Chapter 271 – The Best Banquet
Romandro’s mansion.
From early lunch until sunset, Vivianna and her maid Minnie were carefully preparing food at the counter. Not only was Romandro dining at home after a long time, but an even more distinguished guest was joining them.
“Madam, should I cook this a bit more?”
“Hmm. It’s moist and delicious. This should be enough. Minnie, go check if there’s enough alcohol. I’m worried the warriors might have emptied it in the meantime. Since His Highness Jin can’t drink alcohol, we mustn’t be lacking in beverages.”
“Of course, Madam. I’ve prepared fresh milk at dawn. I’ll prepare both chilled and warm versions in advance.”
It was none other than Jin, His Highness the Prince, the sole heir and future Emperor. They had seen him at the Imperial Palace, and had the honor of dining with him during his stay at the Ministry of Magic.
But now the situation was completely different. To dare to invite him to the mansion for a banquet. If the Romandro couple were nobles, the social circles would have turned all their attention to them.
“The new tablecloth looks nice, it’s clean. We’ve changed the chairs to more comfortable ones, and the lamps, decorative candles, pre-dinner salad bowls, paintings…”
Vivianna examined every corner of the dining room with eagle eyes. Although she had already checked several times and found no issues, she couldn’t help feeling anxious as the appointed time approached.
At that moment, the dining room door slowly opened. Philea peeked in with a careful expression. She was wearing the coral-colored dress Ian had bought her, looking so radiant that it seemed impossible for greater beauty to exist in the world.
“Madam, is there anything I can help with?”
“Oh, my goodness. Philea, not at all. You’ve been working in the garden since morning. Even a professional gardener would have left early, exhausted by now. Please rest a bit before everyone arrives.”
“Minnie looks busy. I thought it would be good if I could lend a hand.”
“Thank you, but I’ll just accept your kind thoughts. I’d be heartbroken if your dress got wrinkled. Besides, today’s banquet is ‘my’ treat for His Highness Jin, so I’d like to handle it entirely on my own.”
Where else would one get the honor of serving food to the Prince? It was a polite refusal, asking her to allow this privilege entirely to herself.
Philea smiled softly and looked around the kitchen. The flowers she had picked from the garden were perfectly arranged, making it feel like being in a forest garden.
“Um, Madam.”
“Yes, Madam. Please speak.”
Vivianna answered while repeatedly hanging and removing a painting. She didn’t even notice Philea’s awkward expression.
“I have something to discuss with you. Perhaps…”
“Madam! Madam! Kyaaah! They’re here, the carriage has arrived!”
Bang! Clatter!
Minnie’s cry cut off Philea’s words. Vivianna tensed her shoulders as if nervous and grasped Philea’s hands. The moment had come.
“Philea. Is it urgent?”
“No. Not at all. It’s nothing.”
“Thank you. Let’s greet the guests first, then we’ll talk.”
“Yes. Let’s go out together. Madam, and your hair ornament is really beautiful today. You’re the perfect hostess.”
Vivianna left a light kiss on Philea’s cheek and rushed to the entrance. Nersarn and some warriors were also out in the garden.
Creak!
As the carriage stopped and the coachman opened the door, Romandro was the first to step out. He was glad to see Vivianna, but like the experienced official he was, he maintained his composure as he guided Jin.
Jin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he entered the garden. So this was Romandro’s house, where Ian and Beric had stayed before entering the palace! Vivianna curtsied, holding the hem of her dress.
“Welcome. It’s an infinite honor that you’ve graced us with your presence.”
“Vivianna, thank you for inviting me to this banquet. It’s modest, but please accept it.”
“My goodness. The flowers are so beautiful! Thank you.”
“These are for Philea.”
“Your Highness, thank you. Ah, um, may I call you Your Highness? I heard you use a different identity during covert operations.”
“Of course. It’s fine. It’s just us, and this is the last event on today’s schedule.”
Jin handed bouquets to the ladies and lightly embraced them. Although they were all faces he had seen morning and evening at the Ministry of Magic, just moving to this residence made it feel like he hadn’t seen them in a long time.
“Wow. The smell of meat is killer!”
“Gasp, b-blood!”
“This isn’t mine! It’s fine!”
“Minnie, go fetch a towel soaked in warm water. What on earth happened? To think there was such bloodshed during Your Highness’s covert operation.”
