Chương 383: Chapter : 383

Ira did not step aside. She did not even turn her head to look at Elma. She stared blankly at Ken's plate of desserts.

"I cannot step aside," Ira stated. She spoke in her signature flat, robotic voice. Her tone was completely deadpan.

"I require optimal spatial positioning to access the frosted cupcakes." Elma blinked her blue eyes in pure confusion. She looked around the empty space.

"There is plenty of room on the other side of the bench! You do not need to stand exactly here! You are blocking my view!"

"My current coordinates provide the most efficient angle for cupcake retrieval," Ira replied monotonously. She intentionally refused to move a single millimeter. She stood like a solid, immovable statue. Ken looked up at Ira. He did not notice the intense, awkward romantic tension at all. He completely missed the jealous motives. He just saw a teammate who really wanted a snack. He slouched his shoulders and gave Ira a goofy grin.

"Hey, Ira," Ken greeted her lazily. He pointed at the top of his dessert mountain.

"You want the frosted cupcake? I grabbed the last chocolate one. You can have it. Chocolate is the best flavor." Ira slowly reached her pale hand forward. She picked up the frosted cupcake from the top of the pile. She did not step back. She stayed wedged firmly between them. She took a very small, very slow bite of the cupcake.

"The frosting is statistically satisfactory," Ira noted flatly. She chewed the cake slowly. She continued to stand right in front of Elma. Elma gritted her teeth. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Her romantic moment was totally, completely ruined. She glared at the back of Ira's head. She knew exactly what the water mage was doing. This was not about cupcakes. This was a deliberate, highly calculated blockade.

"You are doing this on purpose!" Elma hissed angrily. Her voice pitched back up to its usual arrogant tone.

"You are just trying to annoy me! Move out of the way!"

"I am currently consuming a baked good," Ira stated blankly. She took another slow, deliberate bite.

"Moving while eating increases the risk of dropping crumbs by eighteen percent. I will remain stationary." Ken watched the interaction. He scratched the back of his messy hair. He looked entirely clueless.

"Elma, just walk around her," Ken suggested casually. He held out the vanilla tart again.

"Ira just really likes her personal space when she eats. It is a quirk. You get used to it." Elma let out a loud, highly frustrated groan. She stomped her polished boot on the stone pavement. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. The bright blush on her face turned into a scowl of pure irritation.

"Forget the tart!" Elma shouted quickly. She spun around on her heel.

"Your entire unit is completely impossible to deal with! You are all incredibly rude! I am going back to my squad!" Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Elma marched away very fast. She did not look back. She stomped across the courtyard and rejoined the spotless servants of the 16th Unit. She glared at the ground, completely furious that her conversation was ruined. Ken lowered the vanilla tart. He let out a long, dramatic sigh. He slumped his shoulders forward.

"Well, that was weird," Ken mumbled to himself. He popped the tart into his own mouth. He chewed it happily.

"One second she wants a snack, the next second she is yelling at me. Rich people are very confusing. Their moods change faster than the weather." Ira stood perfectly still next to the bench. She finished her cupcake. She did not smile. She did not show any triumph. But she had successfully eliminated the rival threat. Her mission was complete. A few yards away, Naomi and Sayma stopped marching. They stood in the middle of the grass. They watched Elma stomp away in frustration.

They watched Ira calmly eating her cupcake. They watched Ken happily eating his tart, entirely unaware of the three-way jealousy he had just sparked. Naomi let out a sudden, loud bark of laughter. She covered her mouth with her hand. Her green eyes sparkled with pure, unfiltered amusement. The fierce spike of jealousy vanished instantly, replaced by a massive sense of comedic relief.

"Ira just totally shut her down," Naomi whispered, shaking her head in awe.

"She literally stood there and ate a cupcake in her face. That was the most ruthless, cold-blooded defense I have ever seen." Sayma pushed her glasses up. A wide, genuine smile broke across her polite face. She relaxed her tense shoulders. She felt completely relieved.

"It was a highly effective tactical block," Sayma agreed softly. She chuckled.

"Ira identified the target, intercepted the approach, and neutralized the threat without raising her voice. It was absolute perfection." Naomi and Sayma shared a warm, friendly look. They turned around and walked back to their duties. They felt much better. The blonde intruder was gone. Their lazy, messy teammate was safe from the rival's flirting. The massive celebratory party continued. The 9th Unit engineers kept grilling meat and laughing. The 16th Unit servants kept standing rigidly and sipping tea.

Princess Iris kept talking politely with her siblings. The fragile, unprecedented political alliance holding the three Royal families together remained intact. The courtyard was filled with loud chatter and the smell of barbecue. And in the quiet corner of the yard, Ken Eliot slouched on a stone bench. He happily ate his mountain of cookies and pastries. He enjoyed the beautiful afternoon.

He remained completely, blissfully oblivious to the highly amusing, awkward romantic tension providing a hilarious backdrop to his perfect, lazy day. Or at least he acted like it.

Sayma placed a crisp white envelope on the dining table. The paper looked very expensive. It had a fancy wax seal on the back. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She let out a long, tired sigh. Ken Eliot sat across from her. He slouched in his chair. He held a large spoon. He ate a bowl of sweet cereal. He chewed loudly. He swallowed his food and looked at the white envelope.

"Is that a party invitation?" Ken asked lazily.

"Because I really like parties. They usually have massive tables full of free food. I am totally available for free food."

"It is not a party invitation, Ken," Sayma said softly. She folded her hands on the table.

"It is a letter from my mother. She does not believe our story. She does not believe we are actually dating." Naomi walked into the room. She carried a plate of sliced apples. She smiled warmly at Ken. She set the plate down near him. She did not yell at him today. She treated him like a fun, goofy friend.

"Your mother is very strict," Naomi noted gently. She crossed her arms.

"What does the letter say?"

"She demands a public meeting," Sayma explained.

"She wants Ken and me to go on a date. She wants us to walk around the Inner City this afternoon. She explicitly stated she will be watching us from a distance. She wants to oversee the date. She wants to test if our relationship is real."