How to Dance with a Lonely Princess (3)

The two of them agreed to meet again in the evening, following Chrome’s suggestion to change locations since there were too many ears listening. The meeting place was a restaurant near the academy. Beneath a colorful signboard—not the usual rectangular plaque with just the shop name, but one whimsically illustrated with a chicken and an egg—stood a single figure.

Brown ponytail. A small, slender build compared to Lyla, who was relatively tall for a woman, and practical clothing that prioritized mobility. Sword, spear, dagger, gauntlets. The armaments, which at first glance looked cluttered and far too exaggerated for everyday wear, somehow appeared completely natural, as if they were part of her body. Perhaps it was due to the unique aura the girl carried.

Lyla greeted Ligret first as the latter looked down at her from the top of the restaurant stairs.

The elegant gesture that accompanied her gentle smile was so refined it made the viewer feel as though they weren’t standing in a secluded alley of the shopping district, but had instead been invited to a grand ballroom.

Even Ligret—who had spent a harsh childhood as a street orphan and viewed noble etiquette as nothing more than empty formality—couldn’t help letting out a small sigh of admiration.

Ligret’s lips curled into a smirk as she replied.

Considering the line of succession, it was faster to count from the back, but for an answer directed at an imperial princess who undeniably carried the emperor’s blood, it was excessively curt.

Lyla’s eyes twitched.

Ligret added, “Sorry, but I don’t have a long name to give, and I can’t speak politely either. They didn’t teach that stuff at the academy.”

—I’m a commoner without a last name and I never learned much, so I don’t know anything about etiquette for highborn folks. But wasn’t it your country that picked people based on how well they could fight, regardless of formalities? If you’ve got a complaint, go take it up with the one who recruited me.

It was an attitude that could easily be taken as provocation, but Lyla was no ordinary person either.

—Are you scared someone might suggest we drop ranks and just fight? Anyway, I’m the invited guest and you seem to be the guide, so why don’t you do your job properly?

Crackle. Sparks flew between the two.

Their upbringings and ways of thinking were polar opposites. On top of that, despite their differing styles, both possessed immense pride in their abilities and a fierce competitive spirit. It was only natural that things would turn out this way when they met.

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“……”

“……”

The moment a silence of just a few seconds fell between them—

Along with a voice that rang like a bell, Fiore Midas poked her head out through the gap in the restaurant’s front door.

At the sight of the silver-haired girl with a bluish tint smiling brightly and waving them in with a ‘hurry, hurry!’, both of them felt the tension drain from their shoulders. They suddenly realized how ridiculous they were being.

The two entered the restaurant in a slightly deflated mood. They had no idea that the golden-haired boy wearing a monocle had roughly predicted this situation and deliberately sent Ligret out to greet her. He figured it would be less exhausting for them to blow off some steam outside rather than engage in a staring contest inside the shop.

If the two had known that, they might have set aside their past grudges for the moment and teamed up to kill the swindler first.

While it might be a bit of a stretch to call it a feast of delicacies, the table was filled with dishes far more colorful than what most restaurants served. Lyla let out a small gasp of surprise.

Chrome shrugged. “I left the basic prep to the restaurant owner and only handled the finishing touches and a few special ingredients. Even then, Fiore did most of it.”

“Anyway, let’s eat first and talk about the details later. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It’ll be faster that way.”

What does he mean by it being faster to explain while eating? Lyla felt a slight sense of doubt, but she turned her attention to one of the dishes in front of her. It was a salad mixed with crumbly cheese, bite-sized tomato chunks, and green vegetables. Scattered throughout were black granules that resembled pepper, yet they carried almost no scent.

…Not bad.

It wasn’t at a level where she would call it exceptionally delicious, but it was certainly not bad enough to warrant harsh criticism. For Lyla, whose refined palate came from her living environment, to feel this way meant it was quite excellent for a regular restaurant dish.

At Fiore’s question, Lyla nodded. “Yes, it’s wonderful.”

The way she puffed out her chest with a little “ahem” was so adorable that Lyla couldn’t help but smile. The girl had a remarkable talent for easing people’s wariness. If she was doing it on purpose, it would be rather frightening.

Lyla glanced around. Ligret seemed to have taken a liking to the thinly sliced meat marinated in a pink sauce and was steadily picking at it. Beside her, Chrome was taking just one bite of each dish, slowly nibbling away. For a moment Lyla felt a bit bewildered, thinking this really was just an ordinary meal.

But then a faint sense of incongruity washed over her. It was an extremely subtle change—one that only someone with Lyla’s extraordinarily high magic control, capable of noticing even a single drop added to a massive bathtub, would detect.

…The magic power… increased?

Lyla reflexively looked at Chrome, but he simply wore a meaningful smile. Only then did she realize the true meaning behind his earlier words: Let’s eat first and talk later. It’ll be faster that way.

Understanding at last, Lyla quietly devoted herself to the meal.

Once the table had been cleared, Lyla asked directly.

Chrome laughed playfully. “Eating the same thing all the time would get boring. As you can see, I enjoy trying new things, so I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of ingredients.”

Lyla was already aware of the existence of special ingredients that could increase a user’s magic capacity when consumed, and she had even taken them a few times herself. But that was all.

The empire, with its vast territory and enormous power, had gathered secret techniques from various countries, researched them, and integrated them. Likewise, it possessed a wide array of methods to enhance innate magic capacity. However, most of them had the drawback of being extremely difficult to perform or requiring rare materials. Supply simply couldn’t keep up with demand.

And now the boy before her was saying he possessed methods to improve magic power that others didn’t know about. Not just one, but several.

The plain words, lacking in varied adjectives, carried all the more sincerity because of it. From Lyla’s position—born with monstrous magic power—it wasn’t something she desperately needed, but if reported to the empire, it was information that could earn him enormous rewards.

But she had been surprised a little too quickly.

“…Are you serious?”

Lyla glared at Chrome. Even though her usual gentle demeanor was well known, the opponent didn’t even flinch at her sharp gaze. Lyla’s fingertips trembled faintly.

Chrome leaned back comfortably in his chair with a soft thud and continued.

“Honestly, food that increases magic capacity probably doesn’t hold much value for you, Lady Lyla. But I have many other cards besides that, and I’m confident some of them will be quite appealing to you as well. The only thing is, obtaining them will require your abilities too.”

Chrome answered, “You, Lady Lyla.”

At the blatant reply, Lyla frowned for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“Hmm, my apologies. That came out a bit crude.”

Chrome continued, “I want your abilities. It would be good if you could help in situations like the upcoming dungeon expedition. There will be plenty of other times I’ll need your strength in the future as well.”

“That’s only natural. I’m simply asking that you lend a hand when you have the capacity. I’ll provide sufficient compensation as well.”

With that, Chrome handed Lyla a small note-like paper.

“One of the magic enhancement recipes I know. I chose one where the ingredients are relatively easy to obtain and won’t draw attention. It wouldn’t do to invite you to every single meal, after all.”

“I need an instructor. After the last assignment and this upcoming dungeon trip, I feel the need to raise the level of the people around me a bit.”

The unexpectedly clean and immediate answer made Chrome’s eyes widen this time.

Lyla looked at Chrome as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Well, since it was an empty seat no one was using anyway, I figured I might as well claim it.”

Lyla stood up. Chrome saw her off. That was enough.