They finally reached the grand double doors leading to the dining hall. Two royal guards stood at attention, their expressions stoic as they moved to push the doors open.

  A flood of warm light greeted Kazuki as the doors swung inward. The dining hall was a masterpiece of elegance—high vaulted ceilings, gilded chandeliers, and a massive polished table set with fine china and silverware. Large windows bathed the room in golden morning light, offering a breathtaking view of the city below.

  At the head of the table sat Queen Mary. Regal and composed, she barely spared Kazuki a glance as she sipped her tea. From how it was the second time he had seen her in a purple dress, he’s going to assume that it was the color of this kingdom’s royalty.

  Seated to her right was a young lady who lifted her gaze from her plate and offered a polite but guarded smile. She had great resemblance to the Queen’s facial features, sharp and straight eyes with a round chin, yet her long wavy brown hair could only be a characteristic inherited by whomever her father was.

  On the other side of Queen Mary’s seat, lounging with an air of disinterest, was a younger princess. Her white hair was a stark contrast to the rest of the family, straight and silky as if it was softer than silk. Her ruby-like eyes moved from the twirling silver spoon between her fingers to him, a delicate eyebrow arching, seemingly finding something interesting in his figure.

  Lastly, sitting stiffly on the seat by the oldest princess' side, a young girl glared at him with black eyes the moment Kazuki entered. She wasn’t hiding her suspicion and aggressive demeanor towards him, and Kazuki would have been more concerned about that if his gaze wasn’t glued to the top of her head. A pair of dog ears were visible through the short black hair, facing backwards, just like how his family cat would do when hissing at cicadas in the backyard.

  He was not expecting that.

  Behind him Silas bowed slightly and announced, “Presenting Kazuki Takahashi, guest of the royal family.” His cool voice successfully broke whatever shock he had when discovering dog-girls are a real thing in this world.

  Clearing his throat, Kazuki managing a lopsided smile. “Uh… good morning?”

  A pause.

  Then, Queen Mary delicately set her teacup down and finally looked at him. Her gaze was unreadable, piercing in a way that made it clear she had already formed judgments about him long before this meeting.

  “Sit,” she said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

  Kazuki swallowed hard and moved toward the empty chair that had clearly been set for him. As he did, he caught Silas’s gaze from the corner of his eye, quietly following after his steps. The servant’s expression didn’t change, but there was something in his look—an almost imperceptible nod. A silent reassurance.

  Kazuki exhaled and took his seat after Silas pulled the chair for him.

  His posture was stiff, acutely aware of every glance cast his way. The weight of the royal family’s attention pressed down on him, and he fought the urge to fidget. Even the bystanding maids and male attendant’s gaze felt like needles prickling him at the back of his neck.

  The first few minutes passed in near silence, save for the soft clink of silverware against porcelain. The table was adorned with an array of finely prepared dishes—fresh fruits, golden pastries, and steaming cuts of meat. Everything looked incredible, but Kazuki could barely summon an appetite.

  Just as he was beginning to overthink whether speaking up before the Queen would be an insult to her, someone finally spoke.

  “Forgive my intrusion, but you seem unwell Sir Takahashi. Are you feeling alright?”

  He lifted his eyes from the fancy porcelain plate placed in front of himself, finding the soft speaker to be the oldest princess looking his way, concern clearly written over her eyes.

  Kazuki hesitated for a moment before offering a polite smile. "Ah, I—yes, Your Highness. I appreciate your concern," he said carefully, his voice measured. "Just… taking in the atmosphere."

  This was one of his practised responses, for when his work colleagues witnessed his boss dump more work into his desk at the last minute of his shift. It manages to hide his true feelings while still keeping a docile appearance.

  Lydia’s lips curved slightly, as if she understood his unspoken discomfort. "Must be overwhelming," she admitted. "Do not push yourself beyond your limits, you should take your time adjusting to your new environment."

  Kazuki felt touched at the princess' thoughtful words. It’s been awhile since a complete stranger concerned themselves with his well-being like this."Thank you, Your Highness," he said.

