The Guardian Chef

Hi guys! Emperor93 here!
Forgive the enormous delay, but I have entered a part of the story that I know how it goes but I still find it hard to define well. For this reason, my publications will have an unpleasant delay.
Also, please note that there is a new illustration in the glossary. Enjoy it!
If you want to participate in the realization of the illustrations that will be drawn for this story, click on "Paypal" or "Tip" and remember to write the name of your avatar so that it can insert you in the thanks at the beginning of the chapter!

— • — • — • — • — • —

***(Arryn's POV)***

That bad feeling that we all experienced during the journey remained for some time. As much as the coachmen tried, the horses did not calm down, and to avoid accidents, guards and teachers invited us to get out of the carriages until the strange phenomenon passed. While everyone seemed to maintain a certain calm, I bet they were trembling deep inside with fear... just like me.

"Are you feeling better Ishgat?"

Now, that murderous intent was over, but for some reason, Ishgat suffered more than the others. All the while, her complexion was pale... almost white as a sheet and she was curled up beside a tree that was nearby.

"Definitely." she stated as she leaned against the carriage "After that terrible thirst for blood, I'm surprised I haven't thrown up my breakfast yet."

"Don't you think you are exaggerating now?" Bassilla asked with a questioning expression and offering her a glass of water

"Unfortunately no..." she said, drinking the water in one gulp, "I know too well that bloodlust."

"Really?" I asked

"I had the misfortune to receive it myself in the past." I saw her shiver when she made that statement "It was when I foolishly confronted Graeval."

""What?!"" both Bassilla and I exclaimed

"Y-yes... that's right." Ishgat said slightly surprised at our reaction

That awful feeling- no. Was Graeval behind that bloodlust? The thought of it made me anxious... to think that Graeval might be in danger... I felt my heart tighten. Despite all this fear, I didn't have to get carried away... I have to calm down.

"Was Graeval fighting?!" Bassilla asked with frightened eyes “I have to- I have to write to my father right away! I need to know how he’s doing!"

"Calm down Bassilla." I said taking her wrist "This is not the time to panic."

“Wh- how can you tell me to calm down when Graeval might be in danger! I must-"

"I know how it feels!" I exclaimed

When I made that exclamation, Bassilla's eyes dyed with surprise and for a moment I saw them resting their eyes on my hand that was holding her wrist. It was shaking. I, too, am concerned. That was the first time I felt his thirst for blood. Even when he came to rescue me from the Westhead's daughter he never released such an overwhelming feeling.

"Arryn... but you-"

"You don't need to worry about him." I said with a hint of a slight smile "I'm sure he'll be okay."

"Arryn is right, young lady." Ishgat stated putting a hand on her shoulder "More than for Graeval, I would worry for the guy who infuriated him."

Although probably intended as a joke to cheer up Bassilla... for some reason I felt the need to worry- no, feel pity for the opponent of Graeval.

"Arryn!" I heard someone call me

When I turned around, I saw Ehrendil approaching accompanied by Lord Filverel. When he was not far from us, I made a slight bow.

"What does your Highness wish?" I asked formally

"There is no need for all this formality." Ehrendil stated slightly restlessly "I just wanted to know how-"

"Lady Rember had a slight dizziness but she recovered." I began interrupting him "Her Highness Belmont on the other hand is well and is in perfect health."

"I understand. It's a relief." he said "But, I wanted to know how you doing."

"You have no reason to worry about me, Your Highness." I said looking into his eyes, "As you can see, I am in good health."

"...... Why do you keep all this formality?"

What is that sorry expression? I asked ironically within my mind. It is true that before my capture we were much more informal and we called each other by name when we weren't in public, however, since I returned he’s become more and more detached from me. But the real reason that prompted me to return to speak formally with him was when Graeval told me how my aunt's intervention prompted Ehrendil to get closer to me. In other words, he's doing it to give his mother a sop.

I wish I didn’t know... maybe I could see his concern for me in a different light.

"*Sigh* Your Highness," I began "You should-"

“Ehrendil! Are you ok?!" a female voice interrupted me

Turning in the direction of that voice, we saw Dessielle running towards Ehrendil. When she was a few meters away from him, she clung to his arm and sank it into her breast as her tearful and frightened eyes looked at him with concern.

"Dessielle?!" Ehrendil exclaimed surprised "Yes, I'm fine, but-"

"Praise be to Aphy." she affirmed with a sigh of relief "I had heard that his Highness was not feeling well so I had come to make sure you were ok."

"Thanks for the thought." he said with a slight smile "Forgive me if I made you worry."

With that interruption on Dessielle's part, I felt irritated. Not because she was clinging to Ehrendil, but because she broke into our conversation. But sometimes I get the impression that she is doing it on purpose as if she is going to stop me and Ehrendil from communicating. As the two appeared to be in their pink world, I sighed and bowed.

"You have no reason to overstay your Highness." I began and then raised my head "I'm sure there are also other people whose conditions it is better to be sure of."

