### Chapter Seventeen: Conversation Over Dinner
Ugh…
Is this considered an indirect kiss?
I don’t think so.
I mean, sharing food among girls is a totally normal thing, right?
Back at the academy, situations like this happened all the time… pastries, lamb legs, you name it—everyone would take a bite here and there. Especially Salad; every time I ate, she would swoop in to steal a taste, sometimes deliberately taking a bite from the same spot I did. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but I didn’t see any real issue.
But with Viki, it suddenly felt super awkward.
Especially seeing that little grin on her face…
What are you laughing at, huh?
I paused chewing, slowly adjusted my seating position, feeling a bit complicated. Suddenly, I felt uncomfortable. When I looked up, I saw Sister Annie staring wide-eyed, darting her gaze between me and Her Majesty the Queen, saying, “You two…?”
But she was evidently surprised for a different reason: “Pepé, you and Her Majesty are so close?”
Firebird was probably shocked to her core.
That’s the Queen of Ethanbel we’re talking about—the infamous Black Mandala, a lofty and proud woman. Even here, doing her best to seem approachable, her intimidating presence always kept her under pressure.
Meanwhile, Pepé seemed completely unfazed by it all. The whole “feeding” act came off as completely natural, like it was an everyday occurrence. This left Annie feeling incredulous, worrying for a moment that Her Majesty might get angry, jeopardizing the freshly formed friendship between the two nations…
But she quickly realized—Pepé had just called her Viki, which sounded like a nickname only close family would use. Their relationship was likely much deeper than she imagined.
Was there something that happened back in the Royal City?
“Peilo is the awarder of the Ethanbel Peace Medal,” Viki spoke up officially, “When she was in the Royal City, we teamed up to fight a powerful monster.”
“A monster… from the Abyss?”
Annie said, suddenly recalling something: “Oh right! I remember reading about that horrifying monster that appeared in Ethanbel. There was a famous nun who sacrificed herself in that battle…”
Firebird frowned deeply.
But the conversation hit a dull point here, so neither Viki nor I had anything else to say.
The pastry I had barely lingered in my mouth. Sticking with the philosophy that food is innocent, I chewed and swallowed it.
In the meantime, the maids brought out two more dishes, one of which was a vibrant red soup. At this point, it was getting hard to fit anything else on the long table. I counted—my mother had prepared eighteen dishes, all made with fancy cooking techniques and high-end ingredients. While I knew this was meant to impress Viki, I still thought it was a bit extravagant.
“Long live Her Majesty.”
Soon, Lady Catherine personally strolled in with the last dish, smiling at Viki casually, “My apologies for the delay. Conditions are limited, after all. This is the best I could find from the palace kitchen. Tonight’s dinner is like a family gathering, so please don’t mind it, Your Majesty.”
She set down a huge plate of Captain Gray in front of me.
“How could that be? You are too kind, dear Lady.”
Viki responded, “I didn’t expect you to remember my eating habits from casually chatting at Black Fort. I imagine these green foods were a bit of a challenge for you, though, right? You’ve gone through a lot of trouble.”
“Not at all.”
Lady Catherine smiled, “Her Majesty has dedicated so much for us. With the pressure from the Royal City Council, risking a clash with the Fourth Knights of the Church… this small dinner doesn’t even compare to that great debt of gratitude.”
As she spoke, it seemed she suddenly noticed where Viki was seated. She covered her mouth, eyes wide with surprise, “Oh my! Your Majesty can’t sit in such a lowly position! Don’t the palace attendants know any etiquette? Who put you here?!”
Lady Catherine turned toward the Head Maid nearby, who opened her mouth to explain but hesitated, glancing at the maid who had arranged the seating. That girl, busy fiddling with the candlelight, didn’t dare say anything and looked like she was about to cry from the guilt.
“Let it go, let it go.”
Lady Catherine obviously wasn’t genuinely scolding anyone. She waved her hand, then moved to the side of the main seat, pulling out a chair and gazing at Viki, her expression softening once more, mixed with a hint of regret.
“They’ve served under Lord Keynes in the palace for too long. Perhaps they aren’t familiar with Northern customs. Your Majesty, you simply cannot sit there! That’s where the younger generation goes. You’re a distinguished guest; you should sit here! Otherwise, when Skarlij arrives, he’s definitely going to give me an earful.”
Wait, Dad is coming too?
“That’s alright, dear Lady.”
However, Viki looked at Mother with an expression as calm as still water, unbothered: “Tonight is a family gathering; I’m only a few years older than Pepé. In your eyes, am I not just a younger generation?”
“That won’t do!”
Lady Catherine shook her head vigorously: “You hold the title of a kingdom’s ruler. How could you be classified as my junior? I can’t say that! We can only consider ourselves equals; otherwise, your generals outside will hear about this. If they find out you’ve been treated so poorly, oh boy!”
As she spoke, she was about to go “invite” the Queen to rise and move over.
“…Fine then.”
Seeing it was pointless to refuse, Viki stood up, but rather than moving right away, she grabbed my hand: “Pepé, come sit with me.”
No explanations, no reasons; she yanked a completely baffled me right up from my seat.
She was surprisingly strong, as if afraid I’d put up a fight.
?
I was really a bit confused.
What’s happening?
What’s the deal here?
Wasn’t I told to keep our relationship a secret from my mother?
Huh??
Why is this happening?!
I felt like I was short-circuiting, half-dragged to the side seat at the main table. I ended up sitting right next to Viki. During this process, I could clearly see my mother’s smile begin to stiffen.
“Your Majesty…”
Lady Catherine blinked for a moment: “This… seems a little out of place, doesn’t it?”
She didn’t know what else to say.
“What’s out of place?”
Viki calmly countered: “I haven’t seen her in ages. I just wanted to chat with her, dear Lady, let’s keep it casual.”
“……”
In the end, Mother resigned and sat down on another side seat.
“Mom…”
I hesitated for a long time, planning to explain but was met with a cool glare from her. She seemed troubled; I could tell.
And witnessing the subtle clash between the two, Firebird Annie slowly directed her gaze to the glittering array of dishes on the table, as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