  Taking advantage of the conversation’s momentum, he pushed himself to say out loud the question that has been bothering him since last night.

  “Excuse me,” his eyes found the Queen’s over the breakfast table, “but since I am not the one you’ve been hoping to get from that… summoning. Is there any way I can be sent back home?”

  At his question, the dining hall seemed to still.

  Even the soft clinking of silverware halted. Queen Mary’s expression remained unreadable, though a sharp glint flashed in her eyes, as if she had expected this question but found it tedious nonetheless. Lydia’s lips parted slightly, but she hesitated to speak, carefully gauging her mother’s reaction. The younger white-haired princess, whom Kazuki assumed to be Leah, studied him with renewed interest, as if curious about how this topic would unfold.

  Margaret, however, was the only one who reacted immediately. The youngest princess scoffed, ears twitching in what he assumed was irritation. “Hah. Figures,” she muttered under her breath, stabbing a piece of fruit on her plate with unnecessary force.

  Kazuki blinked, surprised by the hostility, but before he could question it, Queen Mary finally spoke.

  “No.”

  The answer was delivered with such finality that it took Kazuki a moment to process. “No…?” he repeated, as if hoping for clarification.

  The Queen folded her hands in her lap, her posture as composed as ever. “You are not the first summoned from another world, nor will you be the last. Our scholars have spent generations studying the process, but no means of returning has ever been found. If you are seeking a way back, you will waste your time.”

  A cold weight settled in his stomach. No way back? That was—impossible. Ridiculous. There had to be something. Some loophole. Some exception. He had only been here for a day—surely they hadn’t exhausted every possibility?

  Lydia, perhaps noticing his distress, spoke gently, “We understand this is difficult news to accept. But… we would not deceive you. If a method existed, it would have been discovered long ago.”

  Kazuki clenched his hands under the table, nails digging into his palms. A lifetime trapped in a world he didn’t belong to? The thought made his skin crawl. He felt like a piece of driftwood caught in a current, carried further and further from shore with no way to swim back.

  Leah, who had been silent until now, leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her palm. A slow, almost amused smile played at her lips. “You look devastated,” she remarked, voice lilting with quiet amusement. “Did you leave something precious behind? A lover, perhaps? Family? …Or was your world simply more to your liking?”

  Her tone wasn’t mocking, not exactly, but there was something needling about it.

  Kazuki exhaled, forcing himself to regain some composure. “I left everything behind,” he answered simply.

  Leah hummed as if contemplating his words, then shrugged. “Then I suppose you’ll just have to make yourself comfortable here.”

  Margaret clicked her tongue, crossing her arms. “Not like it matters. If he’s got no use, he won’t last long anyway.”

  Kazuki shot her a sharp look, but before he could respond, Lydia turned to her youngest sister with a disapproving frown. “Margaret.”

  Margaret met her gaze with defiance but said nothing more, only looking away with a huff.

  The tension at the table was thick enough to cut with a knife. Kazuki, feeling like he was walking on a minefield, cleared his throat. “So that’s it, then?” he asked, looking back at the Queen. “I’m just… stuck here?”

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  Queen Mary regarded him coolly. “Your circumstances are unfortunate. But dwelling on what cannot be changed is a waste of time.” She picked up her teacup once more, taking an unhurried sip before adding, “Adapt. Or perish.”

  Kazuki stared at her, barely suppressing the urge to grimace. No sugarcoating, huh?

  He exhaled slowly, trying to settle the storm of emotions inside him. There was no use arguing—not right now. If he was truly stuck, then the only thing he could do was figure out his next move.

  The weight of the Queen’s words lingered, pressing down on Kazuki like a suffocating blanket. Adapt or perish. It wasn’t just a command—it was a warning.

  Silence settled once more, the atmosphere thick with unspoken thoughts. Kazuki glanced down at the untouched food on his plate, his appetite nonexistent despite the luxurious spread before him. Across the table, Lydia studied him with quiet sympathy, while Leah seemed more entertained than anything. Margaret, however, had gone back to eating, though her ears remained angled slightly in his direction, as if listening for weakness.

