X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the Server“Bliss, did you come to the palace for work today? But why are you wearing a suit?”
Ethan’s gaze was fixed on the deliciously fragrant containers Bliss held. Bliss subtly nudged aside the tea set Ethan had brought and set the containers down. Huey’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight.
“It is currently lesson time,” Huey stated, his voice chilling. “What brings the Antares Commander, who should be preparing for training, to this place?”
Realizing his blunder, Ethan turned to Huey, his expression contrite. While they hadn’t been in a formal lesson, the array of Huey Cloud’s documents, tablets, and connected monitors created an atmosphere where the scent of a proper meal felt out of place.
He had been so engrossed in their casual chat, and so ravenous, that he’d completely forgotten they were, in fact, still in a designated study period.
“My apologies—”
“You speak as though you were diligently conducting a lesson,” Huey interjected dryly. “And the training is scheduled for tonight, so there is ample time.”
“Training tonight?” Ethan asked, turning his gaze from Huey to Bliss. Just moments ago, Bliss had been addressing Huey Cloud with a rigid demeanor, but now his expression softened considerably.
“Tonight, there’s a training exercise within the palace, involving Arthur’s unit, Betelgeuse.”
“With the Royal Guard?” Ethan exclaimed, his eyes widening. “Lord Huey, did you know about this as well?”
Bliss, who had been observing Ethan’s reaction intently, allowed a faint smile to play on his lips. His arm twitched imperceptibly, as though he longed to pull Ethan, seated across the table, into an immediate embrace.
Watching the scene unfold from his instructor’s seat, Huey sharply closed the document file he’d been reviewing, set his tablet down, and rose to his feet.
“If your work is concluded, then you may leave,” Huey stated, his voice low.
Bliss, however, merely muttered, “Neither my work nor the lesson time is over. I merely ordered a tea set, coincidentally, as I intended to take a short break.”
“Furthermore,” he continued, “I was already aware of the impending training. Cloud Corp and the Center are making preparations for any potential casualties.”
In stark contrast to his terse reply, Huey’s movements as he poured the tea were impeccably elegant. Bliss watched Ethan, who had unthinkingly accepted the offered teacup and taken a sip, with a hint of resentment before opening his own food package.
“Wow…!” Ethan exclaimed. “This isn’t palace food!”
Unveiled from their thermal containers, the dishes were unmistakably Asian cuisine.
“You mentioned that rice provides a satisfying fullness,” Bliss remarked, a touch of pride in his voice.
“That’s because Asian dishes are best suited for transporting a variety of food in thermal containers,” Huey retorted, his tone utterly dismissive.
“Since we’re about to eat, perhaps we should clear away the milk tea,” Bliss suggested.
He made a move as if to take Ethan’s cup, from which he had already taken a sip.
“There are no other beverages available,” Huey countered smoothly. “One can simply drink the tea without milk. This is, after all, merely a tea break during the lesson.”
With a decisive gesture, Huey pushed only the separate container of warm milk, intended for the tea, further away.
An inexplicable silence, thick with tension, settled over them. Ethan, despite their verbal sparring having ceased, felt a surge of annoyance that neither of them showed any interest in the food.
“If you two aren’t going to eat, would you prefer to take your argument elsewhere?” he asked pointedly.
His gaze, sharp enough to convey ‘why are you ruining my appetite fighting at the head of the table with this precious food here?’ was directed squarely at them. The implicit command to ‘eat or get out’ was unmistakable.
At this, both Bliss and Huey abandoned their silent war and finally lowered their eyes to the dishes.
“I’m per—” Huey began, about to declare his indifference. He promptly snapped his mouth shut as he watched Ethan, who had already produced three individual serving containers and was artfully portioning out the dishes.
Though Huey hadn’t consciously registered any hunger, the sight of Ethan’s dark head, earnestly pondering how to best arrange the soy-glazed meat stew atop the fried rice to achieve a harmonious flavor, suddenly ignited a fierce craving within him.
“Ugh, even though I prepared it myself, it looks incredibly delicious,” Ethan murmured. “Please, eat your portion first. The rest you can serve yourselves.”
Huey reached for the flat plate. Or rather, he *tried* to.
*Thwack!*
The edge of the container had clattered against Bliss’s spoon, stopping him.
“What is the meaning of this undignified—”
“Mine,” Bliss stated flatly.
Huey, who had been scowling with undisguised displeasure, lifted his head at Bliss’s declaration. He understood, instinctively, that the object his heterochromatic eyes — one grey, one blue — claimed as ‘his’ was not the food itself.
“Indeed,” Huey replied, his voice laced with a subtle challenge. “Who, precisely, said anything?”
He was, after all, Devon Green’s Esper. As he frowned, tilting his head to regard Bliss as if he were utterly mad, the intense glow in his heterochromatic eyes finally softened.
