LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 45
When the story was all wrapped up and I stepped out of the library, Seria’s expression was a bit flushed.
I thought maybe she was just tired from flailing around in the air… but when I heard her whispered words, it seemed that wasn’t it.
“…Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For my story. For making it sound nice.”
She seemed grateful for the seasoning I added when sharing her tale.
But honestly, I should have done that. How could you just tell your parents the plain truth?
If I said I was just hanging out with someone all day, they’d freak out. No, that’d be the least of my worries.
If they misunderstood, it might soon be me floating in the air instead of Seria.
So, I just casually fibbed that I was hanging out often with my friend Lilith and cultivating a friendship with Alkiné to prepare for the Student Council activities. Just a bit of believable blabber.
Regarding studies, I honestly shared what I witnessed—Seria always giving her best.
And since her magic skills were clearly ludicrously low at this point, I suggested she properly show off her skills and have a look.
Of course, once I got to know Seria better, I found out she was a bit of a weirdo… and there would be plenty to talk about in that regard…
“It’s all about saving face in front of your parents.”
No matter how embarrassing things get with friends, those are our memories to keep.
To let parents in on that is a taboo, an act that must never happen.
I was just rambling on without much thought, but her thanks made it a bit awkward, so I decided to change the subject.
“What? Isn’t there nothing else to do?”
“Yes. If there’s something, someone will come tell me.”
Well then, let’s go for a walk together.
Seria said this and dragged me outside.
The place she headed to was the central garden we just passed on the way to the library, and as we arrived, a thick scent of flowers hit my nose.
Looking at the flowers planted there, they were all the types Seria loved.
All of them were flowers that wouldn’t bloom this season. But since Seria liked them, they were magically maintained year-round.
Considering the scale of the royal garden, the maintenance costs must be outrageous. But for the royal standards, it probably isn’t much.
“Rudion. Come, sit.”
While watching the real-time money draining scenery as we walked, we soon reached a table set up somewhere in the garden.
Seria hopped onto one chair and pointed to the opposite one, beckoning me over.
At this rate, it was just like killing time at the academy. Not that I expected anything different.
Following her lead, I sat down for a moment, feeling the breezy scent of flowers, then casually asked.
“Can’t we head back now?”
“Of course not. What are you talking about? Seriously.”
Honestly, I had nothing else to do anyway.
I managed to dodge the trappings of the Emperor who had delivered my death sentence, and left a decent impression on the Empress when she called for me to see my face.
Though the Emperor’s trio of sons were still a thing, they’d surely care more about Seria coming home than me, so I suspected they’d have little interest in me.
So I wanted to return alone if possible, but…
“I did mention ahead that Rudion will be staying in the guest room.”
Since Seria went that far to say it, it seemed likely I was in for a stay.
Guess I’d be sticking around for several days after all.
The royal guest room… I figured it was a place that doesn’t usually host guests from the royal family, so I didn’t expect to end up using it.
Speaking of guest rooms, various secret gizmos hidden within the royal palace popped into my head, but Seria’s subsequent voice scattered my thoughts.
“And… while you’re in the palace, I’ll need to spend time with my family, so I might not be able to see you much. I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for? I came here specifically for that.”
If she got caught hanging out with me even after coming to the palace, who knows what sort of trouble that would land her in. Better to be the neglected cold rice than that.
But wait, did you just say you “need to spend time with your family”? You’re subconsciously realizing your position, aren’t you?
“You won’t have anything to do without me, will you?”
If I said that, it would make me sound like I had no friends.
But logically speaking, following her into the palace like this, it would be awkward to wander around without her. So, it wasn’t completely wrong.
“I don’t mind.”
And I wasn’t just saying that; I really didn’t mind.
Despite her worries, from the moment I entered the palace, I was overflowing with content.
If there’s nothing to do, I could always make something happen, you know?
“…Well, if lazy Rudion stays locked up in his room, I suppose he’ll be fine. If you get bored, just grab a few books from the library and read them.”
Unbeknownst to her, the idea of leaving me alone was weighing on Seria’s mind.
Well, I had no choice but to accept her suggestion and lighten her mental load a bit.
“Reading books sounds good too. Perhaps I’ll check out the Star Journey series you like?”
“Huh? Rudion, you know about that? Have you read it?”
“No, I haven’t read it; I only know the title.”
Sensing her favorite book’s subject come up, Seria slightly perked up with excitement.
“What makes understanding stars so crucial in the Star Journey series. In this book, stars are an essential societal foundation and the source of magic, and the principles of magic related to stars are…”
She began explaining background knowledge about the book… but since I hadn’t read it, I couldn’t really grasp much.
Still, as she earnestly explained, I couldn’t interrupt, and suddenly, Seria tilted her head, realizing something was off.
“Wait? How did you know I like that series? I don’t think I mentioned it.”
