Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Eastern-Style Meeting the Family (2)
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We entered the grand Eastern annex.
A massive dining hall unfolded before us.
A long table surrounded by ornate screens.
*To think there's a place like this in the Empire...*
Luxurious dining chairs plated in gold were set out.
I was seated right in the center.
Next to none other than the Empire's Third Imperial Princess.
"Heh heh, make yourselves comfortable. You two look splendid side by side."
The Grand Duke chuckled as he took his seat across from us.
Alongside Lydia's cold aunt, uncle, and younger cousin.
"Thank you so much for inviting me to this dinner."
*This feels less like a meal and more like an interrogation...*
I forced a smile and expressed my gratitude.
But her relatives remained utterly expressionless despite my greeting.
"The meal will be served shortly, so relax and wait."
The Grand Duke spoke in a relaxed tone.
Yet his kin eyed me like they wanted to devour me instead of the food.
"Be at ease, be at ease."
"Right, what good is a man so tense?"
Her aunt and uncle spoke in emotionless voices.
"Th-thank you."
I swallowed hard.
My only thought was escaping this place.
"Uncle, don't scare Veil for no reason. This man is our benefactor today."
Lydia scolded her relatives in a prim voice.
Not her usual stern princess tone, but like a youngest daughter at home.
I glanced at the princess like that.
She noticed my gaze.
Catching my intent, she quietly asked.
"What's wrong?"
"Your speech is different from usual, so it surprised me a bit."
Normally, Lydia spoke like a superior despite her young age—that was her charm.
Seeing her like this made her seem surprisingly approachable.
"Because we're with family. I'm just speaking casually, that's all."
Lydia replied with an expression like, *Why ask something so obvious?*
"That approachable tone suits you well too."
I smiled and complimented the youngest princess's way of speaking.
In response, the young Eastern sovereign gazed at me with seductive eyes.
"You'll be seeing a lot more of me from now on, so you'd better get used to it."
*Huh...?
Seeing a lot more of her?
Lost in thought over her words.
I spotted servants approaching from afar.
"We will prepare the meal."
I eyed the round metal lid.
A lavish tray plated with ornate dragon decorations.
The trays were placed on the table.
Then, as they lifted the lids.
"...?"
I nearly balked.
The revealed dish was none other than boiled potatoes.
Plain potatoes that made the fine porcelain plates seem out of place.
These were the Eastern royals' first appetizer.
"Come now, eat up. Quite bountiful today as well."
The Grand Duke showed no dismay at the modest potatoes.
He urged the dish on me with utmost sincerity.
"I gratefully accept."
I took a potato following his gesture.
Then, I quietly observed Lydia's relatives across from me.
"..."
Not one touched the potatoes.
They simply watched me eat in silence.
*Good, this works out better.*
Since I was already here for the meal, I'd eat like a glutton to sour their impression.
Imagining Lydia's usual *"commoner, commoner"* disdain, I picked up a potato.
And...
I crunched into it like an apple, for all to see.
"...!"
At the sight of me eating a potato bare-handed, her relatives all furrowed their brows in unison.
The Grand Duke, who had been elegantly slicing his with a fork, looked particularly flustered.
With eyes like, *Did this guy starve for days...?*
But I paid it no mind.
Potatoes had been a luxury back in my orphanage days.
Even as a knight candidate on the frigid Northern Front, hot potatoes were hard to come by.
Recalling those times, I devoured it deliciously.
"Whew..."
I took a refreshing gulp of water.
Then, wiping my lips with the back of my hand, I looked at the Eastern royals.
Sure enough, they all looked flustered.
*Perfect. Now the insults should start flying.*
Satisfied with that, I let out a deep breath.
But then.
Clap...! Clap...! Clap...!
Sudden applause rang out.
Everyone turned to the Grand Duke at the sound.
"This fellow eats with such hearty gusto!"
Lydia's grandfather and former ruler of the East.
Jerome VIII chuckled and regarded me approvingly.
"Other Empire folk wrinkle their noses at potatoes. As expected, you're different!"
I blankly stared at the Grand Duke, who seemed pleased instead.
"Ha... haha. I've always liked potatoes. Ate them often on the front lines."
Swept up in the mood, I ended up laughing along.
"Wait, you're from the front lines?"
Amid the applause.
Lydia's cousin, Darhan—the one in the officer's cap—asked me.
