The Royal Dining Hall

I hadn't expected to be summoned again the very next day.

Yesterday had been hectic from morning to night, so I'd planned to take today off…

On top of that, the order was for everyone to come.

Alexia came over after she'd finished getting dressed.

"Everyone has to come? What's this about?"

"Maybe they want to give us a proper word of appreciation? Though I doubt that's the only reason."

"True. She's not the kind of girl to summon people just for that."

"Right. You'd have to say she's impressively capable for her age."

If I thought of her as a competent boss, it wasn't so bad.

The only downside was that she showed no mercy when delegating work to us.

The rest of the group had finished getting ready too.

I had everyone prepare the same way they would for heading out on an adventure.

That way we could handle most situations.

"Sorry to do this, everyone, but I need you to push through a bit longer. If all goes well, we'll be done by noon, and you can have the rest of the day off."

"Sir, are you sure?"

"Of course. Today was supposed to be our day off, so even if Queen Tianis asks for something unreasonable, that can wait until tomorrow."

"Only fair."

Orleans had asked, and that was my answer.

Finn voiced her agreement.

As the saying goes, your body is your capital. If you don't rest properly after pushing hard, it'll catch up with you sooner or later.

"Shall we head out, then? The message said to come without eating anything. Do you think they've prepared a meal for us?"

"Sounds like it. If they're treating us, I won't complain."

Elza opened the door and stepped outside, and the rest of us followed.

That was right. The instructions had specifically said not to eat beforehand.

Unusual… actually, this was a first.

Logically, it meant they were preparing something on their end.

We moved as a group toward the portal.

After the meteor incident, the portal connecting to the Royal Capital had been temporarily shut down to prevent chaos, but it was open again now.

Being able to traverse a distance you couldn't cover even after a full day on horseback in an instant was incredibly convenient.

"No matter how many times I do this, I can't get used to that floaty feeling."

"It's weird how you don't fall over even though the ground doesn't feel stable."

Azu nearly lost her balance and grabbed onto my waist.

It was thanks to this strange space that the distant Royal Capital was connected to us, but I hadn't the faintest clue how it worked.

Apparently it was a magical device that replicated teleportation magic, but the technology to build new ones had been lost.

Thank goodness it hadn't broken down.

We made our way to the castle, and when we went to the office where we were usually summoned, a maid redirected us elsewhere.

Where she led us turned out to be the royal family's private dining hall.

The castle had a grand dining hall suitable for hosting foreign dignitaries, but this one was more intimate by comparison.

Even so, the table and carpet were clearly top-quality at a glance. This was unmistakably a royal space.

And "intimate" was relative; it could easily seat around ten people.

Queen Tianis and Lady Anatia were already seated in the dining hall, chatting away.

They both looked relaxed, which meant this probably wasn't anything urgent.

Evalin was also there, sitting in a chair and knitting to pass the time.

I felt relieved.

I'd been quietly worried about what new task they'd have for us.

That queen had a habit of assigning us things that were clearly not a merchant's job.

Queen Tianis noticed us.

She beckoned, and we walked over.

"There you are, Yohane. That was quick."

"No merchant worth their salt is late for an appointment."

"You always follow through on what I ask of you. I really do appreciate that about you."

"Thank you. So, why did you summon us? And not just me, but all of us?"

Everything I'd done had benefited our side as well.

Being praised was certainly nice, but…

"Don't rush the conversation. I'm well aware that I called you here when you're still tired. At the very least, let me treat you to a meal."

So it was a meal after all.

I had nothing against a free breakfast. I'd happily partake.

And if it was the kind of breakfast royalty ate, I could expect both quality and quantity.

After all, we had a large household and everyone ate heartily, so food expenses really added up.

Having even one meal covered was a huge help.

… I'd been noticing a woman collapsed on the floor at the edge of my vision for a while now.

Should I say something about that?

"By the way, the person over there kissing the floor is Princess Yupe, isn't she? How did she end up like that… and is it really okay to just leave her?"

"It's fine."

Lady Anatia had her arms folded beneath her chest and looked slightly irritated.

"After Yohane-san left yesterday, Yupe came in right after and started cracking open bottles from the wine cellar, declaring it was time to celebrate. That in itself was fine, but she got carried away, opened bottle after bottle, and drank herself into a stupor. That's how she ended up like that."

"Yupe-nee-san likes alcohol, but she's not nearly as strong a drinker as Anatia-nee-san. Though I've never seen her drink that much before. Maybe she'd been bottling up more stress than she let on."

"Even so, there are limits. She can stay there and reflect on what she did. I've already cast healing magic on her, so there's no danger to her life."

So she'd drunk recklessly and passed out. That explained it.

All that beauty was wasted in a state like that.

Every now and then she let out a groan that sounded like a zombie.

If her adoring fans saw her like this, it would kill any romantic feelings they had.

Lady Anatia had kept her company and presumably drunk quite a bit herself, yet she sat there looking as composed and elegant as ever.

"I'm hungry. Are we not eating yet?"

Evalin spoke up, her stomach growling in agreement.

She'd been waiting for us this whole time, apparently.

She stared at us expectantly.

It would be cruel to make her wait any longer.

"Let's eat right away. Your Majesty, if you would."

"Right. Let's begin, then. We can talk at our leisure after the meal."

At Queen Tianis's signal to the maids and servers, dishes began arriving one after another.

Plate after plate filled the table until it was covered.

It was far too extravagant for breakfast.

"I've heard that adventurers eat more than ordinary people. I've had plenty prepared, so please help yourselves."

The little queen smiled warmly.