Dining with Stella
Shen, Lin's bodyguard, wasn't happy with the current situation. He couldn't understand why she had to associate with the princess of the Western Empire, and the mere fact that Lin was staying near someone who wasn't even a martial artist made him uncomfortable. Of course, the knight serving as the Western Empire princess's guard looked somewhat strong, sparking a desire to test her skills, but that was it.
What bothered him most was the white-haired maid following Alan.
…She's strong.
As Lin's bodyguard, Shen had accumulated real combat experience fighting countless opponents since childhood.
…A servant of the Sword King family, perhaps.
Of course, it was taken for granted in Kun'Rung's martial clans that those who served possessed a certain level of martial prowess. But the aura emanating from Meia was fundamentally different. Those who hadn't properly trained exuded a rough aura. The cruder the aura, the shallower their training. Yet from that white-haired maid came only the serene stillness of a deep, sunken lake.
That's not ordinary training. She wasn't with him last time.
Alan himself wasn't completely ignorant of martial arts. As the child of the Sword King family, he undoubtedly knew enough swordsmanship to protect himself, and Shen had confirmed through his own senses that he had trained to a certain degree. But Meia was on a level where even Shen couldn't guarantee victory.
On par with the Sword King's Sword Dragon—or perhaps even stronger?
It didn't make sense for a mere maid to possess skills equal to Albert, the Sword King's direct heir, Shen thought.
"It's not good to probe others so excessively. It could cause trouble."
This was after Lin, Felicia, and Alan had all entered the reception room. Meia turned to face Shen, who had been continuously scanning her. Beyond her glasses, deep blue eyes like an abyssal sea stared with chilling coldness.
"…If I've been rude, I apologize."
"If you have something to say, say it now."
"A spar, if you have time."
"I refuse."
It was a sharp, blade-like response. Meia continued.
"As Young Master's attendant, I have no time for personal spars. If you have no other business, please don't speak to me."
Having drawn a perfect line, Meia averted her gaze from Shen. Her eyes turned to Stella, who was biting her lip anxiously.
"Lady Evans."
"W-Wh-Wh-Why, why?!"
How tense was she? Stella overreacted wildly to Meia's call. Was it because she was a servant of the Mueller family, or was she concerned about Alan? It was hard to tell.
Meia said, "I heard you were rude to Young Master."
"Th-Th-Th-That was!"
"Rest assured. Young Master said nothing about it. As you saw with the MacKellan professor incident, if he truly feels insulted, he doesn't tolerate it."
"Ah…."
"But don't forget."
Meia's deep blue eyes fixed on Stella.
"That doesn't mean your actions toward Young Master are forgiven."
"…Gulp."
"I'm watching."
It was a warning. Stella's face drained of color.
It's noisy outside….
Lin frowned slightly at the conversation filtering through her sensitive hearing from beyond the reception room. The exchange between her two bodyguards and the maid flowed into her ears.
Shen needs a scolding when we get back.
Her bodyguard Shen had a tendency to disdain the weak. He'd been stopped from overstepping with Alan because of that personality. Having grown up fighting countless foes as Lin's guard since childhood, he hadn't learned to respect those who weren't strong.
Only Lin could rein him in. Because of that temperament, she'd tried not to bring him on this study abroad trip.
"…Haa."
At Lin's sigh, Karl, sitting across from her with a serious expression, flinched.
"P-Princess, is something bothering you…?"
"No. It's just a bit noisy outside."
"Pardon? I don't hear anything."
Karl looked genuinely puzzled. Alan's voice came through.
"For now, I'll leave the first draft review to you, Karl. Same as last time."
"Understood, Alan. Leave Shuren Chronicle Volume 2 to me as well."
Felicia said, "You're not using cheap paper, are you, Adonel?"
"Absolutely not! You can rest assured about the paper quality. We get the finest from the factory contracted with our publishing house!"
Karl thumped his chest with a resolute vow.
Alan said, "No need to worry about the paper quality, Princess. I checked it personally when we signed the contract. You can trust Karl."
"I'll make sure to live up to your trust, Alan."
"Looking forward to it again, Karl."
"I'll stake my life on it! We'll secure the maximum print run again. Any chance of a limited first-edition event…?"
"Not planning one yet."
"What a shame. If you change your mind, please contact our publishing house…."
"Sure."
Alan felt fortunate to be born into a family without money worries as he rose from his seat.
"Thanks again."
"We're the ones who should thank you. We'll send samples as soon as the proofs are ready."
"Yes. Then…."
After Alan left, Karl wiped his flowing sweat with a handkerchief. Staring at the seats where the two princesses had been with dazed eyes, he slumped onto the sofa like a deflated balloon.
"Please don't bring the princesses next time, Alan…."
"Stalker much?"
Alan clicked his tongue at the Imperial Newspaper headline reporting that he'd delivered the manuscript just days ago.
Of course, traveling with Lin and Felicia made it newsworthy, but he hadn't expected it to hit the papers so soon.
"These people got nothing better to do."
"Shall I handle it?"
"Nah. The newspaper hacks won't back off anyway. Touch them, and they'll cry media suppression. No point."
"You know more than I thought."
Alan shrugged. Meia said, "Princess Felicia sent a message."
"Huh? The princess?"
"Yes. For lunch today, she'll be waiting at 'Le Carnua.'"
"What?"
Le Carnua was a high-end restaurant inside the academy. With its luxurious interior, even commoners felt intimidated just approaching it—a place where the ultra-wealthy dropped a gold per meal without batting an eye. Alan's bewilderment was natural.
"A meal there costs over a gold!"
"Yes."
"And she wants to go there? No other options?"
"None."
Since it was Felicia personally inviting him, Alan had no grounds to refuse.
He looked baffled. "But why all of a sudden…."
"No other message. Just that she'll wait at Le Carnua."
"…This is nuts."
A gold per meal—for four people, that was enough for a common family to live on for a year. A silver bought enough bread for three meals a day, or 100 loaves, enough to last 30 days on food alone. Wasting that on one meal was extravagance incarnate.
Alan felt uncomfortable just thinking about it.
"…I don't wanna go."
"You must."
"Yeah, guess so…."
Sighing as he stood, Alan said, "Let's go, Meia."
"As you wish."
"…Stella. Just sit still, okay?"
"B-B-But…."
"Pacing like a dog desperate to poop won't change anything."
Stella squeezed her eyes shut. She'd come in her usual academy uniform, but it didn't suit such a high-end restaurant.
"D-Did you really need to go this far…."
"I said I'd set up a meeting, didn't I? Plus, you got warned by Alan's maid. If you want to pretend it never happened cleanly, this is the way."
Felicia sipped her pricey western imperial black tea, costing over two silvers a cup. Her gaze turned to the restaurant door.
"Looks like they're here."
The door opened, and Alan in uniform entered with Meia in her maid outfit. Spotting Felicia and Stella, Alan approached the table.
"Princess."
"Welcome, Alan."
"What brings…."
"Stella has something she wants to say. Thought we'd have a light meal together."
At Felicia's casual words, Stella screamed internally.
Princess?!
Alan's gaze shifted to Stella at Felicia's words. His expression was full of confusion, with a hint of I got nothing to say, but you do? deep in his eyes.
"I don't really have anything…."
"Sit."
"Yes, ma'am."
At Felicia's firm command, Alan sat without protest. Food arrived as if on cue. Felicia picked up her utensils first.
"Let's eat first. We can talk slowly."
"Yes, Princess."
"…Yes."
Thus began the suffocatingly awkward meal among Alan, Stella, and Felicia.