Yet, in that very instant, Huey felt a sudden lurch within him, and his frown deepened once more. True to his status as the eldest son of the Cloud family, several medical conditions with similar symptoms flashed through his mind, but none seemed to fit precisely, which he found unsettling.
“Oh, for goodness sake! Honestly, why are both of you acting so childish today?”
*Thunk!*
A thick, triangularly cut sandwich landed squarely on the already appetizing plate, which boasted yellow fried rice, meat stew, and stir-fried vegetables. It was, in fact, from the very tea tray Huey had ordered.
“There, is this better now? Hmm?” Ethan asked, gesturing to the plate.
Silence.
*Hah.*
Bliss Moore and Huey Cloud exchanged a glance, then simultaneously sighed, utterly deflated. They watched Ethan, who was already engrossed in his food, seemingly about to bury his nose in it. Somehow, the tension had completely drained from them.
“By the way, what is the purpose of today’s training exercise?” Ethan inquired.
“It’s part of the routine joint training conducted before the spring festival,” Bliss explained. “In a few days, all three Esper units will participate in a larger joint exercise with the civilian police department, encompassing both the entire city and the palace.”
“Even if the Spring Flower Festival is renowned, is such an extensive training truly necessary?” Ethan asked, tilting his head slightly and furrowing his brows. “To the point where Cloud Corp and the Center must prepare for potential injuries, and it requires joint operations with the police?”
He understood that the Spring Flower Festival was a celebrated event in Aitoolia, drawing foreign media, and thus necessitated a certain degree of security. Yet, the sheer scale of the training they were undertaking struck him as… excessive.
“The Spring Flower Festival serves as a pretext for all the lords of the various autonomous regions to convene,” Bliss clarified. “During this time, decisions are made regarding tax reductions, as well as budgets and support from the central government.”
“On a smaller scale, it might mark the debut of new members into high society,” he continued, “but on a grander scale, it’s a period when the very currents of power can shift.”
Ethan nodded, a small sound of understanding escaping him at Bliss’s explanation. For the ten days the festival unfolded, intense negotiations would indeed take place among the palace’s leadership.
Disgruntled lords from powerful autonomous regions might incite rebellion, or a crucial figure could fall victim to a conspiracy. The Aitoolia government, therefore, employed a rather clever strategy: they veiled this critical period with the plausible spectacle of a festival, thereby openly bolstering security without alarming the populace.
“To finalize tax rates, then, the lords who have engaged in territorial disputes must receive the king’s recognition and redraw the maps,” Ethan mused aloud. “Do you think the Lord of Veliki will side with Zaisler?”
Bliss and Huey’s gazes met, a shared understanding passing between them. Yet, in Bliss’s eyes, there was a glint of proud admiration, while Huey’s held a distinct note of suspicion.
Who, indeed, could possibly claim that Ethan Prescott, capable of such astute and natural deductions, was merely a commoner?
“Currently, the most pressing issue revolves around the ownership of the Zaisler and Riga mines,” Bliss explained. “Especially now that our Moore family has also become involved.”
He then smiled, placing a portion of his own meat onto Ethan’s plate. Huey Cloud, known for his subtle fastidiousness, immediately grimaced.
“For a noble to transfer food from his own plate to another,” Huey began, a note of disdain in his voice. “Why not simply serve more from the main dish?”
“I am a noble, yes, but also a soldier,” Bliss countered smoothly. “Such an action is commonplace within a unit. Moreover, the remaining food isn’t even meat.”
“Then allow me to rephrase,” Huey said, his gaze sharp. “I am curious to know when Espers began consuming less than Guides.”
“I’ve discovered that merely watching you eat is sufficient to sate my own appetite,” Bliss replied, a subtle smirk playing on his lips.
“……”
Above them, Dongja giggled with the crow chick, clicking their tongue in amusement. Having listened to their absurd exchange for a moment, Ethan let out a soft sigh and deftly changed the subject. He wondered, bewildered, why they were behaving this way.
“Bliss,” Ethan asked, “won’t you need guiding after the training?”
Huey let out a scoffing laugh. If figures like Bliss Moore or Arthur Swan were to deliberately plunge into the joint training, it would scarcely be a mere exercise, would it? He was about to explain that they would primarily remain in their respective command centers, when—
“Indeed,” Bliss murmured, his voice surprisingly soft. “I will need it. Very much.”
The “monster” was now shamelessly acting weak, displaying a rare vulnerability.
“Oh, then what should I do?” Ethan fretted. “Is there no way for me to remain at the palace? Ah, but it’s during training, so I suppose that’s impossible.”
“Tomorrow,” Bliss declared, a sly glint in his eyes, “I shall pay a visit to the Viscount’s estate. I will simply state that guiding is necessary.”
Huey’s appetite vanished entirely.
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Crow's Golden Fragment. Start reading now!
Read : Crow's Golden Fragment
