Royal Welcome and Imperial Feast
At the palace entrance, Kaiyel looked back and forth between Walter and me, his mouth agape and refusing to close.
Walter stepped forward. "We happened to cross paths on the way, Your Majesty, and ended up traveling together."
Kaiyel finally snapped out of it, straightening his posture and placing a hand over his chest. "……Understood. His Majesty and Her Highness are waiting. Please, follow me inside." His voice was higher-pitched than usual. He started to lead the way but turned back again, his gaze on me trembling. "……We'll assign a personal attendant to the divine beast. Since we can't predict how long the formal audience with the delegation will last, it might be better to escort you to your room first so you can rest comfortably in the meantime……."
A room? They were trying to send me off separately.
Oh, trying to leave me out?
"Nah, I'll go in with the humans. I wanna see Kaelion and Rianndrea anyway."
Kaiyel hesitated for a moment, choosing his words. "……His Majesty and Her Highness can meet you afterward in the dining hall."
"I'm curious what the audience chamber looks like too, so I'll tag along."
Kaiyel fumbled for a response before finally bowing his head. "……Yes, divine beast."
In the end, I stood beside Walter. Two imperial knights noticed and exchanged glances.
The corridor was long. The deeper we went into the palace, the cooler the air became. The stone floor softly absorbed our footsteps, and sunlight from the windows stretched long shadows across it. Between the walls of wood and white stone, the World Tree's roots glowed faintly.
……Just like before.
Elf attendants stood on both sides of the corridor, all slightly bowed. Every time we passed, their shoulders twitched.
What's with all the freaking out?
Behind us, the delegation knights' footsteps kept faltering. They still couldn't wrap their heads around a divine beast walking next to their duke.
Walter just kept walking straight ahead. His steady footfalls were a far cry from the guy sweating bullets in the carriage.
This guy's got a quick recovery too.
Kaiyel stopped in front of the audience chamber. The guards on either side bowed their heads. "The delegation has arrived."
The doors opened.
Oh, so this is what the audience chamber looks like.
The interior was even wider than the corridor. The high ceiling let light pour down from above, and World Tree roots snaked along the walls like decorations. A long carpet stretched across the center of the floor.
Kaelion and Rianndrea sat side by side on the thrones at the far end. Kaelion in a white robe trimmed with gold, Rianndrea in deep navy with silver embroidery. Both froze the moment they saw me.
Kaelion tried to force a relaxed expression, but his eyes wavered. Rianndrea regained her composure a bit faster, blinking once before straightening up.
They recognize me, huh. Their reactions are hilarious.
Walter was the first to offer greetings. "We of the Verdan Empire's delegation extend our deepest gratitude to the Elf Kingdom for receiving us, Your Majesty. Your Highness."
"You've had a long journey, Duke. Well done." Kaelion took a steadying breath before responding.
When the letter of credentials was handed over via an attendant, Kaelion received it with utmost courtesy. Only then did his gaze shift to me.
"……Lady Nox."
"Yeah."
"This makes the prior communication rather pointless."
Communication?
"What communication?"
Kaelion's composure cracked further. "……I sent a message in advance to Duke Walter. It was to prepare for the possibility that Lady Nox might take a sudden interest. I included several contingency measures."
"Oh."
They even sent stuff like that?
I glanced at Walter. Curious what kind of contingencies he'd planned, but he stared straight ahead, face unchanging.
……Well, I ended up coming along anyway, so whatever.
"Anyway, it's more fun tagging along. What's the problem?"
Kaelion touched his forehead lightly with one hand. Rianndrea subtly pressed his arm with her fingers. He lowered his hand and nodded.
"……No issue. You are most welcome, Lady Nox."
No idea what that's about.
Rianndrea rose gracefully and bowed her head. "It is an honor to see you again, Lady Nox."
"Yeah, hey Rianndrea."
The formal talks began. I leaned against a pillar and watched.
Oh, so this is how it goes.
The words dragged on. There were pauses between each phrase, and while one spoke, the others waited. Totally different from how Kaelion chatted with me usually.
So that's how you act when you're king-ing.
When Rianndrea responded to Walter seamlessly, my eyes naturally drifted her way.
Whoa, Rianndrea's good at this.
She picked up right where he left off without a hint of stiffness.
So that's what makes her the diplomacy expert.
Three beast contractors from the delegation stood at the back. They glanced my way, then bowed their heads in unison when our eyes met.
Huh? Those guys are kinda unique.
The middle noble, a middle-aged man, exuded a heavy, damp aura like black smoke. The one next to him had thick mana that felt like crushing metal. The opposite one had a light, airy energy, like it was floating on air.
The formal talks were still dragging. Leaning on the pillar was getting boring faster than expected.
