Was Mealtime Etiquette Always Like This?
“Hwaaam~”
Whether it was because my transformed body was frail, or because the countless events from yesterday had left me mentally exhausted, I couldn’t tell. Either way, I had passed out the moment I entered my room last night.
To think I’d fallen asleep and missed the rare chance to taste the Demon King’s castle cuisine. My mind had definitely gone somewhere far away yesterday.
Today, I absolutely had to eat. I clenched my fists and tidied the bed I had just been lying in.
The fluffy, spacious bed was far too luxurious for a mere tutor. After straightening the blankets, I rubbed my sleepy eyes and headed for the bathroom.
“Mmm……”
The mirror greeted me the moment I stepped inside. I flinched at the sight of the little girl in bear pajamas staring back at me.
“Oh, right. These pajamas……”
I ran my hands over the soft fabric I was wearing. It was a gentle pajama set with little bear ears. I had been so out of it last night that I just grabbed whatever was in the closet and went to sleep. I never imagined it would have such an adorable design.
“Wearing something like this with my own hands… ugh……”
When I grabbed my burning cheeks, the girl in the mirror did the same. Anger welled up inside me. The sight of that baby bear acting cute was so adorable it could have shattered an ordinary person’s heart before breakfast.
If only this weren’t my own reflection……
Knock, knock, knock.
“Teacher, are you awake?”
“Hrk?!”
While I was having a staring contest with the bear in the mirror, a voice called out from outside. The princess’s voice, no less. Only then did I check the clock. The hour hand had long since passed eleven and was still moving diligently. No wonder the sunlight pouring into the room felt so strong. It was already lunchtime.
“Hah, hah……”
While the clock hands ticked on, my heart came to a screeching halt. A tutor—especially the princess’s tutor—sleeping in on the very first day of lessons. The princess must have waited and waited before coming to find me herself.
You idiot! Or should I say “idiotess” now? Either way, what on earth were you thinking, stretching out and sleeping so comfortably!?
“Just a moment, Princess!”
No matter how late I was, I couldn’t let the princess see my bare face with sleep crust still in my eyes. I turned on the faucet, washed my face faster than a storm, and rushed outside.
Whoosh.
“Hah… hah… I’m so sorry, Princess. I… hah, overslept……”
“It’s all right. I only just woke up myself. But……”
The princess’s gaze scanned me from head to toe. What? What is it? Is there something on my clothes? I looked down and—
“Ah.”
Only then did I remember. I was still wearing the bear pajamas.
“I-I’m sorry, Princess! To show such disgraceful behavior… I’ll go change right away, so if you could just wait a moment……”
“You must like those pajamas, then?”
“…Huh?”
I tried to close the door again, but the princess slipped her foot into the gap, preventing it. Of course I had no intention of slamming the door on the princess’s foot, so the door between us remained open.
“They suit you, Teacher. I knew you’d like them!”
“A-ahaha… Y-yes, of course.”
In truth, I had put them on half-asleep without even looking at the design. If I had seen what they looked like, I would have rather slept naked! But faced with the princess’s bright smile, I couldn’t bring myself to tell the truth.
“The texture is so soft and nice… haha……”
“Right? I picked them out myself. I’m glad you like them.”
Whew. That could have been disastrous if I’d been honest.
“Hehe… You really are adorable, Teacher.”
The princess chuckled and patted my head. I quietly accepted her touch before suddenly sucking in a breath.
“Princess, I’ll go change first and come back. Please wait just a—”
“No. I’m hungry, Teacher.”
“…What? Don’t tell me you still haven’t eaten yet……”
“That’s right. I was waiting so we could eat together. I was also worried you might get lost again trying to find the dining hall.”
This crazy— I somehow managed not to swear out loud, but my heart was still in turmoil. To anyone watching, my face probably looked pale enough to put a blueberry to shame. The grave sin of starving the princess. Well, not that I had starved her on purpose. Still, the possibility of being punished for it was very real.
