There’s No Divorce For You

In time, the servant put a wide bowl in front of the king. The same bowl was in front of me, but it was different because it was silver and not gold.

The king put her hand in the bowl, making a clattering noise. I followed her blindly. The servants looked a little confused, but they thought the king was joking around with a friend she hadn’t seen in a long time, so they quickly took the bowl away with a calm face.

“I told them to put only the things you like.”

“You seem to be pampering me.”

“It’s a commemoration that we met again.”

I could feel the deep sadness in her words. However, I deliberately turned my eyes away and scattered the plates that lay endlessly on the table. 

There were only five kinds of soup. So I tasted them one by one, from consommé, carrots, spice-flavored curry, chicken, and even rice porridge. Fortunately, there was nothing I couldn’t eat. 

I should also like Carla’s favorite food because, like today, someone might notice it. My heart ached at the king’s consideration.

There were also six meat dishes that seemed to go well with the soup. These included grilled veal with sauce, a big turkey, sausages baked with mushrooms, baby rabbits, wild boar, and goat hind legs.

When I scattered them and hesitated about which to touch first, the king said again.

“In case you ask me why there is no fish, I told you in advance that if they put something you don’t like on the table, I’ll get the chef’s resignation letter… Oh, Carla. I can already hear your nagging. Isn’t there such a thing as formality? My answer is this, I’m the law itself.”

I glanced at the servant who poured the wine and looked at the king. The king giggled as if she had told a funny joke.

Carla didn’t like fish, but it seemed like she didn’t eat it on purpose. It was good information. Fish was often served on the table at the mansion, which was painful.

Maybe she didn’t want to look like a picky eater in front of the guy she liked. Carla, who was so mature and thick, had this side in the diary. I sneered inwardly. 

‘It’s not even a child.’

Still, it seemed I could avoid fish a little bit from now on. It was fortunate.

I scattered the new plate. Fried tomatoes and onions, boiled eggs wrapped in bacon, cucumber mixed with sauce, meat pie, salad decorated with lemon and apple, goose liver, boiled spinach, grilled eggplant and minced meat—.

Even if I didn’t know the exact name, I could see that it was a dish that took quite a lot of work. I tasted them little by little and thanked Carla for the fact that what she liked matched most of what I liked.

The king ordered the servants to go as soon as the dessert came out. Then they disappeared without making a sound. Only the Paladin, Theodore, didn’t leave and stood behind me.

“Then, should we talk about business now?”

I couldn’t even afford to put my hands on such a huge dessert, so I nodded in hopes that it would go well.

“You said you needed money.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, very much.”

“Then what about casino?”

I just blinked at the words I didn’t think of. As the king said, it’s probably not just a place to play cards. I swallowed my saliva. 

“I’ll open it very big. Of course, I pay for all the basic funds. Why don’t we borrow your name because it doesn’t look good if the royal family comes forward and encourages gambling?” 

I was surprised by the enormous scale that came out of her mouth, and seemed to forget what I had just eaten.

“Can I do that?”

The king continued with a chuckle.

“You’re not the only one doing it for good. I needed to stop the complaints of the aristocracy anyway. Wouldn’t it be less bark and sweet if you throw entertainment streets?”

She told me she would help me with the plan she had made, but I couldn’t imagine how great the suggestion was.

She said that she would give me a job that was nothing more than a national project. I took a deep breath for a moment. 

“Your Majesty.” 

“Why?” 

I smiled as brightly as I could.

“Thank you.”

The king contorted her face. Her expression looked like she was angry, maybe even crying.

“Don’t thank me from now on.”

“May I ask why?”

“Because Carla doesn’t say that.”

I closed my mouth. The king smashed the crown-shaped sugar cookie with a knife. Even though she was smiling at me, she didn’t seem to be able to control her heart yet. I brought up the casino story again to change her mood.

“I would like to hear more about the casino, Your Majesty. What game do we play? Card?”

The king laughed at me with a completely different tone from Carla and opened her mouth. 

“I can’t believe the only thing you could think of was a card game. You seem to have no connection with gambling.”

“I know horse racing.” 

“Racing? ‘m going to collect all kinds of games in the new casino. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it. Roulette, dice, fan tan, mini horse racing—” 

The king pointed her finger at me and told me about all kinds of gambling. The more I listened, the more it resembled a casino I knew. My heart was pounding. 

