The kitchen of the Roswaal Mansion was understandably a lot more antiquated than what I was used to dealing with, but the luxurious appliances were of an extraordinarily high quality, as one would expect from a Margrave's household. It was also incredibly spacious, capable of hosting many chefs at the same time. The best part, however, was the large windows, allowing for a constant stream of natural light. Considering I was going to be spending a large amount of time here in the future, such a feature was welcome for my mental health.
"What do you think?" Rem asked curiously as she laid out her ingredients onto one of the work platforms, "How does it compare to the kitchens you're used to?"
"Perhaps if we had such a kitchen back home, I wouldn't have been subjected to such atrocious meals." Despite the fact I didn't truly possess the memories of the king, just the thought of the food produced by the Knights of the Round table, especially Sir Gawain, was enough to make my spine instinctively shiver. The fear of his 'cooking' had been engrained into my bones.
Really, how come Artoria got her very own Shirou to cook for her, but I was both the sword and the chef?
"Sir Arthur, I'm sorry that you suffered such hardships in your past." Rem pumped her fists out supportively, "Now that you're here, however, it'll be nothing but good meals from now on."
"I look forward to that, Rem. Your cooking has already left a pretty distinct impression on me, by far the best cooking I've ever tasted." Considering the king suffered emotional torment due to food in the past and my meals mainly consisted of cup ramen, cereal, and dried pasta, I really wasn't exaggerating. Though of course, Rem thought I was just flattering her.
"You're overexaggerating, Sir Arthur." Rem turned her gaze away sheepishly, "If you continue to flatter me like this, I'll start to question your motives."
"I'm sure you already have plenty of questions about my motives." I responded half-jokingly as I rolled up my sleeves, "Well then, should we begin cooking?"
"Certainly, though please, do put this on first." Rem walked over to a nearby wrack and pulled off an apron, handing it to me, "It wouldn't do good if we got those beautiful robes of yours stained. When I have time, I'll have to fashion you some proper culinary attire."
"There's no need for that. I actually have the perfect pair of clothes for both cooking and cleaning, however, it's not proper to change out of my formal dress when meeting with Lord Roswaal, so I'll change later."
"But Sir Arthur, I don't recall seeing you bring any spare clothes with you?" Rem blinked with obvious confusion apparent on her face.
"This… it's a little difficult to explain to you." As an intruder in the king's body, I not only had access to his skills and equipment, but also a vast wardrobe of Spiritron dresses for different occasions. This included battle-wear, formal wear, and servant wear, "As a magical being, I have magical means."
"You're a rather curious individual aren't you, Sir Arthur? I keep finding out more and more, like unravelling a puzzle." Rem laughed softly as the sunlight poured through the windows, illuminating her figure.
"If you keep unravelling, you might find that what lies at the center isn't very impressive, so I'd advise you to unravel slowly."
"Didn't we talk about this, Sir Arthur? Less of the self-deprecation. Humbleness and humility is one thing, but if you continue to self-deprecate, those around you will start to think less of you." she lectured me.
And to be honest, she had a point. But although I knew she was speaking the truth, understanding something and being able to fix something were two fundamentally different concepts. Perhaps I should've transmigrated here as Hans instead, I have the feeling the two of us would get along very well.
"Anyhow, that's enough chatter, we have a breakfast banquet to cook up." Rem placed down a basket of vegetables as well as a knife down next to me, "You'll be tasked with peeling the vegetables. I can count on you for that, right?"
"Whether it's against humans or vegetables, I'm very handy with a blade." I gave a small chuckle of my own as I picked up the knife, flipping it a few times, feeling its weightlessness in my palm.
"Should I be watching my back whilst cooking, Sir Arthur?" she spoke with a severe look, causing me to falter momentarily, and the moment I did, she let out a light giggle, "I'm only teasing, but it was worth it for your reaction."
"You're a demon, you know that, Rem?" I sighed towards her, and it was now her time to falter. Payback often comes quicker than expected.
She just shook her head as she cracked some eggs, "Maybe you're right, Sir Arthur. But less talking and more cooking."
"You got it, chef." With that, I picked up my first potato, and a weird expression crossed my face as I remembered the solemn face of Sir Gawain. Both my ally on the battlefields of the middle ages, and my ally within the dark depths of the moon. If I ever got to meet the man one day, I would be sure to offer him my sincere thanks.
"You seem to be looking at that potato with longing, Sir Arthur. How to put it, your taste is rather unique." Rem laughed into her hand, causing my lips to twitch.