"Was it the Northern Front by any chance?"
"Yes, I served there quite a while as a knight candidate."
I answered with a sheepish expression.
Her seventeen-year-old cousin's stony face lit up in surprise.
"Is that true? I'm headed to the Northern Front soon myself."
He spoke to me with evident delight.
"Do they really have snow falling there?"
"Yes, you'll see it until you're sick of it."
Lydia's young cousin gazed wondrously at his future senior from the unit he'd be joining.
"I've heard it's insanely cold. And strict discipline too."
"It's better now. We quelled the zealots during my cohort, so it's peaceful."
His senior's words sparked growing interest in the junior's eyes.
"Yeah, I've heard about that. You're one of the rising stars who took them down, aren't you?"
"Yes, one of them, but I was just part of the supporting cast."
I answered humbly.
"Ha, what a coincidence! To meet a senior from my cohort here!"
Lydia alternated glances between her brother—who'd been guarding her moments ago—and me.
Seeing the two men quickly bonding over front-line talk, her eyes showed relief.
"Do you know someone there perhaps?"
I rested my chin on my hand.
After a moment's thought, I told him.
"I do have one comrade from my cohort..."
Kain, the classmate I'd met at the commissioning ceremony.
He was currently serving on the Northern Front.
"Could you tell that comrade about me?"
If I asked him to look after this young boy, he'd surely do it well.
It'd give Kain—who was struggling alone in a foreign land—a reliable backer too.
A win-win for both.
"Yes, I'll pass it along."
The boy, a royal in the East but headed to a remote post with no connections.
His lips curved into a wide grin.
"That's great, Darhan. I was worried, but this is fortunate."
"Yes, it really worked out well, Father!"
The Eastern Commander.
Lydia's uncle sliced his potato matter-of-factly as he spoke.
"However, tell him not to show my son excessive kindness. Treat him as just another soldier."
He'd planned to send his son to a distant post deliberately for experience.
Though inwardly worried...
He looked pleased at this unexpected backer.
"I'll convey that, Commander."
I bowed my head politely in respect.
"He looked like some pretty boy gigolo, but he's a true soldier after all."
"You're right, Father. I seem to have misjudged him."
Usually, revealing front-line service led to dismissal as some brute.
But the Eastern royals' reaction was entirely different.
*This isn't what I wanted...*
I'd meant to help a friend from afar, but ended up leaving a good impression instead.
"Heh heh... You've finally recognized Sir Veil's true worth."
The Grand Duke beamed fondly at his son and grandson, who had acknowledged me.
"We judged him by appearances alone."
"Right, he's a man worthy of our sister's attention!"
Lydia flinched at her brother's words.
She shot down her taller younger brother with a glare.
"You...! Don't go spouting that outside!"
The princess glanced at me.
Then, she cautiously reached for a napkin to wipe my lips.
"Watch your position from now on too."
I startled as Lydia's hand touched my lips.
But with the Grand Duke watching proudly, I couldn't resist.
"You're not just some Northern Front candidate anymore—you're a full-fledged Imperial Knight now, aren't you?"
The Third Imperial Princess smiled with her alluring red eyes.
"Time to shed that commoner vibe, right~?"
She looked up at me with a grin.
Like a lady doting on a child.
"Th-thank you..."
I expressed my gratitude with a sheepish look.
With the improved atmosphere, we finally began the proper meal.
From pork fried in oil and coated in sauce.
To dumplings made with shrimp wontons.
All quite greasy, but delicious.
"The food is excellent."
"Heh heh... Glad to hear it. Eat plenty."
I set aside other thoughts for a moment and enjoyed the Eastern cuisine.
But.
Not everyone was simply enjoying the food.
"..."
Unlike her uncle and cousin, Lydia's aunt still regarded me coldly.
The Eastern merchant guild leader stared at me with an icy expression.
*Her uncle and cousin were one thing, but that aunt...*
Her venomous gaze made the food lose its flavor bit by bit.
"We will serve dessert."
With the servant's words, fine tea was placed on the table.
The aroma of fragrant tea leaves filled the spacious annex.
"This tea was brought by my second daughter, Arieta—the guild leader."
The old man pointed to the cold woman beside him.
"I gratefully partake. Guild Leader Arieta."
I sipped the tea, taking a deep breath inwardly.
"You're Sir Veil, right?"
She finally spoke.
The opponent who seemed even tougher than her father and brother.
