Chapter 59

Cain was led to a room called a parlor, not an audience chamber, for his meeting with His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen.

Cain had never seen an audience chamber, but from his knowledge as an otaku in his previous life, he imagined a king and queen seated on thrones on a high stage, with commoners kneeling on a carpet that stretched across the lower area.

He thought that having a conversation in such a place would be too formal, so he felt relieved.

The parlor had a round table with ten chairs arranged around it. The room was spacious enough to pull out a chair, and there were hardly any furnishings.

The room had only a fluffy carpet, ten chairs, a round table, and a writing desk and chair on the wall, presumably for a secretary.

"Does this table mean that in this world, we are to exchange equal opinions without regard to status...?"

Cain, who had been led to the parlor first and told to wait, muttered this as he looked at the round table.

However, with a round table, he didn't know where to sit. He thought that the seat closest to the entrance might be the lowest, but he also felt it would be disrespectful to turn his back to the king when he entered. After some consideration, Cain decided to stand and wait for the king to arrive.

Soon, maids began to enter and exit, bringing in a tea set on a cart and decorating the center of the round table with flowers. Cain leaned against the wall to avoid getting in the way and watched as the preparations progressed. The room, which had seemed too large with no furniture other than the round table, now felt cramped with the tea set and the staff waiting along the walls, and the royal guards standing by the windows and doors.

"His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen are entering."

The knight at the entrance called out, and the maid standing by the tea cart bowed deeply. The knight, who was there for security, did not bow but slightly lowered his gaze. Cain also stepped away from the wall and bowed.

He saw two adults pass in front of his bowed head. After that, the sound of chairs being pulled out and the rustling of clothing could be heard, and finally, the words "Raise your head" came.

When he raised his head, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen were seated in chairs against the wall. Cain had only seen the king in portraits and this was his first time meeting him in person.

(He looks fatter than in the portraits...)

The butler who had entered with the king pulled out a chair directly opposite them. Cain stood next to the chair, interpreting it as an invitation to sit.

"Is this Cain Elgrandark?"

"Yes. I am the eldest son of the Duke of Dismaia, Cain Elgrandark. It is my first time meeting you, and I am deeply honored to be in your presence."

Cain placed his right hand on his chest and raised his left hand to the side of his body, leaning to the left.

"I am Heinrich Elgrandis. I am pleased to meet you. Please, sit down."

King Heinrich gestured to the chair. Cain bowed slightly and sat down. At this signal, the maids moved in unison, placing tea and pastries in front of the three people seated at the round table.

A woman in a white dress, standing behind, took a sip of tea from the same teapot and tasted one of each type of pastry.

"There are no problems."

The woman in the white dress bowed and sat in a chair by the wall.

"Go ahead, Cain, don't be shy and eat! I want to hear about Alundirano today."

The queen encouraged Cain to eat while taking a sip of tea herself.

The conversation with the king and queen began with gratitude for Cain's suggestion to visit the orphanage and a report on the effects of the visit. While listening to the report, Cain felt relieved that the queen and Alundirano had worked well together, but he began to feel uneasy when the conversation turned to Alundirano's usual behavior.

"How is the sword training with the royal guards? I hear that Alundirano and Cain are sparring."

"Yes. I receive guidance on basic forms and practice swings from the knights, but due to the significant difference in physique, I cannot spar with them. I am sparring with His Highness, Prince Alundirano."

"Even with the difference in physique, you are able to spar with Alundirano. The knights say you are quite talented."

"No, before joining the royal guards, I only received occasional training from the knights in my territory. His Highness, Prince Alundirano, has been trained by the captain of the royal guards. I think he has a very solid core at his age. It's impressive that he can withstand and endure even when I attack with full force."

"That's true. The other day, Alundirano's feint from a lower position succeeded, and he scored a point against Cain."

"But, didn't Alundirano lose the subsequent blade clash?"

The conversation about training with the royal guards then turned to the topic of Cain and Alundirano's lunch.

"Alundirano doesn't like tomatoes. I heard that Cain forced him to eat them."

"I don't like tomatoes either. The slimy texture..."

"Having likes and dislikes is not good. Cain, you seem like an older brother to Alundirano."

"No, not really..."

"During lunch, do you talk about secrets? Maybe about a girl you like?"

"Is that about a future princess? Who did he say it was?"

"He's still a child, so it's just about admiration. It's a bit exaggerated."

(What's going on? Something feels off.)

Cain forced a smile, trying to hide his frown. The conversation itself was quite ordinary. Cain and Alundirano learning swordsmanship together, having lunch, and playing at the orphanage. They laughed, marveled, praised, and scolded a little over these stories.

When the queen asked about a particular incident, Cain would respond, "Yes, that happened." When Cain mentioned an event, the king would connect it to what happened afterward.

If he thought of it as a conversation with a friend's parents about the friend, there was nothing strange about it. However, Cain felt something was off, and it made him uneasy.

After about an hour of conversation, the king and queen thanked Cain for his efforts and asked him to continue being a good friend to Alundirano and to share any opinions about Alundirano's participation in official duties. The meeting then concluded.

Cain was given pastries as a gift for his sister and was sent back to the ducal residence in a royal carriage.

"Brother! Welcome back! It smells good!"

"Welcome back, Master Cain. ...Thank you for your hard work."

Diana greeted him, attaching herself to his left arm and peering into the basket in his left hand. Ilvaleno frowned slightly, looking at his face.

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