Chapter 8: Dinner

Evan, filled with the urge to drive that wildcat away, felt as if his true feelings had been exposed and tried to quickly change the subject.

Come to think of it,

“Why has your way of speaking changed to sound like some old man?”

“Old man, huh? Is picking a fight all you have left to do?”

Nihil replied, lowering his gaze and propping up his chin, tapping his lower lip with a lazy rhythm.

Truthfully, Evan had more to say about the peculiar habit of speaking only in half-phrases rather than the tone itself, but seeing Nihil lost in thought, he soon closed his mouth.

Only after a long while did Nihil seem to finish sorting his thoughts. He looked up and met Evan’s eyes.

“It’s a habit.”

“……?”

What is he saying?

Is having no speech mannerism itself a habit?

Unable to understand the meaning behind such a clipped statement, Evan frowned and gestured with his chin, urging for a proper explanation.

Nihil found it bothersome to explain everything, but since Evan had let him retire early to the bedroom, he decided to make an exception and explain.

“This way of speaking is just me imitating yours. I haven’t been speaking long.”

“Are you a baby or something? Haven’t been speaking long?”

“[Says the one who’s barely over twenty himself.]”

“?”

Evan tilted his head at the sudden unfamiliar language.

Was it a foreign tongue?

Nihil gave a faint smile at Evan’s confusion and continued explaining.

“It’s not like I do it consciously, but to put it simply, I assimilate. Outsiders are often met with suspicion or used for others’ gain wherever they go, so I end up mimicking the speech of those around me to blend in. I haven’t been in this kingdom long, so the accent is still unfamiliar and my manner of speaking changes easily. Once I get used to the way people here speak, it won’t change so readily, so don’t worry about it.”

Hearing that, Evan thought to himself.

Was it like a child with poor language skills copying their guardian’s speech?

It left him with a strange feeling.

In Nihil’s case, it seemed more an unconscious survival instinct, but looking at it another way, that impudent way of speaking wasn’t it just him copying Evan or the Prince?

Evan shook off his discomfort and asked another question.

“You haven’t been in Harpens long?”

“Harpens, is that the name of this kingdom?”

“……Where were you before that?”

“Probably… somewhere on the Eastern Continent.”

“How did you cross over without an identity token? Did you sneak in?”

“….”

Nihil fell silent for a moment.

It was clear he’d entered illegally.

Evan felt pleased, thinking he’d found a legal way to drive out that arrogant wildcat, but kept his face stern and pressed further.

“I asked how you crossed over.”

At Evan’s demand, Nihil hesitated, then finally opened his mouth, eyes still cast downward.

“…I was caught in slave smuggling… and handed over to a pirate ship disguised as a merchant vessel.”

“…..”

Evan fell silent.

He’d almost become the kind of irredeemable human trash who feels glad while driving out a poor child kidnapped by illegal slave smuggling.

A brief silence passed, and Evan, feeling just a tiny bit guilty, eased his tone.

“What?”

As Evan said nothing more, Nihil looked up and met his eyes.

Despite claiming he’d been kidnapped by slave smugglers, he still wore no expression.

“…Never mind. Did they brand you with a Slave Brand?”

“Of course not. I blew up the pirate ship and escaped.

It burned quite nicely.”

Evan was at a loss for words again.

That boy who had seemed just a little pitiful now proved, once again, he was no ordinary person.

He really is dangerous.

Then, suddenly, Evan recalled the recent pirate ship explosion.

“Don’t tell me, it was about ten days ago?”

“Roughly… around then.”

“…..”

Could that explosion have been his doing?

It was a big enough incident for the royal family to get involved.

A massive merchant ship from the Imperial East, loaded with illegal slaves.

It was thought to be just a trading vessel, but it turned out to be a pirate ship, packed not only with illegal slaves but also drugs and stolen goods, causing an uproar in both the Imperial East and the Kingdom.

From what was revealed, the pirate ship was supposedly unrelated to the merchant group, but since the pirate crew itself was so large, the investigation was still ongoing.

“Anything else you’re curious about?”

“……”

“If not, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk to me anymore. I don’t want to be called an old man.”

Clearly, that meant if they kept talking, this old-man-like way of speaking would become a habit, so Evan should keep his mouth shut.

Evan had plenty more to say, but decided not to pry further. The more he dug into Nihil’s past, the harder it seemed to get rid of him. He had a foreboding feeling that slave smuggling was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Oh, if you really want to talk, try speaking like a five-year-old child.”

“……..”

Damn wildcat brat.

***

“Dinner’s here!”

