When the story was all over and we left the study, Seria’s expression was slightly flushed.
I thought maybe she was tired from struggling in the air, but… when I heard her softly spoken words, it didn’t seem like that was the case.
“…Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For my story. For making it sound nice.”
It seemed she was grateful that I had spiced up her story when telling it.
But honestly, it was something that should have been done naturally. How could I just tell her parents the plain truth?
If I said she spent all her time hanging out with me, they would definitely freak out. No, freaking out would be the best-case scenario.
If they took it the wrong way, it might not be Seria floating in the air anymore—it could be me.
So, I just lied a bit, saying she often went out with her same-sex friend Lilith and that she was building a friendship with Alkiné, the Student Council President, to prepare for Student Council activities. It sounded somewhat plausible.
As for her studies, since Seria always does her best, I told them exactly what I saw.
And about her magical abilities, it’s clear that she’s at an absurd level right now, so I praised her properly and suggested they check it out for themselves.
Of course, after getting to know Seria, I realized she’s more of a weirdo than I thought… There’s a lot to talk about in that regard, but…
“It’s only natural to save face in front of your parents.”
No matter how embarrassing things your friends do, those are just memories between us.
Daring to spread that to your parents is a taboo that should never be broken.
With that in mind, I just casually made things up, but her gratitude made me feel awkward, so I decided to change the subject.
“So, anything else to do?”
“No. If there is, someone will come and let us know.”
So, from now on, let’s just take a walk or something.
Seria said that and dragged me outside.
The place she headed to was the central garden we had passed on the way to the study earlier, and as soon as we arrived, a strong floral scent hit my nose.
Looking at the flowers planted there, they were all types that Seria liked.
None of them should be blooming at this time of year. But since Seria likes them, they’re just magically maintained all year round.
Considering the scale of the Royal Palace’s garden, the maintenance cost must be no joke. By royal standards, it’s probably just pocket change.
“Rudion. Come, sit down.”
As I walked, admiring the scenery where money was practically leaking out, we arrived at a table placed somewhere in the garden.
Seria hopped onto one chair and pointed to the opposite chair, calling me over.
This is just like killing time at the Academy. I didn’t think it would be any different.
Following her words, I sat down and enjoyed the breeze mixed with the scent of flowers for a moment, then casually asked.
“Can’t we go back now?”
“Of course not. What are you talking about? Really.”
Honestly, there was nothing left for me to do.
I managed to avoid the schemes (?) of the Emperor who had sentenced me to death, and I left a decent impression on the Empress who had summoned me just to see my face.
As for the Emperor…
Although the three sons are still around, it’s clear that they won’t pay much attention to me since Seria coming home is more important to them.
So, I wanted to go back alone if possible…
“I already mentioned it earlier, so Rudion will be staying in the guest room.”
Seeing Seria say this much, I guess it’s decided.
Looks like I’ll have to stay here for a few days.
The Royal Palace guest room… I know it’s a place that’s rarely opened since there aren’t usually guests staying over at the Royal Palace. I never thought I’d be the one using it.
Mentioning the guest room suddenly reminded me of all the hidden gimmicks in the Royal Palace, but Seria’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“And… while you’re at the Royal Palace, you’ll have to spend time with my family, so I probably won’t have much time to hang out with Rudion. Sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? That’s why I came in the first place.”
If she sticks around with me too much even at the Royal Palace, who knows what kind of trouble we’d get into. It’s better to be treated like leftovers.
Wait, did you just say you have to ‘play’ with your family? So you do realize your position, huh?
“You won’t have much to do without me, will you be okay?”
Saying that makes it sound like I’m some loner with no friends.
But considering I came along as a guest in an awkward position, it’s not wrong to say it’d be weird for me to wander around the Royal Palace without her.
“I don’t mind.”
It’s not a lie; I really don’t mind.
Her worries are pointless because the moment I stepped into the Royal Palace, I was overwhelmed by all the content.
If there’s nothing to do, I’ll just make something to do. Right?
“…Well, if it’s lazy Rudion, he’ll probably do just fine holed up in his room. If you get bored, grab a few books from the library and read.”
Seria, unaware of my inner thoughts, seemed to feel guilty about leaving me alone.
What can I do? I’ll just have to accept her suggestion to lighten the mental load.
“Reading books doesn’t sound bad. Maybe I’ll check out that ‘Star Journey’ series you like?”
“Huh? Rudion, you know about that? Have you read it?”
“No, I haven’t read it, just know the title.”
Maybe because her favorite book series came up, Seria’s tone got a bit more excited.
“In the ‘Star Journey’ series, understanding stars is really important. In this book, stars are not only the foundation of society but also the source of magic. The principles of magic related to stars are…”
And then she started explaining the background of the book… but honestly, I didn’t even understand half of it because I haven’t read it.
Still, I couldn’t just cut her off while she was so passionate, so I kept listening. Suddenly, Seria tilted her head, realizing something was off.