  Kazuki’s mind raced. He needed to get control of the conversation. Staying quiet would only make him seem weak—or worse, useless. And if Margaret’s words were anything to go by, “useless” wasn’t a good thing to be in this kingdom.

  He took a steadying breath and forced himself to speak. “If returning isn’t an option,” he said, keeping his tone as level as possible, “then I need to understand what my purpose is here.” His gaze flickered to the Queen. “I assume you summoned someone for a reason. If I’m not who you were expecting, what happens to me now?”

  At that, Queen Mary finally set her teacup down again, fingers resting lightly against the rim. “An excellent question,” she said, though there was no praise in her tone. Only measured calculation. “Tell me, Kazuki Takahashi, what can you offer this kingdom?”

  There it was. The unspoken test.

  Kazuki straightened slightly, but his mind scrambled for an answer. What could he offer? He had no magic, no combat skills, and no status. The only thing he had was his knowledge from a world far beyond theirs.

  A slow realization dawned on him. That was his advantage.

  “I may not have magic,” he admitted, “but I have knowledge that no one else in this world does.” He met the Queen’s gaze steadily. “Where I come from, we’ve made advancements in medicine, engineering, strategy, and governance that might be unknown here. If given the chance, I could offer insights—solutions to problems that your scholars may not have considered.”

  A beat of silence followed.

  Then, surprisingly, it was Leah who reacted first. She chuckled, tapping a manicured finger against the table. “Now that’s interesting,” she murmured. “You claim to have knowledge beyond what the scholars of the Tower of Mana have? That’s quite the boast, stranger.”

  Kazuki resisted the urge to ask immediately who these scholars of the Tower of Mana were. “It’s not a boast,” he countered. “Just a fact. I won’t pretend I have all the answers, but I do have a different perspective. And sometimes, that’s all it takes.”

  Lydia nodded slightly, her expression thoughtful. “That… is a compelling argument,” she admitted.

  Margaret, however, scoffed. “Hmph. Talk is cheap. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  The Queen remained silent for a long moment, studying him in a way that made Kazuki feel like a specimen under a magnifying glass. Then, finally, she inclined her head ever so slightly.

  “Very well,” she said. “We shall see if you are of any value. For now, you will remain under observation. Consider this—” her gaze sharpened, “—a trial period.”

  Kazuki exhaled, tension loosening in his shoulders—just a little. A trial period was better than outright dismissal. At least this meant he had time to prove himself.

  But then Queen Mary continued, “And, until further notice, you will be placed under the care of my daughters.”

  Kazuki blinked. “Wait—what?”

  Margaret nearly choked on her drink. “What?!” she echoed, voice rising.

  Lydia simply looked surprised, while Leah’s lips curved into an amused smile before a few giggles escaped her thin lips.

  Queen Mary, seemingly indifferent to the reactions around the table, gracefully rose from her seat. A maid immediately stepped forward to pull her chair back, while an attendant approached with a thick bundle of documents for her to review. Without another glance at Kazuki, she addressed her daughters in a tone that brooked no argument.

  “I expect you to handle this matter accordingly,” she said. “I have no time to concern myself with trivialities.”

  Then, to Kazuki, she gave a final, parting remark. “Do not waste the opportunity given to you.”

  With that, she turned and strode toward the doors, her layered dress flowing behind her. The guards stationed at the entrance bowed as she passed, then moved to shut the grand double doors behind her.

  The moment she was gone, the tension in the room shifted. Not necessarily lessened, but changed.

  Margaret was the first to react, slamming her fork down with a growl. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered, her dog ears flicking back aggressively. “Babysitting some random guy? What a waste of time.”

  Leah, on the other hand, smirked as she rested her chin in her palm. “Oh, come now, Meggy. This might be fun.” Her ruby-red eyes flicked to Kazuki, gleaming with interest. “A man from another world, given directly into our care? How… unprecedented.”