Well, that’s because it’s in the setting guide.
According to the setting guide, it said she read the Star Journey series dozens of times.
She loved it so much that she kept it in her bag throughout her academy life.
“You always carry that book with you in your bag.”
So I could confidently respond to her question.
Since I had seen it when she was organizing her bag, I didn’t have to worry about being wrong.
“Since when did you see that? Seriously, you always notice weird things.”
Even though the setting guide was half-messed up and practically useless, it was still valid in these aspects.
“Are you really going to read it?”
“Maybe. I’m getting a bit curious now.”
It was initially something I casually mentioned, but as we talked, I genuinely became interested.
The main text wasn’t implemented in the game, but I could actually read it here.
What could be so amazing that she read it dozens of times? I thought I should take the time to check it out.
“It should be in the library, right?”
“Oh, you don’t need to go that far. It’s in my room, so I’ll bring it over later.”
“Then I’ll be thankful for that.”
I didn’t know she’d been keeping it in her room. Thanks to that, I could skip the hassle of going to the library.
“Ugh, I want to talk about what it’s about, but I guess I can’t. Hurry and read it all, then tell me. I’ve always dreamed of discussing this book with a friend.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me to read it earlier?”
“I thought Rudion wouldn’t read stuff like that. I figured you wouldn’t even know if the Star Journey series existed.”
Hey, I’m supposed to be the model student with perfect scores on theories. Isn’t that too much?
Well… considering I doze off during lectures, it makes sense she’d think that. I accept that.
As we chatted, evening approached.
And then…
“Oh wow, Rudion’s here too? I didn’t think you’d come.”
“I didn’t want to come. But the Emperor personally summoned me…”
I found myself dragged into the dinner gathering.
When Seria first suggested going together, I refused, saying I didn’t want to intrude on her family dinner.
But since the Emperor had directly called for me, there was no way out.
Now, I found myself awkwardly joining Seria’s whole family… they even seated me between her three older brothers.
The looks in their eyes suggested they might stab me with the knife meant for cutting meat.
I was seriously worried I might choke if I had to eat here.
Unbeknownst to me, one by one, the dishes began appearing on the table.
Once the meal prep was done, the clinking of utensils naturally started echoing.
Even as I faced the same glares while sitting down to eat, I couldn’t remain dazed in front of the food, so I quickly shoved some into my mouth.
‘…This is good.’
Though it had been tough to take that first bite, once tasty food entered my mouth, my hands wouldn’t stop.
At some point, I got so focused on the meal that I stopped caring about being stared at.
The Emperor and his sons looked like they had a lot to say to me, but… they hadn’t anticipated how well I could eat, leaving them flabbergasted.
Yeah, they say you can’t bother anyone when they’re eating. If I went into eating broadcast mode like this, no matter how much of an emperor he was, there’d be nothing to be done.
And ultimately, the quiet atmosphere continued to last until the end of the meal.
Under normal circumstances, one would exchange a word or two with family over food, but today, it seemed they were all silently waiting to say something to me, only to have their plans go astray and end up in silence.
“I figured that kid wouldn’t make much of a fuss, but… I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised too. How does that rice even get down with him among us?”
Watching that, Seria and her mother quietly exchanged words, but that was all that happened.
Phew, so how’s that? This is my culinary kung fu.
If you’re Korean, you can’t help but relate to this, right?
Of course, this is a game world… but basically, it still smells quintessentially Korean.
Having barely managed to navigate this awkward situation…
“Hey, Rudion. Eat this too.”
Just when I thought it was over, Seria unexpectedly shoved her meat onto my plate.
Unable to reach because of the distance, she used magic and flung the plate right in front of me.
“…Seria? What’s this about?”
“Why? It’s always like this.”
No, Seria. Sure, we used to do this all the time at the Student Cafeteria, but here?
“Always…? Does that mean you two ate together every time?”
“I won’t let this slide as your older brother. You, come outside right now.”
“What are you talking about, brother? Let’s just finish him off here.”
“Brothers, calm down. Simply killing him would be too merciful. We should torture him painfully instead…”
Of course, such reactions were expected.
Seria seemed to know all of this and wore a grin. Did she get hooked on this since stealing drinks in the cafe?
But back then, it was just a guard; now it’s in front of her family. Did she really have to do this?
The only relief was that the Empress seemed to have caught on to Seria’s intentions and was just smiling without any reaction.
Though that didn’t necessarily make things any better. The three loudest ones were already in an uproar.
“Give me some meat too, Seria!”
“That’s not the important thing right now, brother!”
“But I can’t resist the meat Seria gives!”
“Little brother, what the heck are you thinking?!”
Har har, it’s a mess. I decided to just empty the plate Seria passed to me.
It had cooled a bit, but it was still delicious.