And why does Beric always come to this house covered in blood like this!
Oblivious to Vivianna’s dizziness, Beric kept repeating that he was hungry as he rushed into the mansion. He was immediately caught by the warriors, his head squeezed between their armpits.
“Argh! Let go of this!”
“Haven’t seen you in a while, and you don’t even say hello? You ill-mannered brat!”
“Heard you nearly died? You look fine! Same as ever. Hmm hmm.”
“Ah, I said let go! I’m on the verge of death from hunger right now!”
The boisterous commotion filled the garden pleasantly. Jin walked following Beric, who was going ahead, and everyone naturally entered the mansion. Ian lightly nodded in greeting to Philea and Nersarn.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes. Thanks to you. How about Ian? I heard you bled again.”
“No, it’s less now. Your dress is beautiful. It suits you very well. Sir Nersarn, the imperial attire doesn’t look awkward on you anymore.”
“It’s about time I got used to it. I’ll probably go back to my old ways once I leave the capital.”
“Shall we go in together?”
Ian guided Philea, supporting her back. Philea smiled awkwardly. There was something strange about Ian’s compliment. She had clearly heard that Ian had personally chosen and sent the dress, so why did he speak as if he was seeing it for the first time?
“Oh, so this is Romandro’s mansion. It’s neat and exudes dignity.”
“The second floor is where Lord Ian used to stay. Would you like to take a look after the meal? The food is warm, so it would be best to eat now.”
“The room Brother Ian used?”
“Pardon? Brother?”
Jin covered his mouth in surprise, and Vivianna’s eyes widened. Brother! No matter how close they were, it was quite a problematic form of address. Romandro pulled out a chair for Jin and soothed him.
“He’s been calling him that all day, so it’s stuck on his tongue. It’s alright. Just be careful when there are other officials besides us.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
They sat around the round table and unfolded their napkins. Since it wasn’t a grand mansion, the entire dining room was filled to capacity.
Jin, who always dined in spacious places, unexpectedly liked this. He could easily converse with others as they were close. The act of reaching out to serve food and fill glasses added another flavor to the experience.
As the meal got into full swing, Romandro wiped his mouth and asked.
“By the way, Ian. Tell us now. What exactly happened? Why was Delegate Timothy there?”
Jin also nodded while chewing on his salad. Beric was too busy devouring meat at the far end of the table, in a special seat prepared by Vivianna, to even notice the ongoing conversation.
“He said he was looking for a gypsy. An old person with a scar on their cheek. He had approached the vicinity based on information, but given the location, he was investigating under the assumption of illegal enslavement.”
“A gypsy with a scar on their cheek?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Why do you ask?”
“I saw her earlier in the park. I even talked to her.”
Ian stopped cutting his meat.
“Rather than a scar on the cheek, it seemed like there was a gap. Like gills.”
“What did you talk about?”
“She looked at the past and future using a crystal ball.”
There are many old gypsy fortune-tellers, and given their harsh lives, facial scars are not uncommon.
But was Jin’s encounter with this gypsy truly a coincidence?
“Seeing that Timothy went out to look for her himself, she seems to be a special gypsy. Did you notice anything peculiar?”
“She called herself a secret eater. In exchange, she read my fortune, but…”
As Jin’s words trailed off, everyone looked at him quizzically. He wanted to say that it was a trivial secret, that he had practiced foreign languages behind the scenes to receive praise, but he couldn’t. It felt like his throat was blocked and his tongue wouldn’t move.
Ian stood up in alarm.
“Your Highness, are you alright? Is something stuck in your throat?”
“What?! Oh my, Your Highness! Try coughing, cough hard!”
“Minnie! Go and get a doctor-“
“No. I’m fine.”
As Jin waved his hand, blinking in confusion, sighs of relief erupted from all around. Jin shook his head while gulping down some milk.
“When I tried to speak about the secret I gave in exchange, my words were blocked. It seems very similar to the effect of a gag spell.”
Ian carefully examined Jin. Indeed, what Jin described was similar to a gag spell. But how could a gypsy do that?
He had a feeling it might be deeply related to why Timothy had been wandering around for months looking for her. Ian patted Jin’s back while pouring milk into his glass.
