CH 45

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Sapphiras Perfectio, 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge

Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier

“Sapphiras-sama, dinner is ready and I will show you to your table.”

A voice called out from outside the door and I woke up with a start.

I had intended to just lie down for a bit, but the bed was so comfortable that I had fallen asleep to my heart’s content. In all of Sapphiras’s life, this was probably the first time he had slept on such a comfortable bed. No, maybe not even when I was in Fortis.

“Sapphiras-sama?”

“Ah, excuse me! I’m coming!”

I jumped out of bed and hurriedly opened the door.

There was Susanna-san, the person who had made me tea earlier. When Susanna-san sees my face, she lowers her eyebrows a little.

“Saphiras-sama, before I take you to the dining room, please allow me to straighten your hair a little.”

Why? Before I can even think about it, Susanna makes me sit down in a chair in front of the mirror. When I looked in the mirror, I saw that my hair was badly curled from bed.

“Uwah, what an amazing bed hair……”

As expected, I can’t meet Percival’s family with this head. On the first day in their care, I have to greet them in proper attire at least. Thanks to Susanna-san for noticing.

“I see you had a good rest.”

“Ahahaha……the bed was so comfortable, so I really fell asleep.

“That’s good to hear.”

While having a conversation with Susanna-san, she skillfully corrected my bed head, and also neatly arranged my shirt, which was a little twisted.

“I’m sorry, thank you.”

“No. Then let me show you around. This way, please.”

The inside of the castle is well lit and very bright. This is not a luxury, but rather a way of making sure the castle doesn’t give any prowlers a chance to hide. The castle is well maintained, and is probably designed to serve as a base for warfare in times of emergency. The peace continues, but there is no relaxation. Percival was waiting for me on the way, as I was guided while thinking that the castle is exactly what the master looked like.

“Sapphiras, have you rested a little?”

“I’ve had a great rest. I was treated so well that I fell asleep a while ago. The bath was great and I even had a massage. I’m kind of sorry that they treated me so well. I’m really not bothering you, am I? Is it okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, just take it easy and have fun.”

“That’s all right then.”

While we were talking about this, we arrived at the dining room.

In the large dining room, the Margrave and Madam Adeline were already there. In addition, there were two people who seemed to be Percival’s older brothers and a kind-looking young lady.

“I’m sorry, I’m late.”

When I bowed, Madam Adeline quickly got up from her seat and walked over to me, squeezing my hand again. I guess Madam Adeline likes to hold hands.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Now, hurry up and take a seat. Let me introduce you to my family.”

“Mother,”

“Oh, dear. I’m so……sorry, Sapphiras-san.”

The madam laughed when Percival rebuked her, but she was still holding my hand and led me to the seat next to Percival. A kind-looking young lady sat in front of me, and when I bowed, she gave me a slight smile. Our gazes met and I immediately recognised her. This young lady is a White Magician.

“Before we eat, allow me to introduce you to my family.”

The dinner table is completely run by Madam Adeline. I kind of got the idea. In Vanderwall, the women must be stronger.

At the front of the table, the men with some dignity are Percival’s father, the Margrave of Vanderwall, then his eldest brother Theodore-san, his second brother Curtis-san and Theodore-san’s fiancée, the Earl Timberlake’s daughter, Sandrion Timberlake. She is currently in the process of learning various things from Mrs. Adeline as the future Margrave’s wife. His second brother, Curtis-san, also has a fiancée, and he will introduce her when he sees her during the holidays.

The older brothers resemble their father, the Margrave. Of course, all three of them have well-proportioned features, but unlike the prince-like Percival, they are stern.

And the men of the Belisario family are all big. I thought Percival was tall too, but the Margrave and his brothers are even bigger. This means that the horses must be big too.

The appearance of these men, who are said to be the sword and shield of the kingdom, convinced me that the name Belisario should be well known everywhere, and finally the food arrives.

First up are the appetisers and soup.

The soup is clear and without ingredients. The appetisers are mushrooms and prawns boiled in oil, meat carpaccio, and various chopped vegetables solidified in gelée.

……Mm? This are appetisers, right?”

It’s a bit much to call it an appetiser. Is this for one person? It’s about the amount I can eat for lunch at the academy. If I glance the surroundings, everyone’s attitude is that it’s only natural to have too many appetisers. Madam Adeline and Sandrion-san had about half the amount in front of them. I think that’s enough for me, too.

“You don’t have to force yourself to eat it all. You won’t be able to eat the main meat.”

“Umm, yes. I’d really like to eat the meat.”

Percival calls out to the waiter and tells him to bring a plate.

“Just take as much as you can eat. If there’s any left over, the servants will eat it later, so don’t worry about it.”

“Really? Then I will do so without reservation.”

I receive the plate and took as much as I can eat. A little more meat carpaccio.

“Percy and Sapphiras-san are really good friends.”

She must have been watching our exchanges. Madam Adeline was looking at me with a smile.

“I’d love to hear how you two met.”

How did we get to know each other1? Is it okay to interpret that as the reason why we became friends? Don’t use strange phrases, Madam. Adeline.

“It started when we sat together in the academy cafeteria. I was isolated at the academy for a few reasons, but Percival was the one who ate at the same table with me every time, ignoring the rumours around us.

“Well, well……you did well, Percy. You can do it too. I’m a little bit proud of you. I’ve been worried about you for a long time.”

“Mother,”

Theodore, the eldest son, interrupted Madam Adeline.

“I have received the results from the academy and I am relieved to see that Percival is learning well both academically and in swordsmanship. I hope you will continue to work hard and not let your guard down.”

“Yes.”

The Vanderwall Margrave, who had already finished eating all the appetisers, treated Percival like the head of the family. The women are still eating their appetisers, so I can eat at my own pace without any problems.

By the way, the appetisers are delicious. Especially the meat carpaccio. The meat seems to melt on the tongue. Prawns are rare and hard to eat. Do I leave the tails? I might not like the vegetable gelée. It’s a bit too thick. But I eat it without leaving any leftovers. When I think back to the days when I was always in a terrible situation, it would be a punishment to say that I like it or didn’t like it. I eat what I can, and I don’t leave anything behind.

As I silently put the vegetable gelée into my mouth, I noticed that everyone’s eyes were on me.

“……er……err, wh-what?”

“I heard that Sapphiras-san is a magician.”

Percival’s second brother, Curtis-san, asked me, but I was too absorbed in eating to hear anything.

“……Yes.”

What on earth were you talking about?

“We were talking about the field exercise. You know, when Sapphiras killed the magical beast serpent with lightning?”

“Oh, that time.”

You were talking about the magical beast serpent? It’s true that Percival was the only one who was able handle it properly at that time.　

“There’s a magical beast subjugation coming up soon, would you like to take part?”

“Eh? Is that okay?”

“If it’s all right with you, I’d love for you to take part.”

Uwah! Subjugating magical beasts, huh? Speaking of Vanderwall, it’s all about subjugating magical beasts. No way, I’m lucky to be able to participate in it. Sure enough, I was right to follow Percival.

“Wa-wait a minute! Sapphiras-san promised to have tea with me!”

“Mother, please calm down. You can have tea anytime.”

“Percy said that earlier, didn’t he?”

“Why don’t you invite Cristella and have a tea party?”

“Oh, yes. That’s a good idea. Let’s do that!”

When Mr Curtis suggested this, Madam Adeline’s mood instantly improved.

Ladies like tea parties, don’t they? I like it too, because we get to eat delicious sweets. Tea parties, subjugating magical beasts, and walking around town. There’s so much to look forward to.

While we were excited about our future plans, the main course of meat finally arrived.

A wagon with a big chunk of meat is brought into the dining room, and the waiter uses a big knife and fork to cut the meat into thin slices. The surface of the meat is browned, but the inside is red and raw.

“You can have as many slices as you like on your plate.”

As I stare at the waiter, Percival gently tells me from the side.

“……Are second helpings allowed?”

“Yes, you can have as many as you like.”

For the time being, I was given three pieces of meat on my plate. The thinly sliced meat was easy to chew. The juices from the meat spread slowly in my mouth and the sauce is refreshing, so I can eat as many slices as I like. I ate the first three slices in one go and immediately ordered another. This meat is delicious no matter how many pieces I ate.

It was so delicious that I ate more until Percival stopped me because I would not be able to eat dessert.

the term she uses is actually 馴れ初め (naresome), which means start of romance/beginning of love