We made our way toward the dining room. The lights around the premises of the manor have been lit, but still, we could see the festival from afar, still ongoing, even at this hour of supper.
"Looks like the festival truly brought joy to the masses." the Duke commented.
"It has, father. That's why we defended it so."
The dancing lights, and the floating balloons, all continued amidst the jolly voices of the crowd that echoed into the manor grounds.
"Pretty…" Ciel whispered, lost in thought.
Reliving memories long gone, she looked into the city. She remembered the joys she shared with the people of the past, the drinks she had every time she attended one of their festivals. She recalled the times she gave the crowd a special treat, a sword dance, by the one and only Dragonheart. She trudged on the memory lane, trapped by the joyous moment of recent times. As if a song as sweet as sugar, was combined with the bitterness of recollection.
I looked at her, understanding what she felt. Since I too had felt that way, of being the only one in this brand new world. A world without any touch of our past. A world that is not ours. That's why I stood beside her, here in the moment, fleeting yet eternal. We gazed at the city one last time, before moving on to the dining room, as the Duke went there first.
On the way, I asked her.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded her head.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah, I am fine."
"Doesn't sounds fine to me. You can always talk to me, you know?"
"I just don't know. I am happy, yet sad," she muttered.
"Why?"
"Because I miss them. The villagers, the adventurer guild's receptionists, the rowdy yet calming comrades of ours."
"But you're happy right?"
"Very. Since I didn't even think I'd meet you again."
"Same here. So, why not just let go and hope to meet them again? One day, someday."
She smiled.
"Alright. I'll do just that."
As if it was timed perfectly, our small heart-to-heart talk finished the moment we arrived at the dining room. Of course, the smell of good food immediately cheered up the gourmet beside me.
"So I'm worse than food, huh?" I lamented.
She laughed at my joke, finally regaining her usual spirit.
Patting my shoulder, she said, "Don't mind."
I opened the door to the dining room, asking, "What's for dinner today?"
"Chicken rotisserie, with bread and sausages. After that, the head chef will grace us with the delectable treat of a fruit platter. Come sit down, Layne, Ciel." the Duke replied.
As per the invitation, we sat down on the seats already prepared for us and dined with great relish. The chicken was roasted perfectly; a crisp sound could be heard as you bite into it, while flavour exploded inside your mouth since the chicken retained its juiciness. The bread was perfectly bread, what else could you say about it except being baked perfectly? Meanwhile, you could smell and taste the smoke, from the sausages. The wood used as fuel for the smoke must've been a high-quality one since we can't help but savour its fragrances slowly.
After that action-packed main course, now comes the dessert. Where fruits of all kinds were sliced into bite-sized pieces, a refreshing last course. The chef sells this dessert with the theme of the northern fruits of Breton. He gave us five kinds of fruits, plums, apples, mulberries, greengages, and finally oranges. All of which, we used to cleanse our palate with their light and refreshing sweet taste.
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"How was it?" I asked Ciel.
"It's good."
"Only good?"
"Well, it's up there among the greats."
Such a score was only possible because of humanity's drive to improve. What was good, will become better, and what was already better than most, will still continue to improve, trying to reach the impossible peak of perfection.
Hearing Ciel's scoring of the food, the Duke laughed and also gave the head chef, his seal of approval. Though, with how busy he is, both he and the knight captain quickly went back to their respective posts. Though it seems the knight captain still had enough time to rub both of our heads on her way out.
Left alone in the dining room, we started making plans for the future.
"Let's see, we need to look for clothes, create a timetable, and hand out invitations?" I started.
"Yeah."
"Which one do you want to do first?"
"Hmm, let's create the timetable first. We could also look for clothes tomorrow." she decided.
"That's good. We should finish that one first then. Your room or my room?" I asked.
"Your room."
"Alright, let's go finish this timetable then, and tomorrow we could help the circus gain more potential viewers."
"Then you really have to buy a musical instrument. Last time you used a lyre, and a lute, right?"
"Yep, and I want to try using a guitar, or a vihuela as it was called natively."
"You do the music, I do the dance?" she asked.
"I do the music, you do the dance." I answered.
Both of us laughed together, imagining the shocked faces of the crowd when Laincelot and Catariel did their very best. As we made our way to our rooms, we met Alfred.
"Good evening, young master."
"Good evening, Alfred. We met just at the right time. I want to introduce you to my fiancee."
"Good evening, sir. My name is Ciel Bhan, nice to meet you." she curtsied flusteredly.
He observed the fiancee of his young master. Truly, as the maids had gossiped, she was beautiful, though not in the traditional sense. However, beauty was not the only requirement if one wants to take the young master of the Carter household as her husband. And that's what he needed to find out, whether she had the capabilities to match his young master. Please rest assured young master, this Alfred will always protect you, he thought.
"Good evening, young miss. Pray tell, what were the both of you doing, on this lovely evening?"
"We're on our way to my room since we have to create a timetable for our marriage," I replied.
"May I be of help, young master? I do have some experience in creating timetables."
"Then, thanks for your help."