MTLNOVEL 52
Time passed swiftly, and the day before the engagement ceremony arrived.
During that time, Sen and Belial were busy preparing for the engagement, while Kyle wandered in and out of the castle, seeking opportunities to interact with the merchant guild and mercenary corps.
I sometimes followed Kyle when I had the time, and when my schedule was uncertain, I simply lay around, filled my stomach with delicious food, and indulged in the pleasures of human life to my heart’s content.
[Quest Completed!]
[Reward: Ally of the North]
And so, Kyle and Belial had formed a temporary alliance.
‘Surprisingly, I was able to communicate with Belial.’
On a whim, I had thrown the idea out there, not expecting much, but to my surprise, Belial readily agreed. It was a bit shocking. Perhaps Sen had spoken to him separately, but whatever. A good outcome was a good outcome.
In any case, Kyle was now free from Belial’s petty torments, and Belial could focus entirely on his conflict with Lorenz.
‘If Serena can’t be, then that means Belial won’t be emperor either.’
That was something to think about later. For now, I had my own problems to deal with, and just keeping Kyle Blake alive was a struggle in itself.
No, more importantly…
‘How the hell am I supposed to eat fish with a fork and knife…?’
[<⊙)+++◁]
I waved my hand to shoo away the annoying system window. In front of me was a dish of small fish, grilled to a crisp and topped with a cream sauce. The issue? The fish had been cooked whole.
I had come to this banquet dressed in newly tailored clothes, which was nice, but unfortunately, I was hopeless when it came to noble table manners. Or rather, I didn’t know them at all. I barely grasped the absolute basics.
Chopsticks. If only I had chopsticks. I was confident I could strip every single bone out of this fish in under three minutes.
“Shu.”
A low whisper tickled my ear. As I leaned slightly to the left, Kyle chuckled softly and swapped his plate with mine.
It was the same fish dish, but the difference was that the one now in front of me had been neatly deboned.
“The cuisine here is quite different from the North. You must find it inconvenient.”
“…Thank you.”
Honestly, I was a little touched this time.
I dipped the perfectly filleted fish into the sauce and took a bite. A soft, savory flavor spread through my mouth.
As I was enjoying my food, I felt a gaze on me.
“Kyle, you’ve grown quite considerate of your people.”
The voice came from the head of the table. A man seated at the central end of the long dining table looked between Kyle and me before smiling broadly.
“I’ve never seen you so attentive before. Ha-ha.”
“…You flatter me. It’s simply a rare delicacy in the North.”
[Lorenz Serena Meinhardt. First Prince of the Meinhardt Empire. Full-blooded sibling of Belial Serena Meinhardt.]
I didn’t need the system to tell me.
His black hair was the same shade as Kyle’s, and his features bore a passing resemblance to Belial’s. However, his overall facial structure was softer, giving him a somewhat lifeless appearance. His thin lips gave him a slightly cunning impression.
No, rather than just cunning…
[(￢︿̫̿￢)]
His expression was truly strange.
It looked harmless, like a polite smile, but there was an underlying chill—something eerie about it. Perhaps it was because his eyes weren’t smiling at all. The way he kept scanning this way felt like a predator looking for its prey’s weak spot. It gave me an odd sense of unease.
“A rare delicacy in the North, huh…”
Belial, who had overheard our conversation from across the table, seemed to ponder something for a moment before swiftly deboning his own fish and swapping plates with Sen.
He also instructed someone to bring a different drink for her, knowing she couldn’t handle alcohol well.
Was it just for appearances, since there were so many eyes on them? Maybe. But the way the two of them kept sneaking glances at each other, subtly aware of the other’s presence, wasn’t entirely unpleasant to watch.
‘So Sen can’t handle alcohol.’
What a shame. This stuff is great.
A noble offered me a glass of raspberry honey wine, a specialty from the western region. I immediately nodded.
“That sounds great. I’ll have a glass too.”
Since it was a special occasion, it seemed that people had brought out all kinds of rare liquors. Apparently, it was a tradition of sorts.
Even Kyle had brought a bottle of strong liquor aged in the North and handed it over.
The golden liquid in the tall glass shimmered, looking so sweet that my mouth watered just from the sight. When I brought it to my nose, a rich, tangy raspberry aroma wafted up.
This is going to be delicious.
Would it be strong? Well, how strong could it be, really?
Kyle would clean up the mess if anything happened, so I might as well get a little tipsy today.
“You can’t.”
But just as I was about to take a sip, Kyle grabbed my wrist, stopping me.
The glass halted, just shy of my lips.
What? Why?
“Wait a moment.”
Based on past experiences, when Kyle told me to wait, it was usually for a good reason.