Bored. Maybe go chat 'em up.
I peeled off the pillar and walked toward the nobles. As I approached, all three stiffened.
"Hey."
"……W-We greet the divine beast."
The middle noble bowed deeply. The other two followed suit.
"Eh, just sightseeing."
"……Yes."
All three froze halfway up, heads half-raised.
"What're you contracted with?"
The middle noble's shoulders tensed further. "……A drake, my lady."
"You next?"
The adjacent noble swallowed hard. "……An iron bear, my lady……."
"And you?"
The one opposite answered promptly. "Great owl."
Drake, iron bear, great owl.
New names to me. Gotta ask Walter about 'em later. No point dragging this out—they'd just react the same—so I headed back to the pillar.
Behind me, I heard all three exhale at once.
Everyone's so jumpy.
The formal talks finally wrapped, and Kaelion looked my way. "We've prepared a welcome banquet. Would Lady Nox care to join us?"
"Yeah. Sounds good—I'm hungry."
The banquet hall was in the palace center. Inside was a long dining room with a high ceiling and soft light flowing along the walls. A massive table dominated the middle, chairs lined up on both sides. The head seats were set for Kaelion and Rianndrea.
As the delegation took their places, the head attendant started to guide me, then paused, glancing uncertainly at Kaelion.
"Escort Lady Nox to the seat opposite."
A spot was prepared at the table's end, right across from the king and queen. A few knights from the delegation exchanged looks. Walter was seated to Kaelion's right. The three beast contractors ended up near me.
Stuff always gets interesting around my spot.
Food started arriving. The elves had vegetables and grilled fish; the imperials brought spice-heavy meats and hefty cheeses. The table filled up fast.
A meat dish came first.
Ooh, smells amazing.
The unique aroma hit my nose—something I'd never smelled before. I cut a bite and popped it in. Crispy outside, juicy inside. The spices exploded on my tongue with an unfamiliar flavor—strong but not spicy, a whole new category even from my past life.
……What even is this spice?
Another bite, and the flavor intensified as I chewed. A slice of cheese arrived beside it—golden inside a browned crust.
Wonder what this is.
I grabbed a piece. Salty and thick, it melted stickily on my tongue, blending perfectly with the meat. Way richer and denser than any cheese from my old life.
……Why is this so damn good?
Meat bite, cheese slice. Alternating. That's when I noticed the three beast contractors staring. They'd reach for their food, then stop. Fork up, fork down. Fingers hovering over cups. One kept glancing at his plate but sneaking looks my way.
Why so tense?
I took another meat bite while watching. Every time they realized I was looking, their shoulders stiffened more.
Mid-meal, Walter stood. He gave Kaelion a brief nod for permission, then approached me. "To your taste, my lady?"
"Yeah. All good. Especially this spice-rubbed meat."
"It's our empire's most common spice blend. I'll have some packed for your journey back."
"Ooh, for real? Pack a lot."
The corner of Walter's mouth twitched up. "……Understood."
He returned to his seat, back ramrod straight.
So that's what a noble's like.
At formal spots, he seemed like a different person from the carriage guy.
Midway through the banquet, Rianndrea called across the table. "Is there anything among the dishes that particularly suits your palate?"
"Yeah, this meat. The spiced one."
She signaled the head attendant, who vanished toward the kitchens. Soon, another plate of the same meat appeared before me.
Ooh, service with a smile.
"Thanks."
"Please, enjoy."
……They take good care of you here.
As the banquet wound down, Kaelion looked my way. "Lady Nox, what are your plans for the night? Shall we escort you back to the World Tree?"
Oh yeah, time to head back?
I pondered briefly. With the delegation around, there'd be more to see. Seemed a shame to leave now.
"I'll stick around a bit longer. This is fun."
Kaelion paused, then nodded. "……Very well. We'll guide you to the guest chambers you used before."
An attendant opened the door and stepped aside. Inside was a room decorated with World Tree leaves and branches—just like during the oracle ritual. Thin leaf hangings on the walls, thick woven branches for the bed frame.
Hasn't changed a bit.
From the window, the city sprawled below. After sunset, lights flickered on sporadically in the residential and delegation areas.
I stared out for a good while. Watching the noisy daytime city quiet down was more entertaining than expected.
The bed sank deep when I sat. I flopped back.
……Humans are fun to watch.
The beast contractors' mana. The pace of formal talks. Reactions to seating. All stuff you don't see up at the World Tree.
Wonder what tomorrow brings.
Stars began twinkling outside. By now, Berat and Prostia were probably bored out of their minds back at the nest, just the two of them. Plenty to tell 'em when I got back.
……Gonna brag like hell.
My eyelids grew heavy.