It seemed like things were getting too big. Can I handle it? I took a deep breath. 

“Your Majesty, are you going to let them enjoy the games and then send them back?”

“Of course?” 

The king picked up the crushed sugar cookie and began to eat it. Is this how the general feels about reporting the operation to the president? No, I was sure this would be more nerve-racking than that.

The king can kill anyone he wants, but the president can’t. Whoo. I took a deep breath. 

“I think that’s it, whether you bankrupt one person or ten people, but if you don’t like what they’re doing, send them away at once.”

“Hmm, how?”

“So, how about this….” 

I simply put out what I know. The king listened intently to my story and began to add reality to the story, which was only a theory. 

We talked for a while, forgetting to eat the snacks. I fell in love with the plan, and by the end of the conversation, I forgot for a moment who this was revenge for.

“Did I say that you don’t look like Carla?”

The king looked at me very slowly and smiled.

“Cancel it. You look more like Carla than anyone else.”

* * *

By the time we finished eating, the outside of the window was dyed black. Each star showed its presence in the dark sky. Too bad, but I guess we should end our talk.

The king said she had something to give me and ordered her servants to bring me a present. Twenty boxes were enough to get sick of the look of the box.

I refused repeatedly, but she said she would give it to Carla anyway and handed the box to Theodore.

The various boxes also had different weights. As I was about to move the larger of the dogs, Theodore quickly picked up the box I had chosen. 

“Show your face often.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” 

Lisa, who had been waiting in the hallway for more than half a day, was surprised to see me being affectionate with the king. She was carrying a big box and following me while talking nonstop.

“Madam, is this knight escorting us to the mansion?” 

I ignored her words because I knew she would talk endlessly if I answered her back, but Lisa continued talking even after she got in the carriage. 

“Madam, what was in the box?” 

It was better not to answer questions that would be annoying. Each of the king’s gifts was in a white box, and the ribbon was also white. 

It was dazzlingly white, except for the faded corners at the edges. As I ignored it, Lisa murmured, fiddling with her ribbon. 

“It will be really pretty if you tie your hair with a white ribbon. Right? I envy you so much.”

She glanced at me and continued talking about the ribbon. It seemed like she wanted me to give her one.

But I had no intention of doing so. No, I couldn’t give the ribbon even if another maid, not Lisa, begged me. 

This is a wedding present. Obviously, it hasn’t been touched for at least two years. What did the king think when she gave me the gift she was supposed to give to Carla?

Feeling bitter, I couldn’t put a finger on the box until I got off the carriage.

“Wow! I feel tired!” 

As soon as we arrived at the mansion, Lisa made a loud noise, grabbed the coachman’s hand, and jumped out of the carriage. The coachman panicked and tried to help me again, but Theodore was faster. I grabbed his hand and carefully lowered it under the carriage. 

The butler and Bell, who were waiting for us at the door, looked at Theodore. Both of them opened their mouths and couldn’t come to their senses.

“You’ve arrived.” 

Fortunately, the butler come to her sense first and welcomed me.

“The Master is waiting for you. He was worried because you didn’t come back for long.”

I clicked my tongue at her words.  Even though it was obvious that he was waiting for Lisa, who was with me, and not for me, the rude butler was horrible. 

I glanced at her and didn’t say anything back. The butler asked politely again, not discouraged.

“Shall we prepare a carriage without a pattern?”

Since it was a knight sent from the palace, preparing a carriage with the family’s pattern was polite if you went back to the palace. However, if you left the office as it was, the work of the royal family and the Count was done, so picking up a carriage without a pattern was correct.

I looked into the etiquette book to the point of memorizing it, but sometimes, the common sense of this world confused me.

Bell came out with glistening eyes and alternately looked at the knight. Her brown eyes were greatly widened. Even though she usually kept a calm face, it was cute to see her get excited. 

I waved my hand to the butler.

“No, it’s all right. Her Majesty has done me a favour, so he will stay in the mansion for the time being.”

Oh my! Bell covered her mouth. It was natural for her to be happy. There were no proper knights in the mansion. Even though the Count had a few private soldiers, none of them was as strong as the Paladin. 

A knight in uniform and even handsome is bound to be welcomed anytime, anywhere.