From the moment he laid eyes on Hexia, the young man's pupils gradually widened, as if beholding some incredible miracle. He nearly held his breath, daring not to make a sound, until Kinsenke patted his back, snapping him out of that state.
He staggered a few steps as if he meant to kneel on one knee, but ended up falling into the rain on both knees instead. He made no move to correct himself, as if this was what fate had intended, his hands pressing into the wet ground, his head slowly bowing down.
"Your Highness Tilan." His voice trembled with nervousness and a kind of irrepressible ecstasy, a title that was almost exclusively used for legendary figures.
"Why do you address me in such a way?" The girl's voice came from above him.
"Because I..." He suddenly remembered something and hurriedly corrected himself.
"...My mistake, no, I was flustered, a slip of the tongue, as your beauty left me at a loss for words, please forgive me." Realizing something, he slowly stood up, speaking to her as one would to a normal person.
Seeing the young man regain his composure, Tilan set aside whatever thoughts he might have been having for the moment and turned her attention to Kinsenke standing by.
"Chairman, this is Zakrez, a friend and acquaintance of mine. Although he seemed a bit out of sorts just now, he is usually quite reliable." He felt somewhat embarrassed, having always thought of Zakrez as an exceptionally mature and astute person of his age, but today he seemed to be a completely different person.
"I don't know if you've heard of 'Qtis Mtis' company, but Zakrez is the current fourth heir to 'Qtis Mtis', and his father is the chairman and powerholder of the company."
After Kinsenke finished speaking, Annelli whispered into Tilan's ear.
"'Qtis Mtis' is a semi-military industrial enterprise within the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain. Their products serve both military and civilian use, and several of their agile mecha models are designated purchases by the military." After that, Annelli stepped back half a step, eyeing Zakrez with a vigilant gaze.
Logically, this man should be part of the 'Starship Faction', that is, aligned close to the military forces. Why then, would he suddenly appear here? Does Kinsenke not realize how untrustworthy he is? She'd heard many rumors about Zakrez; only 19, yet ruthlessly manipulative in securing his inheritance, he had driven his two older brothers to develop psychological issues from the shock, prompting them to move to the Central Star Domain for a long stay, having not returned for two years.
"Hello, I am Hexia." Despite not being sure of the purpose behind this man's approach, Hexia still chose to show her manners first, responding with a bow to his earlier greeting.
"No, there's no need to be so formal." Zakrez was somewhat nervous, his limbs slow to react as if he wanted to stop Hexia from bowing and also seemed afraid that physical contact might offend the girl.
Not fully understanding the psychological state of the young man before her, but sensing no malice from him, just pure surprise and anxiety, thoughts drifted through the girl's mind.
"Highness Tilan, cough, Chairman Tilan, you must have summoned us here for a purpose." Zakrez took the initiative to start the conversation, then began to introduce the group of people behind Kinsenke.
Several of them are representatives of powerful agencies, and some others are core figures of companies equipped with legal armed combat personnel.
"This is the representative from 'Gate Agency'... This is from 'Imperial Sound Agency'... This is from 'Tripoint Agency'... This is the external affairs manager from 'Tin Antler'... This is the third son of the 'Jydin Insect' company..."
One after another, these people nodded and greeted Hexia in front of her, then introduced their respective companies and agencies.
If this were the past, Tilan would have thought such companies to be beyond her wildest dreams, but now representatives from these companies and agencies stood before her, each sitting upright and seemingly more nervous than she was.
Although Tilan herself was not consciously aware of it, or perhaps had not yet adapted to the changes in her status, in their eyes, the girl before them was an eminent figure not to be aspired to lightly. The entire turmoil within Four-leaf Crystal could be said to stem from this girl.
The unrivaled jewel of Edith Academy, a songstress adored by countless young people in the Star Domain, a prospective leader of the Federation's next generation, predicted by many experts to be among the few songstresses likely to reach Moon Level, even Saint Yingo, amidst their ongoing feud with Edith, did not dare to smear her on social media, having to instead pose with a generous compliment or two.
This was certainly due to Saint Yingo's unwillingness to needlessly make enemies, but also the girl's future was being watched by many, and even Saint Yingo Academy dared not cross certain lines. Songstresses hold special significance for the Federation, and in the eyes of the Central Council, the governor of the Crystal Star Domain could change every year, but the songstress seedlings within the Federation were scarce indeed.
As she listened to Zakrez's introductions, the girl nodded in response to each, then her gaze slowly swept across them, those she saw feeling almost as if she could see right through them.
Is this what it means to be a songstress? Many thought, feeling a fresh and slightly thrilling sensation, then they restrained their thoughts, trying their best not to entertain any strange ideas.
Even though experts have stated that songstresses cannot read minds, many folk tales attribute almost unlimited abilities to them, not just mind-reading, but also memory retrieval; many preferred to err on the side of belief.