A Taste of Nostalgia
Originally, she had intended to be angry when he appeared.
She wanted to demand what he had been doing all this time, and what it meant that so many carriages belonging to noble young ladies had been coming and going from his family's estate.
But the moment Rinacien saw Reinhold looking so exhausted, her worry overrode her anger.
"Morgan, are you alright?"
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I was so consumed with finding a way to repair the Goddess's gift that I failed to send word."
Of course. Reinhold had simply been too focused on an important matter.
Although she wanted to ask about the noble ladies' carriages, Rinacien decided to let it slide.
Whether his exhaustion stemmed from trying to restore the shield or from dealing with those ladies, it didn't matter. She would soon tighten her leash on him anyway.
"A day and a half... It was a painful, agonizingly long time to miss you."
Pleased by the Crown Princess's coquettish complaint, Reinhold let out a tired chuckle.
Normally, a wife was supposed to welcome her husband home with open arms after a hard day's work, but expressing how much she missed him in this manner was quite endearing.
Presumptuously, Reinhold was already treating the imperial palace as his own home.
When he took the back of her hand, Rinacien shyly lowered her gaze.
Reinhold relished the sight of this haughty woman acting so submissive.
"Announcing Saint Arciel and Archer Nydrian!"
Tsk.
The sweet atmosphere they had managed to build was instantly ruined.
Watching Reinhold step away from her to greet the newcomers, Rinacien hid her disappointment, composed herself, and welcomed the two.
"Welcome, Arciel, Nydrian. You must be hungry, but a few guests have yet to arrive. If you could wait just a moment, I will have the imperial kitchen serve the dishes we prepared."
"Food is just to fill the stomach."
Arciel responded indifferently and took a seat.
Rinacien's temple twitched, but she swallowed her annoyance, reminding herself that the gorilla-woman had always been like this.
Even when they first reunited, Arciel had cared less about Rinacien being the Crown Princess and more about the fact that she had left Gutter Alley and knew nothing of Lee's whereabouts.
Aside from the occasional petty bickering when they crossed paths in the hallways, there was nothing between them.
"A salad is more than enough for me."
"Oh, but I had delicacies prepared especially for you. Things you could never lay eyes on in the Elven Forest. Our chef's veal dish is particularly exquisite."
"I-is that so?"
Elves did not eat meat unless absolutely necessary.
They were a race with naturally weak digestive systems, yet Rinacien pushed it without a shred of consideration. The timid Nydrian couldn't even bring herself to argue.
Nydrian sat there awkwardly, blinking her eyes, while Arciel looked completely spaced out.
Normally, anyone invited by the Crown Princess would be deeply honored and try their best to curry favor.
Rinacien despised this silence, which showed they had absolutely no interest in her.
"Announcing Mage Tigria and Hero Luciena Estelle!"
Ah, finally, a proper human with a last name has arrived.
But that "proper human" was the notoriously arrogant Hero.
Aside from herself and Reinhold, there wasn't a single decent person in the room.
Rinacien barely held back a sigh.
"You are late, Tigria."
"Not late. Arrived on time."
Every single one of them had to talk back...!
Just then, a bizarre metallic screech echoed from the entrance of the banquet hall.
Screeech!
"Hey, why aren't you letting the porter in?"
It was Lucy.
The moment Lucy had stepped inside, the guards had crossed their halberds to block Rin behind her. In response, Lucy had grabbed the halberds and bent them out of shape.
"W-we were explicitly told that the banquet was for the five members of the Hero's party."
"What are you talking about? The Hero's party has six members. Six, including the porter! He even has an official imperial appointment!"
"Lucy, it's fine."
Everyone in the banquet hall gasped.
At Rin's simple reassurance, Lucy looked ready to protest, but instead, she nervously clutched her skirt and nodded.
The very woman who used to despise the porter more than anyone was now completely wrapped around his finger.
As I thought, to control the Hero, securing that porter is absolutely essential.
Since the guards refused to budge, Rin quietly stood by the entrance.
Lucy was deeply upset by this, but unable to go against Rin's wishes, she reluctantly took a seat at the far end of the long table.
"You are sitting too far for us to converse, Lady Hero."
"You want to talk to me? Do you actually have something to say?"
She didn't.
Caught off guard by the blunt question, Rinacien did not press further.
In any case, now that all the invited guests had arrived, it was time for the host to announce the start of the feast.
"Well, you must all be famished. Please, help yourselves first, and we can talk afterward."
At the clap of her hands, a line of servants filed in, endlessly filling the table with dishes.
The table, which could easily seat ten people, was covered from end to end with a magnificent feast.
They were dishes that could make even Nydrian salivate.
Of course, that was only because of the vegetables garnishing the plates.
Yet, the only sound in the banquet hall was the clinking of cutlery.
While it was a relief that no one was eating noisily, both Rinacien and Reinhold found the stifling atmosphere incredibly uncomfortable.
Even in the midst of this, Lucy did not touch a single dish.
She simply watched them eat, her face as expressionless as the mage's.
No one could eat in peace.
"Lady Hero, are you not hungry?"
"Yeah, I am."
'Yeah'? How dare this fallen noble brat...
"If you try even a single bite, I am sure you will find it to your liking."
"I don't know. I have no idea what kind of poison you might have slipped in here. I'll just make do with what I brought."
"Poison...?!"
Crash!
Without another word, Lucy swept her arm across the table, knocking all the dishes in front of her to the floor.
The steaming hot food splattered across the ground.
Rinacien, who was about to scream at her for her insolence, froze when she saw what Lucy pulled out.
Arciel also stopped eating and stared at Lucy.
A sandwich.
What Lucy had brought out was the sandwich Rin had made for her the night before.
