Bab 77: Old friend (1)
Victoria's house was situated in the middle of the neighborhood. Among the homes of wealthy merchants, it stood out with its grand size and modest decor.
"Wow, Vi, this is a real palace!" Katrina was genuinely happy for her friend. Not many commoners managed to achieve such recognition.
"Oh, no, princess, not at all," the paladin lowered her head with a hint of guilt. "The house is indeed large, but I'm not much of a lady. They granted me the title of Captain of the Royal Guard for my combat skills. Still, I was 'too young and inexperienced' to receive a noble title, so they rewarded me with this splendid house in the capital. But without the title, my income is just the captain's salary, which covers my living expenses and new gear. I couldn't become a noblewoman or even a respectable lady; I always choose a new mithril helmet over a beautiful dress."
If you looked closely, Victoria was quite an attractive young woman, although her short haircut and slightly prominent muscles made her resemble a boy.
"Please come in; I'll be right back," the hostess invited us into the grand hall by the main entrance and then hurried upstairs.
"Hmm, it would be interesting to see her without the armor," I mused, watching the girl leave, but immediately sharp pain shot through my leg. The princess's pointed boot heel was pressing against my shoe. "I meant in a dress, in a dress... Really."
Katrina chuckled, removing the boot from my foot and settling onto the nearest couch. The room had only a few pieces of furniture, aside from a coffee table by the right wall, there were a couple of couches and a few chairs, enough for all of us to sit. However, upon closer inspection, one could notice the absence of any decorations. There were no paintings on the walls, a plain chandelier hung from the ceiling, and even the fireplace looked rather unremarkable against the vast room.
"This place is more like a pretty barracks," Seleria voiced my thoughts. "Apart from this furniture, there's nothing else here."
"I think it's just simple and tasteful," Katrina tried to defend her friend. "There's nothing excessive."
"Well, considering your room, yeah," I recalled Katrina's tiny room where the only decorations were some clock gears above her head. "But with such a splendid house, she could have invested a bit more in the furniture."
"No, well... she simply..." Katrina hesitated. "It's just that she doesn't need it."
An awkward silence fell upon us, but soon it was interrupted by the return of the house's hostess, now dressed in a simple brown dress that one could find on a tradesman's daughter from the lower city. At first glance, Victoria could pass for a servant rather than the owner of the house.
"You must be terribly hungry; let's go to the kitchen," she said, leading us through her home. It was large enough to accommodate twenty people, yet there didn't seem to be any servants here.
"Do you live here alone?" I inquired.
"Yes, it's just simpler that way, and I'm not used to having a lot of people around. But don't worry; I have enough beds to accommodate all of you. Is it okay if some of you share a double bed?"
The hostess looked uncertainly at the girls. Kurone and Katrina blushed and hesitated, glancing at the others.
"No, don't worry," I grinned mischievously, observing the two flustered faces. "Algo and Leira can share a bed; they're actually a married couple."
"Oh, well then, that's fine," Victoria replied. "Just please try not to make too much noise at night; the acoustics here are quite good."
And now there was a slight tension between them; it seemed they hadn't progressed that far in their relationships.
"Well, then I'll sleep with Kurone!" Vina rushed to hug Kurone.
"That's great. The rest of you just pair up, and you can take any available rooms on the second floor."
"We don't want to inconvenience you; what if we accidentally take your room?"
"Don't worry about that; I sleep here," Victoria replied. Finally, we reached the kitchen, but stopping one door before it, Victoria opened a small pantry nearby. Inside was a simple space with bare stone walls, a small window, and a single wooden soldier's bed against the wall. It looked more like a monk's cell than the room of a high-ranking official.
"Haha, well then, we won't hold back," I glanced at the others, but they seemed even more confused than I was. Only Katrina gestured that she would explain everything later.
"And this is the kitchen. Please, take a seat, and I'll prepare something for you."
The kitchen also served as a dining room; I wouldn't be surprised if there was another dining room in the house, where the hostess visited only once during the inspection. Victoria sat us down at a long table in the center of the room and started bringing supplies from the pantry.
"So, there's oats, barley, buckwheat... What would you like?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Seleria didn't seem to understand what she was talking about. Clearly, a spoiled princess.
"No, I could also prepare vegetables or soup for you, but it will take some time... Oh, what a fool I am! I should have greeted my guests better. I'll go to the butcher now and roast you a nice wild boar."
By the looks on Seleria and Leira's faces, they were definitely not expecting such a blow to their soldier's stomachs from the food.
"Teacher, maybe you can help Victoria," Seleria suggested.
