Episode 265 Banquet with the Princess (1)
Ray frowned over his mask at the words of the guards who asked to accompany him.
“So what happened?”
“The lord gave the order to bring him. It may be inconvenient, but please follow me.”
When the guards asked politely, Ray sighed.
Could it be that he was the person he had been looking for all along.
Now that this is the case, I can roughly guess why the princess came at the right time.
‘It’s a headache.’
arranged marriage.
As the fact that he is a saint becomes known to other kingdoms, it is quite predictable that other kingdoms and nobles will target him.
He also did not think that this would not happen.
But I didn’t expect to go out so blatantly.
A precious princess personally stepped into a territory on the periphery, and mobilized the army and enlisted soldiers to find a person who was said to be the lord of the territory.
At this point, it would be safe to say that the situation had been clearly clarified.
Ray glanced at the faces of the guards once.
Even now, if you set your mind to it, you can get away with it.
If that happens, the situation will become even more troublesome.
As long as you don’t leave this town, the pursuit under the guise of being checked will continue.
In that case, it would be comfortable to meet and tie the knot once.
‘Because I’m sorry if I made the village full of guards just because of me.’
I nodded my head with difficulty at the thought of the residents who were so afraid of the guards that they would not do business on market day.
“…song. Let’s meet again.”
“thank you.”
A heavy step fell.
The guide of the guards came to an end when the beautiful mansion he had seen before appeared.
As they bowed their heads, Ray walked through the open door into the garden.
I like the garden more pleasant than I thought.
Seeing him snooping here and there in small admiration, the lady-in-waiting in front of the mansion took a quick look at him.
A white robe that had faded from how long it had been worn with a strange mask.
On top of that, the appearance of looking around the mansion curiously is an unmistakable countryman.
‘It’s strange… Why did the viscount bring such a wacky man to the mansion?’
I can’t guess his intentions, but to her, he is a distant guest of the lord.
Naturally, the tone became more polite.
“I will guide you.”
* * *
“Princess courtesy, he has come.”
“Tell me that you are leaving soon.”
“All right.”
While she was in the middle of dressing up, she let out a sigh.
Since it was the first marriage talk his father brought up, he came because it was not the right thing to refuse without hearing the story.
Celestia, with a mixture of anticipation and tension, rose from her seat after finishing her makeup.
“It may be said in the past, but since he was a saint, his character would not be out of line. You must have broad knowledge and high knowledge.”
Celestia fully activated the happiness circuit to erase the tension.
* * *
At night, a banquet was held at the mansion to welcome Ray.
Local aristocrats from all over the world were eagerly invited.
However, even though the news was delivered in the afternoon, it was difficult to come to Viscount Gade’s estate from the nearby estate until evening.
So, there were only Princess Celestia and Viscount Gade’s family members in the mansion.
This is what Viscount Gade was aiming for.
Viscount Gade, who wanted to faithfully fulfill the role of Ojakgyo, connecting the princess and the saint, had no intention of handing over this opportunity to other nobles.
That’s why I deliberately sent the scorpion leisurely.
The Viscount bowed his head exaggeratedly.
“Meet the saint. It’s been a long time.”
Ray looked at him blankly.
As I took a reluctant step, my natural tone was brusque.
“Why do you keep calling busy people?”
He pretended to be busy, at least more leisurely than stones rolling along the roadside.
He even enjoyed his leisure time lying in the inn until he was discovered by the guards.
As the viscount who did not know such a fact, he had no choice but to mistakenly believe that the saint had led a very busy life.
“sorry. Even though I knew you were busy, I had no choice but to invite the Holy Son. Please forgive the rudeness.”
At Viscount Gade’s words, Ray felt that his predictions were becoming more and more materialized.
If Viscount Gade, the lord of this area, goes this far, it must be about an arranged marriage.
As evidence of that, Viscount Gade’s wife and Princess Celestia slowly walked down the stairs in the lobby.
The princess, wearing a small hair ornament and a sky-blue dress with a prominent shoulder line, met Ray’s eyes.
Flinching-
Celestia’s eyes twitched slightly when she saw the dirty robes and masks that were not suitable for the banquet.
But it was only an instant.
She returned to her original expression before she knew it, and greeted her by slightly pulling up her dress.
“Meet the saint. My name is Celia B. Celestia.”
Contrary to her example, who looked elegant even at a glance, Ray’s greeting started with a creaking head like a broken machine.
“It’s Ray. Now, I am not a saint or anything, so you can just call me by my first name.”
