Chapter 5
“Is a person who’s ‘sorry’ supposed to show up with just vegetable soup? How are we supposed to train after eating this?”
Alina, looking like a guilty criminal, offered a small excuse.
“I thought… rather than giving you heavy food, it would be better for you to calm your stomachs first with cabbage soup.”
At her words, Klaus opened the pot lid. Inside was a clear, watery soup filled with cabbage and various vegetables.
But no meat.
His silver-gray eyes tightened in irritation.
The lid clattered shut. His neat lips twisted in sarcasm.
“A perfect dish for fainting in the middle of training.”
“I didn’t think that far ahead. If you want, I can make something else and bring it right away.”
“That won’t be necessary. I wasn’t planning to eat it anyway.”
Klaus removed the armor on his shoulder as he spoke curtly.
“For the time being, I’ll be refusing anything from the kitchen. Who knows what kind of trouble your food will cause next?”
He motioned dismissively, ready to send her away—
But Alina suddenly lifted her head and looked straight at him.
“You’re right.”
“…What?”
“It’s only natural for you to be upset. The kitchen’s mistake directly affected the knights’ condition. Of course you’d be angry. Even the head chef said she’d take responsibility. Everyone in the kitchen feels terrible about it.”
Despite being scolded by a tall, intimidating knight, her clear green eyes didn’t waver.
In fact, she looked like she truly understood the knights’ frustration.
Klaus forgot the sarcastic remark he was going to make. Instead, he found himself explaining—
“Well… I wasn’t exactly angry, just a bit…”
“Yes. It must have been troubling. You must’ve felt awful about it.”
Before he could react, Alina quickly pulled a tablecloth from her basket and laid it across the table, placing the pot and dishes neatly on top.
In just moments, the command tent turned into a cozy makeshift dining area.
“I know it’s annoying for someone like me—a mere kitchen helper—to be the one coming here.
But I really, really made this with all my heart, thinking about the knights who must have suffered.
Please, just try one bite.”
“You said you brought pancakes as well?”
Klaus looked at the thick cake-like thing on the plate.
He expected the usual thin, stiff pancakes—basically edible paper.
But this… was different.
He had never seen this at imperial banquets. It almost looked like a chiffon cake. His curiosity was piqued.
“This doesn’t look like a normal pancake.”
Alina brightened instantly at his reaction.
“No! Please try it. This one won’t upset your stomach. I made sure it’s fully cooked this time.”
“Well… out of respect for your effort, I’ll try a bite.”
He sat down reluctantly.
It didn’t take long for the cold, stern knight’s expression to soften.
✧ ✧ ✧
“Ugh, my stomach still hurts.”
“Yours too? My stomach is burning. I should’ve taken the day off.”
Not long after Klaus began eating, the other knights entered the tent. Their faces were pale—clearly still suffering from the egg sandwich food poisoning.
“Captain, what are you doing?”
A knight with light green hair saw Klaus eating and looked betrayed.
“You made us train on empty stomachs, and here you are eating alone? That’s unfair! We have to eat together!”
Klaus froze, his fork halfway to his mouth.
“No, no, this isn’t a meal. I was just taste-testing. Of course we’ll eat lunch together.”
“‘Taste-testing’—but you’ve already eaten nearly the whole thing.”
And indeed, Klaus was down to his last bite. He stared at his emptying plate, shocked, then began coughing awkwardly.
“Hrm—cough! W-when did it disappear?”
“Captain, please. You ate it. It didn’t vanish.”
The knight marched over, snatched the last bite from Klaus’s fork, and popped it into his own mouth.
“That was the last—!”
Before Klaus’s cry of despair finished echoing, the knight had already swallowed it.
“…It was the last bite,” Klaus said faintly, mourning it.
The knight chewed, glaring at him.
“For something you hid so selfishly—wait.”
His eyes widened as the taste spread across his tongue.
“Wow!”
The lightly browned edges, the soft fluffy center, the gentle sweetness—all of it melted beautifully in his mouth.
It really was a tragedy that he only got one bite.
The moment he finished chewing, he turned to Alina eagerly.
“Did you make this?”
Alina nodded with a small sparkle in her eyes.
“Yes.”
“This… This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”
“I’m glad it suits your taste.”
“Of course it does! Let me introduce myself. I am Marquis Schneertz, Knight Caidan Schlemmer!”
Alina shook his hand politely.
“I’m Risse Kruger, a kitchen assistant. You may call me Risse.”
“Then call me Caidan!”
