There was no doubt that it was food that motivated Meliora to go to the banquet, so she didn't even care when Ashtarte told her that the king had sent a personal carriage for her.
Even on the ride to the guild hall, she was bantering about the foods they usually served until she remembered something she had forgotten.
"Ash, what about your kids and husband? Won't they complain if you're gone for so long?" she asked, her lips pursed in worry. Ashtarte was startled at first but then beamed warmly at Meliora.
"You don't need to worry about them, Livia. The kids have their father, and I use this to communicate with them," she responded, checking the pocket on her dress and bringing out a glowing blue stone.
"What's that?" Meliora gasped in awe as the light on the stone pulsed.
"This is a transmission stone. Whenever I want to speak with my husband, I just infuse magic into the stone, and if he picks up, the light will still, and I can hear his voice!" Ashtarte exclaimed cheerily, and Meliora gushed at the sudden information.
'So that means it's similar to a telephone or a cellphone, but you can only talk to the one person who gave you the stone,' Meliora thought, her interest piqued.
"How does one get those stones?" she asked as she pointed at the stone. "It seems like you can only talk to one person with it."
Ashtarte nodded before clearing her throat and raising the stone in the air. "They are normally sold in the market at the magic artifact store. They can only be used between two people, and if you want to add another person, you'll need one with different colors. When you receive a call from one person, the specific color will pulse on the stone," she explained.
Lucie and Meliora listened in awe, fascinated. Meliora had never known there would be a device similar to the cellphone in this world, and Lucie, who had never used one before, was astonished.
"What about in the Arcania Empire?" Meliora asked because she planned on escaping and adventuring to both countries.
[That is if she doesn't die trying to leave.]
Crucifix chimed in, and Meliora's smile faltered, but she regained her composure quickly. 'Don't jinx it, you stupid robot,' Meliora snarled at Crucifix, and the latter snickered robotically.
"I do not know about the Arcania Empire, so until you go there, I can't say anything about it," Ashtarte shook her head with her eyes downcast, showing her apology.
Meliora raised an eyebrow, confused. "You're not coming with us?" she asked, her lips thinned.
"I can't move to another empire for now. The Queen would realize it, and she would send out people to kill my family," Ashtarte explained while scratching the back of her head.
Meliora felt a pang in her chest, disbelief and hurt flooding her at the thought that she might cause the people close to her potential harm. Because here, just like in her previous world, the people in power could easily get rid of those lower than them.
She wanted to say something but clamped her lips shut and looked out the window. The silence blanketed them until they finally reached the guild hall.
Ashtarte wanted to say something, but she figured that Meliora should know the kind of woman the Queen was, so she wouldn't be angry.
Meliora stepped out of the carriage, only to find Kaid standing there with his hand extended for her. 'Since when was he standing there?' she internally asked herself as she put on a wry smile.
She was about to turn her head away, but then Kaid swiftly covered her again and forcefully grabbed her hand. "What is the meaning—"
"I don't think you should look, Princess Meliora." His thick, velvety voice paused her words as he darkly warned her. He cursed himself internally for hanging the head in such a place where she would arrive.
He knew this was the perfect place, but he forgot that she wasn't comfortable seeing gore. 'Way to go, Kaid,' he rolled his eyes.
"The King wasn't merciful at all."
"Ugh! I think I'm going to throw up."
Meliora heard the ladies who walked past them, and she was curious, so she tried to struggle to look at what had grabbed their attention.
But Kaid's grip on her tightened. When she wanted to scold him, Crucifix suddenly spoke.
[There is a head hanging somewhere, master, so it would be best if you don't look!]
Meliora froze. Bile rose in her throat, but she forced it down with a gulp. Her face turned pale in a second, and she bit her bottom lip. 'Who would do such a thing if this is a banquet meant for the ladies?'
She screamed internally, trying her best to think of food so she wouldn't imagine the dangling head.
[The head was hung there to warn everyone, including the officials holding the event, not to mess with you.]
Meliora rolled her eyes. 'And who would order such a thing?' she drawled.
[The King of Arcania, Azel Raelan Cassian.]
"..." She was speechless. At this point, she wanted to pull her hair out in frustration and stress. 'How does he even know me?'
[Don't know, master. You figure it out yourself.]
"I think I'm okay now," Meliora suddenly squeaked, her breathing uneven, cold sweat dripping down her forehead. Kaid let go of her but still covered the place where the head hung.
With Kaid covering all the angles from which the head could be seen, Meliora stepped into the guild hall. The simple ballroom was shiny, and she had to squint her eyes because everything was so bright.
"I wonder how much I can cope," she groaned in laziness as she glanced around, trying to spot food, but there was none.
The hall was filled with ladies trying to kiss up to their potential dates. While Kaid had left to do some errands, Meliora didn't want to come at all, if not for the mention of food.
"I don't spot a food stand here, Ash," Meliora leaned back towards Lucie and Ashtarte, who stood behind the chair, and Ashtarte leaned forward toward Meliora.
"Livia, this is a banquet, and the food will only be served after they finish acknowledging the people invited and after the priest blesses the ladies for the selection." Meliora mouthed an "O," gulping down the information.
But internally, she was pissed. 'Why don't they just bring out the food first?' she roared internally.
[I am happy they do not have junk food here.]
Crucifix commented, and Meliora grumbled. 'We will have to make some.'
[When you cannot even cook or bake?]
'But Meliora can.' They continued their banter internally, and Crucifix was cornered. It couldn't comment again, so Meliora grinned contentedly.
She crossed her hands and observed how the nobles conversed with each other while wearing those masks. Meliora knew that it could never be her, but she watched on.
*****
In the hallway leading to the ballroom, in the kitchen where the maids were preparing the food for the nobles, there were two maids in the storeroom with sinister looks on their faces.
One was holding a small bottle with a purple liquid swirling within. "With this Red Lily Poison Vial, the princess will be done for," she declared as she shook the bottle.
The other one snickered. "And if we do our jobs well, the Queen will reward us with a place to stay at Peach Blossom Alley." They rejoiced together as they hugged each other.
When they had finished basking in delight, one of them peeked her head out of the storeroom to see if anyone was still in the kitchen. Once she confirmed it was empty, she signalled for the other lady to follow her out of the storeroom.
Once they did, they went to a particular tray where a glass with intricate designs sat. They turned the glass and then brought out the vial.
"With this, she is going to die for sure!" They both snickered and dropped the liquid into the glass.