A week passed, and the day I was supposed to meet Adeus arrived. The carriage, which had been bumping along for quite some time, came to a gentle stop.
"Your Highness, we have arrived."
It seemed we had reached the agreed-upon location. I took a deep breath, stood up, and opened the carriage door. As soon as I stepped out, I was stunned by the sight before me.
"Wh-What is this...?"
The knights of the Laphreon Dukedom had surrounded the restaurant where I was to meet Adeus, leaving no gaps. The famous restaurant, known for its delicious food, was completely empty, and passersby glanced curiously as they walked by.
"Your Highness, we have arrived."
As I approached with a dazed expression, the commander of the dukedom's knights greeted me.
"What exactly are you doing here..."
"The Duke ordered us to protect Your Highness."
Ah, that crazy Terdeo.
"We have stationed the knights at the main entrance, back entrance, emergency exits, and even below the windows of this floor."
You mean to guard from a distance? You said to trust you? To leave it to you!
"There is an additional order not to interfere with Your Highness and your party, so no one has been stationed inside the restaurant."
"Should I be grateful for that..."
"Furthermore, the Duke has rented the entire restaurant to ensure Your Highness can have a comfortable conversation."
"What?"
"He paid three times the usual daily revenue, so the restaurant won't suffer any loss. You can enjoy a private setting today."
No, you crazy guy. That's not it.
"If Your Highness senses any danger, the knights will come to your rescue, so there's no need to worry."
Ah, my head. A headache is coming on like a tidal wave. I rubbed my forehead as I listened to the commander's proud explanation. At that moment, a gasp of surprise came from beside me.
"Ah..."
It was a familiar voice. I turned my head to see Adeus standing there with a bouquet of flowers. He seemed startled by the knights surrounding the restaurant and hesitated in his steps.
"Your Highness..."
Adeus smiled awkwardly.
"Could the reason you asked to see me today be..."
He trailed off and took a step back.
"To kill me?"
No, that's not it. I made a face of disgust and waved my hand repeatedly to reassure Adeus, who was looking for an opportunity to run away to clear the misunderstanding.
"It's a misunderstanding, come on."
As soon as I finished speaking, the knights nearby quickly ran over and brought Adeus to me, restraining him on both sides so he couldn't escape. They also took the bouquet of flowers from his hands.
"We have brought him, Your Highness."
"We thoroughly checked the flowers, and there doesn't seem to be any hidden weapons."
Seeing the bouquet with all the petals stripped and only the bare stems left, Adeus turned pale as if he had a premonition of his future. No, that's not it. You crazy guys!
***
I rescued Adeus from the knights and entered the restaurant. We headed to the floor of the restaurant, which only a select few nobles could enter. Looking down from the high railing, I could see the entire restaurant hall. As we sat down, Adeus, who had been observing the situation, asked quietly.
"...If you don't plan to kill me, please let me know in advance. I need to write my last letter..."
"I won't kill you."
Adeus looked at me with a suspicious gaze. To think I would receive such a look from Adeus, whose every action is suspicious!
'I'll deal with you when I get back, Terdeo.'
I clenched my teeth and explained.
"The knights outside are for my protection."
"For protection, there are quite a few of them. I thought there might have been a terror threat at this restaurant today."
"If I wanted to kill you, you would have been dead long ago..."
Adeus flinched and pulled his chair back.
"...'Long ago'?"
Oops. I didn't mean to reveal my true thoughts.
"That was a slip of the tongue."
"...Was it really a slip of the tongue?"
His question hit the mark, but I remained calm.
"If I really wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have saved you when the knights caught you earlier."
My reasonable answer made Adeus nod with a sly smile.
"Even if you plan to kill me, what can I do? I have to trust and follow Your Highness's orders."
Just as I was thinking about sewing his mouth shut, the head chef came up with the food, even though we hadn't ordered yet.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Behind the head chef, assistant chefs and staff followed. Soon, a large table was filled with so much food that it almost wobbled. The head chef explained each dish as it was served, but I didn't hear a word. I interrupted him and asked.
