Chapter 719: Chapter 719

Meilin’s footsteps had led Mira to visit the Adams Residence, finally allowing her to meet with Meilin and accomplish her mission. After that Mira spent the night there as well.

The next morning she was invited to a lavish breakfast, and then she went to train with the children and Meilin.

They got a bit carried away again, but at least the garden remained safe this time.

After their usual morning routine, it was time for Henry to head to work in the palace, and Mira went along with him.

She had already ensured Meilin had her disguise and had dyed her hair, so she should be safe for the moment. Mira had also briefed Vanessa on various things, essentially telling her that despite her appearance, Meilin was an undercover idol of sorts, so Mira trusted that Vanessa would take care of everything else.

The actual preliminaries and the following main tournament would be the main issue either way, as an enormous audience would have their eyes on Meilin, and the disguise would be the most important.

“Thank you for looking after my siblings. I can’t remember the last time they were so motivated to train.”

“No need to thank me, I’m quite fond of children myself, and I enjoyed my time with them. Actually, could I see them again if I go visit my friend again?”

“But of course, I’m sure they’d be delighted to see you again too. If anything I hope you can come see us again.”

After that the two chatted about other random things as they walked through the city.

Henry’s workplace, the palace, was roughly a kilometer away from the Adams Residence, and he always chose to walk there instead of taking a carriage so he could keep watch of the city. That decision made him quite well known amongst the residents living around the palace.

“Ah, good morning Sir Henry.”

“Good morning, Sir Henry. Please come share a drink with us again sometime.”

People constantly greeted him, like a passing carriage coach or a nearby barkeeper. Henry smiled and greeted all of them back too.

They were really friendly interactions despite him being a noble, and the mutual respect was also clear. It was an exemplary show of the ideal relationship between nobles and citizens, either because of how the country was led, or just Henry’s personality. Either way, Mira was impressed to see those interactions.

It did not take long before they also noticed that Mira was with him, and for someone to mention it.

“Aww, and that cute girl? Could she be…”

An older lady, the type who loved to gossip, looked at Mira as she raised her voice. A certain thought flashed in Mira’s mind instantly, thinking of the interaction that would follow right after.

‘Could she be your girlfriend?’, ‘What?! No, that’s not it’, ‘Oh you little rascal, don’t play dumb after pulling such a cutie.’

That was a really common trope in romance stories, after which the protagonist and heroine would blush and look at each other.

She had never expected that she would end up being in that position, even less in the role of the heroine.

All of those thoughts went by in an instant in Mira’s mind, and then the old lady finished her sentence.

“…a lost child? It’s still pretty early to be getting lost. Maybe she got split from her parents while doing an early market run?”

It was something completely different from what Mira had anticipated, completely stunning her as she froze with her eyes wide open. She had been so confident in her own looks that it would not surprise her to be mistaken for Henry’s partner, only for things to go in pretty much the opposite direction.

“I’ve never seen her around here before. She might have come to watch the tournament with her family and then got lost when leaving the event area.”

While Mira remained stunlocked from the unexpected reaction, a passing elderly man joined in, looking worried for Mira. Then they began asking what her parents’ names were, what she was called, where she was staying, and so on. It did not take long before a sizable group of people gathered around her, all with gentle smiles volunteering to go search for her parents.

And then it finally was enough.

“No, listen, she’s actually…”

Henry had also been overwhelmed by the overzealous people, and finally was able to get a word in and explain the situation.

Now it was his duty to turn the misunderstanding around, and show that the girl everyone thought was a lost child, was actually an amazing adventurer they should respect. Mira fell silent, letting him do all the work, praying that he would be convincing enough while looking at the crowd around her to see how they would react.

In the end Henry succeeded in cleansing Mira from being branded a lost child, but as the crowd was mainly composed of older people who did not know much about adventurers, they did not show much of a reaction to the name of Spirit Queen.

With all of that dealt with, Mira and Henry resumed their walk to the palace, arriving there not too long after.