  Kazuki, still trying to process what just happened, exhaled through his nose. “So, just to be clear,” he said, leaning back slightly, feeling tired from how long his nerves had been taut while in the presence of the cold Queen. “I’m your problem now?”

  Lydia, ever composed, nodded. “It seems that way,” she said with a sigh, though there was no hostility in her voice. Instead, she offered him a small, reassuring smile. “Do not worry. We will do our best to make this arrangement work.”

  Margaret looked anything but reassured, shooting Lydia a glare. “But why do we have to babysit him?”

  Lydia frowned. “You act as if this is a punishment.”

  “It is a punishment!” Margaret practically growled. “I have actual work to do, you know.”

  “Okay, I get it. No one’s thrilled about this.” He said to try and appease the dissatisfaction from Princess Margaret. His efforts are rewarded with a glare from said princess. “But if we’re stuck with each other, we might as well figure out how this is going to work. What exactly does ‘placed under your care’ mean?”

  Leah hummed thoughtfully, tracing the rim of her teacup. “That’s a good question.” Then, with an impish smile, she turned to Lydia. “What does that mean, dear sister?”

  Lydia sighed, clearly already exhausted with Leah’s antics. “It means he will be assigned accommodations within the palace and will remain under our supervision,” she explained. “He will be expected to adapt to court life, learn our customs, and—”

  “—and be our responsibility,” Leah finished, her smirk widening. “How exciting!!” The second princess eyed Kazuki just like a girl who picked a new doll at the toy store.

  Margaret groaned, rubbing her temples. “I hate this already.”

  Lydia straightened her posture, her expression softening as she turned to Kazuki. “Since you’ll be staying here, it’s important that you understand the world you’ve found yourself in,” she said gently. “Our kingdom, our customs, our laws… I will teach you everything you need to know.”

  Her voice was calm, reassuring, as if she had already accepted him as part of her responsibilities. But before Kazuki could respond, Margaret scoffed loudly, crossing her arms.

  “That’s a waste of time.”

  Lydia arched an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

  Margaret turned to Kazuki, eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Before we start treating him like some scholar-in-training, we should figure out if he’s even worth keeping around.”

  Kazuki blinked. “Worth keeping around? That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

  Margaret ignored him, addressing Lydia directly. “You don’t know anything about him. He just appeared out of nowhere, and now we’re expected to trust him? For all we know, he could be dangerous!”

  Leah let out a soft chuckle, watching the exchange with amusement. “Oh, how pragmatic of you, Meggy,” she teased. “You don’t actually believe he’s a threat, do you?” The second princess' gaze flicked between her unruly sister and Kazuki—or rather, to his posture. Perhaps to her eyes it wasn’t difficult to see his lack of muscles from a life behind the computer.

  Margaret shot Leah a glare but didn’t respond. Instead, she turned back to Kazuki. “Before we let him walk freely around the palace, I say we test his abilities.”

  Lydia frowned, clearly not liking where this was going. “Kazuki isn’t a soldier or a warrior, Margaret. You’d just be bullying him.”

  Margaret’s tail flicked behind her, but her face remained impassive. “If that’s true, then he has nothing to worry about. I don’t pick on the innocent, after all.”

  Kazuki sighed. “Alright, let me get this straight. You want to ‘test’ me? As in, a fight?”

  Margaret didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

  Leah leaned forward, intrigued. “Oh, I like this idea. Should we ask the head chef for some snacks to watch the spectacle?” Her question was pointed at the oldest princess, who didn’t bother to answer.

  Lydia looked exasperated at the youngest who has the bad habit of pulling her sword at anyone who might be a threat. “Meggy, this is unnecessary. He isn’t our enemy.”

  Margaret’s ears twitched, but her gaze didn’t waver. “I just want to make sure he’s not hiding anything.”

  Kazuki studied the third princess carefully. She wasn’t just being stubborn—there was something more behind her insistence. A test to see if he was dangerous? Dangerous to whom?

  He sighed. “Fine. If this is what it takes to prove I’m not some secret assassin, then let’s get it over with.”

  Margaret gave a small smirk. “Good. Try not to embarrass yourself.”