"We haven't ordered yet."
"Yes, since today's meal has already been paid for, we have specially prepared the finest dishes."
Ah, right. Terdeo said he had prepaid three times the daily revenue. It's no wonder they prepared the food so enthusiastically. I glanced at the table filled with food.
'Even if I eat just a little of each dish, I'll be full.'
I waved my hand, and all the chefs and staff went back downstairs. Adeus, who had also surveyed the table, asked with a smile.
"Is this some new form of torture to make me burst?"
"No, it's a thank you for the interesting story you told me in front of the temple last time."
"To give such a generous thank you for just one story..."
No, you seem to be misunderstanding. I didn't order this food.
"If you help me when I'm in danger, there will be even greater rewards."
"There won't be."
I firmly cut off his words as I picked up my utensils. Adeus laughed as if he had expected my answer.
Let's eat before getting to the main topic. Adeus cut his steak and hummed.
"That's a shame. I was hoping for a greater reward, like Your Highness's love."
"You could have made it to the middle just by keeping your mouth shut."
"Did I do that?"
"Always. Are you trying to make me hate you on purpose?"
Adeus didn't answer my reprimand. He just smiled and ate, cutting off the conversation.
'That's a hurtful thing to say, why is he smiling?'
Thinking about it, he has been like this since we first met. I always suspected him or found him suspicious and annoying, but Adeus approached me with a smile, knowing this. Even when he deliberately said things to hurt my pride, his reaction was always the same.
'That's why I called you today...'
Just as I was about to get lost in thought, a clear sound of cutlery being placed down on the opposite side snapped me out of it. I turned to see Adeus wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"What is it?"
It was clear that he had finished eating. I looked at the food on the table, which hadn't decreased at all.
"Did you really eat all of that?"
"Yes."
"What do you mean?"
"That's right."
"You're not going to eat more?"
"I'm full."
"Already?"
It seemed like he had only taken a few bites. Some dishes hadn't even been touched.
'I haven't even started yet.'
From the looks of it, he ate less than our self-proclaimed glutton. I looked at Adeus with surprise, and he explained with an awkward smile.
"Before coming to this empire, I often went hungry. I think that's why I can't eat much now. I feel blocked in my throat after a certain amount."
Before coming to the empire, he was a troublemaker during his studies abroad?
'Was there a problem back then?'
I had a question, but I quickly dismissed it. We weren't close enough to share such issues yet.
"Now, the reason you called me..."
"Right, let's finish eating."
I cut off Adeus's words and rang the table bell.
"Let's enjoy the dessert."
Adeus propped his chin and narrowed his eyes at me.
"Aren't you going to tell me the reason you called me?"
"Let's finish eating first."
I don't want to ruin the meal. I firmly said this and took a bite of the steak I had cut with my knife. Adeus laughed pleasantly.
"Alright. I prefer spending more time with Your Highness like this."
"I clearly said that if you kept your mouth shut, you could make it to the middle."
"I don't like being in the middle."
Sigh, it's faster and easier to ignore him. I ignored Adeus, who was humming a tune, and focused on my meal. A short while later, the chefs and staff who had brought the food earlier returned with desserts in their hands.
"Start with those desserts."
I pointed at Adeus, and all the desserts were placed in front of him. Tiramisu, cheesecake, cream cake, waffles, souffle pancakes, Mont Blanc, dacquoise, chocolate cake, velvet cake, and even lemon sorbet. They kept coming.
'Are the owner and chef of this place really trying to make us burst and die?'
Given the amount and variety of food, it was a reasonable suspicion. Seeing the endless stream of desserts, I understood what Adeus meant by "blocked in the throat." It really felt like that! After the staff made several trips up and down the stairs, the desserts finally came to an end.
"This is a special cake made as a thank you for today. It's not for sale, so please enjoy it."