"I was just remembering something funny is all, and less of the cheek, Rem, otherwise I'll start confusing you for your sister."
"You're right, that is something that sister would say. My apologies, Sir Arthur." Rem bowed in response, and I just shook my head,
"It's completely fine. You teasing me means that you've accepted me into your fold, right? Considering I just appeared out of nowhere, I'm grateful for your trust."
"Sir Arthur has a very warm aura, after all. I think it would be difficult for most people to dislike you upon first meeting."
What a curious statement. Could she perhaps be referring to my Charisma? I just shook my head and turned my attention to my potatoes, gently peeling them, leaving them bare with every flick of my wrist.
"I must admit, I'm impressed, Sir Arthur. Where did a knight like yourself learn to cook like that?" Rem asked curiously.
"Growing up, my adoptive mother was anything but responsible, so if I didn't cook my own food, I wouldn't get to eat. Then, when I moved in with my adoptive family, both my brother and father were knights, so naturally, the duty of peeling vegetables fell upon the squire. Either way, cooking is a hobby and passion of mine, so I hope to cook lots of good food for you all in the future." I spoke from the heart, leaving me to feel quite vulnerable.
"Really, as the distinguished guest of our household, you shouldn't be preparing meals, but considering its Sir Arthur, exceptions can be made."
"Thank you for your kindness."
"You're most welcome."
And with that, our conversation concluded, and our cooking began in earnest.
Watching how quickly, smoothly and elegantly Rem navigated the kitchen, I was honestly surprised. It was clear to me with a glance that she was no ordinary human. It seemed that she would give the legendary Emiya Shirou a run for his money, especially considering the tools at her disposal. I think if she were to reverse my process and transmigrate to Earth, she would easily win all the cooking shows and become a culinary sensation overnight.
"Is something the matter, Sir Arthur?" Rem faltered in her movements as she noticed my observatory gaze, "Is there something on my face?"
"I was just marveling your culinary capabilities. Your grace in the kitchen is unmatched."
"I would believe your words if it wasn't for the fact I just witnessed your own bearing in the kitchen, Sir Arthur. For a knight, your cooking capabilities are unfathomable."
"I still have a long way to go." I shook my head as I recalled eminent chefs such as Counter Guardian EMIYA, Shirou and Kohaku, and of course, the queen of all cooking, Ryougi Shiki, "Compared to some chef's I've met, my level of cooking only scratches the very surface of the culinary apex."
"Considering your ability, I'd be terrified to meet chefs that surpass you. It's hard to imagine they even exist!"
"Believe me, I completely understand how you feel." I nodded my head rhythmically.
Whilst we waited for the food to cook, the two of us continued to chat happily with a light and harmonious atmosphere, and it was about this time that Ram poked her head into the kitchen, "Something smells good."
"Sister?" Rem raised her eyebrow, "What're you doing here?"
"Why do you ask?" Ram made a cat-like smile, "Am I intruding upon something?"
"No," Rem rolled her eyes, "But you are supposed to be changing Sir Arthur's sheets."
"Knowing that Sir Arthur is a wolf in sheep's clothing, I came to check to make sure he wasn't trying anything funny, but it seems my worries were unfounded." She nodded to herself.
"Ha-ha, your jokes are very funny, Ram," I laughed sarcastically, "but as you can see, I'm just cooking and minding my own business." I responded back, a large tick mark appearing on my head as if I had become a visual novel character overnight.
"I'm not sure what's more surprising, the fact you can cook, or the fact you haven't tried to pull the moves on my adorable sister."
"For your information, I possess many skills that you're unaware of, Ram."
"Oh, really? Please name a few." She crossed her arms and looked at me expectantly.
"Uh…" I furrowed my brows as I tried to think. As someone with a very low self-esteem, it was difficult for me to come up with ways to compliment myself. I just shook my head, "You know what? I'm busy. Please talk to me later, or perhaps a few months from now."
"How cold, Sir-, no, Arthur. And here I thought we were getting along nicely as colleagues." Ram wiped her crocodile tears, and Rem made a sympathetic smile towards me,
"Sister, please don't bully Sir Arthur. Although he looks strong on the outside, he's rather fragile on the inside."
"So he's like a tortoise?"
"Oi. I can hear you you know?"
"Either way, I find that difficult to believe, Rem. A few nights ago, he almost blew up the entire capital with a single swing of his sword."
"That's an exaggeration. I only exploded one house."