"Arryn..." he began looking at me confused and then suddenly became... determined "about it, would you come with me?"

“As much as your proposal honors me, at the moment I have to assist Lady Ishgat who has not fully recovered, however...” I began and then looked towards Dessille “I am sure that Lady Torkian will be more than happy to accompany you in my place. It's not true?"

"Sure! Leave it to me!" Dessille exclaimed cheerfully

".........I understand." he said with a sorry expression and then turned to Ishgat "Lady Rember, I hope you recover as soon as possible."

“Don't worry about me, young man. Another couple of minutes and I'll be able to tear down a castle with my bare hands."

"You don't have to go that far, but I'm glad to know." he said giggling "Then if you'll excuse me."

After that slight exchange, Ehrendil, Dessielle, and Lord Filverell headed for another carriage. As soon as they were far enough away

"Idiot..." Ishgat exasperated, looking in the direction of the prince

"I couldn't have expressed myself better Ishgat." Bassilla later stated "It was clear that he genuinely intended to start rebuilding your relationship, but when he didn't even try to turn down Lady Torkian... *Sigh*"

Their expressions were displeased and I could not blame them.

***(Bassilla's POV)***

The journey resumed and this time everything went smoothly. While the carriage ran along a road overlooking a cliff, on the left began to notice some buildings

“Now we can see it. That's the town of Ila Serine." Arryn said pointing in the direction of the town.

"Uao!" I exclaimed

Even if it cannot be defined as a city, it has however a modest size and is protected by what looks like a wooden palisade that gives a feeling of sturdiness and an embankment; inside, the buildings are in full elf style and here to you can see buildings that were built integrating large trees. But what stood out was the ruined building which is located not far from the palisade: it looks like a small square building and has the shape of a large step pyramid with rows of columns at the top and around it. Being technically abandoned, it can be seen that nature has claimed part of the building but, given the historical role it plays, it can be seen that it has been freed from the embrace of the vegetation.

In front of the gates, the wagons stopped as we had to declare our identity before entering. Throughout the wait and even after we entered I noticed that Ishgat was looking outside with a thoughtful expression, topped off with a hint of concern.

"Is something wrong Ishgat?"

"It's nothing in particular, but..." she began and then looked at me "I noticed that there are too many patrols to be a tourist town."

"Uh? How can you tell? But above all why are you worried?"

“Already when we were a couple of kilometers away from the city I noticed numerous presences in the trees that most likely were rangers, moreover, a heavy infantry platoon was deployed at the gate. That’s way too many."

I don't understand military affairs, but I do know a few things about Yedal's military forces mostly from rumors: rangers are the equivalent of explorers who excel at raids and are mostly made up of elves who have formed a contract with a spirit of the wind or excel at this type of magic, while the elven heavy infantry is considered to be an elite as they are few but very powerful as they ask for the help of earth spirits in defense.

"Do you know if something happened around here?" she asked Arryn

"Not that I know."

"Hmmm..."

I cannot understand the reason for all this concern.

"Couldn't it be that they've been deployed for our safety?" I asked puzzled

"*Sigh* I can tell you don’t know anything about it." sighed Ishgat "Although most of the academy’s students are nobles, there are also members of the common people. Even if we were important, it would still be a waste of strength and resources to concentrate all these troops for some students. Especially now that Arryn's uncle has strengthened his alliance with Thirus and officially declaring his exit as an (unofficial) member of the anti-Thirus alliance: this town is not close to the border with either the Ridia Empire or the Kingdom of Brakhurid."

I see. King Vulas Trismyar Leomyar u'Yedal a few weeks ago officially declared that Yedal would always side with Thirus given their centuries-old alliance. Although for my family, as well as for me, it is clear that he did it for fear of having to face Jack Lingxin and especially Guardian, or Graeval, his move can still be defined as a very risky move since Yedal borders three states of the anti-Thirus alliance making it for our nation the perfect buffer state. Gaborg, the kingdom of the beastman, has always continued to have excellent diplomatic relations with Yedal. The Kingdom of Brakhurid cannot be considered a threat at the moment as it is in the midst of a hereditary dispute that has now turned into open civil war. Consequently, there is no need to worry too much about them, however, it is wise to stay alert.

The real danger comes from the Ridia Empire which, in addition to being a superpower, believes in human supremacy and therefore always seeks a casus belli against the realms of the "lower races" as they define the non-humans. Not surprisingly, for a long time, their skirmishes against Gaborg are times, for their statement, "to birth control" of beastmen. Elves are treated slightly better, but I have heard that they are highly regarded more as sex slaves than as intellectual slaves... not that I can't understand why.

Arriving at the hotel where we will be staying, we got off the carriages and were greeted by the hotel staff who immediately took action to take our luggage in custody and, in the meantime, I noticed that His Highness Ehrendil was being greeted by the hotel manager accompanied not by Arryn... but from Dessielle.

