At 06:45 AM, no one in the dining hall made the maid of ten ready to lay a banquet on the long table with a white cloth on the table.
It's all breakfast with a variety of delicious foods, ranging from; grilled chicken with salad and tomato under the chicken, black minced pork as it's covered with some spicy and sweet spices, vegetable soup containing carrots, potatoes, and chopped green mustard, bread with jam, and sweet rice. and all sorts of other breakfast dishes.
For drinks there are various kinds prepared by Alice who help them, maids. Starting from; orange juice, milk, sake, wine, chocolate, clear water, everything is on the table served next to the plate with breakfast.
"Well... it's done."
Although she knew she was physically weak, for Alice to help the maids prepare meals at the dining hall was right because besides she could train physical endurance after exercise, she could also train her mobility.
In other words, she has doubled her pace compared to before. All thanks to Annastasia's proposal to have her prepare for it.
"Thank you for helping us, Alice-sama."
"No problem."
As soon as they came out, Alice, who sat first in her chair, leaned for a moment her head in both her hands at the table. Her eyes closed for a moment to relieve the drowsiness even though she knew shortly after she slept, the nobles would come here for breakfast.
•••••
Eri POV
I wonder why my mother curious about a blonde girl on my age?
And as far as I'm concerned, she has the same childish behavior I do. No advantages or disadvantages, they're all the same.
Well, even though there's something I'm curious about her words.
Suddenly I remembered what they were talking about at lunch.
"Daddy, listen to me, I want you to teach me to be strong."
"Uh... to be strong?"
"Can you tell me again, my dear?"
"I want you to train me physically to be strong."
"May I have your reasons, sweetheart?"
"Yes."
"I want to be strong so that I can fulfill my duty to fulfill my grandfather's wish to succeed to the throne."
While I was listening to my conversation, I wondered at the thought of a girl my age.
What's she thinking?! Doesn't he know he's weak?! Why would she want physical training from where?!
Finishing those memories, I really don't understand what she's thinking.
Even now, I don't know why she's thinking something so different from what I think. It's really complicated to know.
And if she's the same as any other kid, maybe I could play with her. But hearing some serious words from outside the lunch hall yesterday, I doubt I'll be able to get close to her at this point.
Well, it's gonna make it harder for me to get to know each other.
"What can I do. Maybe next time I'll do it."
Yeah, this is all I've been waiting for when I get a chance next time.
If I could, I'd like to know you, too, blonde girl. See if we can be friends and grow up together.
•••••
After breakfast, Alice, who was walking around the hallway on the third floor, swiped her full stomach with breakfast in the form of a chocolate-colored sweet cake with jelly-like texture with cream on top and a strawberry on top, Made it run out because it enjoyed breakfast with sweet things covered with warm fresh tea.
"Well, for now it's better if I pay attention to Grandpa."
Alice, who seemed pleased with the breakfast of the previous maids while walking down the aisle with several rooms facing each other, was suddenly surprised by the sound of one of the rooms bearing the name "Yamada Edi".
"Tsk... Unbelievable! If you don't move a muscle, you can't go near that girl, you idiot!"
"But Father... I don't want to go near him for the benefit of–"
"I don't care! You just do your job, and then you can leave this business to your father!"
From outside the room, Alice hears the sound of a quarrel she claims to be from the Yamada family, the family that played a key role in the Kingdom of Thijam as a fairly firm foundation, knowing that the matter was about internal problems between father and son.
"What do you want to do with her?"
In the room, a gray bald fade-haired boy, a pair of hesitant amber eyes, looks at his father sitting in his chair at his desk in front of him.
"You don't need to know. I just want to do good for you with her, not bad."
Hearing his father's words, the man who had brown high and sharp hair, a pair of light brown eyes who looked seriously at his son, Ken, Edi seemed reluctant to tell his current plan.
"Then should I approach her now?"
"It's up to you. You want to get close now or later, that's your business. When you do it, I'll take care of the rest.
Seeing Edi, the father who held his forehead with a long sigh with a slow voice made Gerald, his son knew that he had no choice but to follow his father's current words.
"Wonder what they're talking about?"
Although there is a curiosity she can hear from the outside, Alice feels a sense of restraint is needed so that she does not get involved in other problems that make her end up like her first life because she fears that if her second life ends, there is a third chance at another time.
"Well, forget it."
Ignoring the curiosity that could have killed her, Alice walked with quiet steps to avoid being heard by an indoor person with the name "Yamada Edi" written so that she could go to her grandfather Arga's private room.
"Whatever their problem is, it has nothing to do with me."
Emphasizing these words in her mind, Alice had the determination not to make a single mistake.
Whether mistakes like in the past or those she has never made, as much as possible, she avoids the worst-case scenario that leads to a bad ending like the otome game she plays.
•••••
Alice POV
"Grandpa, I'm coming!"
I, who approached my grandfather, held him tightly in his lap after climbing a few steps, placed my head on the back of his thigh sitting on his throne.
"Well, well... You really came, my beloved granddaughter."
Although I'm reluctant to tell anyone this, my grandfather actually loved me as his granddaughter.
Well, I don't know why he loves me as his grandson, but I'm sure he has a reason for it.
"So, what brings you here, Alice?"
"Nothing. I'm just here to talk to you."
"Hahaha... You've always cared about me, my beloved granddaughter."
Stop it. I'm a big girl so you don't have to pat and wipe my hair anymore.
I wanted to say it but I knew where I was, so I held him back from making a mistake in my words later.
"....."
'What's the matter, Alice?'
"Grandpa, who is he?"
"Ah, he's...."
The man who was watching us, no, rather watching me bend over as if understanding my grandfather's words, smiling with his narrow eyes closed.
"Introduce me, Alice-sama. My name is Michiru Gerald, you can call me Gerald because I'm just a counselor."
"Counselor huh."
I don't know why his words seem to have any other meaning.
Especially with the smiling characters and the eyes closed, I doubt he was a good character who always supported the protagonists like the novels and comics I read during my first life in my old world.
"Why do you look so doubtful, my grandson?"
"Ah, no..."
There's no way I'm immediately saying that I doubt it because I can't prove whether he's on the good side or the bad side, it's like accusing him.
"I'm just curious what his eyes look like."
"....."
Oh, I think he's surprised what I said.
"Gerald, can you give us some time together?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
He bowed to Grandpa and left his private room leaving me with my grandfather.
"Forget about it, my Alice. Wouldn't it be better if you were with your grandfather?"
Ahaha... It seems impossible for me to endure his love for me, his grandson.
No matter how long I can survive his love for me, I just wish I could get information about what I want from him.
Let's hope so.
•••••
"Hey Grandpa, can I know how much struggle you've had over this kingdom from the predecessors?"
"Why is she suddenly asking me that?"
There was confusion seen in Arga's expression making him wonder why his granddaughter could ask something that shouldn't be questioned.
Could it be because of a coincidence followed by curiosity? Or is it because of her ambition to succeed to the throne? Arga doesn't get it at all.
"Why do you ask me that, Alice?"
Alice, silent for a moment on Arga's lap sitting on her throne in her private room, meditated for a moment and looked at Arga with a cheerful face like an innocent little girl.
"That's because I want to be as good and strong as you, Grandpa."
"....."
Surprised to hear plain but honest words with cheerful smiles made Arga's cheeks blush, not expecting that Alice's words could really be that far to think about her future.
"Okay, I'll tell you about my achievements."
"Yes."
Alice, ready to listen to the story from Arga, kept quiet while waiting for her grandfather to explain to her, her granddaughter.
Outside the king's private chamber, Gerald, who does not want to hear the conversation between grandchildren and grandfather, walks away from the double door to his office.
"Really. How can she be curious about your achievements, Your Majesty."
Whereas in Gerald's view, a little girl named Alice is just a cheerful girl who speaks the truth and is plain, but apparently she is not like that.
In fact, Alice is more like a girl who hides determination behind childishness, thinks more mature, doesn't give up or give up, that's what Gerald believed at first sight.
"Well, hopefully I can witness you as a successor to the throne later, Alice-sama."
Can't wait for the day to come, Gerald wants to know whether he can use his services again as an adviser by Alice's side or not, he just wants to know how far the little girl can lead the Thijam Kingdom.
•••••
Alice POV
I who listened carefully to my grandfather's words, he explained the accomplishments he made during his reign as King of the Kingdom of Thijam, starting from;
At the age of 25, the grandfather, who obtained the title of king at a young age, led the Kingdom of Thijam to a better place than before. Illegal traffickers and slaves were freed, and even bandits were hunted down by knights to overcome the peace and tranquility of the previous heir to the throne.
Not only that, Grandfather also led troops to besiege the headquarters of bandits who often looted fighting equipment and resold it, did human trafficking, and often controlled certain areas to prosper a region under their control with high taxes. he could face them in large numbers without sweating at all.
At the age of 30, Grandfather cooperated with the Kingdom of Akayuki to defeat their enemies of the Kingdom of Kuroyuki, who were able to end up winning with the Akayuki Kingdom's forces who controlled the Kingdom of Kuroyuki and captured prisoners who were always criminals by selling goods and slaves through auction markets.
A few weeks later, he received nicknames from both his kingdom and the Kingdom of Akayuki as a one-man army because he defeated many of his own enemies in the Paladin class, leading him to receive the title from the Kingdom of Akayuki and return home with the title.
At the age of 40, his grandfather, who had been left dead by his wife for over a year, had another kingdom fight any woman to break his heart. But instead of overwhelming Arga's heart, the women were flatly rejected because his grandfather was a sigma man, he was already loyal to his wife without having to find a replacement to accompany his loneliness.
At the age of 55, when he saw a high-ranking adventurer, Gold, Gerald, he hired him as his advisor to fulfill the wishes of one of the Priestesses in his kingdom, and he was the only one to be able to do so. Alisha asks him to accept Gerald as her advisor who aims to eliminate her loneliness all this time since she was abandoned by her wife.
"What the fuck, Grandpa?"
"Ahahaha.... How? Sounds funny, doesn't it?"
"It's hard to believe."
"Which part is hard to believe?"
I wanted to tell him that part of him was a sigma man, I doubt if he's really serious or joking right now because he's always been so easy on me.
Why would I doubt my grandfather's words? Because I know that most royal leaders have many wives and concubines. It's impossible for my grandfather to never have them at all because it's against unwritten rules.
No, wait a minute.
In any case, I think it might make sense.
I think, if my mother was like my grandfather, then there's a chance that my mother will bequeath the nature of my present grandfather because of what I read after high school in my old life, most of the girls went down to her father rather than her mother.
Yeah, well, maybe that makes sense.
"Why are you quiet?"
"Ah, no... I'm just not asking.
"Why? Could it be that you're afraid of Grandpa being angry?"
"That's not it," I argued that it was impossible to think that he was angry with me. "I'd rather know whether Grandpa was really loyal to Grandma or not."
"Oh, is that all?"
I nodded to him while he kept wiping my hair while I sat on his lap.
"Ahahaha... Isn't that obvious? I don't want to find a new wife because the first wife is enough for me. How could you want to forget the beautiful moments of your memories with Grandma, right?"
Yeah, I agree with Grandpa.
Because I've read comic books and romance novels, many couples who are lasting and enduring because they are loyal to their first love more than anything else make them inseparable despite death separating them at different times.
On the other hand, if the couple do not last, there is a possibility that they may be uncomfortable or seek better support than the person who caused their relationship to break up and break up.
That's my understanding as a otaku, nothing more than that.
That's also why I don't want to date because I don't want myself to be crazy about someone, I just want to do whatever I need to right now without having to think about romance.
Besides, I don't want to have a romantic genre in my life, I just want my life to have the action, fantasy and isekai genres that I feel right now.
Well, even though the action genre is not yet visible, I'll still be waiting for the time to come.
"Ah, right."
I almost forgot something.
"What's the matter, Granddaughter?"
"Grandpa, what is Akayuki and Kuroyuki Kingdom?"
"Ah, that's...."
At first glance, there was a doubt in Grandpa's expression that made me think something was going on between the two camps in their kingdom.
"Well, you can think of both as kingdoms led by the dragon race."
"The dragon race?!"
"Oh... You interested?"
"Yes."
How could I not be interested? It's more like listening to a story directly from grandpa would make me wonder if I could do the same thing he did in the future or not, I'm really looking forward to it.
"Akayuki Kingdom is a kingdom ruled by a king of the Akagami no Ryuuki race."
"Akagami no Ryuuki?"
"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, I heard they're a race of red dragons whose race name is Akagami no Ryuuki."
Silent for a moment, I tried to imagine how the kingdom of the red dragon was supposed to be a dragon, without any human being there.
"If you think they're all dragons, you're my grandson's fault."
"Uh... Can they be human?"
He shook his head at me indicating my guess was wrong.
"More precisely they are dragonoids, they can be in human form and dragon form whenever they want."
Wait.
That means they're...
I'm reminded of the comics and novels I've read, well, that there's a dragon race that can change from human to dragon with no boundaries at all.
But who would've thought I'd actually be in a world like this?
I'm grateful that I was born into this world to know where they are.
"Looks like you look happy huh, Alice."
"Yes," I nodded with a cheerful face to my grandfather. "Then what about Kuroyuki?"
"Kuroyuki is a kingdom led by the Kurogami no Ryuuki race, they are a black dragon race that has always been in conflict with the Akayuki Kingdom."
"Contrary? Like what?"
"Well, Grandpa doesn't know either. They are always divided between one kingdom and another."
I understand.
Grandpa couldn't tell me for fear that I was still a little girl who couldn't sleep because of what he said, making me unable to say anything but to keep her hands gently stroking my hair.