"Good point." Ram nodded her head, "I just thought of another skill of yours, Arthur – demolition. Once you've finished your services to Lady Emilia, you can forget about struggling to find employment, any decent demolition company would be more than willing to hire you."
"How about we step outside for a quick spar and test out my demolition capabilities? I heard you're rather proficient at wind magic, we can test what's stronger, your wind magic or my demolition capabilities." I tried my best to maintain my constant smile, though admittedly, my lips were trembling uncontrollably.
"I think I'll pass. You've already destroyed one of Lord Roswaal's houses, no matter how magnanimous the man is, even he might feel offended if you blow up this one too."
"You…" hearing her words, I felt my guard get destroyed with a single blow, as if I was being hit by Clarent Blood Arthur, "You win, Ram. I was stupid to have attempted a verbal sparring match with someone who's tongue drips with pure venom."
"You flatter me, Arthur." Ram giggled lightly, looking rather adorable despite her harsh words.
Rem also laughed aloud, wiping the tears from her eyes, "It seems there's opponents that even Arthur cannot defeat, right?" having dropped the 'Sir' from my name as well, it seems that somehow, through Ram making fun of me, we've managed to close the gap from 'formal acquaintances' to 'informal colleagues.'
"Alright, I'll stop teasing Arthur, but how long until breakfast? I'm starving." Ram snuck over and nabbed a few of the chips I had been cooking, causing another huge tick mark to appear on my head.
"Oi! These are for the Lords and Lady's, not yourself."
"One or two can't hurt, right? These are rather delicious." Ram nodded her head, "I underestimated you. Swinging your sword and blowing things up aren't the only things you're good at."
"I also underestimated your capacity for gluttony, it seems verbally abusing other's isn't all that you're good at either."
With that, we locked gazes, and lightning sparked between our eyes. A true manga moment between eternal rivals. Hang on a minute, why is my rival Ram of all people? Shouldn't it be Reinhard? There's an issue with the script, send it back!
At that moment, 'ding!'
The final timer went off, and Rem clasped her hands together with a blooming smile, "Great, breakfast is ready. Arthur, go and take your seat."
"Don't you want me to help carry out the dishes?"
"Don't be ridiculous. No matter how much you may enjoy cooking, your first meeting with Lord Roswaal most definitely won't be whilst carrying a platter of food in your hands."
Though it felt impolite to leave all the carrying to Rem and Ram, after more consideration, she was completely right. Although I enjoyed cooking, there was a limit to my shenanigans.
After all, I wasn't a servant. As the official knight of Lady Emilia, I had to formally present myself to her sponsor, at least for the first few occasions we met. Though it was unpleasant, I had the feeling the relationship between Lord Roswaal and I would be a very long one.
"Then, I leave the food in your care, Rem. Please make sure Ram doesn't eat it all before it's served."
"Heh. That's rich coming from you." Ram smirked with a smug look, and with one last streak of lightning between Ram and I, I entered the dining room.
A banquet at the Roswaal Mansion was always bound to be an eventful occasion. On the inside, I was incredibly nervous, but on the outside, I was the calm and infallible knight, Excalibur resting solemnly at my side. Though I hoped there would be no fighting at the dinner table, if Lord Roswaal really wanted to duke it out with me, I wasn't just going to sit down and take it like a punching bag.
Either way, thankfully, I was the first to arrive.
Entering the dining room, I was immediately taken with the simplistic, yet elegant interior. Compared to the flamboyant white marble of the foyer, the floor was a rather nondescript, yet noble hardwood, and compared to the somewhat lavish golden-cream walls of the hallways, the dark green paint was restrained, yet refreshing and pleasant. The dark wood of the furniture was rich and mature, and although it felt quite solemn, it gave the dining room an especially classy feel.
Due to the space and lack of heating, the room was rather cold, but I actually found that quite comforting, always preferring to eat in cooler environments so I didn't get hot whilst enjoying my food. There was always the fireplace if things did get too frigid, but the vegetable soup I made should be enough to warm everyone up.
I assessed the table and pondered where to sit. Naturally, the head seat belonged to Lord Roswaal, no matter how unique his personality, if I took that seat, I would surely offend him. A smile crossed my face as I recalled how Subaru had essentially done the same thing, and Roswaal had even thanked him for keeping his seat warm. That was certainly something that would cause my face to heat up uncontrollably, so it was best to avoid that.
