The plan was proceeding smoothly. I managed to sneak into the party and pretended to be a regular waiter who was fortunate enough to serve at the main table. I negotiated with the original waiter for the task, and I must admit that he easily yielded his position. It was enough to make him a little nervous by making him imagine what would happen if he made a mistake, such as hypothetically tripping and spilling a hot soup dish on the king or, even worse, on the princess; he would be sentenced to hanging for his clumsiness (though in truth, he would only be fired and banished…, maybe).
The dinner took quite a while to begin and end. All the guests took their time to savor and enjoy the colorful dishes meticulously prepared by the chefs below. There were a total of four courses: from corn soup to a cabbage and carrot salad, then to an extravagant loin bathed in sweet and sour sauce, and finally, a massive slice of fruit cake with lots of white icing. Lidia's expression said it all, just serving her the dish made her heart burst out of her mouth. She left the soup unfinished, barely managed the salad, and struggled even more with the main course and dessert.
The dinner concluded and all the waitstaff were instructed to clear the dirty plates and glasses. We were also tasked with removing the tablecloths and promptly replacing them with new, clean ones. Lidia appeared utterly defeated at her table. She let out a deep sigh filled with pessimism and discomfort. It seemed as though she had barely survived a grueling battle against the food, leaving her sprawled on the canvas.
Queen Mireya: 『 Lidia, are you feeling well? It seems like you had no appetite today. Are you perhaps unwell? 』
Lidia: 『 Oh, don't worry, Mother. I just wasn't very hungry, that's all...』
King Van Laar: 『 Well, let's hope it's just that. It would be catastrophic if you were not ready for your presentation... Veronica, come here. 』
Veronica: 『 Yes, my lord. 』
At that moment, I wasn't paying attention to what was happening at the kings' table, as I had to collect more dishes from other tables. I tried to keep an eye on Lidia from the corner of my eye, but my fellow waiter kept distracting me every time he piled more and more plates onto my hands. Of course, it was annoying to carry them, so I got rid of them as quickly as possible, taking them to the kitchen sink. I think I missed a few lines of conversation, maybe nothing important. However, as I was coming back to the grand dining hall, I saw my mother next to the king, giving instructions to her and Lidia.
King Van Laar: 『 Find Ruffus, ask him to give you the catalyst. We need to continue with the itinerary. 』
Veronica: 『 Understood, my lord. 』
King Van Laar: 『 You heard me, Lidia. Go get ready. 』
Lidia: 『 ... Yes, father. 』
Lidia got up from her seat heading towards the dressing table, and my mother was walking in the direction I was going. I had forgotten that she was also present because her job was always to stand by the king. I think I accidentally ignored her while performing my act every time I served Lidia. So, I practically acted like a fool in front of her, which undoubtedly must have annoyed her a lot; it was also very likely that she was stunned and embarrassed at first, just like Lidia.
Still, it wasn't necessary to confirm it; when she looked at me, her serene and calm face transformed into a dark and sinister expression that would send shivers down anyone's spine. I stopped in my tracks and made a quick half-turn while feeling a sweaty chill run through my entire body, pretending like I hadn't seen anything, wanting to distance myself from mom as soon as possible. However, I felt the strong grip of a hand on my right shoulder. I stopped again and carefully turned my neck while hearing a terrifying voice.
Veronica: 『 Shun, where do you think you're going?... Tell me, could you explain... what you're doing here? 』
Shun: 『 U-Uh, well... I... 』
I tried to excuse myself by explaining what happened to Max, changing the story and putting myself in his place. Mom gave me that look she always used to question me, as if she had a superpower that allowed her to see through me and read my thoughts. I tried to sound even more convincing by mentioning Max and Mr. Roig as witnesses. Even though she had her suspicions, she ended up believing me, although not entirely. In the end, her priority was to follow the king's order. She probably thought she would have time to interrogate me properly later; still, she didn't want to take any risks.
When I thought I had it resolved, I tried to escape from her again with the excuse that I was busy cleaning the tables, and just as I passed by her side, she grabbed the collar of my shirt and ended up forcing me to go with her, reciting another sentence that made me feel worried again.
Veronica: 『 I'm not done yet. You're coming with me. 』
Shun: 『 Wha-AH?! W-Wait, Mom! 』
She dragged me through the grand dining hall, and I couldn't break free. Well, in reality, I might have had enough strength at that moment to pull away, but what I lacked was the courage to defy her; it was akin to challenging death itself. Seriously, mothers are terrifying when they get angry, especially mine.
She let go as soon as she found Mr. Ruffus talking with a couple of tall, thin men, around their forties, dressed in a military gala uniform adorned with medals on their chests. The difference was that they wore a band of three stripes across their chests (red, black, and red again). The closer we got to them, the more I realized their peculiar way of speaking, as if they wanted no one to overhear them.
Suspicious Tikalt Officer: 『 Is there really a guarantee that it will work? 』
Secretary Ruffus: 『 It will work one way or another. Believe me, that old man is not as clever as one might think; he won't know what hit him. 』
Circumspect Tikalt Officer: 『 What about the preparations? 』
Secretary Ruffus: 『 They are ready. We just need to finalize this commitment with the prince, and then— 』
Veronica: 『 Mr. Ruffus. 』
As soon as my mother called Mr. Ruffus, the two men by his side withdrew as if nothing had happened, quickly blending into the crowd, leaving their suspicious conversation unfinished. Ruffus got annoyed and asked bluntly: 『 What do you want?! 』My mother apologized for the interruption, but nevertheless, he continued to complain that he was in the middle of something very important. It was then that she mentioned to him that the king had ordered her to tell him where he kept the catalyst. He calmed down a bit, but remained very pejorative in his attitude and replied very arrogantly:
Secretary Ruffus: 『 Ah, that thing. It's in the armory of the military subzone, on one of the shelves there. That reminds me... You two! Besides taking too long, you were so bold as not to give it to me in person as I dictated. 』
He adjusted his glasses and pointed at me, referring to Max and me, as if we had been guilty of a heinous crime. I didn't miss the opportunity to respond to try to clarify what happened, but trying to talk to that stubborn and obstinate guy made it more difficult.
Shun: 『 Oh, right. When we arrived at the castle, Sergeant Rask gave us another task and told us that he would deliver it himself. That's why we couldn't− 』
Secretary Ruffus: 『 And does that give you the right to disobey my orders, you stupid brats!? I clearly said that−! 』
Shun: 『 You clearly said that the priority was to get and bring the stone as soon as possible, and that's what we did, which means we didn't disobey the order at any time. If it bothers you so much that we do your own work, why didn't you go get it yourself? 』
Secretary Ruffus: 『 Tsk! How dare you−?! 』
Veronica: 『 Thank you for the information. Now, if you'll excuse us. 』
My mother cut off the discussion to prevent Ruffus and me from reaching another extreme. The guy is very repressive and hates that someone like me, a simple field worker, contradicts him. He is someone who completely belittles the common people.
A narcissistic and vain man who detests everyone and makes life impossible for the castle employees with his exploitative labor rules. Even though the dispute had ended, he continued to look at us with those resentful eyes.
While my mom scolded me again for what happened earlier, we were on our way to the armory to pick up the aqua-stone. That's when I realized it, we were heading to the armory at a very bad time. The plan was in great jeopardy... We had a serious problem.