Chapter 17 A Ride Home
When the first course came out, Dominic realized just how fancy this place was. There was real gold on the trim of all the dishes, actual silver silverware, and the hostess had mentioned a total of eight courses.
Fortunately, they were all small, so he wouldn't be embarrassing himself by having to decline portions of the meal, but still, the Nobles here really went all out. Or perhaps it was because the Guards were courting the Princess that the older sisters had gone all out at a public restaurant.
Not that it was hard to avoid embarrassing himself. Josephine, the elder of the twin Princesses, was a boisterous sort, and had a wealth of stories about combat actions and the antics of bored Princesses in the Palace to keep them going, while Alexis filled in the details and made sure that her older sister didn't skip over any of the embarrassing parts.
Dominic kept up polite conversation with the two older sisters, while the Paladins all did their best to impress Princess Eleanor. They had a much better grasp of her personality than the students had, and Elanor spent the entire meal smiling and laughing. But eventually, everyone was stuffed and half drunk, so it was time to return home for the evening.
"Gentlemen of the Order, it was a pleasure to have you all dine with us tonight. We will arrange a ride back to the barracks for you, and we wish you luck on your next mission." The oldest Princess informed the group of Royal Guards, who all made a point to say a formal goodbye to the three Princesses before following the team leader out of the private dining room.
"Elanor, you're riding with me, and Alexis will take your friend back to the smithy." Princess Josephine instructed in a dry tone.
"Of course. It was a lot of fun. I will be sure to look you up the next time I can get leave to head out of town." Elanor declared, waving her goodbyes to Dominic on the way out under the envious glares of the other patrons.
Their attitudes were making Dominic a bit nervous that they would come to make trouble for Pops, but Princess Alexis had no such concerns.
"Head up, shoulders back. Don't look like you're going to murder them in public. Remember, half of these people have no magical defences at all. A single flame attack would wipe out half the restaurant." The Princess whispered, making Dominic smile.