「Excuse me, Yuuki-sama.」
「Huh? The head chef and… who?」
The head chef entered looking apologetic, accompanied by a pale-faced young man I didn’t recognize.
「Well, the thing is…」
From what he explained, the newcomer had mistakenly served part of the prepared meal as staff food.
「I am terribly sorry!! Come on! You apologize too!!」
「Ugh… I’m sorry…」
The young man had been crying nonstop. His cheeks were swollen, he must have been scolded harshly.
「「「…………」」」
Everyone stared in stunned silence. This kind of situation was clearly a first for them.
「Ah, it’s fine, really.」
「But! Today is your luncheon with everyone! Such a blunder cannot be forgiven!!」
He slammed his forehead against the floor so hard I felt bad just watching.
「Yuuki-sama…」
「There’s no way we can prepare more in time now…」
「Uuu… What do we do…」
Everyone was deep in thought, trying to figure out a solution.
「Hey, everyone. It’s okay. We’ve got backups.」
「Huh? Backups?」
The head chef blinked blankly.
「Yes. My spatial storage (item box) has time-stop, so I made extra. Well… some of it was secretly saved for later snacking…」
I gave a wry smile and pulled out the unused portions from spatial storage (item box).
「Th-Thank you so much!!」
「Ugh… ugh… Thank… you…」
「There, there. No more crying. We still need you to handle plating and presentation.」
I cast 『——Heal』 on the young man to reduce the swelling on his cheeks. Then I patted his back and sent him back to the kitchen.
When I returned to my seat, everyone was staring at me in amazement.
「As expected of Yuuki…」
「Your handling of the situation and follow-up were wonderful, Yuuki-sama…」
「So cool! Yuuki-san!」
「Nah, I just kept extras because I wanted to eat them with everyone later. The timing just changed, that’s all.」
No point dwelling on what happened. We could always make more. I waited calmly while preparations continued.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
About ten minutes later, Latiti knocked and entered.
「Yuuki-sama, everyone! The honored guests have arrived.」
She stepped aside, and a group of refined, dignified people entered in unison.
Some widened their eyes and paled at the sight of me. Others gave small, smiling waves. A few kept calm expressions but let their eyes dart around. Reactions varied.
Formally, this was a dinner, but it was still treated as an audience, so I remained seated and waited.
「Please take your seats.」
「「「「「Yes!」」」」」
Everyone immediately knelt on the spot.
「No, no, I meant the chairs!」
I couldn’t help but retort.
「Pfft…」
「Fufu…」
「……! ……!」
Everyone struggled to hold back their laughter. Look, the nobles were all staring blankly!!
「Ah… yes…」
「Sorry… Demon King-sama…」
They hesitantly rose and sat in the chairs.
「Thank you all for coming today. I made this a dinner gathering out of consideration for Liliana’s health and because my wives aren’t used to formal occasions yet. Sorry about that. And thank you for accepting this format.」
When I bowed my head, the nobles panicked.
「Demon King-sama, please raise your head!」
「Yes! We are the ones who imposed on your time!」
A woman’s and a man’s voices rang out, likely the two marquises.
「Yuuki-sama, please lift your face. Everyone is confused about what to do.」
At Liliana’s gentle words, I raised my head. The nobles stared wide-eyed, completely bewildered.
「Sorry if I startled you. I just really wanted to express my gratitude first.」
「No, please don’t apologize.」
「After seeing that, we now understand what kind of person the new Demon King-sama is.」
A beautiful noblewoman with blue skin adorned with luxurious roses, and an exceptionally tall, handsome nobleman whose eyes were hidden, both smiled.
Those two were probably Marquis Izanora and Marquis Filian. The female noble rose first.
「Hello, my name is Izanora Willinder, and my race is Araurune. The new Demon King-sama is a very lovely person.」
She gazed at me with a sticky, lingering stare. Then both women beside me pinched my sides.
「I am Filian Evitoria, of the incubus race. It’s a rare constitution born among succubi. I hide my eyes to avoid accidentally charming women, so forgive me.」
A shiver ran down my spine… No way…
After the two marquises finished their greetings, the three counts stood up.
「I am Baldor Adeline, of the Crimson Fang tribe. I have been honored to serve as one of the Four Heavenly Kings. To Demon King-sama, I offer nothing but gratitude for bringing peace to the border conflicts.」
What a cute name… Wait, was that why he only gave his family name earlier?
「This one is Letias Miribira, of the Phantasm tribe. I have been entrusted with one corner of the Four Heavenly Kings, espionage duties.」
His speech pattern is intense!! He won’t meet my eyes, but his gaze keeps flicking toward my neck, so he’s clearly trying hard to look at me.
(I used to be a shut-in too, so I get how hard it is to know where to put your eyes… I feel you…)
「Hiii! I’m Izanora Beatil! I’m a siren! I’m really good with song magic and can do all sorts of things! I run a theater in the castle town, so come visit!」
She was about the same age as Selene and had that cheerful, energetic vibe that warmed my heart. Then Liliana leaned in and whispered.
「Yuuki-sama, Countess Izanora is older than Father. By the way, she’s the one who rejected him.」
I didn’t need that second part! Poor Noctarl-san!
TN: Yeah, both marquess and countess are Izanoras. Maybe it will be corrected or maybe not.
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