6 — Treasured Wife Syndrome?

Perhaps because we were giving off strong “don’t bother us” vibes while we were deep in conversation, our chairs remained in the same arrangement they had been in for the ceremony, but as soon as we were done talking, some servants appeared out of nowhere and moved our chairs for lunch at lightning speed. I was impressed both by their ability to read the room and by how fast they worked. As I watched the servants work with admiration, the royal family returned—once it seemed that the venue had been prepared for the luncheon meeting, at least.

I’d been so focused on what Mr. Fisalis and the other knights were saying that I hadn’t noticed, but when I finally did manage to look around, I realized that the tables and chairs had been arranged for eating.

“It’s finally lunch. Let’s go get something to eat, too,” Mr. Fisalis suggested, coming around to escort me as if by instinct, but then I remembered that I couldn’t just agree to that without thinking. That’s the last thing you want to say now, Viola. Dahlia didn’t give me any medicine, so I’ve got to take extra precautions myself!

But if I were to say that I didn’t want anything to eat, Mr. Fisalis would suspect that I wasn’t feeling well or had a poor constitution—or at the very least would ask why I wasn’t eating.

“I ate such a big breakfast this morning, so I’m not very hungry. I’ll just have some fruit or something light,” I decided to answer.

There. I don’t mind if he thinks I have a small appetite. It’s not what you say, but how you say it. It’s no joke, either—I’m not sure I could fit a full meal in me with how tightly Stellaria laced my corset this morning. It’s not so tight that I’ll faint, but it’s not exactly letting me move or breathe freely, either. I didn’t think it was possible for a mere garment to squeeze me so tightly that there’s no room for food in my stomach.

Did Dahlia expect me to eat a lot like this? You ladies who force yourselves into corsets every day have my respect! I, on the other hand, have had just about enough of this squeezing and pinching. I want to go back to my everyday light, comfortable clothes!

Holding back all these thoughts running through my head, I gave Mr. Fisalis a faint smile.

“You really do eat like a bird, Viola. You must be worried about making yourself sick if you eat too much. Feel free to eat only what you can, so I don’t have to worry, either,” Mr. Fisalis replied sympathetically, sighing in relief.

Phew.

Mr. Fisalis and I looked over the line of tables overflowing with a wide variety of delicious-looking food, trying to decide what we wanted to have.

“What about this? This looks really good, too!” Mr. Fisalis suggested, trying to choose food for me.

Hey, were you listening to what I just said? I’m pretty sure I said I wasn’t hungry.

If I didn’t do something, he’d pile up a whole mountain of plates, so I tried to stop him.

“Um... I’ll have just a bite of each.”

I swear I could see the faint outline of a wagging tail behind Mr. Fisalis as he went along cheerily trying to help me pick something, so I couldn’t just bluntly tell him to stop.

But when we returned to the table we shared with the other special ops division members, a sufficient amount of food and drinks in our hands, the first thing I heard:

“You’ll run out of energy unless you eat more!”

I took a bite of food.

Chamomile popped a yummy-looking meatball into her mouth and smiled at me. Even though she was stuffing her face, she still looked classy.

I guess that goes to show how good her upbringing was. But, no, really, I’m fine. I usually eat whatever the servants do, though, so I just can’t handle luxurious food. In fact, I have pretty good stamina and energy, too.

But of course, I couldn’t say that!

“She’s right! You could stand to put some meat on those bones, Madam!” Angelica added as she ate a slice of smoked meat and a salad loaded with crispy fried toppings.

I chewed said bite of food.

Hmm, I can’t definitely think of one part of my body I wish was bigger. Putting on some weight doesn’t sound too bad, if it means I could get perfect proportions like her.

I unintentionally checked Angelica out from head to toe.

Eeek, what am I? Some creepy old man!?

“Later on, when you’re pregnant, I’ll be too worried to even sleep at night,” Alkanna shockingly let slip after she elegantly cut herself two bite-sized pieces of the smoked meat and fried food that Angelica was eating.

Alkanna! What did you just say!?

I froze in place, so flustered that I couldn’t move, wondering if this was what constituted normal conversation for them.

“Why would you be worried? Isn’t that the husband’s job?” Corydalis gently questioned.

“You know, that’s true.”

“But, like, I’d still worry!”

“Yeah, same here.” All the lady knights began happily chatting among themselves.

I guess that was an ordinary thing to say. It flowed from her lips so easily. Phew.

The Bombshell Trio’s conversation continued as they elegantly consumed the food they courageously loaded onto their plates.

“Whoa, that looks really good. Where’d you find it?”

“Over there,” I replied.

“I don’t know where ‘over there’ is. Take me there.”

“Wha—!?”

“Was that a no?”

“Of course not, I’d be happy to!”

“Take my plate, too!” the other women asked.

“And mine, too!” all the men joined in.

“Everyone can take their own!”

I had been eating, little by little, the food and fruit I’d split with Mr. Fisalis. All in all, we enjoyed a cheery, chatty meal.

You know what? I like this! It’s always nice to eat with a big group of friends! I should reevaluate my opinion on socializing. Then again, if I had to eat surrounded by the most powerful aristocrats in the city, I bet— No, I’m sure I’d be crying on the inside. But let’s not think about that right now. It’s spoiling the taste of all this food.

As our little group—Mr. Fisalis, his subordinates, and I—all talked and laughed around our table, lots of people began to come over to introduce themselves.

“Duke Fisalis! Congratulations on your accomplishments in the war! Bwahaha!”

“Why, Mr. ○○! It’s been ages since I last saw you. I didn’t so much accomplish anything myself as I relied upon my brave subordinates here. They’re the ones deserving of praise.”

