101 3.13 A good morning - Part 1

It was late night by the time Flare and I came back. I hadn't told anyone about where I would be going, but hopefully Yoru informed them after she came back. If she didn't, I would need to be prepared for all the scolding that was going to come my way.

Unlike me, Flare didn't need any dinner to survive. All she needed was the mana in the surrounding. So, after we were teleported to the dormitory, Flare flew out of the window. She probably realized it was my bedtime and I needed some rest.

I slowly walked downstairs from my room where Zagan had teleported us. It looked like the girls were already asleep, so I didn't want to disturb them by making a huge sound.

I walked towards the dining room after I reached downstairs. When I entered the room, I was surprised to see someone there at this hour.

"Sam!"

The word slipped out of my mouth in surprise, but the surprise wasn't because he was in the Dining room. It was because, for the first time, I saw him eating.

He had a straight posture, and the manner in which he was holding the knife and fork looked perfect. I don't think even the nobles or the king could eat in such a proper manner.

"Master, I am sorry about this. I waited for you but since you didn't come back, I decided to have my dinner. Please wait a while, I will heat your's right away."

"No please, keep on eating. You work way too hard, let me do it myself."

"Thank you, master."

I walked to the kitchen where he had already prepared the food for me. It didn't look like it was that cold, so I decided to eat it without reheating. I took the food to the dining room and sat on the table near Sam.

I tried sitting formally by copying him. The time may come when I need to dine with some nobles. And when it does, I didn't want to appear mannerless in front of them, so practicing beforehand may turn out to be useful if that ever happens.

"Master, if you are trying to sit properly at the dinner table, you shouldn't put your elbows on it. Also, you can be a little flexible when you are eating but don't move the body too much."

"Thanks Sam. I was thinking that there may be times where I might need to dine with nobles. So, maybe you can teach me a thing or two that you know."

"Yes, master. We butlers exist for that purpose. It's our responsibility to assist our masters in following proper etiquette. Also, you may observe that in many noble houses butlers are more like advisors, and the houses with good butlers are the most flourished ones."

That made sense since the head of the noble houses needed to handle a lot of things. And having a good butler to offer advice and aid on those matters would be net-positive. Considering the fact that Sam knows about these matters, I could tell that he must have had a lot of experience regarding the management of noble houses.

"Yes."

I looked at him in surprise when I heard such a straight answer. I didn't expect him to agree to something like this that easily.

When he saw the confused look in my face, he continued.

"I think that is the reason why Duke sent me to work here in the first place. Unlike how he acts, he is a very shrewd man. He probably predicted that the time would come when you will need my assistance."

I felt a bit stupid that I was only able to figure that now, but I guess it's better late than never.

"Then, how much time do you think we have before we start being dragged into politics."

"That's a hard question to answer master… If nothing noteworthy happens it might take a year or two. But the way things are going, it will definitely be sooner."

"So, do you mean we will be able to prolong our time here at the academy if we lay low?"

"Yes, but this is not something that you can prevent just by laying low. There are many other factors that come into play. First and foremost being the need of this kingdom. If the kingdom needs you before the time comes, you will have no choice but to come out."

"That makes sense. So, how big the impact of our disclosure will be overall."

"Till now, the impact on the noble's society isn't much. But when the news of your accomplishment starts coming out, there will be plenty who would try to pull your leg. Some houses will try to bring you down while some will attempt to be on your good sides. But considering the fact that Princess is in your group, the news will come out as a loud one."

It somewhat felt awkward that we were talking this much with one another all of the sudden. Till now, my conversations with him were short, mostly just 'thank you' and 'okay'.

After he paused, he looked at my plate. It was only then that I realized my food was getting colder every minute. I hadn't even started eating it.

"Master, please finish your food first. We can discuss this some other time. Also, you shouldn't speak when you are holding the utensils in your hand."

"Thanks Sam. You can go and rest after you are done. I will clean my plate myself."

"Please master, as you butler it is my duty to do so."

"No Sam, just go and rest. I haven't even started eating so it will take a while. I don't want to keep you here just so I could finish eating."

"Okay, master. If you say so, I will take my leave. Please excuse me."

Sam stood up from his chair and took the dishes with him as he walked towards the kitchen. It looked like he was feeling somewhat awkward while doing so. Probably because it wasn't very butler-like to take the dishes from the table that his master was eating at. But it didn't bother me at the least.

After Sam left, I too finished the food on my plate. I then took the dishes to the kitchen and washed them up. When I finished the cleanup, I slowly walked back upstairs and quietly entered my room.

At this point, I was already feeling sleepy. So, without wasting any time, I opened my shoes, changed into comfortable clothes, and fell into the bed.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day since there were a lot of things in my schedule. I wanted to try sensing the boundaries between the spaces by meditating. This was so that I would be able to use this knowledge in the future while creating my own space.

And also, I was hoping that Ronald would wake up tomorrow.

: A good morning - Part 2