Chapter 39: An Odd Dinner Party

The following week, Liara missed her Monday classes. Princess Sylvie informed me that she couldn’t walk and had to be seen by a visiting doctor in the dorms. Eric turned white when I asked him if he’d be going with me next weekend, so I think I get my weekends back.

I’d love to spend this weekend scouting a new area in depth, but the weather is warming quickly, and I’m worried the Alarian Empire will invade. Which means operation toss the dumbass prince from his balcony is a go. I just need to get through Friday training with everyone, and I’m free.

“Eric! Stop running! You need to hold your ground!” Liara screams while chasing after him with a wooden sword.

“Wha! No! You’re even fiercer than normal! What the hell did Alfred do to you in the mountains!?” Eric cries while running the fenceline of my dorm garden.

Princess Sylvie and I are practicing our swings and counter swings while chuckling at Eric’s misfortune.

“She’s been like this all week, you know,” Princess Sylvie says between strokes.

“I’m proud of her,” I reply honestly.

“Oh? Are you not proud of the student in front of you?” the Princess asks with a teasing smile.

“Very proud, Your Highness, shall I prostrate myself before your mighty swings?” I ask.

“I’ll bounce this sword off your head if you do,” Princess Sylvie replies with a glare.

“Aha, as expected, let’s take a break. I’ll get drinks for everyone. Eric looks like he may die..” I say with my eyes locked on Eric, who's flailing about the yard.

I make my way inside and gather cups before using magic to fill a large pitcher with chilled water-

Knock knock

Who would be at my door on a Friday? Maybe Tim has beaten his depression and is coming to train.

I walk to the front and open the door-

“Alfred!” Mother shouts as she jumps through the door and wraps me in her arms.

I return Mother’s hug and look behind her to see my Father and Jen? Is this an intervention?

“Mother, Father, it’s wonderful to see you. Please come in, Jen, you too,” I say while further opening the door and motioning everyone inside.

“I don’t want to interrupt your family time, Alfred. I intended to leave this letter for you,” Jen replies shyly. 

“Oh, is everything alright?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, it just requests Thursday next week off from tutoring, so I may visit my family,” she replies.

“That’s fine, you’ve been an incredible teacher, you may take as much time as you’d like,” I say with a gentle smile.

Father and Mother walk inside while I talk to Jen, but the commotion has drawn attention from the training group. Princess Sylvie is the first to notice and leave the garden-

“Count Pruss, I wasn’t aware you were visiting. Please accept my apologies for intruding on your time with Alfred,” she says while pinching the hem of her battle dress and curtsying.

Princess Sylvie refuses to wear typical training garb, but after much experimentation, she’s found a dress that doesn’t restrict her movements. I’ve dubbed it her battle dress.

“Princess Sylvie,” Father replies in a shocked tone before giving a formal bow, “we should be apologizing as this is an unannounced visit. If you have business with Alfred, we can take our leave.”

Mother follows his lead in giving a formal greeting. She’s wearing an elegant dark dress and most of the jewelry I remember Father giving her. But Princess Sylvie shakes her head.

“That’s unnecessary, some of Alfred’s classmates come here on Fridays to train before he leaves on hunting trips,” she explains, “Alfred could we all share a meal? You were planning on sharing the spoils of last weekend, weren’t you?” she adds with a wicked smile.

Balls. I did say I’d make everyone dinner after training.

“What a lovely idea, Princess Sylvie,” I answer with a twitching smile, “Mother, Father, and Jen, please join us for dinner. I’ll be starting the preparations shortly.”

Jen is standing behind me, trying to look as small as possible.

“Ah, um Alfred, I don’t think I belong at such a dinner party..” she squeaks, and Father chuckles.

“Such is Alfred’s way, Miss Jen, birth means little to him,” he interjects, “before leaving for the academy, he hosted a meal for our estate and served everyone there, including our attendants.”

Princess Sylvie watches the interaction closely before stepping forward-

“Miss Jen, please join us, we’d love to get to know the teacher Alfred spends so much time with,” she says with another curtsy.

Jen looks like a balloon that’s about to burst.

