Chapter 107: The Queen Goes to the Fruit Parlor
Chapter 107: The Queen Goes to the Fruit Parlor
Judging from how shaken everyone in the room looked, it seemed the Queen’s words would have to be made reality. She hadn’t said anything crazy like "defeat the demon king" — she just wanted to visit a shop in the commoner district. It wasn’t an impossibly high hurdle, and it wasn’t something that couldn’t be done. Details like security arrangements and choosing escorts would be handled by other people.It occurred to me then that while living in the rear palace, I basically ate whatever was served without leaving any leftovers. Refusing food or expressing likes and dislikes was strictly not allowed. To me, it felt almost like being forced, but for royalty and high-ranking nobles, this was probably completely natural. Eating everything cleanly without complaint was simply one of the expected skills. Saying you wanted to eat something because you liked it was probably also not permitted. The only real freedom seemed to be in choosing drinks.
At meals, you could choose between wine, juice, or tea. Most people chose wine, but occasionally there were people who couldn’t drink it and would pick juice instead. Tea seemed to be more common during snack time rather than with meals.
Other alcohols like beer, whiskey, and brandy were probably recreated by people who came from other worlds in the past. But they didn’t seem to exist here.
In any case, with a single word from the Queen, it was decided that we would go to that shop. His Majesty’s approval would probably be needed, but the Queen’s wishes would likely take priority.
Because this matter was now set in stone, the attendants seemed to have concluded that if they left me here any longer, I would say something else unnecessary and cause them even more trouble.
For some reason I didn’t fully understand, the attendants told the Queen that she had other scheduled matters and began trying to usher me out. Since I didn’t have much more to talk about anyway, I was grateful to be released and left the room.
Cantoner guided me out. When I first met him, he had seemed rather cheerful, but now his shoulders were slumped and he looked utterly dejected. He was probably thinking about how to take the Queen to the fruit parlor. Every now and then he glanced at me with a resentful look. Hey, I already said it, so there’s nothing I can do about it now.
I was taken to Lord Richelieu’s room. When I entered, Lord Richelieu and several others were waiting for me.
"Straight to the point — could you tell me what kind of conversation you had?"
Lord Richelieu’s tone was polite, but his expression was stern. However, the moment I mentioned that the Queen wanted to go to the fruit parlor, his face became even more grim. Silence filled the room. After a while, he turned to Relf.
"Relf, I’m sorry, but I need you to go to the Queen immediately and discuss the arrangements for her visit to that fruit parlor. You’ve been there yourself, correct? Then you should be able to make arrangements that suit Her Majesty’s wishes. I’m sorry to ask this of you."
For a split second, Relf made a face like "Ugh!", but he quickly regained his composure.
"Understood."
He bowed and left the room.
When asked if there was anything else, I replied that there wasn’t really anything more to report.
"How was Prince Alan? What impression did you have of him, Lord Robin?"