While I stood there trembling, unable to even say I was sorry, the princess spoke again.
“So let’s hurry to the dining hall, Teacher. You’re not going to make me wait any longer, are you?”
“Y-yes?! Of course not! Let’s go right away!”
The princess’s tone sounded like she was offering me a lifeline. I grabbed onto that miraculous rope without hesitation.
“Then, your hand.”
“…My hand?”
“You have to hold my hand. What if you get lost again?”
I had used the expression “grabbing a rope,” but that didn’t mean I wanted to hold the princess’s hand. Besides, I couldn’t keep walking around the Demon King’s castle holding her hand forever.
“But Princess, I’m not young enough to be led around by the hand like—”
“Aah~ I’m so hungry~ Thanks to someone, my stomach is practically glued to my spine~?”
“All right, all right, Princess! I’ll hold your hand!”
Faced with the princess’s emotional blackmail, I surrendered immediately and took her hand. Only then did the princess bloom into a beautiful smile and lead me toward the dining hall, gripping my hand tightly.
At the time, I was too flustered to notice. I was still wearing the bear pajamas as we headed for the dining hall.
* * *
The dining hall the princess brought me to was absurdly large. Large enough to play soccer in.
“P-Princess……”
“Yes? What is it?”
But before I could be overwhelmed by the glittering interior of the dining hall, I felt like I was going to suffocate from sheer embarrassment.
“I really should have changed out of these pajamas first……”
The reason was none other than the pajamas I was wearing. I hadn’t realized it until the servants started whispering as we passed.
—Who is that, walking around in pajamas?
One stack of embarrassment for boldly strolling through the Demon King’s castle in pajamas.
—Oh, that’s the new tutor the princess hired.
Two stacks for them knowing exactly who I was.
—Ah~ So that’s why she’s holding the princess’s hand while dressed like that?
Three stacks for the maid’s knowing exclamation.
With three stacks total, my embarrassment reached its limit and turned my face bright red like a ripe tomato.
“It’s fine, Teacher. Everyone just thinks you’re cute.”
The princess smiled gently and patted my head, unfazed. But that didn’t change the fact that I was an idiot who had come all the way to the dining hall in bear pajamas. What was a grown adult doing?
“More importantly, Teacher, you must be hungry. Please eat first.”
Only when the princess gently pushed a plate toward me did I lift my bowed head. Right. I’d already come this far. I might as well enjoy the meal.
Grumble~
My stomach agreed. Only then did my appetite, previously buried under embarrassment, resurface. I picked up my fork.
Today’s lunch menu at the Demon King’s castle was steak. Not an ordinary steak, but one so glossy it looked delicious just sitting there. Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to eat it. I speared the tempting steak with my fork. Juices dripped out, stimulating my salivary glands. As I wiped away the drool and prepared to cut the steak into bite-sized pieces—
“Wait a moment, Teacher.”
“Ah……”
The princess took my plate away. On an empty stomach, having food snatched right in front of me, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Realizing too late that I had been rude to the princess, I covered my mouth with both hands. But the princess only let out a soft laugh.
“I’m not taking your food away, Teacher. I just wanted to teach you proper dining etiquette.”
“Aah, yes. Please teach me.”
I had forgotten because the princess had pressed her lips to mine from the very first meeting, but she was a member of the Demon King’s race, just like the Demon King himself. That meant there must be dining etiquette befitting royalty. As her tutor, I naturally needed to know it too. It made sense that the princess had taken my plate when I tried to shove the steak into my mouth without thinking. I looked up at her with sparkling eyes, waiting for her explanation.
The princess’s expression seemed to flicker with slight bewilderment, but I was probably just imagining it. She cleared her throat and began explaining royal dining etiquette.
“Ahem. Well, you see? It might sound arrogant coming from me, but we of the Demon King’s race are of noble blood, aren’t we?”
“Indeed.”