Of course, I didn't want to sit directly opposite him either as making eye contact whilst eating with him could be seen as provocation. Though you could argue I was overthinking, noble etiquette was complex.
Back when I was king, I would either eat elevated above the banquet hall alongside my wife to show my elevated status, or at the side-center of a large square table, with those closest to me either side of me, and those distant from me around the sides and opposite me. Generally, the banquet tables were so incredibly humungous that you could hardly make out who was sitting opposite you, so things like making eye contact were a non-issue.
Lord Roswaal's table was a lot smaller by comparison, though it was still a lot bigger than what I was used to from back on earth. Thus, I was slapped with some contradictory feelings of the table being both too small and too big. I decided to position myself at a respectable distance beside Lady Emilia to show my loyalty and closeness to her, but also my status as a servant by not being too close.
Though it was jarring to be sitting at the end of the table, unlike Iskandar or Gilgamesh, I was a servant, then a knight, then a king in that order.
I sat down at my seat with my hands resting on the table, anxiously awaiting the other banquet members, and it wasn't long before the first participant arrived.
"Sir Arthur?" the familiar voice of Lady Emilia echoed out as she appeared in her light pink dress, white thigh high socks wrapped around her legs. Though it was not as regal as her usual robes, it had a homely charm about it that made her seem more down to earth compared to her usual outfit.
"Lady Emilia." I stood up to greet her, "Good morning. I trust that you slept well?"
"I slept for a lot longer than expected, but it was a reeeally nice sleep, though admittedly, I have no idea how I got from the carriage to my bed." She scratched the top of her head as she took her seat. With that, she turned her head to me and addressed the distance between us, knitting her brows, "Why are you sitting all the way down there? Am I that unpleasant to be around?"
"Eh?" I blinked back at her in confusion. This was the distance I calculated using mathematical equations by studying Gawain and Leo, could it be that my calculations were inaccurate? "Lady Emilia, please forgive me if I offended you. I was merely trying to respect your personal space."
"Whilst I'm thankful for your consideration, my personal space isn't that wide. You're family, Sir Arthur, how am I supposed to pass condiments to you if you're on the other side of the table?" she wagged her finger at me, "You're always keeping the distance with me, and I really wish you would open up a little more."
"My apologies, Lady Emilia." I cleared my throat and awkwardly shuffled my chair until it was roughly thirty to forty centimeters from her chair, and she nodded her head contentedly,
"Much better. That wasn't so hard, was it?" her lip's curled up as she turned her amethyst orbs to me, "You know, when I woke up this morning, I thought that everything that took place in the capital was just a dream. It was only after seeing these command seals again that I realized it had truly all happened. Meeting you in that alleyway, fighting alongside Mr. Reinhard, it was all like something out of a fairytale. Well, all in all, it was a lot of fun." She kicked her feet happily as she admired the command seals on the back of her hand.
At some point, I had to sit her down and properly explain the command seals to her, but considering everyone was about to arrive, the timing seemed somewhat inappropriate.
"Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you did a reaaally good job, Sir Arthur, so thanks for everything." Lady Emilia beamed towards me, and I smiled back, making a polite bow from my chair,
"You honor me with your praise, Lady Emilia."
As the silver-haired princess was about to scold me for being too formal, the green crystal around her neck lit up, and the familiar, adorable Puck revealed himself, letting out a large yawn as he stretched out his back and rubbed his tired eyes with his little paws, "Good morning, Arthur, you're as gentlemanly as ever."
"I do try." Though most was instinctual, I took a lot of inspiration from Arthur, Artoria and Sir Gawain, the ideal knights in my heart.
"And you're looking as adorable as ever, Sir Puck, though isn't it a little late for you to be waking up? Sleeping in?"
"Right, right." He nodded his head, "I really overworked myself in the capital, and since you're around, I felt it wouldn't hurt to get some extra sleep."
"Must be nice for some!" I let out a heavy sigh, shaking my head.
"Hey, don't be like that, Arthur." Puck sat on my head and pulled at my hair, "If you like, we can do rotations. I'll work the dayshifts; you work the nightshifts."
"Whilst I appreciate the offer, Sir Puck, I'll have to decline." As a bodyguard, Sir Puck was about as effective as armor made from paper. Though he turned into a big tough guy after Emilia was dead, since she was already dead, what was the point in powering up after the fact?
"Well, don't say I didn't make the offer." Puck shrugged as he floated next to Lady Emilia, "Sure enough, my Lia is the best." With that, he turned to me, "Arthur, any idea when breakfast is ready? I'm starving."