“I-it’s an honor to be in your presence, Princess Sylvie,” Jen says while bowing so deeply her forehead nearly connects with the floor, “Alfred, please allow me to assist you with dinner preparations,” she adds and turns to me with pleading eyes.

“I would never turn down a request from my favorite professor,” I answer with a gentle smile. I think socializing with everyone here would kill her. She’ll be more comfortable cooking with me.

Jen hides behind me again as Princess Sylvie leads my parents to the garden and introduces them to Eric and Liara. I turn to check on her-

“Sorry for roping you in, Jen, it’s difficult to refuse a direct request from the Princess..” I explain solemnly.

“It’s ok..” she answers quietly, her eyes glazed over.

“Everything will be fine. Did you run into mother and father on the way here?” I ask.

“Yes, we came through the gate together, and your Mother struck up a conversation. She’s lovely..” Jen explains before finally looking up at me.

Argh, unfortunately, I’m aware. Maybe I can use that healing magic to scrub away some of my own memories..

“Mother is very kind, as is everyone here. The only difficult friend I have is the Princess..” I mumble.

“Alfred!” Jen yelps before covering her mouth, “You can’t say such things,” she adds with a whisper.

“Apologies, let’s prepare dinner. The smoker is already heating for the paddle horn steaks, and I have dough rising. Can you bake the bread while I prepare sides?” I ask.

“Of course, but can I do anything else?" Jen asks, "We have many recipes we could share..”

“Absolutely not, you saw how pushy the Princess is, we’ll never know peace if we share them with her,” I reply sternly.

Meanwhile, in the dorm garden-

“And lastly, this is Liara Til. She recently joined Alfred on a hunting trip,” Princess Sylvie explains to the Pruss family.

“Count Pruss, I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure,” Liara says with a formal bow, “and Countess, you are stunning,” she adds with wide eyes.

“You flatter me, Miss Liara, you’re quite the beauty, and you must be strong to accompany my son on one of his trips,” Countess Pruss says while scanning Liara’s mix of feminine beauty and chiseled muscles.

“It’s as my wife says, I hope Alfred doesn’t cause too much trouble,” Count Pruss interjects.

Liara grimaces and drops her gaze to the ground before her.

“We cause much more trouble for Alfred. I wouldn’t have made it back without him,” she says.

“That land must be as dangerous as I’ve heard..” Count Pruss mumbles with a hand to his chin. Countess Pruss’s eyes fall to the ground, likely imagining her son traversing such an area.

Liara’s eyes follow the Countess, and she senses a mother’s worry.

“While it’s dangerous for a novice like myself, Alfred’s ability was incredible. We ran into um..” Liara stops herself and glances at the Princess, who is wearing a sour expression.

“They ran into Alarian knights scouting beyond the eastern walls,” Princess Sylvie says seriously, “please keep that information to yourselves, as it’s being treated as a state secret.”

“Wha- Miss Liara, were you or Alfred injured?” Countess Pruss asks as she turns her body back towards the dorm where her son is preparing a meal.

“Not at all, Countess, I was cornered for a moment while Alfred gathered materials for our camp. As soon as he returned, the knights were dispatched, and he made a stew for us,” Liara says as she stares into empty space with a faint smile, as though recalling a fond memory.

“Aha, did you hear that, dear? You shouldn’t worry when our boy is so talented,” Count Pruss says while placing a gentle hand on his wife’s shoulder.

“It’s as you say, Count Pruss, we gather here to train with him whenever possible. His strength is far beyond his years..” Princess Sylvie says with far away gaze.

Countess Pruss sighs and looks up at the Princess with a small frown.

“He’s always been that way. I simply wish he’d be content without danger,” she says.

Alfred emerges from the dorm and places a number of steaks on the smoker before addressing the group.

“It’s going to be cold soon with the sun setting, I’ve prepared drinks and small snacks for everyone inside,” he says.

“Snacks too!” Liara yells before covering her mouth in embarrassment.

The Pruss family laughs in unison, while the Count and Countess smile happily at each other. They can’t help but see their youngest child in Liara.

***
Jen and I finish the meal in under an hour and prepare to plate the dishes for everyone. Paddle horn steak, battered french fries with gravy, fresh-baked bread, and a mix of steamed vegetables. Basically, the staple meal my friends and I eat in this dorm, but I’ve been experimenting with gravies for them to try. Poutine will be on the menu soon.