He had made so many that even a big eater like Lucy had managed to save one.
She took a polite bite of the sandwich.
It had gone cold, but it was still delicious.
Only then did a warm smile spread across the Hero's face.
Plop.
The jam and mashed potatoes that Rin had generously spread for her oozed out and dripped onto the tray serving as her plate.
Recognizing the familiar combination, Rinacien unconsciously stared at Lucy as she ate.
"Hey..."
But Arciel's reaction was different.
With a look of desperate yearning, she cautiously spoke to Lucy.
"Can I have a bite of that?"
"Dream on, you shameless leech."
"Come on, just one bite..."
She knew she was acting pathetic, but Arciel had to know.
She had to confirm if that sandwich was the one she remembered.
And if it was, who had made it.
Though simple-minded, Arciel was no fool.
Both Rinacien and Rabine had come from Gutter Alley.
If so, there was a high probability that Lee had also left the slums and entered the wider world.
Since he was a talented cook, he might be working as a chef somewhere, or perhaps running a street stall.
Those bastards in the Holy Kingdom—even Pope Agreus—only ever told her that Gutter Alley was doing fine.
She had no allies, so even if she wanted to send her own spy, she had no way of doing so.
Furthermore, because her origins in a town of criminals would alienate the lay believers, she was forbidden from ever bringing it up.
Even if she wanted to go there herself, she was constantly dragged to the front lines because of the Demon King and the demons, or kept on a tight leash here at the imperial palace and the Vatican. She had no way of finding out, no matter how desperately she wanted to.
And now, right in front of Arciel...
...a nostalgic food that could serve as a clue to Lee's whereabouts had appeared.
Why had she betrayed the Hero and made a deal with the Empire and the Holy Kingdom in the first place?
It was all for Lee and Gutter Alley.
So that once peace was restored to the world, she could rebuild her hometown alongside the man she loved and stand proudly before everyone.
But Arciel knew now.
She knew that to save her home, she had no choice but to dirty her hands.
That was why finding Lee was more important to her than anything else.
"Get lost."
"Then at least tell me who made it for you."
"...The porter."
"The porter?"
"Why are you so surprised? The porter has always made our meals."
Lucy chewed her sandwich enthusiastically.
She couldn't understand how something made of nothing but jam and mashed potatoes could taste this good.
It had to be because Rin had poured his heart into making it for her.
Another smile unconsciously spread across her face.
"I have tolerated enough of your insolence!"
Leaping to her feet, Rinacien gestured to the guards at the entrance.
The two guards, who had been waiting for the signal, turned to apprehend Rin.
And,
just like that, they died.
Crack!
Crunch!
"Who do you think you're touching?"
Springing from her seat in a flash, Lucy kicked one of the guards.
His abdomen ruptured, killing him before he even hit the wall.
The other guard, who was holding the bent halberd, took a fist straight to the left side of his chest.
His shattered ribs pierced his heart, killing him instantly.
"W-what in the...!"
"Luciena, isn't this going too far?!"
Following the teleportation incident, another murder had occurred within the imperial palace. Rinacien and Reinhold cried out in horror, but Lucy merely scoffed.
"Having had my limbs chopped off once, I've developed a bit of a low tolerance for anyone who touches me or my companion."
Lucy pulled a handkerchief from her pocket.
The red silk, matching her hair, gently wiped away the blood splattered on Rin's face.
"Thank you, Lucy."
Ah, yes.
As long as I have Rin, nothing else matters.
In a world where even those who fought back-to-back on the front lines would betray her, Rin was the only one who would never abandon her.
He had already proven it by saving her.
"Guards...!"
Rinacien went to call for more guards, but the moment she locked eyes with Lucy, she froze.
Murderous intent.
For someone who had only ever experienced Rabine's half-hearted sparring in Gutter Alley, the raw, unadulterated bloodlust of a true warrior was terrifying.
It was not something a person bloated with pride and vanity could withstand.
In truth, no one could withstand the Hero's bloodlust.
The suffocating pressure crushed the very air in the room, pinning every member of the Hero's party to their seats.
"I've let it slide twice now," Lucy warned.
"There won't be a third time."
With her red hair fluttering behind her, the Hero swept out of the banquet hall, her porter in tow.
Only after a long silence did Rinacien collapse to the floor.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
As Reinhold reached out to support her, he heard a wet, squelching sound beneath his boot.
"Ugh... Ah...! It's wine! I just spilled some wine!"
Rinacien made a frantic excuse, but she clearly saw the fleeting grimace on Reinhold's face before he masked it.
Stepping back from her as she hung her head in sheer humiliation, Reinhold summoned the maids and ordered them to take the Crown Princess away.
As she was escorted out by the maids, Rinacien kept muttering under her breath.
"Such humiliation... I will never let this go... Never...!"
The banquet ended then and there.
Amidst the chaos of clearing away the guards' corpses, Arciel slipped over to the seat Lucy had occupied.
Just one bite.
A single bite of the sandwich, left behind when Lucy had sprung up to protect Rin, remained on the tray.
Without hesitation, Arciel popped the leftover bite into her mouth.
"Ah."
It was this taste.
The very taste she had yearned for ever since she left for the Holy Kingdom.
A sandwich made of mashed potatoes and jam from some nameless wild berry.
A wave of intense longing washed over her, slicing her heart into thin, painful ribbons.
"The porter made this?"
Suddenly, Arciel recalled that the porter had black hair.
"It can't be..."
It couldn't be.
If he really was Lee...
...her entire world would collapse.
If he really was Lee...
...then she had personally driven him into the Demon King's demonic energy...
"It can't be...!"
Fear bred hesitation.
And that hesitation would only swell the tragedy that could have otherwise been averted here.
There would be a brief respite, but the end was drawing near.