"I didn't even realize you ate breakfast."
"Hey, how come you're allowed to wolf down food but I'm not?" Puck clicked his tongue at me, and I had to concede, his point was a fair one.
A brief silence dawned upon the dining room, soon broken by the cheerful voice of Beatrice as she came bounding in cheerfully, "Puckie!" practically sprinting towards the cat spirit, grabbing onto him, rubbing him against her cheek.
"Hey Betty, you're as ladylike as ever this morning." Puck greeted with a bright smile, showing off his teeth as he let Lady Beatrice pet him, "Have you been keeping well?" though the morning greetings were more or less the same, the tones and intonations used couldn't be any more different.
"I have, but I missed you, Puckie." Beatrice frowned as she looked at Puck, "You won't leave me again, will you, I wonder?"
"I don't think we'll be heading back to the Capital for a while, right?" Puck tilted his head towards Lady Emilia.
"Not that I know of?" Emilia turned to me, and I turned to myself.
"I don't have any plans to return to the capital, at least not in the immediate future."
"And why does this boy get to make all the plans, I wonder?" Beatrice scowled towards me, "Though you've only just joined the mansion, you're already calling the shots, I suppose?"
"It's not like that, Beatrice. Sir Arthur is just reeeally reliable."
"Right, right." Puck nodded his head, "You shouldn't be too hard on him, Betty, if it wasn't for his assistance, Lia and I would really be done for at the capital. Though he's a bit of a stiff, he's as trustworthy a guy you'll find."
"Even you, Puckie?" Lady Beatrice turned her gaze to me and let out a small sigh, "Well, I guess if Puckie says so, I can show you the bare minimum of respect as fellow spirits, I suppose."
"Thank you for your kindness, Lady Beatrice." I made a polite bow towards her, and she just let out a huff in response, turning her gaze away from me.
"Anyway, enough about that aggravating boy, where's the clown, I wonder?" Lady Beatrice looked around as she took her seat on the opposite side of the table.
It was at that moment that the sound of jangling chains echoed out through the hallways, the protagonist, Roswaal L. Mathers had arrived.
Like that, I finally laid eyes on the man. Physically, he made quite the impression, standing 5cm taller than myself, his muscular, yet toned body hidden behind his jester's outfit with a head of long, ocean-blue hair flowing behind him. He was undeniably handsome, though I'm not sure whether his clown makeup added or subtracted from that. His heterochromia eyes, purple eyeliner and lipstick made him seem all the more unpredictable, whilst the small hat resting atop his head made him seem quite comical.
He stood at the doorway confidently, his eyes scanning the dining table, gaze lingering on me briefly before he addressed everyone with a smile, "My apooologies, everyone, if I knew I was keeping you all waiting, I would've readied myself muuuch quicker."
"Mm-mm." Lady Emilia shook her head as she got up to greet the lord, "Don't worry about it, Roswaal, we've only just arrived."
"The half-pint girl is right. If I were really left waiting for long, I wouldn't be so polite towards you, I suppose."
"That's goood. I would've hated to keep you all waaaiting." Roswaal nodded his head, "Either way, it glaaaddens me to see everyone gathered like this." A smile spread out across the jester's face as he turned to the blonde-haired girl, "Beatrice, you haven't joined us at the breakfast table for quiiiite sometime. I take it its because you're curious about our new guest, riiight?"
"Hmph, I was just here to see Puckie, that's all, I suppose." Lady Beatrice crossed her arms, not giving him the time of day.
"Speaking of which, Roswaal, please allow me to introduce you," Lady Emilia gestured towards me, and I was once again reminded of how my relationship with Lady Emilia differed so greatly to her relationship with Subaru. If she had introduced Subaru to Lord Roswaal in such a manner, she would've saved the poor boy a lot of embarrassment.
"This is the otherworldly spirit from beyond the waterfall who saved my life on multiple occasions during my visit to the capital, the swordsman, and my knight, Sir Arthur Pendragon." Lady Emilia looked towards me with a complicated gaze. Though I wished to question her doubts, I couldn't, because with her introduction, all the attention was now on me.
Lord Roswaal's gaze gravitated towards me, and I found the look on his face incredibly bizarre. I had expected some kind of hostility or anger towards me, perhaps even some killing intent, but he looked at me as if he were looking at a trusted comrade, his aura incomparably friendly, leaving me utterly dumbfounded. I had to assume that he was simply masking his true feelings like a real joker, otherwise I had no idea why he would be looking at me in such a way, but it made me especially wary.