Embarrassed by the manners she had never heard of, Celestia replied without even realizing it.
“Yes yes…”
‘What kind of greeting…’
Dissatisfaction leaked from the heart.
He’s not even looking in his direction as he’s talking, so he can’t find it even if he tries to find something polite.
Celestia’s happiness circuit, which imagined a friendly man with broad knowledge and knowledge, was mercilessly destroyed by Ray, a man with a cold heart.
When we invited talented musicians to play good-to-listen music, the atmosphere of a banquet was exuded.
If there’s one flaw, it’s the one person who seems to have come to eat here.
She ate the food as if she had been possessed from earlier, but she ate so well that even the lady-in-waiting forgot her duty and stuck out her tongue.
Ray had been to and from the adventurer’s guild and inn.
Furthermore, the guards had rented out the village, so the only food we had was skewers sold at stalls.
There was no way he wouldn’t be happy to have a dinner after a long time.
“This is really delicious.”
“There are still many. Eat more if you like it. ha ha ha.”
Viscount Gade bursts into a lively laugh next to what else is so good.
The level of play was very similar.
Celestia sighed.
‘A person like that is my partner.’
I felt resentful of my father, whom I had never resented since I was born.
No longer feeling the need to enjoy the banquet, she said to the viscount.
“It’s late at night, so let’s go inside.”
“The banquet will be held tomorrow as well, so I hope the princess will enjoy it.”
There will be a banquet tomorrow too, so I want you to come out.
Celestia nodded once and left the lobby.
Ray, who had been foolishly focusing on food until now, looked at her back and put the tableware down.
* * *
Ray left the lobby and looked for a place to rest.
I hadn’t been assigned a private room yet, so I had nowhere to go.
So, he was looking for someone to guide him around, when a young lady-in-waiting passed by and spoke to him.
“A suspicious person.”
At the lady-in-waiting’s words, Ray pointed a finger at herself.
“Are you suspicious? I?”
He waved his hand as if to tell him not to joke.
Still, it just went well.
I needed someone to guide me, but now that I’ve met a lady-in-waiting, I can be guided to a private room.
“Little boy, I need a place to rest, can you guide me?”
“…”
The young lady-in-waiting stared at him blankly.
Judging by the filthy clothes and masked face, he is not a very special guest.
It was probably a guest of a low-end maid.
For such people, the mansion provided a lower class private room.
Because they needed a place to sleep the porters or coachmen who came from other territories.
The lady-in-waiting thought for a moment and nodded.
“Follow me. I will guide you.”
The place she arrived at was a fairly old building at a glance.
Ray looked at it and tilted his head.
‘Is the Viscount’s financial situation very bad?’
Wood chips fall from the outer wall.
There was no chair or table that had not withstood the storms of time.
Apparently, they were enjoying a luxurious banquet in the lobby, but looking at the current building, it seems like a dream.
The maid said to Ray, who was standing with a complicated expression.
“I have something else to do, so I’ll be gone.”
The maid nodded once and disappeared with quick steps.
In the end, Ray, who was left alone in the old annex, had no choice.
he thought nothing of it.
“As long as there is a roof, everything is a master bedroom and a bedroom.”
In the meantime, he was already a master of homelessness, having been commissioned by the guild and wandering around the battlefield or shelter.
As long as you can avoid the night dew, that place is a luxurious mansion.
It was more than a luxurious mansion, with a roof and blankets to cover.
* * *
Celestia was quite sarcastic.
I understand that the person I imagined and the saint in reality are far apart.
However, not knowing even basic etiquette is out of the question!
Maybe it’s because I’ve been studying science ever since I was young?
Celestia was more sensitive than others to manners and speech skills.
To her, today’s saint had no manners.
The greeting is only pretending to be heard, and the gaze loses focus and wanders here and there.
He came to the banquet hall in dirty clothes, and on top of that, he was wearing a mask.
Is that all?
The concept of chatting is in a hurry to fill one’s stomach as if it was left together while leaving the castle.
It was like having a banquet with a beggar.
“Haa… I came all the way here just for someone like that.”
It’s what I’ve been looking for for years and thinking about for years.
However, the shock was indescribable when those efforts and expectations were shattered at once.
For the first time, I couldn’t calm my excitement at the thought of going out of the castle to see the outside world, but now it’s all gone.
Feeling annoyed for some reason, Celestia sat down at the table as usual and opened a book.
It was a book that always brought peace of mind.
Only books that tell about experiences and thoughts she did not know were her friends and teachers.
Celestia’s expression softened little by little as she fell into the joy of learning.
