Battlefield on the tablecloth (2)

On the opposite side of the entrance, the innermost wall of the hall, a heavy canopy was hung up, below which was the king and queen’s throne. At the bottom right of the throne was the seat for the crown prince. Under it was the seats for the younger two princes. It was a stage only a few feet high, yet the amount of blood that would flow while the princes struggled to climb it would be enormous.

‘No. The blood has already started spilling, and more will be required.’

It was Kleio who had grown sick of it.

‘If it weren’t for the fact that the third prince was stuck to the fate of this world, I would’ve never looked back. Actually, I’d be far away from him.’

A large table was placed horizontally in front of the seats, with candlesticks on both sides, several more colorful than other tables, and royal curtains were draped on the back of the table. It was clearly the seat for the royal family. Two veteran servants had lined up for a meal, but none of the royal family had appeared yet.

Following the guidance of the royal servants, the invitees moved to their respective seats. By each bowl stand was a card with the guest’s name written on it. Raising Perception as he moved, Kleio could read that Duke Cruel and Pierce Klagen were seated closest to the royal family’s seats. Following that, it was Tadius, the magic captain of the Defense Force, and Zebedee, who was stuck between Tadius and Ezra. Next, he could see Count Ramsdale and some other nobles accompanied by their spouses or children, and Benjamin Beaton, far behind them. Despite his influence and authority, he was seated farther from the seat of power because he was a commoner.

‘Right. Your distance from the royal table indicates your status.’

The assignment of the guest seats must’ve required serious consideration, as much as deploying the Defense Force. The Angellium twins and Kision, who weren’t central nobles, were guided to a small table with Kleio. Since most of them had been given titles and estates during the restoration of King Absalom II’s reign, they were different from the old nobles that formed the core of the aristocracy. Despite his distance from the royal table, however, Kleio enjoyed the spot as it gave him some reprieve from the other guests’ attention.

‘Besides, I won’t have to worry about giving Behemoth human food over here, with fewer eyes on us.’

There was still some time until dinner, however. In the niche under the round arch, separated from the main table, was even cozy as Kleio glanced at the six seats prepared for his group.

‘Huh? Isiel, the twins, and I make four… Why are there six?’

The Tanpet de Neju family were exiled nobles, but Katarina’s skill was so good that their seat was closer to the center table. If Dione had been there instead of going on a business trip to Krater, she would’ve explained it to him sarcastically, no doubt.

“Cel, are you sitting with us?”

Cel shrugged.

“I got an invitation under my name instead of my family’s. Since January 1st is my birthday, I’ll be 18 after midnight. Haha, that means I’m an adult.”

“Yes, yes. Congratulations. I didn’t know it was your birthday. Then, who is the other one?”

Lippi and Leticia approached their table, overtaking the slow Kleio, to look at the last nameplate.

“Look! It says ‘Asel’s cat’ on the nameplate.”

“There are no glasses or cutlery, but the chair has a cushion. It’s linen that the cat can scratch!”

“Sit here!”

Jump!

The giant cat jumped onto the linen cushion quickly, a satisfied expression forming on his face.

“Meoooow (The treatment is appropriate because they know this cat).”

While the twins and cat played together, Kleio backed away.

“No, who the hell set this up? How did they know I would bring a cat?”

“It’s safe to say that this ability is magic. Lady Hilleyda, Seydel’s own sister, is a royal maid with magic.”

Hilleyda Seydel was a familiar name to Kleio. It was the person who warned Arthur of Aslan’s attack. She was probably the one who knew Albion’s power structure the best.

‘…Does she think that only the first or second can be king?’

Each party was seated, and the attendant in charge of their table brought a hard print with the day’s menu and water.

“Wow! The menu is amazing again!”

The dinner menu filled a full page. Starting with two potages of shrimp and chicken, a variety of hors d’oeuvres with caviar and truffle, a fish course with flounder and sea bream, and grilled seven-spice lamb, de Beau sauce, fried veal with sage, venison stew, and four types of dessert. The twins and the cat were ecstatic to see the menu as the drink server arrived with champagne. The peculiar scent of Riognan champagne tickled his nose.

‘Why does the scent feel better than last time? Is it because I can’t drink it normally?’

However, Kleio had decided not to drink alcohol today. He had to hold back from pouring himself some, regretfully.

“Could I have sparkling water instead?”

“Yes.”

The twin’s attention landed on Kleio as the attendant who had only filled Cel’s cup vanished.

“Why aren’t you drinking alcohol?”

“Now, why aren’t you drinking?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m trying to refrain from it today, so I don’t make any mistakes.”

“It’s probably the best decision you’ve made this year.”

