204: The Battle Maiden is at the Crossroads of Marriage (21)
The taste of her parents’ cooking was simple yet nostalgic—and above all, quantity over quality.
What a feast.
Bone-in chicken, juicy lamb steaks seasoned with salt, roasted pork stuffed with herbs and vegetables, grilled skewers of assorted meat, large and small; she gobbled them up one by one, and then piled up the plates.
“…Excuse me.”
Astonished, Geraldo called out to Jill who was furiously stuffing her mouth as soon as the toast was over.
“Isn’t it bad for your health to eat that much?”
“Don’t worry, Your Highness Geraldo. Jill is always like this.”
Her mother answered meekly from across the long, narrow rectangular dining table.
At the dinner table, Geraldo sat on the lead seat, with Jill and Natalie on the left side, while Jill’s family was on the right. Rick, who sat beside her mother, answered while tearing up bread.
“No, I think she should stop… At this rate, we’ll run out of food.” (Rick)
“Is a tactic of the Rave Empire to interrupt our supply line?” (Andy)
At Andy’s question, Natalie’s expression twitched.
“W-well, I brought some local specialties with me.”
“Oh, how wonderful! We’re grateful to His Majesty for all the gifts he has showered us with!”
At her father’s words, Jill stabbed her fork into the meat. While everyone held their breath, Jill asked with a newfound realization.
“The sauce with this roast beef was also one of the gifts, wasn’t it?”
“T-that’s right. Is something the matter, Jill?”
“The sauce was handmade by His Majesty. How annoying—”
—ly delicious.
After about three servings of the roast beef slathered in that sauce, Jill finally put down her fork and knife.
“That’s enough for now.”
“For now…?”
Geraldo stared at the mountain of plates and muttered to himself. As Jill wiped her mouth, the servants brought a footstool to collect the plates.
“Excuse me.” Natalie deliberately cleared her throat and smiled.
“The food is really, really delicious. I can understand why Her Highness the Dragon Princess eats so much.”
The person who responded was her father, the host.
“It’s an honor, Your Highness Natalie. I apologize for the inconvenience. Uh, because of our daughter, are might be in some sort of crisis as well? Mainly in terms of food—”
“—As if His Majesty would let me eat this much! He said I’m not allowed to eat or drink too much! Damn it, I’ll eat more!”
“No, stop it already, Older Sister, we’re going to starve…”
“Excuse me, I came bearing a present of His Majesty the Dragon Emperor. It’s addressed to Lady Jill.”
A butler spoke from the entrance of the dining room. Jill, who was trying to reach for the roasted duck at the center of the table, rolled her eyes at the butler. Her cheeks turned somewhat red.
“What? Is he going to give me something? So, he’s going to bribe me? If he’s going to apologize, he has to do it in person! I won’t accept anything less than that!”
“H-here it is.”
Perhaps because it was a gift from the emperor, the butler especially served it on a silver player. It was a small vial in a cute wrapper. Under the eyes of her family and guests, it’d be immature of her not to receive it.
Pouting, Jill took the vial and looked at the table.
—Gastrointestinal Medicine.
She almost popped a vein. In fact, she could almost hear him saying, ‘Please take care of yourself.’
Whose fault do you think this is!?
“Wow, my stupid husband’s got guts!”
“—Jill, get your act together.”
At her mother’s stern reprimand, Jill looked up.
Her mother, who hadn’t said a word from the moment she helped Jill get dressed until the dinner party, grimaced.
“Your cute dress is going to be ruined. Mother especially prepared it for today. This might be our last time to have such a peaceful dinner together.”
“Aren’t you exaggerating?”
“Are you sure you can as the Dragon Empress?”
Jill couldn’t argue back. Certainly, her current appearance was unbefitting of a Dragon Empress.
“Well, well, Charlotte. This is Jill’s house. What’s wrong with her relaxing now and then?”
His father chided with a bitter smile, followed by her younger brothers.
“That’s right, Mom. There’s no Dragon Emperor here, so it’s okay to treat this as a family get-together.”
“Even if she is here as the daughter of the Saber family, and not as the Dragon Princess, considering that the crown prince is here, I—”
“—There’s no woman more suitable to be the Dragon Empress rather than Lady Jill.”
Natalie spoke in a dignified voice that didn’t suit the atmosphere.
“In the Rave Empire, the voices of people wishing for my brother to marry Lady Jill are increasing day by day. That is proof that Lady Jill is fulfilling her duties as the Dragon Princess. In fact, that is probably why my brother choose Lady Jill.”
“Actually, we just had a fight—…”
Natalie stepped on her foot under the table.
“The more you fight, the better you get along. As his younger sister, this is a bit complicated for me, though.”
Jill nodded deeply, impressed by Natalie’s sophisticated technique of intimidating someone with an elegant smile.
“Y-yes. Fights like this happen all the time!”
“…But isn’t His Majesty the Dragon Emperor almost 20-years-old?”
Hearing Andy’s cold voice, Jill finally realized what Natalie was trying to do. By revealing that the emperor was fighting with an 11-year-old, Jill had just put Hades’ reputation at a stake.
“T-that’s because we’re a couple!”
Those were the words that came out.
“I-I know we haven’t gotten engaged yet! However, His Majesty and I are already husband and wife, so we often fight. I have some issues with him, but I, I’ve decided to make His Majesty happy…”
“…Princess Natalie.”
As her voice diminished, Geraldo stood up.
“Why don’t we watch the moon? Let me show you around the lake. It’s a famous place in the Saber territory.”
“…W-while I appreciate the invitation, I… I don’t want to leave Lady Jill behind.”
“Sooner or later, you’ll be exhausted with covering for your brother.”
Natalie maintained her smile, while Geraldo seemed indifferent.
“Princess Jill will officially become the Dragon Emperor’s fiancé tomorrow at the earliest. Or is the Dragon Emperor against making time for his family?”
“There’s no such thing.”
“Then, let’s go. I think it’d be more convenient for you, too.”
He was certainly being sarcastic. However, Natalie responded with a soft smile.
“Then, please.”
“Y-Your Highness Natalie, will you be alright?”
Jill whispered to her, and Natalie answered in her usual tone.
“Of course. Summer insects flying into the fire. This is my chance. I’m going to erase that smug expression from his face!”
Her father was talking to a servant. He couldn’t hear them at that volume.
“Please at least bring Camila with you as an escort.”
Camila was with Lawrence in the antechamber outside the dining room. Zeke was stationed at Hades’ room, so she couldn’t appoint him to go.
“What are you talking about? I can’t just leave with your remaining bodyguard? What about you?”
“I-I’ll be fine. I can fight on my own. Besides, This is my parents’ home.”
“That’s not the problem. Come on, open your eyes.”
Natalie glared at her.
“Just because my older brother is head over heels for you, don’t lower your guard so much!”
“Huh, I am not, though…”
“This is exactly why my older brother is frustrated with you!”
“—I understand your concerns, but can you trust me, Your Highness Jill?”
When Jill knitted her eyebrows, Geraldo arrived to escort Natalie much to Jill’s distress.
“O-of course. It’s not like I suspect you’ll attempt anything against Her Highness Natalie or anything!”
“I see.” Geraldo seemed relieved. Natalie quickly stepped in between them.
“Shall we go, Your Highness Geraldo?”
Geraldo quietly nodded back.
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