"And Sir Arthur, please allow me to introduce you-" Lady Emilia continued, but she was interrupted by Lord Roswaal, who raised his hand,
"It's alright, Laaady Emilia, please allow me to introduce myyyself." Lord Roswaal strode over with wide steps, strolling straight towards me. As his towering figure approached, my gaze focused, and time seemed to slow down around me as I hyper-analysed his movements.
He reached his hand out in slow motion, and I prepared for an incoming attack, watching as his hand seemingly stretched for an eternity, a warm smile appearing on his face, "I'm the Looord of this Mansion, and Lady Emilia's sponsor, Roswaal L. Maaathers. As Lady Emilia's sworn knight, I hooope we can get along well as colleagues in the fuuuture." Looking at the hand in front of me, his genuine smile, and the sparkle in his eyes, my guard relaxed, but I was incredibly confused.
What the hell was this? Peculiar. It was far too peculiar! An indifferent Roswaal I could handle. A depressed Roswaal I could handle. An angry Roswaal I could also handle. But a warm Roswaal? It was just too bizarre.
Naturally, though my insides were frazzled, I had my usual calm smile on my face, the infallible knight that wouldn't crumble even if the sky collapsed.
I reached out my hand and shook his hand firmly, "Lord Roswaal, I've heard much about you from Miss Ram. It's an honor to finally meet you."
"She didn't saaay anything bad I hooope?" his eyes narrowed, and I just smiled wryly in response.
"Plenty, Lord Roswaal, but not about you." to which, the jester let out a laugh,
"Indeed, our Ram can be a little ruuude at times, but I hope you don't hold it agaaainst her, Sir Arthur."
"Not at all." I shook my head, "Dare I say that without me knowing, we might've become friends? Though I've only just arrived in this world, it warms my heart to be meeting so many kind people one after the other."
"Did you forget about that crazy assassin that tried to kill you, Arthur?" Puck looked at me with a rather funny look.
"That was just Elsa's way of showing affection. But either way, I'm very glad."
"And I'm glaaad that you're happy, Sir Arthur. As the knight of Laaady Emilia, I want nothing more than for you to be cooomfortable in my mansion." He reached out his hand, resting it on my shoulder, shooting me a knowing look as if we were comrades, but I was just dumbfounded inwardly. What kind of future had this man seen exactly?
Before I could properly respond to him, Rem and Ram appeared, wheeling in the fragrant food, and Lord Roswaal turned to me, "We can continue our conversation laaater, in the meantime, please feeel free to take a seat and enjoooy the food prepared by our Rem. Her cooking is increeedibly delicious."
"It's not just my cooking alone, Lord Roswaal, Sir Arthur also assisted me in the kitchen." Rem made a soft smile as she started to plate the food alongside Ram, plating Lady Emilia first, then Lady Beatrice, then Lord Roswaal, then myself. You could get a keen understanding of the hierarchy in the household by watching this kind of thing.
"Oh?" Lord Roswaal raised his eyebrow, "Though I was awaaare that you were skilled with the swooord, I didn't realize you were also skilled with the kitchen knife, Sir Arthuuur."
"Right, right, right." Lady Emilia nodded her head as she turned to me, dumbfounded, "Though I'm well aware you can eat, you never told me you can cook."
"My lady, if you'd like, I'd be happy to personally prepare food for you in the future."
"You know what? I'd reeeally like that. We can have homemade tea and cakes together." She beamed, causing Lady Beatrice's ears to twitch, though the artificial spirit didn't comment.
"Hmmm…" Lord Roswaal held his chin, "Whilst that doooes sound positively looovely, I'm not sure how I feel about my distinguished guest coooking with the servants."
"And whilst I understand your concern's, Lord Roswaal, the title of distinguished guest is something bestowed upon me of your own volition. Personally, I consider myself Lady Emilia's servant above all else." I smiled politely as I sipped the tea prepared by Rem, absolutely delicious if I do say so myself.
"Well, since you feel that way, I suuupose it's fine, though ideally, I'd like it if this could be kept behind closed dooors, a few of my friends in the caaapital would have a lot to say about Laaady Emilia's knight, my equal, perfooorming servant duties."
"Don't worry, Lord Roswaal, my servant mode is reserved for members of the Mathers Mansion alone." I let out a light laugh, "To everyone else, I'm the steadfast knight."
"Very goood, Sir Arthur. And now, please, without further adooo, eat your fill. Ram has told me how much you enjoooy your food."