It might have sounded a bit arrogant, but it was true that members of the Demon King’s race were of noble blood. The demonic energy flowing through their bodies was on a completely different level from that of ordinary demons. If not for them, the demon race would never have formed a society and would have been wiped out by the humans long ago. When I nodded, the princess continued.
“That’s why we of the Demon King’s race don’t use our own hands even when eating. We already use them so much for other tasks that we can’t possibly use them during meals as well, don’t you agree?”
“You speak the truth.”
Anyone who wasn’t a fool could tell exactly what the princess was getting at by this point.
“So you’re saying you need someone to feed you during meals, Princess?”
“Exactly. As expected of a tutor, you’re very quick to understand.”
The princess smiled and patted my head. Being praised for something so obvious felt strange, but since I rarely received compliments while working under Professor Ariel, I decided to take it as divine balance being restored. As I enjoyed the princess’s gentle touch, a question occurred to me.
“But Princess, isn’t that usually a maid’s job? Um… no matter how I look at it, it seems like it’s just the two of us in the dining hall.”
“Ah… haha, that’s right. Oh, the maids are all busy with the big cleaning day today. So……”
The princess speared a piece of steak with her fork. Her knife moved elegantly, cutting the steak into perfectly bite-sized pieces. Then the steak moved toward my mouth… Wait, why is it coming this way?
“It looks like the two of us will have to feed each other today. Right?”
“…Does this dining etiquette apply to me as well?”
“Of course~ You’re my personal tutor. We can’t have you being treated like a commoner, can we?”
I-Is that so? Was dining etiquette always like this? It felt like the concept had changed a little while I wasn’t looking… Well, if the princess said so, then it must be true. …But the princess is using her hands right now, isn’t she? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the etiquette……?
“Here, ah~”
“Ah, ah~?”
In a daze, I accepted the piece of steak heading straight for my mouth. Chew, chew. I barely had to chew before the meat melted like ice cream. To think such tender meat actually existed in this world. Realizing that descriptions I had only ever read in books were possible in reality, I was swept away by a wave of emotion.
“How is it? Our head chef is quite skilled, isn’t he?”
“Yeees… It’s so delicious……”
It was so incredibly delicious that my tongue loosened completely. When I gave my honest impression, the princess burst into laughter as if it were the funniest thing in the world. Why is she laughing?
“Here, have another bite.”
Before I could even wonder, another piece of steak entered my mouth. Like a baby bird receiving food from its mother, I obediently accepted the steak. Once again, the steak melted away, filling me with both ecstasy and regret. But—
“Here, ah~”
The steak kept coming toward my mouth.
* * *
Cute. So cute I wanted to pounce on her right now. That was the only thought in Regrita’s mind as she fed Melly bite-sized pieces of steak.
Honestly, she hadn’t expected Melly to fall for the story she had just made up on the spot. After all, this was someone who had worked as Professor Ariel’s assistant. Wouldn’t she see through such ridiculous dining etiquette? Yet—
—Indeed.
—You speak the truth.
Melly had readily believed the nonsense Regrita had invented on the spot. The idea that royalty didn’t use their hands while eating was absurd to begin with. If that were true, a revolution might break out and overthrow the dynasty. Anyone who thought about it for even a moment would realize it was nonsense. But Melly had taken Regrita’s words at face value. Regrita felt a twinge of guilt. Was it really okay to deceive such a pure teacher with such ridiculous lies? But then—
“I can’t eat anymowe! (Princess, no more!)”
Watching Melly, who had become like a hamster with cheeks stuffed to the limit as she obediently accepted every bite offered to her, Regrita thought, Well, what does it matter? More than anything, Regrita was incredibly happy right now. Seeing her teacher in adorable bear pajamas stuffing food into her cheeks until they were round made all her accumulated fatigue melt away. It was healing.
‘Ah… What do I do… It really, really feels too good……’
Regrita had to pour all her magical energy into resisting the urge to steal her teacher’s lips in that moment. The truth that her affection for Melly had risen from 100/100 to 120/100 was something the round-cheeked little bear would never know.