"So tell me~ what carried you into our dear Emilia's company?"
After introductions were complete, under the guise of warm welcoming, Roswaal invited everyone—including Draven, for dinner.
Seated around a large dining table with Emilia on the side with the flying cat floating beside her.
Roswaal was seated at the head of the table facing the door with the two maids standing behind.
Opposite to him, Draven sat nearest to the door of the room.
They all ate in silence, before it was broken by Roswaal's question.
Everyone except Emilia, eyes narrowed as they focused on Draven's answer.
Draven set down his utensils and dapped his lips with a napkin before answering him.
"I told Emilia earlier of me being a runaway king. I was simply within the area and came upon this mansion with the cutie out front." He answered honestly.
"Hm?"
Emilia glanced up from her plate and looked around confusedly at her name being mentioned.
Roswaal hummed, clearly amused.
"A runaway king, hm~? That's quite the title to drop over supper," he said lightly, resting his chin against his palm.
Draven shrugged. "It's only dramatic if you're still attached to it. I'm not."
This earned him a couple narrow eyes.
"Although, I could've guessed from your name, quite a shocker you're a royalty—a king at that."
Roswaal was now intrigued, he then posed another question.
"If you don't mind me asking… where is this… kingdom of yours?"
"Yea! Where is this kingdom?"
Puck backed him up.
One of them is a court mage of one of the most powerful kingdoms in this world and the other was a great spirit.
"Hmm…"
Draven didn't answer right away.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting to the ceiling as he folded his arms like he was genuinely thinking about how to phrase it.
"Far," he finally said. "Like… really far."
Puck blinked. "…That's your answer?"
Draven nodded. "Yup."
Roswaal chuckled, amused. "That's rather unspecific, isn't it~? I do enjoy a good mystery, but even mysteries have starting points."
"It's not anywhere around here," Draven said.
"Oh?" Roswaal tilted his head. "Not Kararagi? Volakia~?"
"Never heard of those."
Puck crossed his tiny arms and huffed. "You're saying you walked here from somewhere that doesn't exist on maps?"
"I'm saying your maps wouldn't help you," Draven replied.
After all, my kingdom is in a whole-nother part of reality. Getting there is impossible… if you aren't me.
Draven smirked.
That earned him a few looks.
The pink haired maid, Ram, eyes sharpened.
Roswaal laughed again, but this time it lingered a bit longer than before. "My, my~ that's a bold thing to say to a court mage."
Draven shrugged. "I'm not trying to be bold. It's just how it is."
Emilia glanced between them, sensing something amiss. "Um… is this a bad question?"
"No, no~" Roswaal waved her off gently. "I'm simply curious."
He leaned forward slightly, fingers tapping the table.
"You see, Draven, I've studied quite a lot about this world. Forgotten kingdoms, collapsed nations, even fairy tales. If your homeland exists, I should at least recognize the idea of it."
"Well," Draven said calmly, "that's where we hit the problem."
Roswaal raised a brow. "Oh?"
"What need is there for you to know?" Draven asked casually. "It's not like you can go there anyway. And I ain't going back there yet."
The room went quiet.
Puck's eyes narrowed a little. "That's kind of a weird thing to say."
"Yeah," Draven agreed. "Doesn't make it less true."
Roswaal studied Draven for a moment, then laughed lightly and leaned back.
"Well then~," he said, tone returning to playful, "I suppose prying into unreachable places is rather pointless."
He clapped his hands softly. "Let's leave it at that for now."
Emilia relaxed almost instantly. "Oh—okay. Then… can we just eat?"
"Yes, yes~" Roswaal said cheerfully. "Dinner shouldn't be interrogations, after all."
Puck grinned. "Good, 'cause this food smells amazing."
The conversation drifted to safer topics after that.
But Ram kept watching Draven.
And Roswaal? Even though a smile was on his face, his thoughts were running rampant inside his head.
He knows that something didn't fit anywhere it was supposed to.
But without his trusty lord and savior—the Gospel to help guide him from independent thinking, he could only go so far.
…
The rest of dinner went smoothly.
They talked about normal stuff—food, the weather, how busy the capital was lately, giving Draven some knowledge of his current world.
Both maids stayed quiet, their eyes barely left Draven since they met.
When the last plate was cleared, Roswaal leaned back and gave a satisfied little sigh.
"Well then~" he said casually, "That was quite the meal."
"Uh—thank you lord Roswaal!" Ram flustered.
"It was really good." Draven complimented.
"Uh huh…"
"Hey. Why did I get a different reaction?" He squinted at the pink haired maid.
Puck grinned. "Yeah, I'm full."
Roswaal turned to Draven, still smiling. "So, you said you're a runaway king."
Draven shrugged. "Yeah."
"And I assume," Roswaal continued, "you don't exactly have a place to stay right now."
Draven raised an eyebrow. "No."
"Alright. Since you're here already… why not stay at the mansion for a few days?"
Emilia turned. "Really? Can he stay?"
