The waiters flooded into the hall as soon as the Saintess left. They carried trays upon trays of food. Nico thought it would never end. His stomach rumbled silently; his nose catching the tantalising scent wafting throughout the great hall.
His mouth began to water. A glance to each side revealed that Leon and Isaac had displayed similar reactions, the smell of such fine cuisine the only thing now on their minds.
Nico couldn't blame them.
It just smelled so good!
Silently urging the waiters to come to his table faster, the brown-haired boy feasted his eyes on the various dishes on display. There was Sea Trout, hearty Oxen stew, the succulent meat of a slain Mana Beast, a healthy green soup made with many vegetables and a wide assortment of bread and other buns.
That was only just what he could see.
Who knew if there were more of these unique meals coming their way?
'Smells so good…'
Nico's hands itched to devour the food. The desire was so strong that he briefly forgot about his troubles of trying to remain inconspicuous. Finally, the servers arrived at his table and swiftly placed everything down.
When the final waiter put the last dish down, Nico's limbs moved in a flash. He scooped a little of everything on his plate, eager to try each meal.
Soon, his platter was filled to the brim.
The brown-haired boy wasted no time and dug in. He groaned after a succulent piece of meat melted in his mouth.
'This is it. This is the life.'
Nico devoured his meal with rapid intensity. The food was so good that he almost wished to go to the kitchen and thank the chef. It was just so delectable.
After a while, Nico patted his stomach contentedly and leaned back in his seat with a relaxed sigh.
'That was amazing!'
He glanced at the half-blood and elf sitting beside him and found they too had expressions of bliss. So too did the rest of the people present at his table. As Nico did a quick peek around the room, he discovered that even those from a noble background could not resist these exquisite meals.
A slow smirk formed on his face.
Sending a silent signal to Leon and Isaac that he was heading to the bathroom to freshen up, the brown-haired boy stood up and left the room. He found himself in the same corridor filled with many murals.
The boy then followed a sign that led to the men's lavatory.
After washing his hands and fixing his man-bun, as well as rinsing his mouth, Nico surveyed himself in the mirror for a moment.
A pale brown-haired boy stared back at him. His skin seemed to glow slightly, and some of the hollowness had transformed into a weathered face that had experienced much at a young age. The gems on his suit sparkled in the reflection, glinting with each minuscule movement.
Nico smiled.
'Not too shabby.'
Exiting the lavatory, he turned and began walking down the length of the corridor, examining the stunning murals as he did.
Reflected in his gaze, an incandescent figure clashed with a demonic being…
Thud!
The sound of something hitting the ground streamed into his ears.
'Oof!' Nico groaned, suddenly knocked off balance as something impacted against his chest.
His gaze snapped forward, his body tensing at the unexpected situation.
As the boy's eyes did a rapid sweep of his surroundings, Nico flinched.
'Oh!'
Opposite him, a girl slowly rose from the ground. Her pastel-coloured features and wavy light blue hair belied a stunning beauty. Nico blinked, entranced by the shimmering set of ocean-deep pupils she possessed.
They seemed so vivid, so clear, so very crystal-clear…
Snapping out of his daze as she groaned, the brown-haired boy paled.
"Forgive me!" He said, rushing up to help her.
The blue-haired girl accepted his help gingerly. With his other hand, Nico quickly lifted her glasses from the ground, ignoring how soft and delicate the girl's hands were.
They seemed so fragile… as if the smallest touch would break them.
Passing the frames over, he shook off the lingering sensation of how warm her hands were. The girl muttered a quiet thanks and received them gracefully.
Putting them on, her eyes widened as the boy's features opposite her became much clearer.
From the fascinating birthmark on his temple… to the intriguing way he styled his hair, to the concern nestled within his maroon pupils, and most notably, to the chaotic aura swirling around his sparkling figure.
"I'm so sorry! I should have looked where I was going! It seems I was too absorbed in my thoughts.." The girl blushed.
How embarrassing!
The light flush of her cheeks gave her dazzling features another level of allure.
"No, no, the fault lies with me." Nico would not let her take the blame, doing his best to ignore how beautiful she looked. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Smoothing her white gown, the blue-haired girl did a quick examination, "No, I think I'm good."
He exhaled with relief.
It would have pained him greatly to hurt such a pure maiden!
Just then, the sound of footsteps broke the nice atmosphere.
He saw the girl briefly flinch before hiding it.
Nico's eyes narrowed.
Behind her, a figure garbed in a stunning tunic and trousers came into view. His attire symbolised a noble background, while the scabbard on his hip and the hair-raising aura revealed that he had seen his fair share of battles.
"Annie!" His face lit up upon sighting the blue-haired girl.
She turned around to face him; her face losing all its pleasantness.
"Helian… what a coincidence." She spoke in a dry tone.
Nico's eyebrows rose.
"Oh, come on! Don't be like that. I was worried about you, you know? You were taking your sweet time, so I thought I'd come to check on you," Helian replied smoothly, flashing a charming smile.
From the way he saw Annie's fists clench by her side, the brown-haired boy surmised she did not like the new male's presence. And for good reason… the way he stared at her unnerved Nico greatly. It was as if he was looking at her like some sort of prize to be won rather than a fellow living being.
Nico frowned, a strange desire to protect the girl taking root in his heart. He stepped forward, standing beside her shoulder-to-shoulder.
…It was only then that his peer garbed in a fine tunic realised that he was there for the first time.
A similar frown to the one Nico wore graced the male's features.
"What business do you have with her?!"
Suddenly, all pretense seemed to shatter as Helian's aura flared. The brown-haired boy glanced at Annie and saw the slight crease of her brows.
Sensing his gaze, the girl sent a silent plea for help.
…A call that he could not ignore.
Gritting his teeth, Nico stood to his full height, his chaotic aura rising to meet the other male's challenge.
His mind spun trying to come up with a good answer. A second later, he replied with the first thing that came to mind.
"She's my girlfriend!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately regretted it. Beside him, Nico sensed Annie flinch.
Sparing her a glance, he tried to convey an apology through his eyes for what he was about to do next.
The girl's pupils widened as she felt the boy join their hands together and lift them in the air in front of Helian.
"See? This is a sign of our amour. You'd be wise to remember that," Nico's voice held a dangerous edge.
Helian ignored it, though.
"No, this can't be!" He blurted out.
His features seemed to twist between a mixture of rage and disbelief.
Before he could act on any of these emotions, however, another figure entered the scene. She wore the ensemble of a maid and barged Helian out of the way, running up to Annie.
"Your Highness! We've been looking all over for you!"
Nico suddenly felt cold.
Very, very, very cold.
He instinctively let go of the blue-haired girl's hand.
'Her Highness…?'
The word repeated like a gong in his mind.
Nico paled.
His whole world came crashing down.