A Date Interrupted
Recent worries had piled up so much that my hair was on the verge of falling out. The secret of my birth, the Black Round Table, Raven Peony, and now even my older brother and sister visiting today... If I kept living like this for just one more week, I'd have to seek advice from the hair loss gallery.
"Is something troubling you, Lord Werner?"
Right. Getting distracted by other matters during a date would be rude to the lady. The English gentleman's blood flowing through my veins would never permit such discourtesy toward a lady. That said, her choice of outfit for the date—a white shirt and black pants—was very much like her. Come to think of it, ever since she declared she would inherit the position of family head, she had probably worn pants far more often than skirts. After all, someone who had originally been considered half-baked would have needed that much effort to grow this far.
"No, I'm fine. Let's keep going."
Today, at her request, we had decided on a more commoner's-style date. To her, who had spent her entire life inside a snow-covered castle, the life of ordinary people was itself a fantasy. Was it similar to how the chaebol sons in dramas became obsessed with tteokbokki? Honestly, in a medieval fantasy setting like this, there wasn't much appealing about a commoner's scene. But if that was the fantasy Glacia wanted, I had no choice but to go along with it.
First, we needed to eat, so I took her to a restaurant. To prevent unnecessary flies from swarming around Glacia's appearance, I chose a place located in a somewhat sunny spot. From Werner's memories, there were commoner restaurants that tasted better than most high-end ones, but most of them were tucked away in dark back alleys. Going to one of those would definitely attract troublesome flies and lead to a fight.
Ah, but had young Werner ever gotten into trouble at places like that? Of course he had. They weren't spots a little kid should be hanging around, so they'd told him to hand over everything he had and get lost. But every last one of them had ended up spending a long time in a hospital bed thanks to Werner's magic.
"Welcome."
A friendly-looking auntie greeted us. Since this was a restaurant that many families visited, I figured there wouldn't be any troublesome flies or arguments breaking out.
"Auntie, could we have a table for two by the window, please?"
I said this while handing her a silver coin. I hated the noisy central seats. The restaurant auntie, now smiling five hundred times more benevolently after receiving the silver, cleared a window seat and guided us there.
Glacia began scanning the menu with an intrigued look in her eyes. For someone who had only ever been to high-end restaurants that listed only the day's course or the establishment's specialties, a place with dozens of menu items must have been shocking.
"There are so many options... I'm a bit overwhelmed."
Glacia was examining the menu one item at a time, as if studying for an exam. At this rate, we'd be having a late-night snack instead of lunch.
"Would it be all right if I ordered for us?"
"Yes... This is my first time at a place like this, so... it's a little difficult."
Glacia's cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked rather adorable. It was just unfamiliarity, after all; there was no need to be so embarrassed. I chuckled and called over a waiter. The waiter came running over immediately.
"Yes, what would you like to order?"
"First, tomato chicken soup, then fried oysters, salmon carpaccio, a calzone with four kinds of cheese and spinach, an omelet with liver paste, and for the main course, pork schnitzel and vongole with plenty of clams, please."
"Lord Werner, this seems like a bit much for just the two of us..."
She was right; the portions were excessive for two people. But that wasn't a problem.
"And for the lady here, the same tomato chicken soup, eggplant fried in tomato sauce, grilled scallop with clams, and a ribeye steak for the main course, please."
The previous order was all for me. I'd skipped breakfast after rushing to work and handling things, so I was starving.
"The ordered dishes will take a little time. Is that all right?"
I handed the waiter two more silver coins.
"Give one to the chef and ask him to hurry. We're a bit pressed for time."
Glacia stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"Can you really eat all that...?"
"Well, at formal gatherings I usually skip meals or eat lightly... but when I'm comfortable, I tend to eat as much as I want."
"When you're comfortable?"
I gave her the most benevolent smile I could manage.
"For example, when eating alone... or when dining with someone who puts my mind at ease. Under those conditions, I tend to let loose. It's too burdensome to eat like this in front of someone who makes me uncomfortable or awkward."
Glacia averted her gaze. She must have felt a bit embarrassed at being called someone who put my mind at ease. I had only been expressing my own sense of closeness. It wasn't just her—there were others whose faces relaxed me when we ate together: Airi, Mr. Baek Jong-won, Camellia, Lorsha, and even Mr. Inogashira Goro.
