The next morning, Finn naturally could not dine with the Lord and Syl, but he was given a chance to help with the kitchen.
Before, he would’ve just done the bare minimum, but knowing that Syl was part of the clientele, he found himself doing a bit more.
Anyway, he spent time with her last night and got her approval for the menu, so he was fairly confident in his menu. Interestingly, even before he was called that morning, the servants were more respectful to him than expected.
Apparently, Syl and even her entourage looked at the carpet (the one Finn randomly asked to change as part of his act), as well as the other changes, with approval. "Not bad."
Finn had impeccable tastes, and he unconsciously thought of Sylwen when thinking of this world’s "good things" so even if he chose randomly, by the grace of luck, things turned out well anyway.
Breakfast was spiced floss meat with egg, and he added his vinegar as sauce. For fiber, he added pickled vegetables as a side dish. For starch, they had flour here too, so he made bread, adding special herbaceous liver spread on top of it.
It was a great starter meal. The food was filling on the stomach but not too oily. The vinegar added a layer of freshness to the palette.
The elves, he found, were especially fond of vinegar. He had made a nice fried vegetable wrap as a snack last night, to be dipped in vinegar, and he received orders for those this morning, indicating the elves loved it.
Like this, Finn’s prestige was once again raised.
While eating breakfast, Syl’s eyes gravitated to the flowers displayed in the vases. They were quite coordinated. Not the same, but had reddish, pink, and white flowers.
"I didn’t think Majen flowers were common here..."
"It isn’t, your advanced party said it was a better color, so he asked us to change them," the Lord said. "Fortunately, we procured a few from another noble’s garden, who is known for their gardening hobby."
He then gave her a look. "I had wondered why it was chosen by your assistant since it was not considered a lucky color in general, but looking at you, Milady, I now understand."
Syl’s lips twitched upwards, and the elves not far couldn’t help but look. "He chose well."
...
Soon, it was finally time to leave. Finn met the Lord’s eye, and he nodded, giving a polite bow. To everyone’s surprise, Syl called him to her carriage, and he hurriedly headed up without any ado.
Of course, he did not forget his limp, and his legs remained ’in character’ until he entered the carriage and finally relaxed for the first time that morning.
"Thanks for allowing me to hitch a ride~" he said with a smile, eyes locked on Syl before shifting to a cushion on his seat. It was quite large and comfortable-looking. It was as if placing the egg on a bean bag that fit its size.
"I made the Lord’s servants sew it," she said, answering his unanswered question.
They were alone in the carriage, and it even looked more luxurious inside than the outside. It was interesting. If it was a human noble carriage, as he had seen when he was going around before, they’d be really gaudy inside out.
Instead, for the elves, it seemed like they valued practicality more.
Still, it was comfortable and luxurious, and it just... fit Sylwen so well it’d feel like blasphemy to put her with cheaper things.
His eyes flickered as he stared at her. She felt his stare and couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward, her attention shifting to the bulky body bag.
She remembered what was inside and then sat next to him again, her hand hovering over it. He could feel her naturally analyzing its state as if it were a given.
Seeing this tendency of hers made Finn want to tease her. "You’re so fond of eggs?"
She blinked, lifting her head and meeting his eyes. "I’m fond of your little sister."
"..."
Hey, now it is his turn to be shy.
Sylwen didn’t seem to notice this and focused on the task at hand.
"She is healthier," she said, feeling the stabilizing magical energy. "It seems like you just need to protect her like this."
"There might need to be a trigger to completely free her of her shell, however."
Finn looked at the round shell on his lap. "Should I crack it?"
She gave him a look. Finn smirked.
"I’m kidding."
They sat next to each other like this until the carriage lunged forward, with Finn—who had a bad impression of the carriages here—unconsciously wrapping one hand around the egg, and the other on the elf’s waist.
Surprisingly, the movement was quite stable, unlike the chaotic rattling of the ones he saw along the streets before. He thought about it and, considering the technology of this world, Finn assumed magic had to do with it.
Syl did not escape his grasp. "I’ll drop you off somewhere before we get off the gates," she told him, resting her head on his shoulder. Since their kiss the previous night, they had slowly started to explore a bit more skinship.
They were both inexperienced at this, so they were really just going with the flow. One would make a little push or poke and, if the other party accepted it, they’d try to go another inch forward. And so on.
He wrapped his arm tightly around her, patting her shoulder. She was so warm and soft and, inexplicably, his stomach dropped at the thought of where she was heading.
"Are you heading out to another fight?" He couldn’t help but ask. He didn’t want to ask last night lest it ruin her rest.
"In a sense," Syl said after a pause. "Hopefully, it will be over soon."
"You did very well," he told her. He still had no idea what she had been through the past month they were apart, but he could tell it was not light.
She had gotten paler than when they were separated.
She was gaunter, tired.
He should feed her more when they get a chance.
It seemed to be over, for now, but perhaps it was still unstable.
"Just know that if things get too heavy..." he said, gently rubbing her shoulder as if to give her warmth, to let her feel his presence.
"You...and your nephew... have a place with us. No matter what."