Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 51. The Royal Dinner I

Angel's feet moved down the corridor to the dining hall. He knew he should be excited about the upcoming event, yet his mind was still on Pearl Gate City. It gave him a headache since he had to make logical, efficient and morally right decisions. It wasn't an easy thing for him.

He stopped in front of the dining hall. The guards were about to announce his arrival and opened the door for him, but he raised his hand to stop them. He took a couple of deep breaths to shake off his thought so he could concentrate on Rose well before he gestured to the guards to let the guards open the door for him.

"The king has arrived!" announced the guard.

Upon that announcement, Rose immediately stood up from her seat and bowed to him. So did the servants in the room.

Angel entered the dining hall which looked different tonight. The dim light of candles with a little decoration of flowers filled it. Some musicians were ready with their instruments on the other side. And on the other side, some servants were ready with their small carts.

"Did I make you wait too long?" said Angel as he sat in his usual chair.

Which was followed by Rose who sat in the seat next to him.
"No, Your Majesty." Just like Angel, even though her expression didn't show it, something had been bothering her since she heard what the maids said when they prepared her for the dinner.

'This special dress is made of Euphorion's finest silk, Your Highness. It's from Pearl Gate City so its quality is the best in Andromeda.' Even though Rose knew the maid said it spontaneously and didn't mean to hurt her feelings, it quickly reminded her of what her family's poison had done to the city. Her guilt filled her heart even though she knew it wasn't her fault. Especially during her stay in Euphorion, what she thought about was what she could do for Zephyrus and what she could do to get rid of her kingdom's rebels. Despite what he did was based on the agreement, Angel had saved her kingdom from the rebels and traitors within the Zephyrus aristocracy.

But what had she done for Angel? What had she done for Euphorion?

Nothing...

It was Angel who conquered her kingdom, but in the end, he was the one who did many things for Zephyrus.

"Shall we start our dinner?" he said. Somehow Angel could sense something was bothering Rose's mind, but he didn't have a clue what it was and he didn't want to ask her now. Who knew it would destroy their appetite? So he hoped the food could divert their thoughts from whatever was on their minds.

After she answered him with a nod, he waved a small bell before him. Some servants brought a small cart filled with good looking dishes. Soon well-made food dishes began to be placed before them one by one. Its fragrant smell stimulated their appetite and the plating was very beautiful. But Rose soon realized something... They were nutritional food for stamina and fertility.

The servants had finished putting down their food and retreated, but Rose didn't take any of it. This time not because of what the maids said, but the food. It filled her mind with wild guesses. Moreover what Angel said this morning were still buzzing clearly in her ears.
'You should treat me better tonight.'

'He didn't mean to break his agreement tonight did he?' she thought. She indeed wanted to open her heart and wanted to get to know him better, but wasn't he going too far?

In just a glance, Angel caught her hesitation.
"It's Chancellor Allan's idea," he said out of blue. To be honest, he was also a little surprised that The Chancellor had conveyed this to Sarah so quickly.

"Pardon?" she asked for more explanation from him.

"The food is Chancellor Allan's idea. He was worried about us so he suggested this food to improve our health. Besides, both of us fell asleep without doing anything last night, so he thought some nutritious food was a good start for us." He deliberately explained this as completely as possible to disperse the potential rumours saying he didn't want to touch her or she wasn't a virgin.

"Ah, you are right. I should thank him for this." Her hands took the cutlery. Rose felt more relieved after hearing his explanation. Still, she couldn't shake off the wild thoughts that were already filling her head.

"Don't overthink and enjoy the food," he said. Then they started to eat.

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