"Yes, that's me."
"The Water Defense Corps probably cut your pay, so how are your finances and retirement plans?"
A merchant's calculating, emotionless gaze.
It pierced right through me.
"Aunt, Veil is just barely twenty..."
The youngest princess panicked at her mischievous relative.
"Oh my, Lydia. Twenty makes you an adult. Of course he needs to manage his assets rigorously."
The merchant smiled sweetly at her precious niece.
Then, she fixed me with a ruthless stare and said.
"That way, you won't burden your 'mate' too much, right?"
Her gaze was fierce in her black fur coat.
Like a matriarch leopard protecting her young.
"As for assets, I already hold a fief."
"The Northern fief is barren wasteland, isn't it? What crops can you grow on land full of rocks?"
She knew the Empire's Northern soil inside out.
A true merchant.
But.
"Ah, my apologies. I forgot to mention something."
I wasn't one to back down easily either.
"My land is in the capital's western district. Right next to the Western Palace, in fact."
"...!"
Arieta, who well knew the insane land prices in the capital's west.
She flinched at my confident gaze.
"You said you were just a defense knight earlier..."
"Not all defense knights are broke."
Arieta chewed her lip.
Then, signaling for fruit to counterattack.
"We will serve the fruit."
Servants in splendid silk robes neatly placed fruit platters on the table.
Red, smooth flesh.
Sliced with fancy flair into elephant shapes...
Watermelons.
"This is the watermelon fruit we just imported."
"Hoo..."
Her aunt introduced the fruit confidently.
The Eastern royals showed interest.
They marveled at the vibrant, unfamiliar sight.
"Hee hee... No wonder you're impressed. It's hard to come by."
Arieta folded her arms smugly.
She looked down at me arrogantly and declared.
"The finest dessert from the South, you could say?"
The merchant eyed me like, *Ever even seen such a luxury?*
She closed her eyes slightly, awaiting my awed reaction.
But.
"How much did you get these for?"
My unexpected response furrowed her brows.
"One gold each—but why do you ask?"
"What?! One gold?!"
I shot back with utter disbelief.
The royals' attention focused on my vehement reaction.
"Haha, shocked at the price? I get it. It's top-grade fruit, after all."
Arieta smirked and shrugged.
"No. At that price, you actually took a huge loss."
Her shoulders twitched at my firm reply.
"A loss? No way. We imported from one of the Empire's largest guilds."
Arieta folded her arms again.
She glared down at me disdainfully.
"Which guild was it?"
But I didn't yield an inch.
Observing the watermelon with an expert eye, I said.
"The Looper Family Guild from the North."
Looper.
The moment I heard that name, I couldn't help snorting.
I'd never imagined hearing about my senior again after so long.
"Ah—really~?"
I'd planned to let it slide quietly, but recalling his antics soured my mood.
Plus, this was a golden opportunity to secure my farm's first client.
A grand first step for my retirement.
"Haa..."
In this hard-to-refuse situation, I took a deep breath.
Then...
Clasping my hands with a sly grin, I said.
"Oh dear. You got scammed~."
Arieta's face went pale at my words.
"W-what...?"
I picked up a watermelon slice.
Flashing a fawning, cunning smile, I replied.
"Looper, that guy... Exiled from his family, and now hoarding goods too~?"
"You know someone at the guild...?"
To Arieta's question, I answered with pitying eyes.
"Yes, he was a disgraced knight from the Water Defense Corps. His family's been infamous for bullying—swordmaster-level at it."
I munched on the watermelon.
Not even first-grade; the sweetness was mediocre.
"You should cut ties. We'll supply better ones from my farm."
Arieta gaped at the claim that he grew the premium fruit royals alone savored.
"At half the Looper Guild's price."
Her eyes gleamed at "half price."
Having suffered Empire distribution gouging for years.
She rapidly calculated how much this one man's offer could recoup.
The result.
"I-is that true, Veil? I mean, Sir Veil?"
Even her address for me grew polite.
"Yes, I was looking for a buyer anyway."
Lydia's grandfather chuckled at me, hands clasped like a schemer.
The old man alternated gazes between his granddaughter and me.
He wore the seductive look typical of Lydia's family.
"I'll prepare a contract later. Let's talk it over leisurely."
Oblivious, I eagerly dove into business talk.
Too thrilled at landing my first client to notice the old man's gaze.