“And is an important word here! I’m going to be all of those things! The greater includes the lesser. Don’t you worry about it. I’ll be the young innkeeper, Chloe, and own a hot spring. It’ll be so cute! I guarantee that I’ll get bombarded with interviews around the world.”
“Chloe, just make a hot spring for Helios and Lumine. That’ll be enough. Dragon Knights are mostly men.”
“I know that. Do you have a problem?”
“Wonderful, Julius! You’ll allow Lumine to bathe too? You’re treating her preciously like a member of your family!” Lambda boomed. He was walking behind Faisal with Jahala, but he rushed over to us and placed an arm around Mr. Julius’s shoulder. I’d never seen him look so displeased even on the battlefield as he fled from Lambda’s grasp, but the Dragon Knight didn’t seem to mind one bit. “That’s a splendid mindset to have.” The burly man was all smiles.
“A dragon hot spring is a great idea, Chloe!” Lambda continued. “But excluding Julius, only Rasheed has a squad of Dragon Knights. In other words, you’re planning on immigrating here, I take it? If that’s so, I can meet Lumine whenever I wish!”
“I-I’m sorry, but I can’t answer those expectations,” I apologized. “I’ve got no plans on immigrating…”
“Is that so…? Well, that’s truly a pity. I’m just kidding. You’re a very cute lady, and without Julius by your side, I’m certain that throngs of men would be throwing themselves at your feet, asking for your hand in marriage. My subordinates are restless around you too.”
“Thank you. Even if it’s flattery, it makes me very happy,” I responded with a tight smile.
“Flattery? Nothing of the sort. If you become a mistress of a hot spring inn, many Dragon Knights—men—will gather around you. I’m sure many will choose to stay at the inn, eyeing you, Chloe. My subordinates in particular are filled with ulterior motives…”
“Oh, there’s no need to joke around like that.”
I was happy to receive Lambda’s praise, but I wasn’t personally familiar with any of his subordinates; I doubted that they were like that. I spent some time in Puerta, but not once had one of the employees there tried to strike up a conversation with me.
“You’ve got Julius by your side,” Lambda reasoned. “Still, there are men out there eagerly waiting for an opportunity. I’m certain that Julius is aware of that and is quite worried, which is why he exhibits his reluctance towards you becoming a young mistress of an inn.”
“Oh, that can’t be true,” I said, turning to the Black Prince beside me. “Right, Mr. Julius?”
“You’re an idiot,” he replied.
“You insulted me out of nowhere!”
Why did he become so mean all of a sudden? I just don’t get him at all.
“You two, and Lambda,” Jahala said to us calmly. “You’re standing out way too much. Prince Faisal looks troubled. Why don’t we follow him?”
I gasped and looked around. The sea of people parted to create a path towards the center of the grand hall, where the altar that was a step above the floor sat. Jahala had been walking along but had turned around to fetch us.
Everyone was staring at us, and I was very embarrassed. I was an adult, yet I had someone younger than me retrace their steps for me, making me beyond humiliated.
“I can’t help but jump into conversations about dragons,” Lambda said, stroking his short hair as he turned to me. “Chloe, could you fetch Natalia?”
“Ms. Natalia hates stuff like this even more than Mr. Julius, but sure, I’ll give it a try,” I replied brightly, trying to hide my embarrassment.
She was surrounded by servants in a corner of the grand hall. Ms. Natalia wasn’t wearing a dress but in her usual revealing, enchanting witch outfit. This banquet was one where guests ate while standing, and she was crossing her legs, sitting on a luxurious chair while downing one glass of alcohol after another. She was practically inhaling the liquor. She claimed that joining banquets was a pain, but she seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit. In fact, she might be the one making the most out of this celebration.
Servants, Dragon Knights, and even a few nobles were bringing Ms. Natalia liquor and food. Amazing. This must be the power of a beautiful lady. The overwhelming force of an enchanting witch.
“We’re being rewarded, Ms. Natalia!” I called, waving my arms wildly in the air. “Let’s go!”
She wearily waved one arm back. “I’m busy, can’t you see? I’m guessing that there’s so much expensive 2000-year-old liquor available that I have to drink all of it. Just do what you want, Chloe. I’ll leave it to you.”
“I knew it… What shall we do now? Ms. Natalia isn’t the type to listen to my requests,” I sighed.
“Then that’s fine,” Lambda replied. “Thank you for trying. Let’s go, then, shall we? We should hurry up and get this ceremony over with so that we can passionately hash out the details about that dragon hot spring!”
“I’d love to. You’re interested in business as well, I see!”
I felt like discussing a dragon hot spring with Lambda was a rare and beneficial opportunity, for he was knowledgeable about dragons. As I looked up at him and smiled brightly, Mr. Julius pinched my cheeks for no reason. Ouch…
He then silently walked towards the altar, and I hastily followed him. You were reluctant to move just moments ago. Did you change your mind already? Or maybe seeing Ms. Natalia drink all that liquor made him want a pint too.
I recalled the number of bottles he emptied last night and was amazed to see how energetic he was today. Because of the dress, I couldn’t move as nimbly as I’d liked.
Jahala and Lambda, perhaps realizing that I was about to trip, stood on either side of me and reached out to grab my hands. It felt less like being escorted and more like a little girl holding hands with her parents so that she wouldn’t trip. Even I internally questioned myself, unsure if a former noblewoman could act this way.
I have to keep it together. If I caused word to spread that the daughter of a former Astrian duke had no etiquette, I’d feel very bad for misrepresenting the rest of the Astrian nobility.
Prince Faisal and Layla stood facing each other on the altar, with Mr. Julius, me, Lambda, and Jahala behind them. The pleasant music that had accompanied the dancers stopped, and the chattering crowd fell silent to focus on us.
“Thank you for attending today’s banquet in celebration of ending the internal strife of our nation,” Faisal announced, his voice filled with dignity and power as it echoed throughout the hall.