"Oh no, don't worry, I'm good at cooking. All the guys say so."
I suspect soldiers on campaigns or guard duty don't really care what they eat if it's prepared by an attractive girl, even if she's their commander.
"Well, well, it's not nice to make the hostess do everything for us when she has already given us a place to stay. Let's treat her, and she can show the girls where the supplies are."
"Okay, come with me, and I'll show you everything."
"I'll help too!" Vina followed the girls.
"And me!"
"And me!"
The synchronicity of the twins sometimes even scared me. The red princess was relieved.
"Thanks, Krito, well done. I don't think I could eat barley with a roasted boar."
"But I would," Ragni happily drooled over the imaginary boar.
"Well, yes. You'd eat a stool if it was roasted," Ragni pouted at Seleria's words but chose not to respond to the sassy princess.
"Maybe we should have helped too?" Katrina said. "It doesn't look nice."
I surveyed the people present. Seleria - Princess of Leran, held a knife, but she only knew about food preparation from the cook. I'm sure she'd burn the whole kitchen down at the first opportunity, along with the food.
Leira - a former noblewoman, previously knew nothing about cooking, but surely tried her hand at it after bankruptcy, with probably disastrous consequences for those around her, as evident by Algo's fearful look.
Katrina - knows that food is either brought to her door or can be purchased at the cafeteria. She probably thinks that food magically appears on plates like it grows on trees.
Rizel - in her current state, I can't vouch for the safety of her dishes.
Asura - most likely knows many recipes, but the fact that Werner, not she, prepares the cafe food according to her recipes says a lot.
Ragni - why do I have a feeling that she'll opt for the same barley with roasted boar, or better yet, a whole bull for each of us... Better not take any risks.
"Has anyone cooked before?"
"I know some edible roots and herbs, and I'm a master of survival in the wild!" Asura proudly crossed her arms over her chest. Danger!
"Who do you take me for? To have a princess cook for herself?!?!" Seleria chuckled smugly.
"And what does cooking mean? Didn't they go to the basement for food?" Katrina, you're just a big child!!!
"Hahahaha! I know how to cook!" Leira proudly stood up from the table, hands on her hips. "Algo said I'm good at making sandwiches."
I looked at the trembling swordsman; his face turned pale, and he was fervently crossing himself while muttering some prayer. Could it be that she cooks THAT badly?
"Let's not disturb them; there might not be enough room for everyone in the kitchen."
Soon the girls returned with supplies from the pantry and a few fresh fruits and a large piece of meat from the nearby shop.
"So, they kicked me out of the kitchen," Victoria sadly said, taking a seat. "Well, what was wrong with my choice? I'm not a master chef, of course, but my food always turns out edible. And the root soup I make is a real feast."
Seleria's stomach slightly churned at the hostess's words.
"Well, our princesses probably aren't used to such simple food."
"Princesses?" Victoria stressed the last letter.
I silently pointed at Katrina, Ragni, and Seleria. Victoria simply lowered her head in surprise.
"Verania, Dragons, Leran," I repeated my actions.
"Huh?" The captain of the guard scrutinized the girls more attentively. "Ahh!!"
She dropped to her knees and began apologizing profusely.
"Please forgive me for not recognizing you right away; there's just so much going on. And I didn't know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
A little more, and she would've hit her forehead on the floor. Even the previously annoyed Seleria felt uncomfortable.
"Oh, no, don't worry, although it was a bit hurtful when you didn't even recognize my last name. Besides, I'm not on good terms with my father now."
"And don't worry about me," the dragoness proudly thumped her chest. "Even though I'm a princess, I don't care what I eat as long as it's tasty and preferably in large quantities."
That's a person without any grandiosity complex. Even though her mother rules all the dragons on the continent, she's more concerned about her own stomach.
"Thank you for your kindness. But I'm glad the princesses have made friends, even though your parents aren't getting along."
Seleria blushed slightly and looked at Katrina. They might not be best friends, but their relationship wasn't that bad either. At that moment, Victoria remembered something important.
"Oh! How could I forget? You're all covered in soot from that dungeon. Let me show you to the bath, and I'll take the clothes to a familiar tailor, and everything will be ready by tomorrow."
Indeed, the only ones who suffered from the dungeon were Seleria and Katrina. They had washed up a bit in the library, but traces of burns still remained on them.
"Come on, you'll have time to wash up before dinner."
Victoria urged the girls and left the room with them.
"A shared bath... interesting..." I watched the girls leave.
"Ahem," a shiver ran down my spine. Asura was lightly running her fingers along the sword hilt. Better not take any risks.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone