An hour after the court session.
D’Arc mansion, the Capital.
Seated around the dining table were Vincent, Vivienne and Leona.
Around them stood many maids, ready to tend to their masters’ every need.
Behind Vincent and Vivienne were Anastasia and Linda respectively.
As Vincent cut through the piece of duck meat, a notification suddenly rang inside his head as a line of words appeared before him.
+
[Ding!]
[Fate deviated.]
[Fate trajectory disrupted slightly.]
[Current Fate Rank: F → F+]
+
Immediately after this, another round of notifications stacked upon each other.
+
[Ding!]
[Anchor destabilized.]
[Anchor removed: (1/5)]
[Anchor: Monster Rat Infestation]
[Reward generated.]
[Do you want to open the reward? (Y/N)]
+
’Vanessa sure is capable.’
Vincent put the fork in his mouth.
’An anchor was gone... and then this meat...’
The skin crackled softly before giving way to impossibly tender meat.
Warm juices burst across his tongue.
The fat should’ve been heavy, yet it vanished instantly, leaving behind only richness.
Vincent could taste rosemary.
Black pepper.
Butter infused beneath the skin.
Something faint...
Juniper?
The duck had been roasted over fruitwood and even the smoke carried a subtle sweetness.
’Ohhh... the bliss...’
"Mhm..."
Vincent let out a satisfied moan.
Vivienne: "..."
Leona: "..."
Anastasia: "..."
Linda: "..."
The maids: "..."
Unaware, Vincent had his eyes closed and was still savoring the delicate taste.
Vivienne shook her head lightly.
"Serve him some more."
She instructed and cut through a piece herself.
Anastasia served and returned to her position.
Opening his eyes, Vincent found more meat on his plate.
"Wow..."
He forked the entire piece and raised it, only to see the fibers split, break, and fall down.
’Sotender indeed!’
"Manners, Vin."
Vivienne scolded while wiping her mouth.
"Sorry..."
Vincent said while having the fork in his mouth.
Vivienne: "..."
She gave up trying to correct him.
A few minutes later, the table was cleared and fruit cordials were served.
"Elderflower cordial, young master." Anastasia served a straw yellow liquid with a slice of lemon floating in it.
Vincent had a sip and immediately, he was reminded of the spring after rain.
The taste was gentle and sweet. Not the cheap sugary kind, but a floral sweetness that was light enough to disappear the moment he swallowed.
"Ah..."
Vincent smacked his lips and garnered his mother’s attention again.
Linda stepped closer and massaged Vivienne’s shoulders, reminding in a whisper,
"At least he’s not drinking, Madam."
Vivienne closed her eyes.
Right, she had almost forgotten about that.
A week ago, her concern was when he’d do something to improve his life and now she was scolding him for his manners.
Vincent had come a long way and her concerns for him had too.
She was a mother, and mothers always wished for their children’s improvement, no matter how small. This was a form of love the children usually disliked a little bit couldn’t be helped.
Vivienne stopped trying to pester him and took a sip of her cordial.
Vincent finished his cup and couldn’t help but think, ’I feel like... I am not tasting stuff but experiencing it. I don’t know how else to describe this feeling. But man... every bite feels heavenly of whatever I take... is this how a gourmet feels?’
Initially when he got the book called [The Glutton’s Pilgrimage], he didn’t think much of it. But now, he was really appreciating it.
The [Court Jester’s Collection] had also proved to be quite useful when he was at the court today.
’The rewards aren’t as useless.’
[The system is happy to be of service.]
’Not you. You’re still useless.’
[...]
[The system does not ’feel’ or ’care’ about emotions such as happiness in the truest sense like a human and it’s a higher intelligence, a culmination and summation of geniuses spending millennia of hours...]
The system kept rambling and it made Vincent think, ’Can you ragebait a system too?’
The lunch was eventually over and Vincent went to his room.
Anastasia and Leona followed right after.
Leona sat on the edge of the bed while Vincent took the chair.
The moment the door was shut, Anastasia turned around and looked at Vincent.
"What happened in the court, young master? You seemed to be in a happy mood when you came out."
"Easy there, young lady. We just sat down."
Vincent smiled and shook his head.
"My apologies."
Anastasia sat beside Leona and awaited her answer.
"You didn’t have to apologize, I was joking." Vincent shook his hand.
The three were quite comfortable around each other, and after what happened in the morning, their bond only grew.
When in private, Anastasia could be herself and she really wished to know the things that transpired there.
This court session was not in any of the prior timelines and knowing it was quite important.
"Well, it went like this..."
Vincent described everything in extreme detail.
It took him almost an hour to state the many people’s reaction, the things that transpired, his own opinions, and so on.
At some point, Leona had stopped simply listening and was writing what Vincent said and her thoughts that came up.
The entire page was filled by the time Vincent finished and she had many questions to ask.
Anastasia looked at Vincent in a new light again.
Previously, she thought of him as hardworking and diligent, but now, she could feel his charisma was on the rise.
With how confidently he spoke to the Crown Princess, if he did the same with her and asked for some personal favor...
’I... I don’t think I might be able to reject...’
[Ding.]
[Entanglement increased.]
[Subject: Anastasia]
Vincent got a notification and stared at Anastasia, trying to guess what led to this entanglement increase.
"M’lord... so much has happened and although I have many questions — I think you seem to have missed something that I feel like pointing out."
Leona said while looking at her notes.
"What is it?" Vincent asked.
"Duke Brunelle."
Anastasia straightened her back and looked at Leona.
"What about him?"
Vincent leaned back on his chair.
"M’lord, if you noticed, your entire attention was on others. The court’s attention was on other nobles and you, never on Duke Brunelle. He simply sat there with a smile, watching."
Vincent nodded his head. "The attention indeed shifted away from him. We don’t have evidence to prove he’s the culprit either."
"Well..." Anastasia found herself to be in a troublesome situation. "I did say I could be wrong about my analysis."
Vincent shook his head.
"No, we are not doubting you. The enemy just knows when to retreat and have contingencies in place."
Leona nodded. "And while the attention is gone and we may have lost our lead, it’s not all bad."
"How?" Anastasia asked.
"Duke Brunelle can be used. He tried to develop a good relationship with House D’Arc so M’lord can capitalize on it."
Leona showed her notes to the two.
Vincent pulled his chair toward the bed and looked at what she had written.
"We don’t know when he would make his next move but since there’s a good relationship, M’lord can keep Duke Brunelle busy and divert his attention."
"He can also be given multiple opportunities such as access to many of D’Arc’s services and keep him tied. If losing this relationship would turn into a bigger loss than defeating the house, he might not take the extreme steps again. He might even actively try to protect this relationship."
"Oh?" Vincent was almost sold on this. "But with this, won’t he risk antagonizing other nobles since they hate D’Arc?"
Leona shook her head.
"I’m afraid that won’t happen...
Her eyes turned serious.
"...since I’m sure he’s already prepared for that."
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