“Delegate Timothy will officially visit the Imperial Palace before leaving Bariel. We’ll receive him then and find out more details.”
“Okay. Alright.”
“And regarding the illegal gambling we uncovered earlier, although we decided to have the guard handle it initially, given the seriousness of the situation, it would be better to form an independent investigation team from the Imperial Palace. There are also local public safety issues…”
Ian stopped mid-bite of his meat. Everyone except Philea was glaring at him. Even Beric had stopped eating to jeer at him. Ian acknowledged his mistake and smiled wryly.
“I apologize.”
“Yeah. That was a bit much just now.”
“Come on, shall we talk about something else? Ah, right. Lady Philea. You said you had something to say earlier, didn’t you?”
“Huh? Oh, well…”
Vivianna remembered Philea’s words, which she had said were trivial, and brought it up. There was nothing better than trivial matters to change the subject.
While everyone was casually cutting meat or picking up noodles, Philea fidgeted with her fingers in embarrassment. Nersarn worriedly covered her hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“I-i-it’s nothing much!”
When Philea shouted loudly as if she had made up her mind, everyone paused in surprise. She was trembling as she faced Ian. What’s this? Did Ian do something wrong?
“I-I-Ian.”
“Yes, Mother.”
His calm gaze said, “Please speak.” Philea bit her lip hard and muttered as if squeezing out the words.
“…H-how would you feel about having a sibling?”
“…”
“…”
Everyone froze as if turned to ice. Forks stopped in mid-air, noodles slipped from chopsticks, and the silence was so deep that even breathing couldn’t be heard.
Several pairs of eyes rolled simultaneously. To Ian and then to Nersarn, then back to Ian.
‘Ah.’
It seems what Jin had told him before was correct.
Ian alone continued cutting his meat with a clatter. He wasn’t particularly concerned. In fact, it wasn’t really a matter for him to comment on.
“Are you pregnant?”
“…P-p-probably.”
“I see. I don’t mind.”
Philea’s eyes widened as if her thoughts had stopped. And tears started flowing. She had imagined Ian’s reaction dozens, hundreds of times in her head, but this wasn’t among her expectations.
How could he be so calm and composed, as if it were someone else’s business? Ian was like this because he already knew, but Philea had no way of knowing that.
“Why don’t you mind? We’re family…”
“Ah, what I meant was-“
Ian realized there had been a misunderstanding and calmly clarified.
“I meant I don’t mind as long as Mother is okay with it.”
“I, I am so happy.”
“Then I’m happy too.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really. It will be very lovely. Congratulations, Mother.”
As Philea stood up and reached out her arms to Ian, he embraced his mother affectionately. Romandro and Vivianna, who had been tense thinking he might object, let out sighs of relief. The frozen Beric was the same. He shook a meat-covered bone and shouted.
“Hey! You should react more enthusiastically when congratulating! I was shocked thinking you didn’t like it!”
“That’s right, Beric is making sense for once! Oh my, my heart was pounding.”
“D-dear. Some water please.” freewēbnoveℓ.com
“Vivi, here. Drink it cool. Give me some after you drink. Whew, my throat got so dry in that short moment. Sir Nersarn. Congratulations! It’s truly a joyous occasion! Oh my? Sir Nersarn?”
Romandro stood up and patted Nersarn’s shoulder. His massive body swayed limply to the side.
Thud.
Only after falling to the floor did he seem to come to his senses, looking up at Philea. He appeared ecstatic, as if half out of his mind.
“Uh…”
Ian extended his hand to help him up.
“Congratulations, Sir Nersarn. You’ve become a father.”
For the first time, Nersarn embraced Ian with tears in his eyes. Thank you, truly thank you. Thank you for turning the moment of confession into a blessing.
Although the embrace was so tight it was almost suffocating, Ian smiled and patted his back. Seeing this, Beric rushed over with meat in his mouth.
“Me too! I want to congratulate too!”
“You brat, know when to butt in and when to stay out!”
“Ugh! That’s mean.”
As always, he was stopped by Romandro grabbing him by the nape of his neck.
Seeing this cheerful scene, Jin smiled and whispered his dream to Xiaoshi, while Vivianna gulped down cool water and sighed in relief again.
Fortunately, it seems today will be the best banquet, one that will remain in everyone’s memory.
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