Chapter 1:
Royal Meeting Number Two
“WHAT DO YOU THINK? It took some time to get used to the new kitchen.”
When I headed into the dining room in the morning, Leonardo already had a breakfast laid out on the table. It included bread, bacon and eggs, salad, and more.
“You never fail to impress, Leonardo. All of these dishes look very tasty.”
“Oh, it’s such a pleasure to get to enjoy Leonardo’s cooking again. It’s been so long!”
“Lady Philia and Prince Osvalt, your words mean the world to me,” Leonardo replied.
He smiled brightly and gave us a nod of appreciation. He seemed genuinely delighted by our praise. I was a terrible cook myself, so to my eyes, the dishes he created shone brighter than any magic ever could.
“Now then, shall we dig in?”
“Of course!”
On Osvalt’s cue, breakfast began. As always, it was just as delicious as it looked.
“Come to think of it, Lady Philia, don’t you have a meeting with the king today?”
Lena’s words made me tense up a little. She was right. Today was an important day.
“Yes. After breakfast, Sir Osvalt and I will go to greet him,” I said. “The truth is, I’m feeling quite nervous.”
I hadn’t visited His Majesty in his audience chamber since I asked him to help save my sister, Mia. The idea of meeting the king filled me with anxiety, just as it had back then.
“Why are you nervous? You saw him at the wedding.”
“Well, I suppose so. I had a lot on my mind then, though, so it didn’t particularly bother me.”
The king’s presence had made me anxious at the wedding, too, but I still managed to have a polite conversation with him. I was focused on ensuring that everything went to plan.
“The thing is, the audience chamber has a particularly intimidating atmosphere…”
Sir Osvalt put my mind at ease. “He would never be rude to you, Philia. There’s no need to worry.”
“Sir Osvalt… Thank you for reassuring me.”
He was right. With Sir Osvalt by my side, everything was sure to go smoothly.
“I’m so jealous, Philia,” said Lena, having just topped up my tea. “You get to meet the king.”
“Lena?” I tilted my head toward her, puzzled by her comment.
“I mean, I’ve never had the chance to meet him—not even once. It’s something everyone wants to experience at some point in their life. Right, Leonardo and Himari?”
Lena looked to the other two for affirmation, but they simply stared at her, confused. “What?”
“Huh? Why are you guys looking at me like that? Did I say something weird?”
“It’s just that I have already met His Majesty.”
“So have I. Sorry, Lena.”
“Huh? Wait, whaaat?! You’ve both met the king?” Lena’s eyes widened in surprise. She clearly hadn’t expected this.
“I made a name for myself during my time as a knight,” Leonardo explained. “It was at that time that His Majesty awarded me a medal.”
“Oh, yes,” said Sir Osvalt. “That was when I was still a boy. You were incredible back then, Leonardo. At the time, you were the finest knight around.”
“It’s a great honor to hear you say that, Your Highness.”
Leonardo was once a member of the Knights of Parnacorta, the most powerful fighting force on the continent. The agility he still possessed was enough to show me what an extraordinary talent he must have been in his prime.
“Hmm. I see why Leonardo would have met him,” said Lena. “But what about you, Himari?”
“Me? When I fled my country, His Highness arranged for me to have an interview with His Majesty. That was how I was assigned to Prince Osvalt’s personal guard.”
Like Lena and Leonardo, Himari had served as a guard for Sir Osvalt before being assigned the task of protecting and looking after me. Now that I took the time to think about it, it did seem unusual for a refugee to be asked to guard a member of the royal family. Sir Osvalt must have made some special arrangements.
“What?! But that means I’m the only one left out! This is so unfair, Prince Osvalt!” Lena’s eyes brimmed with tears as she confronted the prince. I tried to empathize, but was “left out” really the right way to put it?
With a strained smile, Sir Osvalt attempted to comfort Lena. “Sorry. That really is a shame. I’ll tell you what. One of these days, I’ll find a way for the two of you to meet. Bear with me for now.”
Lena looked so sorry for herself that he didn’t have the heart to brush her off.
“Woo-hoo! Do you really mean it? Yippee! Let’s go shopping for new clothes, Lady Philia!”
“What? Oh, right. Okay.”
“Come on,” said Sir Osvalt. “What does Philia need a new outfit for?”
“Lady Philia shouldn’t need an excuse to buy herself some clothes.” Lena puffed out her chest defiantly as Sir Osvalt sat there, dumbfounded.
Indeed, I’d never personally requested to purchase anything new to wear. Clothes didn’t interest me, but no doubt Lena was just trying to do something nice for me.
“Now that Sir Osvalt is living with us, things are even livelier than before,” I said.
“Hold on a minute. Are you telling me I’m here to liven up the atmosphere? Just like Lena?”
“No, no! That’s not what I was trying to say.”
Sir Osvalt laughed. “I know. I think you contribute to the good cheer, too, Philia. You’re part of this group.”
“D-do you really think so?”
I was part of a group. I’d never thought about it that way before. It was a little surprising, but I’d be very happy if my presence made someone else feel the same way I did.
“By the way, Lady Philia, are you planning to dress formally for your meeting with the king?”
“No. I’ll be presenting myself to His Majesty not only as Sir Osvalt’s wife, but also as his country’s saint, so it would be more appropriate to wear my saint attire. Lena, Himari, can I rely on your help?”
“Of course!”
“As you please!”
Once Lena and Himari had helped me get ready for my outing, Sir Osvalt and I left the mansion and made our way to the palace.