To the Ducal Territory

The following morning, I was woken much earlier than usual.

"Leon-sama, we're leaving early today, so if you don't get up soon, you'll be late."

"Ugh... All right. Thank you for waking me."

Still rubbing my sleepy eyes, I somehow managed to get up. It was still dark outside.

Apparently, we would be staying at the magistrate's residence in a town along the way to the ducal territory. The first town we planned to stay in was rather far away, so we had to leave early.

I slapped both cheeks with my hands to wake myself up. Ugh... I'd hit them way too hard, and they hurt...

But I was awake now, so that was what mattered.

"Good morning, Roger."

"Good morning. The servants have already loaded the luggage, so please get yourself ready, Leon-sama."

"All right. Thank you."

"Yes. First, let's have breakfast. I'll have it prepared, so please wash your face here and wait."

After that, I ate breakfast, changed into some splendid clothes, and finished getting ready.

"Then, let us go. We are to gather in the reception room beside the entrance hall."

Roger led me to the reception room beside the entrance hall. It was probably used for receiving occasional guests. It seemed no one else had arrived yet.

I sat on the sofa and waited as I drank tea Roger had brewed for me. After a while, Frederick-sama arrived.

"Good morning, Leon. You're up early."

"Good morning, Frederick-sama."

"Are you a little nervous?"

Was I? I hadn't noticed it myself.

But it was true that this was my first time spending several days surrounded by nobles. I had grown accustomed to the members of the ducal family, but I would be meeting the people in the ducal capital for the first time.

"I suppose I am. It will be my first time meeting your older brothers..."

"You don't need to be so nervous. My brothers are all good people. Besides, I've already told them about you."

Hearing him say that reassured me a little.

After that, I made small talk with Frederick-sama until Richard-sama and Catherine-sama arrived.

"Everyone's here. Then let's depart. Get in the carriage."

We got into the carriage and left the ducal estate. The four of us rode in an especially large and luxurious carriage, along with two servants. The other servants would apparently ride in another carriage. There also seemed to be two carriages loaded with luggage and other things. We proceeded with four carriages in total, surrounded by knights and soldiers from the ducal household.

So there were this many guards besides Frederick-sama. Well, it made sense, since they were the ducal family. It probably also served to display their authority.

The carriage proceeded smoothly, and we left the royal capital. When I opened the carriage window and looked outside, fields stretched as far as I could see. I could also see houses here and there. Some structures looked like churches, so perhaps churches were built once you got far enough from the royal capital. That made sense, since the bells from the city couldn't be heard this far away.

Wait, were we still in the royal capital?

"Richard-sama, are we still in the royal capital?"

"Yes. The royal capital's farmland stretches out for a while. A little farther on, we'll reach the farmland of the ducal territory."

The route from the royal capital to the ducal capital was a bare, hard-packed dirt road, but the highway itself seemed to be well maintained.

Towns and farmland seemed to lie along that highway.

I watched the scenery outside for a while, but I eventually grew bored because the same view continued endlessly, so I closed the window.

"Leon-kun, is there any food you like?"

Richard-sama suddenly asked me that. Food I liked? Why were we suddenly talking about that? I answered, a little puzzled.

"Let's see. I basically like everything, but I especially like the simmered beef I had at the ducal estate."

"Ah, that one. I like it too. That recipe was developed recently, but it makes the meat wonderfully tender and delicious."

It wasn't quite beef stew, but the beef simmered in a sauce with a similar flavor was incredibly tender and delicious. Of all the dishes I had eaten at the ducal family's dinners, it was my favorite.

"Then let's eat at a restaurant that serves beef for lunch."

"We'll be eating lunch at a restaurant?"

Did that mean there was a town along the way? Were towns really this close together?

"There's a town just inside the ducal territory. It will be a little past noon by then, but I'd like to eat at a restaurant if possible."

I see. So there was a town on the border with the royal capital.

"That sounds exciting. It will be my first time visiting a town other than the royal capital."

"Yes, look forward to it. It has a somewhat different atmosphere from the royal capital, so I think you'll enjoy it."