We set everyone’s plates and drinks before inviting the group from their standing chatter over to the table.

“I’ll never forget young Alfred’s words, ‘she was rather beautiful, Father, but she was very forward. I’m not accustomed to women like her,’ he said. I’ve never heard the boy speak so quietly,” Father recounts my childhood encounter with Sophie to the group with a hearty laugh.

Aw, c’mon, she tried to groom me when this body was five, it was weird.

“Hahaha, I can’t even imagine him saying that, Liara, can you?” Princess Sylvie asks with a chuckle.

“I cannot, he seems comfortable around the Princess and me..” Liara answers shyly. Princess Sylvie scans Liara curiously before remembering the bath Liara offered to share with Alfred and shaking her head.

“Ahem – dinner is ready if everyone would like to take their seats,” I interrupt and shoot Father a glare.

“Oh, Alfred, I was sharing some of your finest moments with your friends,” Father replies with a shit-eating grin.

Bastard.

Everyone takes their seats at the table after Princess Sylvie takes the head position. Father and Mother sit to her right, while Eric, Liara, myself and Jen are on the left.

Princess Sylvie glances around the table and sees the Count and Countess waiting for her to begin while Jen is shrunken back in her chair, nearly out of sight next to me.

“We avoid ceremony whenever possible at this academy, and even more so when we intrude on Alfred’s dorm. Please enjoy your food, everyone,” the Princess says with a sweet smile aimed at the Count, then Jen.

“Yes, please enjoy while it’s hot. There is a new sauce for the battered potato sticks, so please tell me what you think,” I add.

At our prompting, the first-time dinner party guests release their tension and start to enjoy their food. Mother is the first to notice something I haven’t prepared for her back home-

“Alfred, the potatoes seem different from what I’m accustomed to. What have you discovered this time?” she asks teasingly.

“It’s nothing special, Mother, I simply coat them in a batter before frying them for extra texture,” I explain.

“You say it’s nothing special, but I’ll never grow tired of eating these Alfred,” Eric says between forkfuls of fry, “the gravy is a wonderful addition too, it’s not as salty as most, but that’s perfect because the potatoes are already salted.”

Mother beams with pride at Eric’s review.

“Alfred’s always been an innovator, I’ll never forget when he gave me his new soaps to try,” Mother says with a hand to her cheek, “my hair had never felt so soft,” she adds, then runs her fingers through her hair.

My face tightens as I look at Father, who’s sucking his teeth. Mother must be out of the loop. I guess it would be hard to tell your wife that you were strong-armed by your 11-year-old into disinheriting him, but this isn’t the crowd to be sharing with.

“Is that so?” Princess Sylvie asks with a raised eyebrow, “I wasn’t aware Alfred had such talents,” she adds while staring through my soul.

“Well I-“

“Well Prin-“

“Oh, that’s not all!” Mother nearly yells, “The cider brew we’ve started exporting was his present to the family when he left for the academy. My husband worried for years about the apples that spoiled before they could be sold, but now they are turned into a lovely drink,” she continues with a smile that could dim a full moon.

I was prepared for something to go wrong or for something to slip out during dinner. But god damn Mother, I didn’t think it’d be everything I never wanted the royal family to know..

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Furious knocking at the door pulls the attention off me. I let out a blast of magic to scan the uninvited guests, it’s two large knights.

“Excuse me, I’ll attend to this,” I say to the table before walking to the door and opening it.

“Sir Alfred! Is the Princess here?” a knight asks. He looks familiar? Right, he escorted me back from the castle after the first kidnapping.

“Yes, she’s just inside. Has she been summoned to the royal castle?” I ask with my brightest smile.

Fortune smiles on me. Some political nonsense will get her out of my hair.

“Indeed, as have you, Sir Alfred,” the knight answers calmly.

“Wait, what? Me?” I ask.

Princess Sylvie approaches after hearing a familiar knight’s voice-

“Sir Joseph? What’s going on..” she asks in a wary tone.