"Whilst I do take offence to that, quite frankly, I'm too famished to bother about such things right now." With that, I turned my attention to the food that seemed to be glowing golden with an inviting aroma.
Though Lady Emilia had an incredible supply of Magical Energy, the brand-new connection between us was still quite weak, so after that battle with Elsa and my Mana Burst, I was feeling quite peckish.
"Thank you for the food." I placed my hands together before picking up my knife and fork.
I momentarily looked around shyly at the people gathered at the table before proceeding to gorge myself. We were big eaters in the Pendragon family, and there was no shame in that. As king, there was no need to mind the curious gazes assessing my dining habits.
Stuffing my cheeks like a hamster, I transformed into a ravenous wolf, or perhaps a trash-compactor as I devoured the food around me. I think even a few plates might have even disappeared in the process.
Although I had been given enough food for ten people, I had finished it all within the minute, the food rapidly being crushed and processed into magical energy within me.
Picking up the napkin, I wiped my mouth politely, clearing my throat awkwardly as I looked at the gob smacked expressions around the table. They had been so busy watching me they hadn't even started their own breakfasts.
"Please don't hold back on my account, I don't want your food getting cold." I smiled faintly towards them as I picked up a second napkin.
"Nope, nope, this won't do, Sir Arthur." Emilia shook her head, "No one is going to steal your food from you, if you don't take your time to eat slowly and enjoy every single mouthful, it's disrespectful to the food." Emilia wagged her finger as she went into lecture mode, and I could almost picture Fortuna standing behind her, mirroring her movements.
In the face of her reprimands, I could only scratch the back of my head sheepishly, "The table is like a battlefield, Lady Emilia, like how I find it difficult to wield my sword at the speeds of a regular person, it's also difficult to eat food at the speeds of a regular person."
Emilia could only massage her sinuses, "I don't even know how to respond to that, but the important thing is you enjoyed your breakfast, right?"
"Indeed. I've eaten a lot of breakfast over the years, but this was by far the tastiest." I patted my stomach with a satisfied look.
"That was only because of your help, Sir Arthur." Rem giggled.
"I guess that explains why the food wasn't as tasty as usual." Ram spoke aloud as if she wasn't aware I had helped with breakfast despite the fact we had already discussed this matter at the table, and I looked deviously at the maid standing behind Lord Roswaal in response.
"And Ram, how would you know what the food tasted like? Could it be you ate before your Lord?"
"Of course I did, Sir Arthur." Ram responded matter-of-factly, "After all, you're a stranger that just arrived here at the mansion, I had to test the food for poison." I can't believe she really used that old excuse. I was so amazed at her shamelessness that I was momentarily unable to respond. This girl really knew every single trick in the book.
"Once again, I have to admit defeat, Ram. When it comes to verbal sparring, you're more invincible than even Sir Gawain." I didn't even know what to say to her. She really had an answer for everything.
"Ram, after everything we went through in the capital, how could you doubt Sir Arthur? I sternly suggest you apologize to him." Lady Emilia scolded, making me feel very warm inside. At least I had one person protecting me from this villainous maid.
"I will be sure to apologize to him in private later today, Lady Emilia, sorry to cause offence." Ram made a polite courtesy, and I just rolled my eyes. That was a debt that would never be paid.
Like that, the conversation reached a lull, and Roswaal suddenly clasped his hands together and spoke up as he turned to me, "Sir Arthur, I have sooome things I would like to address with you in front of everyone gathered here today."
"Please speak your mind, Lord Roswaal." I turned my body towards him to be as polite as possible, and also opened my body language to show how nonthreatening I was.
"As mentioned, Ram has infooormed me about your heroic actions at the capital, and if it waaasn't for you, Lady Emilia might not have returned hooome to us. I owe you a debt of gratitude I'll never be able to repay."
My instinctive reaction was to deny him, saying that I didn't do a thing, but I remembered Rem's words, too much self-deprecation would cause others to frown upon me. I needed to balance the humbleness and humility of a knight with the confidence and strength of a king. I wasn't just a king, and I wasn't just a knight, I was the king of knights.
"Though I believe it should be acknowledged that Sir Reinhard and Lady Emilia played a large role in what happened at the capital, I will admit that I did play a small part in how events unfolded back then." I scratched my cheek sheepishly. That was surprisingly harder than I would like to admit.