“No need to be so humble. Ha ha ha, you’re ever so modest, Duke,” laughed Mr. —Oh darn it, I already forgot his name. Here we go again. Oh well.

At any rate... boy, does Mr. Fisalis sound stiff talking to this guy! They should put a picture of this conversation next to “lip service” in the dictionary! This is the first time I’ve ever witnessed this kind of thing in person.

Mr. ○○ is rather rotund and greasy in a way that would make me hesitate to call him handsome, isn’t he? In contrast, I can barely find the words to describe how Mr. Fisalis looks, flashing that smile at him, as though he isn’t even the slightest bit put off. It’s like he has some sort of magic that makes him appear increasingly more refined and handsome when compared to this man.

One after another, people came to say hello and have a quick chat.

“Oh, yes. Let me take this opportunity to introduce you. This is my wife, Viola. Vi, this is my superior...” Mr. Fisalis said, starting to introduce me to someone.

Is it just me, or is he putting extra emphasis on “my wife?” Especially, when he’s talking to other knights. What’s the point of introducing me now after I already met these nobles at our wedding and the numerous parties we’ve already been to?

Honestly, when he first started introducing me to these nobles, I was so startled I thought I’d spill the wine glass I was holding. I managed a nice wifely smile instead.

Even though I was surprised by Mr. Fisalis suddenly introducing me to other people like this, I didn’t let it show—even though having to make formal introductions was like pulling teeth to me.

“I don’t believe we’ve met. How do you do? My name is Viola. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance,” I tittered, offering up a high quality (at least by my estimate) twenty dollar smile along with it.

If I do something wrong, I’m really going to get it from Dahlia at my next etiquette lesson! Earlier, I had to practice smiling for so long my face muscles seized up. She really scares me sometimes.

Nevertheless, whenever the opportunity arose, Mr. Fisalis introduced me as if I were a special item on sale.

“My wife, Viola... My wife here...”

He just kept repeatedly mentioning that I was his wife, and he always put extra stress on the “wife” part. I wanted him to stop because it was so embarrassing, and yet...

“Oh, our plates are empty. Why don’t we go try something different?” he suggested, during a break in the onslaught of introductions and greetings. I got up and followed him to get some more food and, wouldn’t you know it, we ran into a heavily wounded group of knights.

Oh, these are the handsome men in green from the front lines who received an award after Mr. Fisalis’ unit. I forget the name of their unit, but I do remember what they looked like.

Mr. Fisalis noticed first and approached them with a smile even brighter than his previous one.

“Hey there. How are you faring? We couldn’t have won this war without you boys.”

“C-Commander Fisalis!” The blond-haired, blue-eyed man’s voice rose several octaves in surprise when Mr. Fisalis addressed him (because Mr. Fisalis was very, very high up—both among the military and the nobility). And to top things off, he also dropped the silverware he was holding.

Are you maybe overreacting... just a little? I reflexively grilled the clumsy man in my head. He has such a nice face, despite it being covered in cuts and bruises, but his lack of basic composure totally spoils that.

Then again, as handsome as he is, compared to Mr. Fisalis he’s like a five out of ten. Even though Mr. Fisalis has a lot of disappointing qualities, he’s at the top of the charts in the Flür Kingdom for looks.

...Huh? What’s this sense of déjà vu I’m feeling? Where was it that I thought this exact same thing? And when? Oh well.

I had a vague feeling that I’d had that exact thought before, but it didn’t seem terribly important, so I let it go and refocused my attention on Mr. Fisalis and the knight. Mr. Fisalis was still talking to him.

How odd. Mr. Fisalis is taking such an assertive tone with him. If anything, I had always thought that he didn’t like starting conversations at social events.

“I had been looking for a unit that could handle that operation—oh, but it’s unseemly to brag about our military strength. Nevertheless, I was right to request you men. No other unit could have pulled off that downhill rush with such skill.”

“Y-You flatter us, Commander!” The blond knight seemed scared stiff by Mr. Fisalis’ eloquent praise. He must be nervous, being addressed by a superior officer (one miles and miles above him, to boot).

Looking closer, I saw that the other knights looked uncomfortable, too.

I hope they’re alright. They look like they’d fall over if I so much as poked them.

Mr. Fisalis continued to try to engage them, apparently not seeing how nervous they were, and I felt so bad for them that I stepped in to lend a hand.

“Mr. Fisalis... Mr. Fisalis, your subordinates are waiting for us. Let’s pick some fruit and get back to them quickly,” I whispered in his ear as I tugged on his sleeve.

They’re probably going to faint if he bothers them any more!

Mr. Fisalis looked at me and a smile unlike the one he wore before—more of a smirk—spread across his face.

“Good point. Oh, that reminds me. I ought to introduce you, now that I have the chance. This is my wife, Viola. Vi, these are the members of the First Cavalry Company. They were some of the frontline troops who performed outstandingly in the war,” Mr. Fisalis said, introducing me to the knights.

Ohh, he’s at it again with the wife stuff. He’s done this so many times now I’ve lost count, so at least I wasn’t surprised this time.

I plastered a fake wifely smile on my face like I did earlier, and said gracefully (or at least with something that could pass as grace), “Ah, yes, I saw you in the awards portion of the ceremony. Thank you for your service, and congratulations on your award.”

“N-Not at all. It’s an honor to meet you!” the knight replied, his face twitching as he smiled.

Now that I think of it, I gave them one of my twenty dollar smiles during the ceremony, too. In the end, it was just a smile from a plain, quiet girl, so no wonder he didn’t care. Hmph.