“His Majesty has summoned Princess Sylvie and Sir Alfred to the royal castle,” Sir Joseph answers calmly.

“Why would Father summon Alfred? What’s happened?” the Princess asks.

“Our knights have kept scouts by the road in the east recently. One reported that a large number of Alarian knights are marching towards our Kingdom,” Sir Joseph answers solemnly.

Fuck me, the first week of warmth and its invasion time? It’s probably been warmer by the roads than the mountains, but even so, they must’ve left Alaria the second their last snow melted. I was going to kill that prince tomorrow, literally tomorrow. And why the hell does His Majesty want to see me? The old man's disguise isn’t perfect, but no one should know about magically grown or altered hair. It’d be an uphill battle to convince yourself I’m the old man.

“I see, Alfred. I apologize for the inconvenience, but you’ll need to come with me. Sir Joseph, remain here, we’ll say goodbye to our dinner party and leave with you shortly,” Princess Sylvie says before turning back to the dinner party.

“Is everything alright, Your Highness?” Father asks with a concerned expression.

“It seems the Alarian military is approaching, and Father has summoned Alfred and me to the royal castle. Please accept my deepest apologies for causing such an interruption,” the Princess says in a near-breaking voice.

Eric and Liara turn to each other, looking for an understanding of the situation, while Father and Mother both stand.

“Your Highness, there is nothing to apologize for,” Father says confidently, “Alfred, if you are able, please return to our territory when your business in the royal castle is finished. Your Mother and I will return to prepare our knights.”

“Alfred, please be safe..” Mother adds quietly.

“Of course, Mother, Father, please don’t worry about me,” I answer, then turn to Jen, “Jen, come with me to the kitchen for a moment, I need to give you your wages before I leave.”

“Um.. right..” she answers quietly.

I bow to my parents before leading Jen to the kitchen-

“Alfred, you’ve already paid my wages. What’s going on?” she asks nervously.

I open my spatial storage breast pocket and take out a number of gold and silver coins.

“You have next week off, take these and charter a carriage to your hometown as soon as you leave here,” I answer while pushing the coins into her hands.

“Wha- Alfred, that’s nearly my yearly wages I can-“ Jen tries to protest.

“Stop, please,” I say while raising my hand to cut her off, “the invading force will be handled, but there are likely forces in the capital already. Even in the best-case scenario, this city will be a mess for the next week. Take this money and go where it’s safe.”

“Alfred..” Jen mumbles as her eyes start to water, “Why would you be summoned by the King as a war starts?” she asks in a squeaky voice.

“I’m unsure, maybe they want my expertise on the wilderness,” I reply honestly, “but I’m sure it’s urgent, so I need to get going. Remember, leave immediately.”

I return to the living room, where Princess Sylvie is speaking with Eric and Liara.

“What will you do, Eric?” Princess Sylvie asks.

“Father is in the north, I’ll return to him and provide what assistance I can,” Eric responds resolutely. “What about you, Liara?” he asks.

“I doubt there will be carriages moving west, and my family doesn’t keep a carriage in the capital..” Liara answers with a mumble, “I could stay and reinforce the knights.”

“Absolutely not, Liara, go with Eric to Marquis Duren’s territory, or go south with Count Pruss. You’ve wanted to train in the cold, so the Pruss territory would actually be perfect,” the Princess says before turning to face Count Pruss, “Count, would you take Liara with you?” she asks.

“Any friend of Alfred is welcome at our estate, Liara. We’d love to have you,” he answers elegantly.

“Hey Eric, you said you were going back home?” I interrupt.

“Yes, I am, I’ll leave tonight,” he answers.

“Would you take Jen with you?" I ask while motioning to Jen, "Her family runs an inn in your father’s territory.” 

“Alfred, I couldn’t impose like that..” Jen says quietly.

“Of course, Miss Jen, can you meet at the academy’s gate in an hour with your things?” Eric asks.

“Um.. yes.. thank you for your generosity..” Jen says with a deep bow before turning to me and whispering, “So you can take your money back..”

“Ahem, Princess, we should get going. I don’t have the standing to keep His Majesty waiting for long,” I say, ignoring Jen’s comment to the best of my ability.

“Right, let’s go then,” she responds.