After traveling by carriage for a while longer, we apparently arrived in that town. When I looked outside, I saw houses packed closely together.

"Do towns other than the royal capital have something like a downtown area?"

"No, they don't. But there is a street lined with high-end shops."

The carriage proceeded along the town's main thoroughfare. The townspeople looked at it in surprise, but perhaps they quickly recognized it as a noble's carriage, because they soon went on their way without staring too much.

To commoners, nobles were people they would rather not have anything to do with. The Townsend ducal family probably wouldn't act unreasonably, but I had heard that some nobles did.

After a while, the carriage stopped in front of a rather lavish-looking restaurant. Richard-sama's attendant went inside first. They must have sent word ahead so the restaurant could receive nobles. That was probably rather sudden for the restaurant.

We were kept waiting for a short while, then a middle-aged man came out of the restaurant. Richard-sama's attendant then returned to the carriage.

"Everyone, it seems everything is ready."

"All right."

After saying that, Richard-sama told me to get out of the carriage first. Was it because people were getting out in order from lowest status upward?

I got out first, followed by Frederick-sama, Richard-sama, and Catherine-sama.

Richard-sama got out and escorted Catherine-sama, and the two of them started walking toward the restaurant. Frederick-sama followed them, so I followed him.

"Everyone from the Townsend ducal family, thank you very much for visiting our establishment today. Your seats are ready, so please come inside."

"Yes, thank you for responding so quickly despite our sudden arrival."

"Certainly."

The restaurant's interior was fairly luxurious. It was much less splendid than the ducal residence, of course, but it seemed about as lavish as a restaurant in the downtown area.

We were shown to a private room. It was a square room with a large round table and four chairs. Richard-sama sat at the far end, while I sat nearest the door.

"Here are your menus."

The server handed each of us a menu. We could choose one main dish from several meat options, while the rest of the set meal seemed fixed.

The menu included herb-roasted chicken, beef steak, pork steak, and simmered beef.

I supposed I would go with the simmered beef after all. Talking about it had made me want to eat it.

"I'll have the simmered beef."

"I'll have the herb-roasted chicken."

"I'll have the pork steak."

Everyone kept ordering one after another. I had to order, too.

"I'll have the simmered beef as well, please."

"Very good. Please wait a moment."

The server left, leaving the four of us, two attendants, and two guards in the room.

The attendants and guards were probably taking turns eating, too.

"So you chose the simmered beef too, Leon."

"Yes. Talking about it earlier made me want to eat it."

When Richard-sama asked me, I answered with a slight wry smile.

"It is delicious, after all. But it would be a little too heavy for me at lunchtime. Chicken is just right."

"That's true, Catherine. It might be a little heavy for you."

As we talked, the server came in pushing a cart bearing a pot of soup. One of the attendants tasted a little of the soup first.

For a moment, I wondered what they were doing. Was it a taste test? Then it hit me.

This must be poison testing! Amazing—they really did that!

But did they always have someone taste the food in the ducal family's dining room? I wasn't sure... I hadn't really watched closely before. It was a large dining room, so perhaps they had.

Once that was done, the soup was ladled into bowls and served. I think I just saw an attendant take the tableware out of a box.

Were they bringing their own tableware, too?

Come to think of it, this cutlery might be the same as what we always used at the ducal estate.

Oh no... Nobles were terrifying.

Maybe I should practice removing poison with recovery magic, using a weak poison that would only upset my stomach... I'll do it as soon as I get home. Poisonous herbs grow in the forest, so I can get some.

I composed myself and took a sip of the soup.

Oh! It was quite delicious. Perhaps even high-end restaurants like this had adopted new cooking methods developed in the downtown area.

Then again, maybe it was something like a chain restaurant. I didn't even know whether this world had those.

From then on, I enjoyed the meal while listening to them talk about the ducal territory. The simmered beef was delicious, but perhaps the ducal family's cooks were more skilled, since I preferred the sauce they made at home. Still, I was satisfied.

We rested for a while over tea after the meal, then got back into the carriages and left the town behind.