I have nothing against that girl, but the... "innocent" way with which she always manages to interrupt a possible meeting between Arryn and his Highness Ehrendil... seems too calculated, as well as how she manages to forget certain manners that must be preserved. Arryn lets it go, but I don't know if that's my feeling but... I know for a fact that her heart, no matter how hard she tries to hide, belongs to someone else I know... no, we know well.

"Oh! Lady Belmont! I never expected to meet you on this occasion." spoke a female voice

Turning around, I noticed a girl approaching with voluminous pink hair, blue eyes, and a delicate face with lipstick on her lips. She wore the school uniform like me, but her breasts were so big that she looked like she was going to break her buttons at any moment. In her hand, she held a fan and was accompanied by a boy who looked a lot like her, with short pink hair and with a grim expression.

"My pleasure. However, please forgive my ignorance, but I don't know you."

"Oh! What an oversight! I am Ange Pelletier Dullane while he is my younger brother Raoul Pelletier Dullane."

"Dullane?" I asked thoughtfully and then remembered "Oh, you are members of the imperial family then!"

"Fufufu. That's right~" Lady Ange said covering her mouth with her fan "But you don't need to worry about that detail. After all, we are both students of this prestigious academy."

I can't understand how I didn't recognize them earlier. I do not know them personally, but as for my family, the distinctive feature is the navy blue hair, the distinctive feature of the imperial family of the Ridia Empire, is the pink hair. We are the only two ruling families who for some reason possess this distinctive trait.

Now returning to Ange and Raoul, these have a certain fame as the first was born by one of the Emperor’s concubines, while Lord Raoul was born by the legitimate empress. Despite the different mothers, they were born on the same day and a few minutes away, not to mention that they are so similar that some have called them twins.

"Hmph. I still find it hard to believe that this scum has managed to do anything decent."

"*Sigh* I see you still can't hide your hostility, Raoul..."

“Let them listen as well. They should rejoice at the mere fact that I speak to them."

"*Siiiiigh* Please forgive my stupid little brother." Lady Ange sighed heavily

They called them twins, but they are the opposite in character: while Raoul has built a reputation that is suited to a member of the imperial house marked by racism and arrogance, Ange is instead very tolerant and kind, to the point that she is the only one with a good reputation outside the empire, and one of the few people Raoul listens to.

"Rather, Lady Belmont." Raoul called me "It's good for you that you finally managed to meet me."

"...... And how come you say this, Lord Dullane?"

"Simple. For the sake of humanity, I give you the chance to become my wife."

......What a nerve!! As I thought this, I saw Lady Ange take her face exasperated. I wouldn't be surprised if she had a terrible headache because of her brother. At that moment I saw one of Lady Ishgat's fleshy red wings covering me as her arms were folded.

"You are your father's son, brat." she began with a harsh tone "You believe that everything revolves around you."

"Lizards have no say in the matter. Disappear immediately."

“Hou! Just like that idiot you don't care about your life at all." Ishgat stated as she crunched the bones of her hands.

To prevent a bloodbath from starting, I touched Ishgat on her shoulder and then stood in front of her.

“As much as your proposal honors me, it is not for me to decide. This is a matter that would require the consent of my father and his Imperial Majesty."

When it comes to marriages between members of two royal families, the first to give consent must be the rulers themselves. After all, it is well known that marriages between nobles have always been political marriages although there have been some rare occasions when they were made for love. Marriage between two royal families is seen primarily as the ultimate proof of the alliance between the two states. There are also other minor reasons such as avoiding political friction within the nation, but even then it is usually preferred that the groom or bride be of ducal rank. But at the end of the story, the last marriage celebrated to unite two royal blood families dates back to almost three centuries ago when the Kingdom of Aedonith was born.

"Hmph, a textbook answer." Raoul snorted

"Oh! You seem disappointed with my answer." I said covering my mouth

"I am mortified, but my brother..." Lady Ange began with a sorry expression "he was never good at expressing his feelings."

As soon as she said it, Lord Raoul looked away and snorted again as his face turned slightly red.

"Fufufu... now I understand." I said giggling “Don't worry. However, if I have to respond to his feelings, I'm sorry but there is already someone in my heart."

"Oh! This is a pity."

"To all students, please gather in the ballroom."

As soon as Lady Ange made that statement one of the teachers made that notification and slowly all the students began to move and I noticed that Lord Raoul had moved practically immediately and also in a hurry.

"*Sigh* Forgive my brother's manners again." Lady Ange apologized again before leaving "I hope we will have the opportunity to have a chat between women~"

With that greeting, Lady Ange began to walk towards the ballroom.

"I hate the Imperials of Ridia." when she was far enough away, Ishgat made that statement

"*Sigh* They've always caused trouble because of their national ideals." sighed Arryn "However, Lady Dullane lives up to her reputation of being the only one tolerant enough towards other races."

"That's how it seems."

"Huh? You don't seem convinced Bassilla." Arryn said looking at me questioningly

"It's nothing. Maybe I'm thinking about it too much."

Even though I told Arryn this, for some reason those two siblings make me shiver. Especially Lady Ange... it gives me the impression that she is playing a part perfectly. But... is she really acting?