"That's enough Serah!" Someone shouted, rushing toward the dangerous woman.
I was too occupied to notice initially, but... that person was my mother!
With a swift motion, she locked her arms around Serah and went for her signature move.
'T-the Suplex?!'
"Don't be mean to my sooooonnn!!!" Anabelle, forgetting she was in the King's presence, went for the kill.
My eyes bulged as I watched the display in slow motion.
'As much as I want to see this... is it alright?!'
My eyes scoured the room, but no one seemed to be attempting to stop them.
Even my father simply sighed and buried his face in his hand--most likely in embarrassment.
Still, it made me realize that I was the only one getting so worked up on the matter.
'Is this... normal?'
"Hummmphhh!!!" Anabelle released a struggling sound as she attempted to lift the monster from the ground.
However...
"Hahaha! I've already told you, Ana! No matter how much you try it, that won't work on me!" The red-haired woman grinned with pleasure.
She probably enjoyed watching my mother struggle as she tried lifting her up.
'N-no... Mom's Suplex didn't work?!'
Now, I was even more frightened of the Serah Crimson woman.
Just how scary was she?
Well, the Mana Pressure from her was enough to tell me that she was in an entirely different league.
"Fine. Fine. I hear you! I'll stop it." Serah grumbled and finally stopped assailing me with her immense aura.
"Haa... haa..." I let out a slightly heavy breath.
It wasn't as though I was pushed to my limits, but...
'How do I put it, it was different...' I stared at the Grand Mage, Serah Crimson, with caution and slight curiosity.
Once again, our gazes met.
"Looks like Neron wasn't lying about you. You're plenty impressive!" She gave a wide smirk.
"Um, thank you..."
What exactly did that man tell her?!
In any case, I made sure not to get carried away by the unfolding scene that I forgot whose presence we were in.
The Royal Court!
I needed to remain composed at all times. Fortunately, my interaction with Serah hadn't escalated into something worse.
If it had, my plans would have been at risk... I think.
"Apologies for the unsightly display, your Majesty." I decided to take the initiative by speaking up.
"O-Oh... um, it's nothing..." King Albion Lestrome Indiavel murmured, as though all of his royal presence had vanished into thin air.
Even merely eyeing the nobles, none of them were speaking.
No murmur spread across them. I had a faint feeling of the cause, and my head naturally turned in the direction of our intruder.
'Is it... because of her?!'
Serah Crimson's grin had turned into a slight scowl. Her mood seemed to permeate the entire hall.
"I believe I asked a question. Why wasn't I informed of this meeting?!"
Even I felt shivers from the force of her tone. It was no wonder that everyone was extremely on edge because of her appearance.
'It's all my fault! I was the one who told my father to exclude her from the meeting!'
And that had been because of what Neron told me.
Still, even if I hadn't recommended it, it seemed Damien Leonard was already not planning on letting her come.
In fact, judging from the guilty expressions of the noble and royals present, I presumed that none of them wanted her to be present.
"Hey, Puck!" Serah screamed, looking in the direction of one man among the people gathered.
He was the Vice Head of the Imperial Forces, a man that looked stern and imposing based on appearance alone.
Yet, he had quite a funny name...
"Miss. Serah, please... call me by my actual name here..." The man's voice was squeaky and completely thin.
It was like the giant monolith of a man had crumbled to the form of a child.
Before the imposing Serah Crimson, the Vice Head of the strongest force of the Kingdom was a cowering man.
"Shut it, Puck! Why didn't you tell me about this meeting?!"
Puck shivered as she asked him. I could see the man's eyes dart everywhere, probably asking for assistance from everyone, anyone, who could bail him out.
I spotted the King and other Nobles. They turned away, refusing to take any responsibility for any action.
'Is this actually okay?' My gaze went in the direction of my father.
To my chagrin, even my usually composed father looked flustered. He glanced at me and shook his head, signaling that I remained uninvolved with what was occurring.
Since he knew better, I decided to stick to his words.
"W-well, it was an emergency meeting, and... well... you were busy, and... well..."
With every word that 'Puck' spoke, Serah got a step closer to him.
Sweat poured from the man's face, and the entourage he had with him slowly left him alone.
Maria, who was one of the people by his side, had long left him and moved closer to the Head of Research's group.
"You useless prick of an assistant!" Serah burst out amid the protest of the man.
"Eeek!"
I saw her raise her fist, about to slam it into the shivering man.
'Okay, isn't this going too far?'
At this point, all attention would turn from Serah to me.
It was something I would like to avoid. Not only because we were short on time, but also because it was of more merit if I made an indelible impression on everyone here.
This woman was stealing my spotlight. I couldn't have that.
"That's enough, Miss. Serah Crimson." My voice echoed through the hall.
Even if she was stronger and had more of an imposing presence... she had no manners.
"Isn't it obvious why you weren't invited?"
I knew I was probably going to get on her bad side. At the very least, she would redirect that fist in my direction. However...
"You've ruined the mood of this very important meeting. Because of your actions, not only has time been wasted, but the spirits of our Kingdom's finest have been disturbed."
... If this would allow me to score points with everyone, then it was worth it!
"What did you just say?"