“Huh? But how did you know I like that series? I don’t remember telling you.”
Well, it’s in the setting book.
According to the setting book, she’s read the ‘Star Journey’ series dozens of times.
How much must she have loved it to…
It was written that I carried it in my bag throughout my academy life.
“You always carry that book in your bag, don’t you?”
That’s why I could confidently answer her question.
Since I had actually seen it in her bag when she was organizing it, I had no worries about being wrong.
“When did you even see that? Seriously, you always have a keen eye for the weirdest things.”
Even though the setting book was half meaningless with all its twists and turns, it still felt valid in this part.
“But are you really going to read it?”
“Maybe. I’m starting to get a bit interested.”
At first, it was just a sudden thought, but as I talked about it, I genuinely got curious.
The main text of the book wasn’t implemented in the game, but here, I could actually read it.
What kind of amazing content made me read it dozens of times? I thought I should make time to read it once.
“Is it in the library?”
“Ah, no need to go that far. I have it in my room, so I’ll bring it to you later.”
“Then, thank you.”
So, you had it stored in your room. Thanks to that, I didn’t have to go through the trouble of finding it in the library.
“Ugh, I want to talk about what’s in it, but I guess I can’t. Hurry up and read it all, then tell me. I’ve always dreamed of discussing this book with a friend.”
“Then you should’ve told me to read it sooner.”
“I thought Rudion didn’t read books. I didn’t even think you knew about the ‘Journey of the Stars’ series.”
I’m still a model student with perfect grades, isn’t that a bit too much?
Hmm… I guess it’s understandable since I always doze off during lectures.
As we chatted like that, evening was approaching before we knew it.
And then…
“Oh my, Rudion is here too? I didn’t think you’d come, this is unexpected.”
“I wasn’t planning to. But His Majesty the Emperor personally summoned me…”
I was forcibly dragged to the dinner table.
At first, when Seria asked me to come along, I made excuses, saying I didn’t want to intrude on her family’s meal.
But since the Emperor himself summoned me, I couldn’t refuse.
In the end, I ended up in an extremely uncomfortable situation, sitting among Seria’s entire family… even being seated between her three brothers.
Just by the looks in their eyes, it felt like they were ready to stab me with the knives meant for cutting meat.
If I eat here, I might just get indigestion.
Unaware of my worries, the dishes started filling the table one by one.
As the meal preparations were completed, the sound of utensils clinking naturally began to echo.
Even as the meal started, the gazes directed at me remained, but I couldn’t just sit there staring at the food, so I sneakily picked up some food and put it in my mouth.
‘…This is delicious.’
It was hard to take the first bite, but once the delicious food entered my mouth, my hands couldn’t stop.
At some point, I was so focused on the meal that I didn’t even care about the stares anymore.
The Emperor, his sons, they all seemed to have a lot to say to me…
It looked like there was a lot… but I didn’t know I could eat this well, so they were too stunned to say anything.
Yeah, even a dog knows not to bother someone while they’re eating. If I pull out this mukbang strategy, even the Emperor can’t do anything about it.
In the end, the quiet atmosphere lasted until the meal was over.
Normally, we’d exchange a few words with family during meals, but today, it seemed like they were holding back, probably because their plan to confront me fell through.
“I thought that kid wouldn’t care much… but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”
“Honestly, same. How does food even go down in that atmosphere?”
Seeing that, Seria quietly exchanged a few words with her mother, but that was it.
Phew, how’s that? This is my meal-fu.
If you’re Korean, you can’t help but fall for it, right?
Of course, this is a game world… but since the game itself has a strong Korean vibe, it’s not entirely wrong.
And so, I barely managed to break through the awkward situation…
“Here, Rudion. Eat this too.”
Just when I thought it was over, Seria suddenly transferred the meat from her plate to mine.
Since it was out of reach, she used magic to send the whole plate flying to me.
“…Seria? What’s this…?”
“What? We always do this.”
No, Seria. Sure, we did this all the time in the student cafeteria, but doing it here too…?
“Always? You two eat together every time?”
“As your brother, I can’t let this slide. You, come with me right now.”
“What are you talking about, bro? Let’s just kill him here.”
“Brothers, calm down. Killing him is too merciful. We should torture him as painfully as possible…”
Of course, this kind of reaction was expected.
Seria was grinning, clearly knowing what she was doing. She’s like this when she steals drinks at the cafe too. She’s gotten a taste for it.
But back then, it was just the guards. Now it’s in front of family. Did you really have to do this?
The only saving grace was that the Empress seemed to understand Seria’s intentions and just smiled without reacting.
Still, it didn’t really improve the situation. The three loudest ones were already causing chaos.
“Give me some meat too, Seria!”
“Brother, that’s not the point right now!”
“But I can’t resist when Seria gives me meat.”
“Little sister, what are you even trying to do?!”
Haha, what a mess. I just decided to finish the plate Seria handed over.
It had cooled down a bit, but it was still delicious.
