Chapter 13: Dinner For Two
After a few conversations, I asked Alfred to summon his subordinate in Durdan to come to Sciendufer. I requested that he assign one of his subordinates to monitor Mia and report everything she does. Then, I asked Alfred to keep an eye on me. For now, I am quite weak and my detection skills are not yet capable of sensing mana presence. I need to train my Arkium core to adapt to mana. For the remaining subordinate of Alfred, I asked him to have them monitor the surroundings of my dormitory building.
For now, Mia is the prime suspect. To avoid suspicion, Alfred and I must act as usual. No one knows if someone has implanted a trap in Mia's soul and body as a defense mechanism in case we act too aggressively.
Since Mia hasn't acted more suspiciously yet, we will carry on as usual.
"Our conversation drifted, and I forgot my purpose for questioning you," I said.
Alfred, who had been standing since entering the room, remained silent.
"You know I've lost some memories. So my question is, do you know who I've been in contact with recently?"
Alfred sighed when I asked that.
"I don't know much about who you met. Because you didn't allow me to follow you back then," Alfred answered.
I half-expected this result. But I didn't expect Edward not to allow Alfred to follow and guard him. From Alfred's answer, it seemed he didn't sneakily follow Edward. He just obeyed his orders.
I pondered and tried to remember again with Anetta's help, but it was futile. There was nothing I could recall about my suicide attempt.
"I only know you often met with Young Master Luthreun from your club. Ah, and I once saw you talking with the son of Count Mahbas," Alfred continued after stroking his chin.
I frowned. I didn't know how many people Edward had contact with. But Alfred only knew one?
"Damn, this is purely my fault for not bringing you along back then."
What I remember from Edward's memories is that the Vallois and Mahbas families had a good relationship. Not very close, but good. That's it.
Count Mahbas has one son, Nikolai Ludomir Mahbas. He is a second-year student in the Hero Department of Sveitmann Academy and ranks in the top 30 out of about 140 students. He is one of my sister Yolina's potential suitors.
It's a beneficial engagement for Yolina, you could say. Yolina is the sixth child of the Vallois family. The chances of Yolina securing the patriarch's seat are very low. Sensing an opportunity to establish a connection with the Vallois family, Count Mahbas offered his eldest son as a match.
As the first son with much potential and a good nature, Nikolai is almost guaranteed to inherit the patriarch's seat in the future if nothing goes wrong. If Yolina ends up with Nikolai, she will gain the position of the Lady of the Mahbas family in the future. Given the circumstances, the benefits lean more towards Yolina's side.
But that's an ideal scenario if the engagement succeeds. My mother, Eilif, and Marquis Vallois left the choice of suitors entirely to Yolina with some input and advice from my mother. Hence, the decision is in Yolina's hands. And her current choice is, including Nikolai, she ignores any suitors who approach her.
Despite being ignored, Nikolai has already fallen hopelessly for Yolina. He still likes Yolina even though she ignores him. Therefore, Nikolai often met with Edward to ask about her. And reluctantly, Edward answered some of Nikolai's questions as best he could. You could say the relationship between me and Nikolai is quite neutral.
But why is there a memory of Nikolai talking to me that is erased?
"When did you find us, Alfred?" I asked.
"Around a week before your suicide attempt," Alfred answered.
From a positive perspective, Nikolai came to me to talk about Yolina. And at that time, he said something that somehow connected to my suicide attempt. And if I entertain negative thoughts, of course, Nikolai directly or indirectly was involved in my suicide attempt.
What about Mia? For some reason, I don't feel any memory fragments missing when thinking about her.
'For Mia, I will be a bit patient.'
"Alfred, can you find information in Sciendufer about what I've been doing lately and who I've met, things like that?" I asked.
Alfred immediately responded.
"Of course, Young Master."
I looked at the clock and saw that an hour had passed.
"I think that's enough for now, you can deactivate the sound magic and you may leave."
As I commanded, Alfred immediately deactivated the soundproof magic and bowed.
"Oh, before you go, has Mia told you anything?"
Alfred stopped when I stopped him with a question.
"She said she will be buying groceries in the general region in the future," Alfred replied.
…
Thirty minutes after Alfred left the room, I got up from the bed. I had been lying down during that time to cool my head.
As I stretched, a knock sounded at the door. It knocked three times.
"Young Master, your dinner is ready."
A soft feminine voice came from behind the door. The sound was slightly muffled because it was in a different room. It was Mia's voice.
