章 12: Breakfast
…
When Mattheus woke up the next morning, he felt a bit guilty for dumping his issues on Brunilda. Yes, he had gotten what he wanted in the end but he hadn't exactly meant to have Brunilda get on board the "cat-caper plan" because she was worried about him.
Sure, she had a legit reason to be worried about his continued well-being considering all the suspicious things the Original had been involved in, but Brunilda was now a cat. A well-muscled cat with a wicked set of claws but still maybe only 5 kg soaking wet.
Brunilda had always been protective. It was unsurprising when she ended up with a Guardian-type Title. As a human, he believed with all his might that she could take care of herself in any physical altercation. But, as a cat, even if she could use her skills he didn't think…
Mattheus glanced at the large cat who was poking through the closet for a moment. He suddenly recalled reading about how domestic cats were nature's killing machines, considering the amount of prey a cat could kill if left unchecked outdoors.
That Brunilda had an encyclopedic knowledge about the human anatomy for some reason, usually revealed when she joked about how unrealistic something was in a movie or game.
The already superior senses of a feline compared to a human being.
And the sharp teeth of an obligate carnivore.
Not to forget those sharp claws. Nope, he could never forget the claws.
"What's up?" Brunilda prompted.
"Nothing!" was Mattheus's response. He realized he had stopped moving and resumed getting ready.
Why was he even worried about Brunilda? He must need more sleep.
As a cat, the only thing Mattheus should worry about was Brunilda killing people instead of just subduing them with those built-in sharp "weapons" she now came with.
A dignified kitty being his bodyguard.
Yeah, sure. His masculine pride was secure enough to go with it (or maybe he just never had pride in the first place. Either worked).
After he finished dressing up for the day, he headed toward the dining hall with Brunilda trailing him.
Countess Crown was already at the table when the duo arrived.
"Good morning, Mother."
"Good morning, darling. Sit. Matilda, a place for our guest, please."
Mattheus noticed how the servants started moving. "Should we not wait for father?" he asked as he sat across from Helena Crown.
"No need. I am here. Good morning." It looked like the Earl had been awake for a while as the older man straightforwardly moved to sit at the head of the table as soon as he arrived.
Mother and youngest son returned the greetings in their own way.
"Good morning, Father."
"Good morning, dear."
Mattheus glanced at the place being set next to him, a bit bemused they somehow had a cushioned box ready to place as a booster on the chair beside him.
"Duchess Sophily's cat has been all the talk recently among the women. I heard she prefers duck, so I had the chef prepare some when Alfred mentioned she followed you home."
"Ah, thank you, Mother," Mattheus replied for Brunilda as plates were set before everyone.
Brunilda's plate was a small portion of diced duck meat that honestly reminded him of Michelin starred presentations with how fancily it was plated.
Honoria Crown had a different breakfast compared to her husband and son, lacking any type of meat. Mattheus had realized in the past few days that his mother ate breakfast mostly to keep the others company rather than actually wanting to eat. Having a very light breakfast kept her from standing out too much at the table.
Father and son had a full breakfast. Mattheus faltered for a moment when he saw his plate today was more Edgar proportions than his own preference.
"Is something wrong, Mattheus?" the countess inquired.
Pale eyes flickered up and across the table to meet the blue eyes of his mother. "There seems to be more food than usual?"
"You looked a bit pale last night, son," Alfred stated matter-of-factly as he started on his breakfast. "The wave-length of energy you naturally produce now can manipulate living organisms to a cellular level. It is a powerful ability but it is also completely fueled by what energy you can produce. You cannot borrow from the environment or element in question. The only way to replenish yourself is through rest and food."
"Is it dangerous for him?" Honoria looked concerned.
"As long as he stops when he is tired, it should be fine. I hypothesize that Mattheus's self-preservation instincts when he was hurt fundamentally changed his Color to what it is now. As he only had a head injury, it was very likely it might have been worse. The healing and saving his own life in all likelihood accidentally and permanently interfered with his memories."
"You don't think his memories will come back?" Countess Crown glanced at Mattheus in mild worry. He was able to note the emotion even if she tried to cover it up with a reassuring smile.
Mattheus, for his part, just ate and listened to them talk about him. He was quite used to parents talking over him despite being in the same room. Though, at least he was getting a bit of insight as to what Earl Crown concluded about his youngest son's situation with this back-and-forth.
"It is not impossible but very unlikely. He was completely healed barring a case of very mild anemia by the time Endlewood checked the next day. Endlewood also ran a battery of tests, of course, and Mattheus is perfectly healthy. Almost miraculously so, considering the circumstances. Everything is stable, including his Color."
"Good. Mattheus, you must remember to rest after you heal others."
"Of course, Mother."
When he took a break from finishing his large breakfast, he asked for some water in a small bowl. Taking the bowl before the maid could set it down to replace the emptied plate before Brunilda, he let his magic infuse the water. Then he placed it down so the blue cat could drink.
Mattheus's magic had a sanitizing function and any magic that lingered in the water after might help Brunilda. He had healed her last night but the water would help smooth over any small thing he might have missed when blanket healing her.
As he had been doing this, the Crown couple's conversation had turned to talk about the consequences of last night.
The most immediate issue from what he could gather was how the alliance talks were under threat of falling apart considering how General Grant was originally going to oversee the discussion as a mediator.
Since he was new to this world and had gaps in his knowledge, Mattheus was internally frustrated as he listened.
He understood why the talks falling apart was bad, considering a war might break out (again) if the alliance failed at worst or huge effects on trade routes at the least.
What Mattheus still wasn't able to figure out was the whys. He was reminded of the completely useless conversation he had last night with Brunilda about the group the Original had been a member of.
The… secret society was transcontinental as far as he could figure, with influence across multiple countries in the Yuropa continent.
The transmigrator still could not suss out why the secret society existed outside how they were clearly up to no good. Consequently, he didn't know the specific reason the group wanted General Grant dead and the alliance to fail.
Zero clues. At least, none he could remember.
"Mattheus," Earl Crown addressed him.
"Yes, Father?"
"The General and her Royal Highness want to meet you again due to your actions the evening before. Take the carriage in a bit and Edgar will meet you there. You can also take the cat back to Duchess Sophily."
Mattheus was startled. "They want to meet me?"
Yes, he had wanted to pursue what happened to General Grant so he could hopefully have an epiphany about the group that was still mostly shrouded in mystery thanks to his bullet-addled gray matter. He hadn't expected it to be so easy. That they wanted to meet him and called on him to drop by.
"Mn. They seem to want to offer you their thanks."
"I… see." Mattheus was a bit uncomfortable at the gratitude he didn't think he deserved. Especially from the General when it was probably his fault that it happened in the first place.
"Edgar barely came home to rest a few hours before he went back to help with the investigation again." Honoria sighed.
"Ah. Um, Father? How should I explain if they ask about my healing magic?"
It was the countess that answered.
"You can be appropriately vague, darling. What's more important is to not get yourself tied up with Duchess Sophily if she tries to recruit you. She is an admirable woman, I won't lie, but she is still royalty."
"Are we not royalist?" Mattheus furrowed his brow.
"We are loyal to the Morgaine family, my son, but there are different factions within the royal family itself. Right now, we are neutral."
Countess Honoria Crown's explanation was simple but the way her eyes stared at Mattheus made him wonder if there was something he forgot. He hadn't the chance to catch sight of any other royal outside Duchess Sophily the prior evening, so he couldn't even say if he knew the Prince or Princess.
Mattheus Crown was only slightly younger than the Crown Prince, after all. There was a decent chance they might be acquainted thanks to his parents and bloodline.
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