PAID

"To the esteemed First Princess Victorica, I sincerely thank you for the invitation to the tea party. However, it is with great regret that I must inform you my current circumstances do not allow me to…"

…Now how should I finish this sentence to politely decline the princess’s invitation?@@novelbin@@

A weak excuse wouldn’t work. Victorica was a notoriously persistent character even in the original story.

The fact that she insisted on proving her worth by serving as the commander of the border guard knights despite being royalty said it all. Half-hearted refusals would only provoke her further.

I needed an excuse that was both convincing and tactful.

“Ethan, do you have any ideas?”

“Hmm. How about claiming mental fatigue from the demon king’s subjugation, making you unable to meet with anyone?”

“I’ve already been using that excuse for over a week. It’s wearing thin.”

“What about saying you have a dinner engagement with Prince Antonio?”

“Antonio’s been locked away in the imperial library with Agnes from morning till night. That’s so obviously false it’ll never work.”

“…Then it seems like you have no choice but to attend.”