...
Priscilla then stops talking to Al before sending a look at Emilia. Her gaze is extremely unpleasant, even for me.
And Emilia upon noticing her gaze hides behind me. Seeing this, I turn around and move in closer to her.
"Are you not a future rule of Lugnica?" I whisper to her. "Are you not also the woman who will mend the relations between the races?"
Hearing me, Emilia just frowns in realization of her pitiful display and looks down. Seeing this, I merely place my hand upon her chin and lift her to face my eyes.
"If so, show me the conviction that you radiated on the night we sat together."
I can then see Emilia's pupils dilate before seemingly coming to a decision.
"Thank you Suburu." She tells me as she removes my hand and smiles with newfound confidence.
Seeing her up to my standard of a leader, I turn around and face towards Priscilla. She seems to be intrigued as to how Emilia's personality took a full 180. It really was nothing though, just using some simple knowledge of her character and manipulation to bring up her mood.
"I guess I should finally introduce myself." I say with a calm smile and a quick bow of courtesy. "I am Natsuki Suburu, a butler under Lord Roswaal."
Hearing me, Priscilla merely frowns. She is apparently displeased by the fact that a 'good commoner' is working under a lord that supports Emilia.
"Well that truly is a disappointment." Priscilla says while sighing loudly. "I had mistaken a maggot for a fly."
Hearing her, I can't help but feel my face twitching unconsciously. But I just ignore it and turn towards Al who has been silently watching.
"How do you deal with her?" I say to him in Japanese. His head then jerks and looks directly at me.
"I just have grown used to it." He says in Japanese as he brings his hand upon his sword. "But who are you? An enemy or a friend?"
"You are the one who decides that." I answer back in Japanese while focusing on the remaining shamac's in my sleeve. "I am also someone who found themselves in this world and am relieved to find someone 'like me'. If you want, you could come by the residence of Lord Roswaal and visit with me."
He then stands there silently for a second as if deciding on his next plan of action. But he then takes a look around and notices the thugs who I beat down. He brings his gaze towards Priscilla.
"Did you beat these men?"
Priscilla just looks between us with interest present in her gaze. "I have no idea what you two are talking about. But no, this commoner over here decided to take them from me."
Hearing this, Al visibly relaxed, he then turns his helmet back to me before speaking in this worlds language. "Well it seems I'll be visiting you for a drink one day Suburu."
Smiling brightly at his answer, I raise my hand towards him asking for a shake. "Why it would be my pleasure to host a knight of Lugnica."
Seeing my hand, Al narrows his helmets gaze into my sleeve that I purposely am showing him. As a gladiator, Al knows what's it means to show someone your tricks. They are either a fool or trust you, but nonetheless a fool.
This visibly makes Al relax more as he finally grasps my hand with his remaining one. We then gaze into each other's eyes while silently wishing the other well before I pull myself over to Emilia and he to Priscilla.
"Well, Emilia and I should get going by now." I tell the two before taking the bag of appas out of Emilia's hands. "It was a pleasure for me to land my eyes upon a candidate and also a knight of the kingdom."
"Excuse me?" Priscilla then calls out before pointing at the bag in my hands. "What exactly are the fruits in that bag called?"
Hearing this I can't help but send a bitter smile to Al. Seeing my gaze, he only bitterly shakes his head in return.
"These are Appas, they look like this because they are not peeled." I say to her before tossing one to Al. "If you still don't believe me, ask Al to peel this one."
And with all of it said and done, Emilia follows me out of the ally.
...
"Suburu." Emilia calls out to me as we walk. "Where exactly did you get to know that woman?"
Hearing her, I sigh tiredly before speaking. "I saw those three thugs on the ground trying to mug her. I decided to then help her out. One thing led to another and she revealed herself to be Priscilla Barielle, a royal candidate."
"I see." Emilia says calmly while looking forward. "Did she ask anything of you?"
"No, she didn't ask anything of me Emilia."
She didn't ask anything else of me after that. We merely walked in silence. But I could almost make out a ghost of a smile on her face.
Soon, we made it to our destination and saw a carriage out front. It seemed Roswaal and the twins finally arrived.
Emilia and I were let in by Rem. And after that, Ram came by and dragged Emilia to get a bath along with a change of clothes. It seems the meeting of the candidates is taking place sooner than I expected.
"A job well~ done Suburu." Roswaal says to me as he flips through the papers. "Maybe I could use you in areas other than housework."
"That would also mean a raise correct?" I say while giving him a bright smile.
"Why~ of course." He says, also with a bright smile. "An extremely~ small raise."
"Tsk, such a stingy lord I work under." I say as I click my tongue and look to the side. But this only earns some laugher in return from Roswaal.
But Roswaal then suddenly stops laughing. "I heard a very interesting request from the Sword Saint today."
Seeing his expression, I stop my pouting and directly meet his gaze. "What did he ask of me?"
"He asked permission to take you with him to witness the selection of the candidates." He says as he begins to tap his finger upon his desk. "As he is a knight under another candidate, I am suspicious as to what he wants with you."
"This truly is a complicated request for you isn't it?" I say to him before sighing. "Emilia already doesn't want me to go. If she learned that somebody under a different candidate brought me, the sword saint nonetheless, would make her feel complicated."
"So~ what do you want me to say~ to him?" Roswaal smiles as relaxes and leans back into his chair.
Seeing this I can't help but sigh again. Why ask if you already know?
"I want you to tell him that it would be too bothersome upon 'my lord', which is you." I say calmly while pointing at him. "But please also tell him to visit and tell me of the events afterwards."
Roswaal merely nods his head while keeping a smile on his face. "I see~, I will make sure~ to tell him this."
"I appreciate it." I say to him before leaving out the door of hid office.
...