While she avoided my eyes with an even redder face, the food arrived faster than expected, likely thanks to the power of the tip.
"Here are your ordered dishes!"
The freshly cooked meals, still steaming, looked incredibly appetizing. Tomato soup loaded with meat, fried oysters with a savory aroma, a calzone with a hearty smell, and a massive steak.
"Let's dig in, then."
"Yes..."
Glacia still seemed unable to recover from the shock of what I'd said earlier. She even grabbed her fork and knife with the wrong hands at first before quickly correcting herself.
As expected, the taste was excellent. The flavors were rustic and heavy on oil and salt, but they had their own charm. Glacia must have thought so too, because she polished off quite a large amount of food.
"Haa... When we get back, I'll have to stick to salads and lean meat for a while."
Glacia seemed to be on a strict weight-management regimen. If Airi heard this, she'd probably sneer and say she could eat all the fried food and meat she wanted without gaining weight, calling Glacia pitiful. And there was a 99.99% chance it would turn into a full-blown fight.
"You're already beautiful enough. Is there really a need for that?"
"Unlike my mother, who maintains her beauty no matter what she eats, I'm a half-blood. The other half comes from my father's side, where muscles attach themselves just from breathing."
Ah... Then there was no helping it. So that was why Glacia's physical strength was so high.
"Shall we get going?"
We paid and stepped outside. As we did, I noticed a bit of sauce on the right corner of her lips.
Tsk... If I pointed it out directly, she'd definitely get flustered. Since I was an English gentleman who considered the lady's feelings, I had a duty to be considerate.
"Glacia, just a moment..."
I approached her. Then I grabbed the back of her head and kissed her. While cleaning the sauce from her lips with my own, our tongues intertwined. Thinking that should be enough, I pulled away.
But to my surprise, Glacia was covering her mouth with an embarrassed expression. I had only been trying to spare her the embarrassment... We'd already gone as far as the bed before, so I thought a kiss wouldn't faze her. But if she was this shy, wasn't this the opposite of what I'd intended? I should have just told her there was sauce on her mouth.
"Doing something like that with so many people around is a bit..."
Ah... For her, doing this in front of people was definitely embarrassing. Damn noble etiquette.
"Hey, you two look good together."
Fuck. That line sounded like something a third-rate thug from an old-school gangster manga would say.
"Mind your own business and keep walking if you don't want to die."
"Hahaha, but I don't want to?"
"If you don't want to, then go get married, you fucking bastard."
I'd rip off his lower half and turn him into a woman so he could get married. But the moment I turned my gaze, Glacia was already grabbed by a guy wearing a robe. Glacia tried to counterattack immediately, but—
"Whoops, it would be troublesome if the young lady used violence."
The robed bastard snapped his fingers. Colorful cloths then wrapped around Glacia's body.
"You fucking bastard!"
I was going to smash that guy's skull in.
"Calm down. I'm not your opponent."
At that moment, a sharp kick came flying from behind. It was lucky I managed to guard it; if I hadn't, I would've been sent flying far away.
The one who ambushed me was also wearing a robe.
"These fucking bastards!"
I threw a Rashal Palm at the cowardly bastard who had ambushed me. But the attack was quickly seen through. The guy grabbed my wrist and spoke quietly.
"Hmm... So you add rotation to your wrist when attacking. Quite interesting."
Even with my wrist caught, I drove a short punch into his solar plexus to break free. He leaned back to dodge but didn't let go of my wrist.
"A short punch, huh... You're using cheap tricks."
There was no choice. I hadn't wanted to take anyone down on a day like today, but these bastards were the ones who crossed the line first.
"Lightning, like a serpent..."
"Hey, hey, stop. You're really going to kill someone."
The guy holding Glacia suddenly released her and spoke up. Just as I was about to say it was too late and that I'd be severing all their necks, the ones who attacked us threw off their robes.
"Our youngest has grown a lot. Now you even know how to curse."
Squar, the legendary phantom thief who stole the sky.
"Haa... I didn't want to greet you like this, but you were so insistent... Well, it's been a while, little brother."
Ocheon-yeong, the Heavenly Demon who conquered the Eastern Continent.
"No, what the hell is this..."
I was so unable to comprehend the situation that I even started stuttering. But Squar just laughed and started teasing me.
"Well, when you're visiting your cute little brother after so long, just saying hello would be boring, wouldn't it?"
I desperately wished they had just said hello normally.