“This is where we part ways then. Feel free to visit us whenever you want, I’m sure my siblings will appreciate it.”

“Yes, I’ll try to drop by again soon enough.”

The two exchanged those words in front of the imperial chambers of Nirvana’s Imperial Palace. After that Henry returned to his post, and Mira went through the doors into the imperial chambers.

Mira’s mission was halfway done now. The only thing left was to make sure Meilin was properly disguised once the tournament started.

With that weight off her shoulders, Mira was ready to be briefed on the details of her mission to watch over the oracle, which was also important.

“I’ll be done in ten…fifteen minutes. Just wait for me inside.”

Once inside, she found Alma once again buried under a pile of paperwork, which had only grown taller with all the arrangements for the tournament.

Some of her work needed to be done within that morning, so she was going to be busy for a bit longer before they could discuss the mission properly. Until then, Mira was given access to the room further inside.

The imperial chambers included Alma’s office, which was surrounded with bookshelves packed with books and files, with one wall having Nirvana’s flag and those of its allies on display, including Arkite’s which Mira was very familiar with.

Then there was a door leading further inside, where Mira was told to wait. She reached for the doorknob without thinking much of it, when Alma behind her added “Ah, and feel free to reach into the fridge.”

Hearing that, she pushed forward without reserve, and once in the next room she let out a loud “Woahh…” in admiration.

While the office had been furnished with a focus on getting work done, the room past the door looked like the VIP room of a first class hotel, filled with all sorts of luxuries.

The table, chairs, and sofa were all of high quality, while the cupboard was filled with all sorts of delicacies. The various appliances there like the fridge, lights, and even air conditioning also looked far more expensive than those found in most households.

In short, it was a room furnished in a way befit of the empress.

“So she actually has a proper room too.”

The previous day Alma had received Mira in her private room, which appeared almost meagre in comparison. Here there was a proper bathroom, a toilet, and an elegant and vast kitchen, allowing one to cook even the most complex dishes.

All of that belonged to Alma as well, but it did not have many signs of use, showing that Alma preferred to sleep and spend her free time in the smaller private room.

“Well, it’s not like I don’t understand that feeling.”

As much as living in luxury was desirable, it could get exhausting to be in such an environment everyday. Mira had grown up amongst common people, so she also understood that feeling. But experiencing it from time to time was the best, and easily the most obvious luxury was food.

Mira made a beeline to the large rectangular device in the kitchen, the fridge, and checked its contents.

“It’s full, it’s full!”

That black box was around as tall as a grown man, and the chilly inside was filled with various vegetables, fruits, and rows of bottles. Since Alma was the only one who used this place, there was not too much fresh produce, while the bottles took up more than half the space in the fridge.

“Wait, could these be…could it be…!”

The bottles gave a clear view of the colorful liquids filling them, some being red, others purple, or ambar, and so on. Mira’s interest was piqued, and a certain possibility flashed in her mind. Driven by it, she quickly opened one of the bottles, letting a rich aroma fill her nostrils.

The bottles were filled with liquor. The assortment included various types of wine from different fruits, beer, whiskey, and even sake. There was anything one could desire.

Mira had known that Alma was fond of drinking even back in the game days, and seeing all of those bottles, it was clear that that had not changed. And now Mira was starting to get curious about it too.

She had drank with Solomon before, which had left a strong impression on her, as expected from a king’s cellar.

With that precedent, she had high hopes of the drinks in front of her now. Alma was particularly fond of drinking, and this was her private selection for her own enjoyment. Not to mention that Nirvana was a far larger and more powerful country than Arkite.

It was impossible not to be tempted to try those drinks, enjoyed by one of the most influential people. Dıscover more novels at novelꞁire.net

“If it’s just one shot…”

She reached out to one of the bottles, and then stopped before closing the fridge.

Despite her curiosity, she was going to meet the oracle soon after, a person she had to watch over personally. Being drunk would not be a good first impression.