“No, Isiel… If you say that…”

This extraordinary event, in which three princes were seated together at once, had also not appeared in the manuscript. It had faithfully described great events such as the dungeons and war, but the process of confrontations between the princes that led to their fierce battle had been skipped too much.

‘I thought it had an epic charm because of that, but since coming here, I wish he had put in some detailed footnotes.’

The literary perfection of the manuscript in his eyes was now suffering.

‘It’s no grand narrative that makes life. It’s the trivial things like hate and favor that determine the future. Those are the mechanisms of human action.’

There were too many examples of it in human history in the other world for him to deny that now. In order to rely on that guide with so many omissions, he had to remain alert in any place where the princes gathered together.

“For some reason, Lei’s face doesn’t turn red no matter how much he drinks.”

“No, Leticia, he’s been drinking too much.”

“If you drink like Lei, your nose will turn red because you’re not adults yet!”

“Guys, how do you see me…”

“A drinker.”

“Yes, Kleio. I hope there is something you can realize from listening to Lippi and Leticia.”

“Am I the only one drinking at our table? So this champagne is all mine? Thanks!”

Cel, giggling, pulled the silver-plated basket that had been left by the table. Behemoth, seeing it, waved his tail.

“Meooooow! (Drinking alone?! No!)”

“Cel… Pour a little into Behemoth’s water bowl.”

“Dogs and cats shouldn’t drink alcohol, originally.”

“Well, don’t worry about it; he’s lived a hundred years as a cat, so there’s no need to worry.”

Cel leaned the bottle in front of Behemoth, who thought that a cat only lived for about twenty years.

“It’s really curious. His fur is shiny, and his eyes are clear; I thought he was younger. Now, drink!”

The cat’s eyes focused on the golden liquid; then, when Cel tried to stop pouring, Behemoth hit the table with his paws.

“Meow (More).”

“Are you asking for more?”

“Meow (Yes).”

“Alcoholic owner, alcoholic cat.”

Cel split the bottle of champagne with Behemoth. Kleio couldn’t afford to drink any himself, as the alcohol felt like it was poisoning him when Perception was turned on.

‘Damn, if it weren’t for my position, I would enjoy it.’

He raised the intensity of Perception with that unjust thought. Since he couldn’t drink, he should get some reward. The main figures of the Albion kingdom were seated around him, so there was some juicy information to be had. Kleio started with a nearby table, where a chubby young man was talking to his superior, a middle-aged woman wearing a dark green robe.

‘It’s a formal dress I’ve never seen before. What secrets are they whispering like that?’

Even though they were close, the words of the two were oddly unfamiliar. This was his first time having trouble understanding someone since arriving in this world. As he listened attentively, Promise shined, and a new message floated before him.

[Bound Item: Clio’s Promise]

[―The utilization rate of Promise has exceeded 30%, and the requirements of multilingual analysis are satisfied for the second stage function Understanding.

*The utilization rate of the item is proportional to the narrative involvement.]

Kleio’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar message.

‘What? Multilingual interpretation function?’

Immediately after the message vanished, he could understand the duo’s conversation.

“[It’s the first time I’ve seen all three princes sat together since I’ve joined Albion.]”

“[This is my first time as well.]”

“[Why is that, consul?]”

“[You don’t know? This country has no tradition of inheritance by the firstborn. Those three princes are at each other’s throats. In particular, the second prince is anxious to kill the third one.]”

“[Then, is the third prince the cursed child of rumor?]”

“[Where do you pick up those half-assed rumors? The cursed child of the royal family refers to the first.]”

“[The blameless crown prince?]”

The young man’s eyes widened cartoonishly, and his hands shook with disbelief.

‘I heard that the diplomats are fans of Melchior, and this seems to be evidence of it.’

The cursed child seemed to have been meant for Arthur, but there appeared to be a twist here as well.

‘All the princes are black sheep, it seems.’

“[Hmm, are you twenty-four this year? Since so many years have passed, it can’t be helped. I’ll explain the details later. There must be a lot here who speak Carolingian.]”

Realizing that Kleio was listening to the conversation at the other table, Cel came to jab his side.

“What interesting story does the consul of the Principality of Spekulum and her secretary have to tell?”

“Ah, it’s about the princes, I think… but I didn’t hear it well. Hey, Cel, do people from that principality speak a different language than those in Albion?”

“It’s a small principality with people who speak Carolingian and Brunnen. Consul Jacqueline there speaks Carolingian.”

“…It’s like that.”

“Lei, you can’t act, so don’t even think of lying. Pretending you don’t know anything, even after you know everything. Can you speak it?”

“Well… it’s been so long; it’s unfamiliar.”

An important question was resolved. This new function allowed him to tune into their conversation like it was a radio frequency, through the power of Promise.