"The more I think about it, the more I realize you really did do a lot, Sir Arthur, you got my Insignia back for me, you defeated the Bowel Hunter, and all you asked for was a meal in return. Lord Roswaal, I really think that Sir Arthur deserves a reward." Lady Emilia nodded her head.
"That was preeecisely what I was about to say, Lady Emilia." Lord Roswaal smiled towards me, "Sir Arthur, as I've already mentioned, I'm Lady Emilia's sponsor, and yet, during the attack at the capital, I was cooompletely unable to help her, but you? You saaaved her, and as such, you deserve a reeeward fitting of your meritorious deeds, and whilst I understand that as a knight, you mooost definitely didn't help Lady Emilia with rewards in mind, as a Margrave, I have a reputation to uphold. If I waaas to not offer out a sizeable reward in return, then my generosity and magnanimity would be questioned by my people and myyy fellow aristocrats alike."
To be honest, there was actually something I wanted from Lord Roswaal. It was his permission to take Lady Emilia on an outing to Kararagi between Arc 4 and Arc 5. However, for a myriad of reasons, I couldn't say that right now, so I simply needed to save the reward for later, "Lord Roswaal, would it be alright if I delayed my response for now? Naturally, I understand your position, but to be honest, having just arrived in this world, I don't have a proper understanding of how things function here, and thus I'm not quite sure what it is I desire in return. Could you give me some time to properly acclimate to my surroundings before making my decision? Or are you intending to get me out of your hair as quickly as possible?" I jested towards him.
"I assure you, Sir Arthur, that couldn't be any fuuurther from the truth. This new candidate, Lady Felt has truuuly thrown a spanner in the works, to think that the Sword Saint Reinhard van Astrea is now involved in the Royal Selection, I'm afraid that without you as her knight, Laaady Emilia would be weaker in standing when compared to the other candidates." Roswaal spoke frankly, and to be honest, he did have a point.
Reinhard, Julius, Felix and Al, that was an incredibly strong line-up of knights / warriors, without someone to stand at her side, Lady Emilia was indeed lacking by comparison. Though Roswaal was her sponsor, there was a difference between a sponsor and a knight.
"I'm afraid that in this selection, Sir Arthur, you're the only one who can staaand against Sir Reinhard as hiiis equal." He concluded.
"I think you're overestimating me, Lord Roswaal. I would correct you, saying that I have the 'potential' to stand against Sir Reinhard as his equal. My battle with the Bowel Hunter showed me that I still have a lot to learn, so I hope I can borrow your garden in the future to train and improve further."
"Of course, Sir Arthur, please feeel free to use my house as if it was your own."
"Sir Arthur, as you are now, you blew up a mansion with a single attack, if you train more and increase your strength, won't you be destroying cities with every swing of your sword?" Ram tilted her head.
"I don't know whether I can destroy a city with my sword or not, Ram, but once I've finished my training, you can be my test dummy and find out." I stuck my thumbs up towards her before turning my attention back to the jester, "Speaking of debts, Lord Roswaal, if anything, it's me that owes you. Though it wasn't my intention, I did accidentally destroy your guesthouse in the capital."
"Houses caaan be rebuilt, Sir Arthur, what's more important as that both yourself and Laaady Emilia are okay. As long as you're saaafe, please feel free to destroy as maaany houses as you like."
"Uhm, Lord Roswaal, I believe you might have a slight misunderstanding about my character, I don't actually enjoy destroying houses, it's more of a side effect of my magical energy output."
"You're correct about that, Sir Arthur, just staaanding in front of you is enough to maaake my hairs stand on end." Lord Roswaal narrowed his eyes a touch, and I just gestured to the plates in front of me helplessly.
"Hence, my large appetite."
"Either way." Roswaal stood up, clasping his hands together, "Sir Arthur, please allow me to fooormally welcome you to the Mathers Mansion."
"I'm very happy to be here, Lord Roswaal." And like that, my new life in the Roswaal Mansion had officially begun.
Authors Notes:
First of all, thank you so much everyone for 400 followers everyone! When I first posted the first chapter, I never imagined that so many people would enjoy this story, so thank you very much for reading! :D I really hope you're still enjoying the story.
This has been the final chapter of part one of Arc 2, with part one acting as a sort of prologue. Arc 2 will be split into three distinct parts, and the next chapter will be a long-awaited POV chapter from Emilia before moving into part two of Arc 2.
As always, thank you so much everyone for reading, following, favoriting or reviewing my story, it really means the world to me!
Have a great weekend everyone, take care!