🐉 🐉 🐉
THEY were back in the gazebo in the castle gardens that Lushera had visited the day before.
Arranged on the table was a set of beautiful, blue and white porcelain teacups, with jewel-like sweets piled on a three-tier stand.
There were three people there. Or, perhaps it was two people and one dragon. Though, depending on how you looked at it, it could be one person and two dragons.
After their long discussion, Lushera and Kaphal were invited to a “little teatime.” Perhaps it was little, if little only referred to the number of people there.
“I do apologize. Even if I am the king, I can’t decide everything on my own. We wouldn’t be able to have a discussion like that if it weren’t done publicly.”
Across from Lushera and Kaphal, the guests, was Lazlo, a little less resplendently dressed than during their meeting a short time ago and preparing his own tea. There weren’t even servants present. There were a few royal guards stationed around the garden, but they stayed far enough away that they couldn’t hear anything said unless one of the tea party attendees raised their voice.
“I’m the only one here now, so, please, relax. And I can finally speak, not as the king of Setrayu, but simply as Lazlo. Oh? There’s only fukretts yuksa tea? It does wonders for your throat but has quite a distinct flavor.”
“Um, i-it’s okay. I can drink it,” said Lushera.
“Well, that’s good.” Lazlo poured the tea with practiced hands, looking nearly ready to start humming.
Even Lushera, who wasn’t familiar with court etiquette, knew this sort of thing wasn’t usual. It was the sort of comportment that could, if done incorrectly, cause significant blowback from the nobles because Lazlo tarnished the kingdom’s authority, but perhaps he decided it was fine to ignore his own circumstances since he was dealing with a dragon.
After all, the tension from not long ago between him and Kaphal had been thick enough to cut with a knife, but he was now interacting with her without a care in the world. This king had courage.
Lushera wasn’t so naive as to believe this was truly just teatime shared between normal people, but she did think it could be beneficial to build a relationship with Lazlo here.
“Are you sure it’s all right to use our language?” asked Lazlo.
“Yes. Mom, um, Mother can’t quite express herself fully, but can understand what is generally said.”
“Well then, I suppose I won’t hold back. Though, it was a valuable experience speaking in Draconic.”
They had already returned Giselle’s Ring to Lushera. Lazlo almost sounded like an energetic and curious young boy about his experience using a magic item that gave you language abilities like that. He must have left his dignified and imposing airs back in the changing room.
“Here you are,” he said, handing Lushera a cup of tea.
“Th-Thank you…”
“It’s a pleasure to share this tea with you.”
Lushera hesitantly sipped the tea, handed to her by the King’s own hands.
The cup came with a mithril stirring spoon. It was likely a utensil for detecting poison, changing color when it came in contact with any. It was common for the upper class to use mithril testing utensils when dining, but, since the cup itself was porcelain, they had to use a mithril spoon instead of a cup.
Though, both Lushera and Kaphal could likely just digest any poison if something did happen to be laced with it…
The tea was hot, but not scalding, with a strong bitter taste, the sort of thing adults would prefer. It looked like they would follow it with sweets.
Lazlo drank his own tea, watching Kaphal take a sip of hers.
“Lushera, temperature okay?” she asked.
“It’s not hot,” replied Lushera.
“Okay.”
And just like that, Kaphal blew a narrow stream onto Lushera’s tea. It wasn’t her fire breath, but it was chokingly hot.
The tea in Lushera’s cup leaped to a boil.
“When dragons blow on their tea it actually gets hotter?!” cried Lazlo.
“I thought ‘not hot’ mean ‘not hot enough,’” said Kaphal.
“Th-Thank you, Mom…”
“Aha…” Lazlo laughed, unable to hold it in.
Lushera sipped her boiling tea. Any normal person who drank it would get their throat burnt raw, but it was just a little strong for Lushera. It would be an interesting experience to be able to drink this like it was nothing.
“Timm explained much of your circumstances to me, but I have to admit that I am personally rather interested in you two. Would you mind telling me about yourselves?” inquired Lazlo.
“I don’t mind at all,” said Lushera.
He likely heard most of what there was to know from Timm or through his own investigations through the court, but this was less about gathering or exchanging information, and more about making them feel at ease speaking together.
As asked, Lushera told Lazlo about a number of the unfortunate events that took place in the past year. How she nearly died on the mountain, how she met Kaphal, and everything that led up to this moment.
Lazlo listened intently. Perhaps he learned more details hearing it from the person herself, or perhaps it all sounded more authentic coming from her.
“As it often is, the truth is stranger than fiction… Oh, perhaps that was an inconsiderate way of putting it,” said Lazlo.
“No, it’s all right. I can barely believe it myself.”
Lazlo’s reaction seemed genuine. It took several strokes of good luck, coincidence, and Lushera’s decisions to bring her here.
“Oh, I just remembered. I haven’t yet thanked you for saving Monica,” he said out of the blue.
“Monica… You mean the girl attacked by the golem?” Lushera asked to confirm.
“I do. I’m certain that was her. It seems the knights who went to gather her didn’t tell you anything. They aren’t able to speak of matters without orders to do so. Please don’t think less of them.”
Lushera was surprised Lazlo would bring up Monica’s name. As far as he was concerned, she wasn’t a relative of his. In fact, she was the child born from his wife’s adultery.
“Monica, she…” started Lushera.
“Yes, I have…done something unfortunate to her.” There was sorrow in his eyes. He looked towards the grand palace on the other side of the gardens. “Many sacrifices are made for a country to operate. Lorraina couldn’t bear that. In that sense, Lorraina is a victim too, of a sort. It is also my sin, as the one who bears the kingdom of Setrayu on his shoulders. They are both residents of this country, after all.”
Lorraina. That was Monica’s mother.
Lushera had been somewhat curious about Monica, so she researched some newspaper articles from when Monica was born. She was disgusted by how much extra information she found. The court scandal was considered a titillating incident that shook this peaceful country, turned into fodder for the masses’ entertainment. No wonder everyone knew about Monica.
“I had to marry her for the kingdom’s sake. Everyone approved, they celebrated, it should have all ended nicely, but… As things went in the wrong direction, I wonder if I made a mistake,” he said with a sigh.
Lorraina, the former queen consort, was chosen by the duke as a pawn for this political marriage because she was the most attuned to the dracovitae. She didn’t want to marry the future king, and Lazlo regretted that.
“Would you consider becoming Monica’s friend?” he asked. “This is just a simple, disgraceful request of mine.”
He lowered his head, the head of a king who took his crown off for teatime, his hair only just starting to thin.