I walked to the door. When I opened it, I saw her figure, reaching up to my chin, looking at me with surprise.
"I-I'm sorry!"
Mia bowed and stepped back away from me. I could see her trembling.
'Edward, you're such a bastard! How could you hurt this fragile and cute creature who you once considered a friend?'
I just sighed and looked at the trembling Mia.
"Join me for dinner. Invite Alfred to join as well. I'll follow soon," I said casually.
Mia lifted her head and looked at me. Her gaze was as curious as before. Then she bowed again.
"M-Mr. Alfred left 20 minutes ago to carry out your orders. Mr. Alfred said to inform you when you come out of the room," Mia replied nervously.
'Eh, he didn't use a Communication Orb to contact his subordinates,' I thought.
When I stayed silent without answering, Mia added, "M-Mr. Alfred also said he will return in a day and left a message for you."
Mia extended both hands holding a piece of paper. I took it and unfolded the small note.
"I'm going to Durdan to order your sword. While I'm placing the order, please use your old sword carefully." I muttered the message.
I think Mia could hear it. But that's okay. I didn't want her to become suspicious.
'He's going to Durdan to summon his subordinate. And for the next sentence, maybe he wants me to be more careful while he's away. Yes, even without being told, I'll remain cautious.'
After reading Alfred's message, I handed it to Mia to throw away in the kitchen trash bin.
"Is that all?" I asked Mia.
"Yes, Young Master," Mia replied.
"Then, go to the dining room first. I'll follow shortly," I said.
"O-Okay, Young Master."
After answering, Mia walked away down the hallway toward the common room. I returned to my room to wash my face and change clothes.
'By the way, I don't have a trash bin in the room. I'll buy one tomorrow.'
After changing clothes quickly, I walked to the dining room. When I got there, Mia was standing beside my chair. As I approached the chair, I pulled it out to sit. Mia did the same. Her hand stopped in mid-air, almost touching mine. Mia quickly withdrew her hand, stepped back slightly, and bowed.
"I-I'm sorry, Young Master!" Mia apologized frantically.
My posture and gesture didn't change. I was still frozen in the pose of pulling out the chair. Again, I sighed and immediately sat down.
"It's alright. Now, sit down!"
Mia, who was bowing, slowly corrected her posture and opened her mouth.
"It's an order, sit down!" Before Mia could refuse, I cut off her words before they could come out.
Mia clamped her lips shut and walked to the chair next to me. She slowly pulled out the chair and sat down. Mia didn't dare lift her head.
Ignoring the bowing Mia, I looked at the dishes already laid out on the table. I looked at the main dish. It looked like a meat stew.
"What meat is this?" I asked while looking at the main dish Mia made.
I glanced at Mia. She also glanced at me, but more focused on the stew I asked about.
"S-Silverveil Hare meat, Young Master," Mia replied.
"Hmmm, I'm always amazed by your cooking skills." I praised Mia without looking at her. It's not that I was too confident, but I hoped her reaction wouldn't be excessive.
When I looked at Mia's cooking, I could say this Silverveil Hare dish was well made. Silverveil Hare is a hare with soft silver fur, longer ears than ordinary hares, and larger than rabbits on Earth. Its meat has a soft texture and mild flavor, making it suitable for second-tier luxury dishes.
What Mia made was a Rabbit Casserole. Judging by the color, this dish looked similar to Coniglio all'Ischitana¹ on Earth. The side dish was something like Pasta Aglio e Olio². Then, there was Mousse au Chocolat³ as a dessert. And the drink was warm Lemon Tea, suitable for a cold evening in early January.
This drink reminded me of yesterday when Mia prepared it for me when Yolina came. Except that I asked for ice then.
"Alright, enough of admiring your cooking, let's eat!" I said, taking a fork and spoon.
When I glanced at Mia, I could see her cheeks slightly reddening.
"O-Okay, Young Master."
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¹Coniglio all'Ischitana is a Rabbit Casserole or Rabbit Stew dish typical of the island of Ischia in Italy, where the rabbit is cooked in a rich, spicy tomato sauce with herbs, chili, and garlic. This dish is usually served with pasta or polenta.
²Pasta Aglio e Olio is pasta with garlic, parsley, dried red chili flakes, and olive oil, served with tomato sauce.
³Mousse au Chocolat is a type of mousse or pudding made from chocolate, eggs, sugar, and cream. This dessert originates from France and is often served as a special occasion dessert in restaurants, often garnished with grated chocolate or whipped cream.
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