章 5: The Compassion of a King

King Adrian was sitting at his room's balcony that overlooked the glorious city of Dathria...at least it used to be like that. Now, the view was that of the surviving citizens of Vathria hard at work building temporary settlements out of wood. Knights of the military were also arriving within every few dozen minutes carrying beasts that will be used as a food supply.

"Are you enjoying the meal, my liege?" Braum was standing next to King Adrian's seat. King Adrian had a meal in the table in front of him.

"I do. This meat..." King Adrian never tasted this animal before.

"It's a species from this world....it seems to be the cross of a boar and a deer...the animal has horns and all. It's fascinating." Braum replied.

"It's delicious...but the cooking..." King Adrian frowned at something. Braum thought this was due to the food.

"Is something not to your satisfaction? Shall I execute the Chef? The previous head chef did not survive the invasion." Braum's eyes turned sharp. As a right-hand man, his job was to make sure everything goes smoothly for the King.

"No! No no. It's not like that. It's the opposite. It's TOO delicious. The ingredients were mostly from the leftovers we had, correct?" King Adrian turned to Braum for an answer.

"That is correct. We always use the finest ingredients fit for a royalty in this castle." Braum answered proudly.

"I... can't have that for myself. How is the meat cooked for the citizens?" King Adrian asked again.

"Well....the meat is turned into soft minces and served as soups...they're quite tasteless but it's enough for them to survive," Braum replied.

"That's not good enough. Many of them just lost their family and their entire nation. I can't have my people suffering like this. Braum." King Adrian's voice turned firm.

"Y-yes, Your Majesty?" Braum was taken aback and stuttered a bit. Even a former fearsome general would be surprised when his King suddenly turned serious.

"I want to arrange a feast for tonight. Make some space outside the castle to cook and Invite every citizen to come. We will use the ingredients we have in the castle for the food." King Adrian said seriously.

"B-but Your Majesty! Your food will not be as satisfactory as it is now after this..." Braum was hesitating. In his heart, he commended the king for thinking of the people but as an official tasked to serve the King, he still wished to not do anything that would cause discomfort for the King.

"All the more reason to develop quickly, isn't it? Our ingredients are made mostly out of spices that grow in our kingdoms, correct? And we still have some of their seeds in this castle." King Adrian replied.

"Your Majesty! Of course!" Braum started to smile as he realized what the King was thinking about.

"You finally got it. Inform the Head of Agriculture & Maritime, Niko Branstein, to find a way to grow the crops from our kingdom here. And yes, arrange the feast. Do it now." King Adrian dismissed Braum.

"It shall be done!" Braum saluted the King respectfully and left the balcony.

King Adrian was sipping on his drink while looking to the people below him. He noticed there's a maid attending to him near the door of the balcony.

"Hey." King Adrian called out to the maid in a somewhat casual manner.

"Y-yes, Your Majesty!" The maid was surprised that the King suddenly called out to her. She seemed a bit young so she looked like she did not have much experience dealing with royalties.

"It's fine, don't be nervous. You know, I only talk like that with the officials. You know the rumors about me, correct? I liked playing with the local children when I was a kid. All my life, all my friends and the people I knew well were mere peasants." King Adrian was talking to the maid, but it seemed like he was talking to himself.

The maid did not know how to reply so she just stayed silent. This might seem rude but she truly did not know what to say.

"You know one of the most regretful things in our current situation?" King Adrian asked the maid.

"I-I do not know, Your Majesty." The maid answered with a soft voice.

"No artists and entertainers were at the list of people who survived. Do you know what that would imply? No music! No plays! No poets! No entertainment! It's a shame none of them made it to the castle. This is a tragedy." King Adrian said passionately.

The maid did not know how to reply again. She did not expect at all that this was what the King would be like privately.

"I'll have to do something about that soon enough. A kingdom without art is not a place where I would want to live in." King Adrian stood up from his chair and approached the maid.

The maid was yet again surprised that the King suddenly walked towards her.

"A-are you finished with your meal, Your Majesty? I-I shall clean the table." To combat her nervousness, the maid diverted the attention away. But suddenly, the King grabbed her wrist.

"Eh?" The maid was shocked.

"We still have a couple of hours left till the feast, do you want to accompany me until then?" King Adrian asked.

The maid's face was flushed. She thought the King must have meant something else.

"I-I don't understand, Your Majesty." The maid replied while blushing.

"My room is right there, what is there to understand? Do not worry, if you reject me, I shall pretend this never happened. No consequences will befall you or anyone near you." King Adrian flashed a sincere smile.

The maid's face went red again after she realized what the King meant.

"Then..." The maid looked down. She showed a slight hint of confirmation.

"Then come here." King Adrian pulled the maid to his room and closed the door of the balcony. There was still a couple of hours left before the feast.