Though reluctant, I lowered my glass with a sullen expression.
Kyle picked up a slender rod from beside his tableware and dipped it into my wine.
A clear chime rang out as the silver rod stirred through the glass.
Then, as quickly as it had gone in, he pulled it out and placed it neatly onto a cloth embroidered with intricate patterns.
Even that simple gesture was precise, controlled.
I found myself staring, entranced. It wasn’t until he gave a small nod that I snapped back to reality.
[With a poison-detecting rod, you can check if a drink is poisoned!]
After reading the system’s explanation, I glanced around.
Everyone was doing the same thing—testing their drinks before taking a sip.
There were three princes here, not to mention high-ranking nobles. And yet… poison? Would someone actually go that far?
I took a small sip of the sweet liquor and leaned toward Kyle, whispering.
“…Would someone really poison drinks at a gathering like this? In the middle of the imperial palace? This openly?”
Kyle responded with a faintly amused look.
“My mother was accused of poisoning Serena’s tea and was exiled.”
“That was just a rumor.”
I frowned, but his eyes narrowed.
“But the tea was, in fact, poisoned.”
“…….”
He said it so matter-of-factly that I was momentarily speechless.
His expression remained indifferent, as if betrayal and assassination attempts were just another part of life. That made it all the more sorrowful.
Seeing me glare at my glass, Kyle gave a small smile.
“It’s fine. You’re safe.”
His hand twitched slightly, as if he wanted to pat my head, but considering the number of people watching, he refrained.
“Not that I was worried about that, but…”
I had already died once. Drinking poison wouldn’t be the worst thing.
But suddenly, I found myself thinking about Kyle Jane Meinhardt. About the life he had led. About how that hardened exterior of his had been shaped by merciless winds.
“Wait, hold on. Your Highness, shouldn’t you check yours properly too? You barely dipped the rod. How can you be sure?”
He was thorough with my drink, even checking my water and food, yet when it came to his own, he barely bothered.
“Your Highness, you checked mine thoroughly, didn’t you?”
“Highly toxic poisons turn the rod black or even break it. If it’s not that severe, it’s fine. You, on the other hand, could be in danger even with weak poison.”
That sounded an awful lot like he was fine even if he consumed mild poison.
Before I could say anything, he added, “Imperial children build poison resistance from a young age. I won’t die so easily.”
…What kind of messed-up logic is that?
I pouted, snatched his glass, and thoroughly checked it myself.
Once I confirmed it was safe, I handed it back.
Kyle chuckled softly.
“You’re quite kind.”
“It’s only natural.”
“Which is exactly why it’s kindness.”
It was probably just a simple compliment, yet for some reason, it made my chest feel warm and a little ticklish.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and shifted my gaze elsewhere.
Once the endless courses of food had finally come to an end, a cake topped with orange ice cream was served.
Imperial cuisine was as extravagant in taste as it was in presentation.
As I finished every last bite of my cake, Kyle, watching me, silently pushed his own dessert toward me.
“Eat as much as you want.”
Well, if you insist, I won’t hold back. Thank you for the meal.
He leaned back slightly, arms crossed, watching me eat.
His eyes had that look—like he was full just from watching me, as if he didn’t need to eat at all.
…Does he not see how other people are staring?
Over there, a countess was even rubbing her eyes as if she were hallucinating.
“Mm…”
The food was delicious, but perhaps because of the atmosphere, my stomach felt uncomfortably full.
Maybe two slices of cake was too much?
I placed a hand over my upper stomach and tilted my head in thought.
Kyle must have noticed my expression, as he asked, “Shall we take a walk before heading back? Do you have time?”
After how often he’d fretted over time, he now checked my schedule before making plans.
I opened my system window.
[Reload will be lifted in 65 minutes.]
That was plenty of time.
I could afford to take a walk.
Compared to the North, this place was much warmer, and the flowers were in bloom. A short stroll to admire them sounded nice.
I nodded, and Kyle, as if it were only natural, stood up.
It looked like he was about to pull my chair back for me.
“Sure, why not?”
The way he smiled and offered me his hand was so pleasant that, before I knew it, a quiet breath of laughter slipped from my lips.
“Shall we go, then?”
Just as we were about to leave the banquet hall in the warm atmosphere—
“You’re the beast scholar from the North, aren’t you?”
Before I even noticed, Lorenz had approached, standing before me with a smile.
“I wonder if you’ve enjoyed your tour of the imperial palace. You may not know this, but the main palace garden is at its most beautiful around this time. I was thinking of offering you a tour.”
“…….”
Lorenz extended his hand toward me, clad in pristine white gloves.