Thanks to the wizard, the three of them arrived at the palace dressed impeccably. The gatekeeper had the most expensive deep green gown Peter had ever seen. It was tight at the top, then had a big and poofy skirt adorned with gold thread and large sparkling emeralds. Marquelle was imposing in a formal robe that was black and accented with the same shade of green as Iria's dress. His cane was longer than normal, and looked more like a mage staff than a cane, with its jewel-encrusted metal swirls. They really were trying to make it look like they were together with those matching outfits. Then again, his color scheme wasn't spared, either. He was in black breeches and a finely-cut black top. But the sash around his waist was the same green shade. Granted, he had never looked this good and put together. But he wasn't sure he liked that they all had matching clothes.
They stepped into a large marble hall, Marquelle and Iria flanking him on both sides. And if it wasn't for them, Peter was sure he would never step foot in a place like this. It was intimidating. The intricately carved ceiling was so high, it made him feel very exposed. The plants used to decorate the white hall were large and exotic. There were a few hundred guests, all richly garbed. And on one side of the hall were very long tables with so much food on them. That much food would probably last him a year!
Iria placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've been eyeing the buffet table since we arrived," she said, smiling. "Go forth and stuff yourself silly."
"I… I can eat anything on those tables?"
"Anything. Oh, but one piece of advice. Stop eating like you're afraid to get caught. You have permission to eat whatever you like. Go at it like you own the place."
"L-like I own the place?! But I don't!"
"But I do. Technically. Since I'm the princess. And since you're with me, and you have my permission, it's like you own the place."
Peter was supposed to make a remark, but Marquelle suddenly held out a hand towards the gatekeeper. "Can I have this dance, Iria?" The mage asked. Looking all gallant and dashing, Peter thought with a pout. Belatedly, he realized that the music had started playing.
And the gatekeeper actually had the audacity to blush. She took his hand, and the mage pulled her onto the dance floor. And Peter was left quite forgotten and alone on the side of the hall.
Peter couldn't help but rub his arm uncomfortably. He felt out of place in the cavernous hall filled with rich and important people. He glanced at the buffet tables. As if he could just waltz up there and take things. He looked back at the dance floor. Marquelle and Iria seemed to be enjoying themselves. The mage danced quite well despite his limp. Did they realize that they only had eyes for each other on the floor? "What is even happening between those two?" He mumbled to himself. The gatekeeper seemed a little strange last night. And this morning, though he pretended everything was alright, the mage kept stealing glances at Iria.
With a sigh, Peter stole into the balcony at the side of the hall. Quietly, he closed the glass door and let out a breath of relief. It was suffocating being inside. The marble balcony was quiet, though. The palace gardens opened up before him with a multicolor of blooming flowers. Beyond was the palace walls, white and imposing, but definitely scalable. He approached the balustrade and peered down. There were only two guards patrolling the area. Very light security. No doubt most were deployed within the palace where there were more things and people to protect. He touched his neck. Iria had never put back the device to stop him from doing magic.
"Aero," he whispered. And the wind spell worked, sending a light breeze coming out of his hand. If he wanted to, he could escape. After all, Iria still planned to hand him over to the Libra council despite being kind to him. But…
Peter slipped back inside quietly. The song should have just finished, but when he turned to the dance floor, Iria was already looking for him.
"There you are!" She exclaimed when she saw him and promptly ran to him, flinging an arm around his neck.
"I-I wasn't trying to run away!"
She looked at him funny. "I didn't say that you were."
"Th-then why were you looking for me?"
Iria smirked, then flung her arm open to indicate a newly-filled buffet table. "My favorite table, the dessert table, is finally open. And you need to try it."
Without waiting for his reply, she pulled him by the wrist and headed to the table. And Peter could only stare at the beautiful mouth-watering pieces laid out before him. These were things he could only stare at from afar through shop windows. There was no way someone like him could ever eat something like this. "They… They look like jewels."
"Well? Aren't you going to try some of them?" Iria asked when he hadn't moved from his spot. She, herself, was already enjoying a tart from one of the trays.
To Peter, it sounded unreal. "Can… Can I, really?"
"Of course!" She popped the remainder of the tart in her mouth, then picked up a plate and proceeded to fill it. "I'll go bring some to our beloved mage. You stay here and enjoy yourself." With a mischievous smile, she turned to leave.
"Wait!" Peter grabbed her arm before she could leave.
Thankfully, she stopped. But she was watching him curiously, no doubt wondering why he would be so worked up over sweets. But she didn't understand. These were never allowed to him. And now, she was saying he could eat as much as he wanted?
With a hand still on her arm, he used his other hand to pick up a tart, the type she had just eaten. The strawberries on it were large and glazed. The tart looked like a little boat with three large rubies on top. Nervously, he brought it to his mouth and bit. It was like nothing he had tasted before! The strawberries were sweet and juicy. There was sweet yellow paste underneath that also tasted so good. And the crust was a crumbly thing, but not like the crusts of bread he had eaten. This was… This was…
"I take it you like it?" When he looked at Iria, she was looking at him like a satisfied cat.
"H-how could something taste as good as this?!"
The gatekeeper chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Feel free to eat some more. But not too much, alright? You might have a stomachache." With a pat on his head, she turned to go.
"Wait!" He grabbed her arm once more.
He felt happy, but afraid at the same time. And the warm look on Iria's eyes as she waited patiently for him to say what he wanted made the pinch in his heart feel more painful.
"You asked me how I had learned magic," he began. "I found discarded notes when I was scavenging for food near a school one time."
She stopped and turned to face him. She looked sad. "You had to scavenge for food?"
"You choose to focus on that part? I'm talking about where I learned magic!" But though he felt embarrassed, he still felt warm that Iria was concerned he wasn't eating well.
"Sorry, please go on." That was what she said but she had started filling up a new plate with various little pastries, then putting the plate in his one hand and a small fork in the other.
Peter ate a piece of a cake on the plate and continued. "I would stay outside of the schools and listen. I picked up some things. But I never had the kind of education I'm getting with the mage now. Not to mention the food I've been having. Or even the soft bed. Or…" Having someone quiet the nightmares.
He glanced at her to see her reaction. She looked sad.
He cleared his throat. "A-anyway, what I wanted to say was, could you delay catching the creature a little bit?"
"The creature? What does that have to do with anything?"
"I… I know this will need to come to an end eventually." It was his turn to feel sad. He couldn't help but look away. "You and the mage eventually need to go back to your work. And I… well, you'll need to turn me in, or best case, I'll go back to my streets. And this will happen once you've caught the creature because there would no longer be any reason to stay with the mage. So… If you could delay it just a little more…"
She flung her arms around him and embraced him tight.
"Hey, the desserts—"
"Alright," she whispered. "Let's delay it a while." She had tears in her eyes when she released him.
"A-are you crying?!" Peter was flustered seeing her that way. "Did I do something?!"
But Iria just laughed. "No, no," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "For the record, I'm just presenting you to the council. I'm not turning you in like a criminal. But you're right. We won't always have what we have. So your job tonight is to thoroughly enjoy yourself. Got that?"
"Y-yes."
"Good!" She kissed him on the head. "I'm going to take this plate to Marquelle. Until I get back…" she grandly waved at the dessert table. "Try everything out!"
"Yes, ma'am!" He had given up his chance to escape to spend more time with Iria and Marquelle. That might turn out to be a wrong move, but for now, everything was right in the world. He would worry about the future later.