Roswaal nodded. "Yes. He's welcome here. It's not like you have anywhere else to go."
Puck looked between them. "You're letting him stay?"
Roswaal waved a hand. "It's not that complicated. He's a guest. Guests need a place to sleep."
"You're offering me a place to stay even though you don't really believe my story."
Roswaal's smile didn't waver. "I don't need to believe your story to be polite. And honestly… I don't mind having someone interesting around."
His voice was light, casual, almost friendly, but his motivation for issuing the offer was another thing entirely.
Keeping Draven close was the safest option.
If he truly was a runaway king from an unknown kingdom, that alone made him a potential destabilizing factor.
If he wasn't… then the fact he showed up right before Emilia's trip to Lugunica and the royal selection and came into contact with one of the future candidates with a made up backstory warrants immediate destruction.
Either way, it was better to keep him inside the mansion where Roswaal could observe him, ask questions quietly, and—if necessary—control the situation.
Convenient timing.
Unusual origins.
All of it added up to one conclusion:
Draven was not someone you simply let wander off.
Roswaal had no intention of letting him out of his sight.
Even if Draven could already see through his plow, he placed it at the back of his mind as it benefited him greatly.
He glanced at Emilia. She glanced back at him with a cute, small smile, completely unaware of her impending doom.
"Fine," Draven said. "I'll stay for a 'while.'"
Roswaal clapped his hands softly. "Wonderful~ Ram will show you to a room."
"Yes," Ram replied flatly, though her face twisted slightly in clear annoyance.
After she and her sister finished clearing the plates, the dining room slowly emptied.
Roswaal left in a quiet conversation with Rem.
That left Draven following behind Emilia and Ram(puck disappeared), they made their way down one of the mansion's long, softly lit halls.
Draven's presence took up most of the space.
With his towering frame looming just behind them, the space felt smaller than it should have.
Emilia walked a little faster than usual, hands clasped in front of her, while Ram maintained her usual pace—though her shoulders were noticeably stiff.
"This wing is mostly guest rooms," Ram said, with stiff movements, gesturing ahead without turning around.
"The doors on the left are storage and linen rooms. Don't open them unless you want extra work."
Draven hummed. "Noted."
They passed several doors as Ram continued, her breath becoming increasingly bated.
"The third door down leads to the library annex. Restricted. The master does not appreciate uninvited guests."
"Sounds fair."
Emilia glanced back briefly—and immediately regretted it.
Draven was close. Much closer than she'd expected.
She felt her face heat up and quickly turned forward again, pretending to focus very hard on the carpet.
Ram, on the other hand, felt her body heating up the longer she was near Draven as an unusual stench slowly assaulted her senses.
She stopped just short of the next door and turned halfway to speak—only to find herself bumping face-to-chest with him.
For the first time since they met, Ram got a good sniff before freezing.
He was tall. Very tall. Looking up at him meant tilting her head more than she liked, and for some reason, her thoughts scambled the moment she met his eyes.
"…This is—" Ram started, then stopped.
Draven smiled. "You good?"
Her eyes fluttered.
She took a step back and straightened abruptly and stepped back.
"This is your room," she said quickly, turning and pushing the door without another word.
The room itself was simple but spacious—clean bed, desk by the window, wardrobe against the wall.
"E-everything you need is here," Ram said rapidly, suddenly very interested in the doorframe.
"If you need anything, ask Rem. Or… someone else."
Emilia smiled nervously. "I—I'll be right across the hall if you need help!"
Draven nodded. "Thanks. Both of you."
Ram didn't answer. She turned sharply and nearly sprinted away down the hall, much faster than before.
Emilia watched her go, confused. "…Did I say something wrong?"
Draven glanced after Ram, then back at Emilia. "Think she just remembered something."
Emilia tilted her head, still blushing faintly. "Oh. Okay… well, good night, Draven."
"Night, Emilia."
She hurried off toward her own room, leaving Draven alone at the doorway.
Down the hall, Ram leaned onto the wall, pressing a hand lightly to her face, panting like an animal.
What is happening to me, she thought.
Her body felt like it was on fire.
She could barely keep herself steady.
She had been feeling a little tingly since she met Draven in the hall and overtime it became increasingly hard to keep her eyes off him.
Especially with that weird scent he gives off. That stink.
"Uuuuuuggh~" a muffled moan escaped her lips before she covered it in a panic. "Mmhm~" she unknowingly began sucking on those fingers.
"What's…haaa…h-happening…mmm~ to me?" She strained the question.
The only thing that came to mind was, It's his fault!
And even then, knowing he might be the cause of her sudden behavior, her heart refused to slow down.
Instead it began beating faster.
Steeling herself, she used what little strength she had to escape the corridors towards her quarters.
She had to find a way to deal with these new sensations quickly.
And when she had run off earlier, the source of her misfortune, Draven, had already closed the door behind him, already aware of one thing—
Staying in this mansion was going to be far more interesting than he'd expected.
Chapter 3 end.