Grace is taking strangely long. Then again, the snacks now probably aren't dry bread anymore. The couch is very comfortable. It's like sitting down in a firm bale of hay. While waiting for Grace's return, I look around the room.
It is furnished like a royal chamber, or what I think would be a royal chamber since I've never been in one. There is a table seemingly made of glass in front of me at the height of my knees. The bed beside me is huge and covered in smooth silk. A drawer and a desk occupy the wall on the other side of the room. Sunlight shines through the huge window above the bed. Almost everything in the room is coated in bright pink.
If I were told that I am in a completely different world, I would believe it.
After some time, I see Grace with her usual smile walking through the door while holding a plate.
"I figured you might want something a little more familiar, so I brought some food you know about," Grace says while setting the plate down on the table in front of me.
There are two mugs with steam coming out of the top. Their content is a red-colored liquid. Beside the mugs is another plate that has pieces of odd-looking bread organized in a neat fashion.
"Even if you say that, I don't know what these are." (James)
"What? You never had tea or sandwiches before?" Grace asks in a surprised voice.
"No?" (James)
"I thought they were invented before your time." (Grace)
Grace sits down on her bed. She rests her elbows on her thighs and props her head up with her hands.
"Were they introduced to the Eventyr Kingdom before my time?" (James)
"Ah… I have no idea. I guess not since you've never seen them." (Grace)
Grace looks a little disappointed.
"Oh, well. There were many foods I never had anyways, so I don't mind trying something new." (James)
I pick up the bread that's stacked with whatever is between. I assume I am supposed to bite at the cross-section to get everything in my mouth at once, so I do. It's cold, but there is an explosion of flavors. Each layer has its own texture and taste. I can somewhat make out meat and leaves, but there are others that I have never tasted anything similar to. Overall, it's better than anything I've eaten, which to be honest isn't much since all that I ate was army rations.
"Ish weawwy gwood," I try to make out some words with my mouth full.
Grace chuckles.
"Finish chewing first." (Grace)
With a gulp, I swallow everything down.
"Now try the tea." (Grace)
Grace points to one of the mugs with the steaming hot liquid.
I pick it up and bring it close to my mouth. Immediately I am hit with a heavenly aroma. I take a small sip. Unlike the intense smell, the taste isn't that strong, but it's delicious regardless. I grab another "sandwich" to accompany the drink.
"It still seems so unreal. I can't believe Sir James Ferson is stuffing sandwiches in my bedroom," Grace says while looking entranced by my eating.
"James is fine," I say between bites.
"You are so different from what we learn in history class." (Grace)
"You learn about me in history class?" (James)
The plate of "sandwiches" is now just a plate.
"Of course. You literally saved the Kingdom. Who else are we going to learn about?" (Grace)
"What am I like from your history class, then?" (James)
"Um… let's see… powerful, galant, and incredibly charming." (Grace)
That's definitely not something the king would have told his descendants, given his almost hurtful honesty. All these must have come from rumors.
"And how am I any different?" I say jokingly.
"It's somewhat hard to believe that you are the Sir James Ferson who has 12 wives." (Grace)
Hearing that, I choke on my tea and begin coughing.
"W-What?" (James)
"You had a dozen wives, right? That's like, common sense." (Grace)
"No. I didn't have a dozen wives. I appreciate their sentiment, but I am starting to resent whoever spread these rumors." (James)
"B-But, that's…" (Grace)
Grace looks like her world has been flipped upside down.
"There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about me. Some of these are pretty outrageous, so please, don't assume anything before confirming with me." (James)
I can't believe that if I didn't correct Grace, she would have gone on believing I had 12 wives.
"O-Okay. What about your strength, then? Is it true you can actually take on an entire army single-handedly?" (Grace)
"That much is true." (James)
"Wow. I mean, that's less believable than having 12 wives." (Grace)
"No, it's not." (James)
"If you say so." (Grace)
The strange feeling hits me once again, the feeling that my story, albeit somewhat inconsistent, is now widely known knowledge.
"What about the king, then. What was King Eventyr VI like?" (Grace)
"A great leader, an honorable man, and a loving father." (James)
"Yeah, I know that much, but what about him as a person?" (Grace)
Grace suddenly looks intrigued.
I take a little while to think of an answer. The king didn't show his personal side that often, but I've had a few dinners with him where he got drunk and dropped the king act. However, I don't really want to tarnish his reputation.
"He… had a lot of complaints about the queen. It wasn't anything major, but something tells me that he is not the one in charge in that relationship." (James)
Grace breaks into laughter.
"Haha, really? The Great King Eventyr VI was scared of his wife?" (Grace)
"That's not what I said." (James)
Grace ignores me. So this is how the rumors began spreading.
"What about the princess? What was she like?" (Grace)
"Which one? The King had many daughters and granddaughters. Hold on, I am the one that should be asking the questions here." (James)
"Right, right, sorry about that. It's just, hearing about historical characters we learn in school from a person who has firsthand experience is not a very common thing." (Grace)
I guess that's understandable. I take another sip of the tea and set the mug back onto the table.
"So, where is the royal family? Why is the throne empty?" (James)
"Oh, right. Well, this is going to be hard to explain, but the royal family doesn't have much power anymore." (Grace)
"What? Has the royal bloodline died out?" (James)
It's very worrying but possible. King Eventyr VI was the only son of his parents who has survived past the age of 13. Had he been killed without an heir, the kingdom would have ended right there, or at least not be the same anymore.
"No, no, they are doing fine. Listen here…" (Grace)
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