Another world, Celeste

Thirty Seven

Now that it is just the two of them, Sir Ronald asks the first thing that piques his curiosity when he receives her letter this morning. "Why did you choose this place for us to meet, Lady Polina? I could've gone to see you at the inn instead."

"This restaurant is closer to the guild than the inn, and I don't want to dine alone."

Sir Ronald looks unconvinced with her response. The reason being two tables away from theirs is where her two guards are currently seated. Another reason is that whenever Polina and her companions visit the mining town to do trade with the Commercial Guild, Sir Ronald is usually the one who goes to see her for a meal at the inn they frequently stay at. Polina seldom extends an invitation to meet first unless there is a reason for it.

Polina continues speaking. "I would also like to express my appreciation to you, Sir Ronald."

"Have I done something that warrants your appreciation?" Sir Ronald enquires, genuinely confused then recalls something. "If this is about concealing the fact that the rangers helped us during the monster stampede then I-"

"It is not only that," Polina interrupts and shows him a knowing look. "The letter of acknowledgement and the tamer permit."

Sir Ronald's thick dark brows rise simultaneously then leans back in his chair and bashfully scratches his bearded jaw.

"I hoped you wouldn't notice, or at least you wouldn't say anything about it."

"Only Erissa and I know for now." Polina speaks again after a brief pause, "Or, would you rather she knew that you assisted in quickening the process of her tamer registration?"

"That's not necessary," Sir Ronald immediately rejects it and then reasons himself to her. "I merely signed my name on a piece of paper, there is nothing unlawful about that."

Polina chuckles and says, "I expected this reaction from you. So, how is Jeffrey?"

With the mention of his nephew's name, Sir Ronald turns into a doting uncle and does most of the talking until the restaurant manager returns with their drink orders and another person wearing a chef's uniform personally serves Polina a plate of dessert - two slices of lemon cake with a generous amount of the chef's special berry sauce. The two people at the table do not resume talking, instead, Polina is focused on enjoying the cake that pairs nicely with the freshly brewed cup of tea. Sir Ronald as well is slowly savouring the cold sweetness of the crushed, watery fruits and the aftertaste of the mint syrup in his mouth made him frown just slightly.

"You should've waited until the ice melts a bit and let it dilute for the flavour of the fruits to balance well with the mint syrup," Polina comments.

Sir Ronald does as Polina says and waits a bit before taking another sip. No one would have ever guessed that a human man maintains a close friendship with a female elf whose exact age shall remain a secret for more than half a century because of their shared interest in liking sweets.

Polina takes this opportunity to slide an envelope across the table and says, "Your master has returned."

At the sudden mention of his master, Sir Ronald's hand flinch. Polina pretends to not notice as she casually drinks her tea.

"I haven't heard from master in years. Has he finally returned from his journey?" Sir Ronald asks after regaining his composure.

"Why don't you ask him in person? His stay may be prolonged this time."

"That is..."

Sir Ronald finds it difficult to respond. His gaze lands on top of the untouched envelope and thought with suspicion. "There is no name of the sender and the material of the envelope looks ordinary."

"He may not be a sentimental person, the information you need is in that letter, but he cares in his own way," Polina speaks then casually changes to elvish midway before finishing her words in the common language.

Any other person would've been perplexed when Polina arbitrarily speaks in two different languages, however, Sir Ronald looks unsurprised as he is already used to it from his early training days with the rangers.

"You say that with certainty."

"Have you ever known me to be speaking untruthfully to you, Ronald?"

Polina focuses back on enjoying the rest of her dessert.

Their meeting is a pretext to deliver the letter. Under normal circumstances, Sir Ronald would try to gauge the other person if they were telling the truth or not just by merely looking straight into their eyes and they would give in. It is not possible doing the same this time because the other person is Lady Polina; a longtime friend of his who is also one of the few people who can easily see through him.

Thus, a question appears in Sir Ronald's head. "If the information inside that letter is important, why did Lady Polina choose to meet in the least expected place to be discreet?"

Sir Ronald twirls the cold glass in his hand before drinking it slowly. During that moment of silence, Sir Ronald is able to ascertain one thing; the envelope is clearly not from his master much to his relief. With that out of the way, he puts down the glass and takes the envelope from the table and opens it to read right away. The one-page letter contains a drawn map of the vicinity and in the centre of the map is the very restaurant they are in.

By the time Polina polishes off the remaining berry sauce on her plate, Sir Ronald is also done interpreting the symbols on the map and speaks with suppressed anger. "So that's how it is."

Sir Ronald puts the letter away and gulps down the rest of his drink before abruptly standing up from his seat.

"I shall excuse myself first, Lady Polina. There are rats lurking about that need to be exterminated."

"You mean captured," Polina corrects his word.

"We shall see."

Lady Polina remains seated as she sees him off while holding a teacup to her mouth. A moment later, she observes Sir Ronald stepping out of the restaurant and briskly walks off in the direction opposite of the Commercial Guild from the window on the second floor.

"I've already delayed much of my time. It's time for us to return as well," Polina says to the two guards approaching her table.