room. The blonde servant from the 16th Unit had just arrived through the front gate. She wore her pristine white and gold uniform. She held a small, neatly wrapped pink bakery box in her hands. She heard the loud shouting from the hallway. Elma stepped into the room.

She looked at Naomi, Sayma, and Ira. She saw them surrounding the sofa. She saw Ken lounging comfortably behind them.

"What is going on in here?" Elma demanded. Her voice pitched up slightly. She crossed her arms over her white uniform. She looked highly suspicious.

"Sayma is trying to take Ken on another fake date!" Laxmi yelled happily from the rug. The fire user loved adding fuel to the fire.

"And Naomi and Ira are trying to steal him away!" Elma's face instantly turned a bright, explosive shade of crimson. The blush reached all the way to the tips of her ears. She gripped the pink bakery box so tightly the cardboard almost crushed.

"A date?!" Elma shrieked at the top of her lungs. She marched directly into the center of the room. She glared fiercely at Sayma.

"You cannot take him on a date! You already had your turn! It is completely unfair!"

"It is not a real date, Elma," Sayma argued politely. Her polite smile was completely gone. She looked very annoyed.

"It is a tactical maneuver to avoid a political crisis."

"I do not care about your politics!" Elma shouted back. She pointed an angry finger at the Vice-Captain.

"You are just trying to monopolize his free time! You want him all to yourself! If anyone is going to walk around the city with him, it should be me! I brought him premium strawberry tarts today!" Stolen novel; please report. Elma shoved the pink box toward Ken. Ken caught it clumsily. He smiled a big, goofy smile.

"Strawberry tarts are my absolute favorite," Ken cheered lazily. He opened the box. He took a tart and took a huge bite.

"You are the best delivery ninja, Elma. These are fantastic." Naomi glared at Elma. The fierce vanguard leader stepped closer to the blonde rival.

"He does not need your fancy tarts! He is perfectly happy eating my grilled cheese sandwiches! Back off, Elma! You do not even belong in this unit!"

"I fought in the arena with you!" Elma countered proudly. She lifted her chin.

"I earned my place! I have every right to spend time with him!" Ira stood perfectly still.

"Statistically speaking, adding a fourth competitor to this argument reduces the probability of a peaceful resolution to zero." The living room erupted into total, absolute chaos. Naomi, Sayma, Ira, and Elma started yelling at each other at the exact same time. They waved their arms. They argued about who had the best strategy. They argued about who bought the best snacks. They fiercely debated their own unique bonds with the lazy boy. They completely lost their elite, professional composure.

They were just four girls fighting over a crush. Princess Iris stood near the dining table. The violet-eyed royal watched her team bicker. She let out a soft, amused laugh. She shook her head gently. She knew they would not solve this problem today. Ken Eliot sat on the sofa. He was completely surrounded by the shouting girls. He did not look stressed. He did not look worried. He did not even try to stop the massive argument.

He just slouched his shoulders, shoved his hands deep into his pockets, and chewed his strawberry tart.

"This is exactly like a harem anime," Ken analyzed casually in his mind. He swallowed his food. He let out a loud, dramatic yawn.

"The main character always gets trapped in a room with four angry girls. They just yell at each other for the entire episode. It is a very funny trope. But it is incredibly loud. My ears are ringing." Ken finished his tart. He dusted his hands off on his pants. He looked at the screaming warriors.

"You guys need to figure out a different solution to this family crisis," Ken announced lazily over the noise. He gave them a goofy, relaxed grin.

"I am officially removing myself from the dating pool today. I am going to take a nap. Please wake me up when someone decides to make lunch." Ken closed his eyes. He leaned his head back against the cushions. He completely ignored the fierce, four-way romantic war happening right in front of him. The girls continued to yell, but the lazy slacker was already fast asleep, totally content to let them fight it out while he enjoyed a peaceful rest Princess Iris stood at the end of the long wooden table.

She pointed her silver rapier at the blank wall. A bright blue magical projection glowed against the plaster. The light illuminated the strategy room. The projection displayed a massive list of names. It was the official Succession War leaderboard. Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She held a small magical crystal in her hand. She pressed a button on the crystal. The list on the wall updated. The names shifted rapidly.

A specific name climbed all the way to the top.

"Look at this," Sayma said politely. She clicked her pen. She drew a red circle around a number on her notepad.

"The Upper Council finalized the scores from our recent missions. They calculated the points from the underground laboratory. They calculated the points from the arena." Laxmi jumped up from the wooden floor. She ran over to the wall. She stared at the blue projection. Her golden eyes widened in pure excitement. She pumped her fists into the air. Tiny orange sparks of fire popped around her knuckles.