“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly address a marquis so informally.”
Caidan looked genuinely wounded at her flustered refusal.
“Why not? Someone with your talent—Risse, I want to be friends with you! You’ll want to be friends with me too. I’m nothing like our captain here, who eats pancakes in secret.”
He continued his enthusiastic self-promotion:
“Sure, I’m not as good as the captain in swordsmanship or horsemanship. But personality? Wealth? I’m far superior.”
“Quiet. Your academy diploma ink hasn’t even dried yet.”
Before he realized it, Klaus had been demoted to ‘bad personality, low wealth.’ He flicked Caidan a firm knuckle to the head.
Caidan rubbed his head, teary-eyed.
“It’s been four months since graduation! How long does your ink take to dry, captain—one whole year?”
He pouted and tattled to Alina.
“And you know what? Even at the academy, I was much more popular. Malerhark may care about skill, but still—what’s success without both work and love? A proper knight must have both!”
“I said quiet.”
Klaus ground his teeth in irritation.
“You’re not really mad, are you, captain?” Caidan asked, suddenly worried.
“If I were to take you seriously every time, my lifespan would shorten dramatically.”
Klaus shook his head, then gestured for the other knights to sit.
The knights, who had been watching the two argue, all sat down and stared at Alina with eager, sparkling eyes.
They looked like baby birds waiting to be fed.
Alina cleared her throat, then turned to Caidan.
“Caidan, please set the pot on the fire.”
“Yes, of course!”
He moved before she even finished speaking.
While the cabbage soup reheated, Alina placed pancakes on plates.
“When the soup is boiling, eat them together. Your stomachs are probably still sensitive.”
The knights stared intensely at the pancakes, swallowing hard.
The soft aroma of simmering vegetables filled the tent.
Seeing them eye the food so desperately, Alina hesitated before asking:
“You all got sick from the egg sandwiches the other day… Should you really eat pancakes today?”
“Lady Lilith treated us right away—we’ve almost fully recovered!”
Caidan answered quickly, terrified she might take the food away.
“Is this Lilith person an imperial mage?”
At Alina’s innocent question, Klaus blinked in surprise, then gave a small laugh.
“Miss Risse, you’re not from Malerhark, are you?”
“…Pardon?”
Klaus’s sharp observation made Alina freeze.
“Aren’t you? Anyone from Malerhark would know the princess’s name.”
“Oh— I didn’t realize you were calling her by name. I didn’t know she was the princess.”
Klaus gestured toward Caidan with his chin.
“He and I attended the academy with Lilith. Most of this year’s knights are from the same graduating class.”
“I didn’t know that.”
Alina smiled awkwardly.
“I’m actually from Xenotat.”
The moment the word Xenotat left her lips, Klaus’s expression grew solemn.
“The conquest of Xenotat was unfortunate. But it was unavoidable. His Majesty couldn’t ignore the problems caused by King Ranshel’s tyranny.”
“…King Ranshel did rule harshly.”
Alina forced her expression to remain calm. Klaus nodded and continued.
“The empire did accept many refugees fleeing Ranshel’s rule, but there were limits. Some refugees even turned to banditry near the border, slipping back into Xenotat whenever imperial soldiers arrived. When His Majesty demanded the return of illegal settlers and fugitives, Ranshel refused—and even killed the envoy. That sparked the war.”
“I heard Xenotat’s own people tried to overthrow the royal family many times but failed. That’s why they asked the empire for help.”
Alina’s careful words earned a satisfied smile from Klaus.
“Exactly. That was the reason for Malerhark drawing its sword.”
“I always thought the empire wanted to absorb Xenotat. But after removing the royal family, you withdrew immediately. Why is that?”
“The empire never wanted territory. His Majesty only wanted to grant freedom to those suffering under tyranny—that’s what Lilith said too. That’s why the empire announced across the continent that Xenotat’s people could choose whichever nationality they wished. The problem wasn’t the people—it was the royal family.”
“The king did terrible things… but what about the princes and princesses? They didn’t do anything wrong. Why kill them too?”
“They’re anti-imperial.”
Klaus answered crisply.
“And whether they want it or not, those with Ranshel blood could be used as figureheads. Many rotten remnants still support the old royal family—especially the crown prince. He’s cunning. They say his behavior is exactly like his father’s.”
“If he disappeared with the youngest princess, they’re probably working together.”
Caidan added helpfully.
Alina stopped asking questions.
Defending the youngest princess now would only draw suspicion.
She forced herself to steer the conversation elsewhere.
