Five minutes before the meeting time, I knocked on the door and entered to discover only Saviz inside. I scanned my surroundings warily. Saviz didn’t say anything about anyone joining us, but I knew better than to get my hopes up with the folks of the knight brigades. I half expected Cyril and Desmond to leap out.
To my surprise, it seemed like it really was just the two of us. Saviz stood in front of the mantelpiece wearing plain clothes.
“Oh? Wow! I didn’t know you wore anything other than your knight uniform!” I said. I’d never seen him in anything so casual.
“But of course. Would you be surprised to hear I have nightwear as well?” he said calmly.
…Of course he wore things other than his uniform. I simply only ever saw him during work.
Realizing my rudeness, I clasped my hands nervously. “F-forgive me! I just have a hard time imagining you in anything else because of how good your uniform looks on you!”
I looked him over in an effort to find a compliment about his casual wear and found myself genuinely admiring how handsome he looked tonight. He wore a collared shirt with a dark overcoat, a simple but stylish pairing. Despite the fineness of his clothing, the subdued colors tended toward dashing rather than pompous.
“I’d expect nothing less from you, Commander! Your incredible muscles make you look good in anything you wear!” I said.
He grinned slightly. “What a unique way of complimenting someone. Yes, it must be my muscles, and nothing else, that makes me look so good.”
I cocked my head, but he urged me to take a seat before I could figure out if I’d said something odd.
I glanced toward the side of the room as I sat. A number of maids were waiting on standby, but not a single knight. Given Saviz’s status, he should always have members of the First Knight Brigade guarding him. He must have dismissed them so I could enjoy the meal in peace.
“What would you like to drink?” he asked as I eagerly awaited the arrival of the food.
I thought it over. Typically, a server would present a list of all the liquors on hand at times like this, but it seemed the royal family didn’t mess around and I could name any drink I wanted. Truly impressive. The problem, however, was that I knew very little about liquor, brands, and other such things.
“Whatever you’re having!” I said. I figured it was better to leave things to someone who actually knew their liquor.
We began dining soon thereafter. The table held more cutlery than I could count on both hands and both feet. That must mean we had a wide variety of food coming our way! To think this was all happening because I said I wanted to eat a meal that required more cutlery than I could count on my fingers. Go me!
I joyfully pierced my food with a fork. It took only a single bite for me to understand that the castle chefs took their work very seriously. But perhaps that was to be expected. The best chefs using the best ingredients made this meal, so of course it was top of the line. It blew restaurant food away. I was really hitting the jackpot being treated to the castle’s cuisine instead of restaurant food!
“Mmm, delicious! I’ll probably never get a chance to try food made by the castle’s chefs again, so I should eat till I’m ready to burst!” I declared.
The food was phenomenal. I always thought nothing could taste better than meat and cake, but even the vegetables, mushrooms, and fish blew my mind.
Come to think of it, I’d eaten this kind of stuff every day in my past life, hadn’t I? Hard to believe.
Saviz grinned as I shoveled food into my mouth. “It’s hard to believe you’re smaller than me with how much you can eat.”
I sipped my drink between eating and chatting. “Heh heh heh. I may seem small now, but I plan on growing several inches soon! My pigging out is an investment in my future!”
He stared at me. “…How old are you?”
“Fifteen!”
“Right. So I hadn’t misremembered… Fia, physique is important for us knights, but it isn’t everything.”
“Pardon?”
Was he trying to comfort me? Before I could wonder too long, he said, “If there’s anything you want more of, simply name it and I’ll have someone bring it.”
What a generous boss Saviz was! But with all the cutlery laid out, I doubted I’d be able to finish the dishes still to come if I ordered seconds of anything, so I held off.
After several more dishes, it was finally time for the meat. I clenched my fists in anticipation as a maid set a large plate before me. Three different kinds of meat awaited my ravenous stomach.
Whoa! How lavish! The meat looked wonderful. Of course, the true test would be the flavor, but I had faith it’d live up to my expectations. Excitedly, I selected a piece, letting it melt in my mouth. “What?! Meat can melt?! I can’t believe it. I’ve been alive for fifteen years, and I’m still discovering new things!”
Saviz smiled and said, “That would be quite the surprise. I’ve been alive for twenty-seven years, and I’ve never experienced meat melting in my mouth.”
“Then I guess I’ve experienced more than you have in my short fifteen years!” I laughed. A maid waiting behind me refilled my dwindling wine glass. “And my wine glass keeps being refilled when there’s a third left. Perfect timing! I can drink more comfortably than I ever have before.”
By the time the ice cream and cake arrived, my stomach only had enough room for dessert. Or rather, I thought my stomach was full, but the moment I laid eyes on dessert, I discovered a whole new capacity within me. The human body was truly a marvel.
“Whew. I’ve filled my stomach without leaving a bit of space! I must be a food-packing genius!” I said, having discovered a new hidden talent.
Saviz raised an eyebrow. “Your appetite is really something else. I thought you’d leave half the food behind, but you actually ate everything. I have to wonder where all that food and liquor fits inside your body.”
“Heh heh heh. I told you, it’s all invested into my future self! In other words, the fact that I can eat this much is proof I’m going to grow taller!”
He toyed with an empty wine glass, seeming bewildered before he set it aside and met my eyes.
I cocked my head. “Heh heh heh. Is something the matter, Commander?”
Was he captivated by my beauty? Or maybe I had sauce on my face? Figuring it was more likely the latter, I wiped my face with my hands, but he cut in with something unexpected.
“Fia, Cerulean isn’t imposing an undue burden on you, is he?”
“Huh?” I sat up a little straighter.
His look was level. “By nature, Cerulean is affable and knows how to keep a respectful distance, but all that crumbles when Colette is involved.”
Oh shoot. This sounds kind of serious. I sat up straighter as well. I had drunk a lot of wine by this point and was conscious of the fact I might not be able to process a difficult conversation…but I gulped down another mouthful to calm my nerves.
The maid behind me quickly topped off my wine glass. Not wanting to be rude, I drank yet another mouthful. Glup glup.
“Cerulean noticed your potential and is relying on your help, but this was originally a matter he and Dolly were meant to handle themselves. The entirety of the responsibility lies with them for gambling on you, so don’t let the end result weigh on you, whatever it might be.”
Water prickled at the backs of my eyes. “Aww, you’re trying to cheer me up before I even fail! I’m so lucky to have such a kind commander!”
He narrowed his eyes and said, “Fia, I can’t help but notice you’ve been saying every single thing that comes to mind for a while now.”
He was right. I had started to notice it myself, in fact.
I spread my arms and said, “I have nothing to hide from our great commander, so there’s no reason I should hesitate to speak each and every one of my thoughts freely!”
He cocked his head. “I see… I just hope you won’t regret it tomorrow morning.”
Warmed by his kindness, I smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t! I’ve drunk too much, so I definitely, definitely won’t remember a single thing from tonight! There’ll be nothing to regret!”
He flinched but soon collected himself and nodded. “That’s…quite the positive mindset you have.”