Fortunately, Lianus soon emerged from the bath, so Evan didn’t end up smacking Nihil’s head. The food hadn’t gotten too cold, either.

Evan naturally seated Lianus in a chair and carefully dried his hair with a towel.

Apparently, with no maids around, it was common for the Escort Knight to assist the Prince.

“Nihil, come sit. You’re hungry, right? Sir Evan, you too. You only had a sandwich all day.”

Evan hesitated for a moment, then quietly took his seat as if it weren’t his first time.

Nihil picked up the cloak he’d been sitting on, draped it over a chair, and sat as far from Lianus as possible.

It was a considerate gesture, keeping his dirty self away from freshly-bathed, fluffy Lianus.

Lianus, not realizing this, felt a little disappointed, but seeing all the meat dishes nearby, he figured Nihil must really love meat and silently praised his past self for ordering “lots and lots of meat” as he tore into a duck leg with his hands.

Though it was improper table manners, he’d deliberately eaten this way in the past so his commoner Knight wouldn’t feel so pressured by noble etiquette.

This time, the one being considered was, of course, Nihil.

Evan, now knowing the meaning behind it, didn’t stop him.

On the other hand, Nihil was secretly wondering if he’d have to teach the Prince table manners himself.

The young Prince, knowing nothing, simply pushed a plate of steak toward his new friend, urging him to eat plenty.

Nihil hesitated only briefly, then decided to eat—he was hungry.

‘Delicious.’

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a proper meal.

Table manners or not, until recently he’d been tearing into roast rabbit with his teeth, what did it matter how prettily he held his fork and knife?

Lianus watched Nihil silently empty his plate and smiled, feeling glad to be a Prince.

At least he could make sure his friend ate their fill of meat.

By the time Nihil was wolfing down his third plate, Evan was sticking out his tongue in disbelief.

Suddenly, Nihil paused mid-bite, stuffed more food into his cheeks, then stacked his empty plates and quietly slid them toward Evan.

Then, glancing toward the door, he grabbed his fork and knife in one hand, snatched up his cloak, and dashed to the terrace, hurriedly closing the window.

With the cloak caught in the window, it opened again before closing for good, meanwhile, the remaining two just stared blankly at Nihil’s bizarre behavior.

Then, Lianus caught the sound of footsteps.

“Someone’s coming.”

Hearing Lianus murmur quietly, Evan finally picked up on the footsteps as well.

Light, quick steps—probably a young maid.

Evan marveled inwardly at the wildcat’s animal senses. It wasn’t that the sound was impossible to hear if you listened carefully, but to catch it in the midst of eating required not just good hearing, but constant vigilance.

Evan quickly tidied up the chair Nihil had been using and rearranged the food, which had been piled on one side of the table.

Before long, a knock sounded at the door.

When Lianus, looking a bit nervous, called for them to enter, a young maid with twin braids came in, carrying a tray with two glasses of juice.

“Your Highness, since you’re eating so much meat late at night, I brought some kiwi and pineapple juice to help with digestion. But… it looks like Sir Knight might need it more.”

The maid quietly smiled, glancing at the stack of empty plates in front of Evan.

Evan, now looking like a glutton who’d eaten over three plates by himself, could only accept the juice with an awkward face and say thank you.

“His Highness must really care about you, Sir Knight!”

No, that’s not it.

This was the wildcat’s food, not mine.

Evan forced a stiff smile at the maid and stole a glance at his master.

Lianus, just as awkward, rolled his eyes away from his Knight and told the maid to prepare a generous breakfast for tomorrow before sending her out.

As soon as the maid left, the sound of the terrace window opening was heard.

Nihil dashed in, shamelessly grabbed Evan’s juice, and gulped it down.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he spoke up.

“I thought I was going to choke.”

“You…!”

Not only had Evan been wrongly accused, but now even his juice was stolen before his eyes, and he was filled with indignation.

Of course you’d choke! You stuffed your cheeks full of food!

“Why are you drinking that?!”

“What do you mean, why? They brought it to help digest the meat, so obviously the one who ate the most meat should drink it!”

It was so logical Evan was left speechless. If the juice was for digestion, it did make sense.

Evan could only stare blankly as the wildcat calmly sat down and speared another piece of steak with his fork.

Seeing the misunderstanding, Lianus, now a Prince known for caring so well for his Knight, hesitated a bit, then, perhaps feeling guilty, pushed his own juice toward Evan.

“Sir Evan, at least have this. Sorry for not taking better care of you.”

Now, Evan had become a Knight who coveted his master’s food.