The Perfect Knight and the Illusionist (BL)
Chapter 15: Biscuits

Chapter 15: Biscuits

MARIUS

For the first evening at the dormitory, I had prepared a selection of tea and biscuits that the chef back at the family mansion picked out for me. Usually, more leisurely hours in my evenings were invested in reading, but I had been advised that being at the Royal Knights Academy was not only about training but about building connections for the future that could last for the rest of my career.

Yet, here I was, eating regular doughnuts from the dining hall, drinking standard tea while my box of the special tea selection stayed in my bag back in the room. I could still bring them out and share them with those who were here, but my instinct was telling me that I should save them and share them when everyone was here, including Skylark.

"So I told Alexis, ’you just need to reach a little higher, then Dimitri can grab your hand and pull you up,’ but no matter how many times he jumped, he was coming a little short," Briant was telling a story about the first time he, Alexis, and Dimitri got drunk together during a summer festival some years ago. On their way back home, apparently Alexis fell into a hole in the ground that he was too drunk to notice.

Dimitri was laughing, and so was Alexis. They knew what they’d done was stupid, but the way Briant was telling the story, it sounded like an adventure tale.

"Then Alexis got this idea and said, ’go and find something I can step on. I will use that as a platform.’ So I went one direction and Dimitri went the other. I was looking for some kind of wooden plank and, naturally, assumed Dimitri here would be doing the same," Briant continued.

Thomas was listening attentively, and while I did find the direction of the story amusing too, I couldn’t help but wonder once again when Skylark would be back.

"Then suddenly, I hear Dimitri shout ’I got it!’ so I run back to where Alexis was, but on the way, I heard him scream."

"What happened?" Thomas asked, taking the last bite of his doughnut.

"Dimitri, instead of a wooden plank, found a big chunk of rock!" Briant exclaimed.

"Oh dear... I see where this is going," Thomas said with a chuckle.

I couldn’t quite fathom what might have happened, so I asked,

"What happened?"

"This big idiot here," Alexis said, pointing at Dimitri, who was smiling as if he was recalling a fond memory, "threw a ROCK down at me, Marius."

"A... rock?" I asked, surprised.

"I told you to catch it, ha! I meant you to catch it, put it on the ground, step on it, and make your jump," Dimitri tried to explain himself.

"Ridiculous, mate! You threw the rock down at me with full force!"

It did indeed sound absurd, and I would have been horrified to make such an error of judgment. Not that I’d ever allow myself to be intoxicated to such stupidity.

But everyone, even Alexis, who got hit by the rock that time, seemed to think it was funny. Thomas was laughing hard too.

’So silliness can be funny between friends,’ I noted to myself.

"Oy, Leo!"

My drifting mind was abruptly snapped back to the here and now as Thomas yelled over my head, waving his hand. I turned to find Skylark entering the common room, his posture looking a little tired but his eyes were alert, actively scanning the room.

"Hi... everyone," Leo said, standing by the door.

"Come take a seat. Briant was telling this hilarious story," Thomas waved him in.

"Should I tell the story again?" Briant asked, taking a sip of his tea.

"Excuse me, fellows. I will fetch something from the room," I quickly got up from my seat and said.

"Sure, take your time, Marius," Alexis said, moving over to one side of the couch to make room for Skylark to sit.

I overheard Briant start the Dimitri-and-rock tale again as I left.

When I arrived back at our room, Dorian was lying on his bed with a book in hand. It made me feel a pang of guilt that I was skipping my own reading session.

"What do you need?" Dorian asked when he saw me, sounding irritated that I disturbed his reading.

"I just came to fetch something. I will be leaving shortly. I’m sorry to disturb you."

"Tsk."

He then turned his eyes back to his book.

I made nothing of it.

But as I grabbed the metal box containing tea and biscuits and was about to leave the room, I decided I should still try to be the courteous one here.

"Would you like to join us in the common room for some tea and biscuits?"

Dorian answered without looking up from his book,

"What do you think I am? Twelve? I don’t need biscuits."

The man was quite surly for no reason.

’I’ll need to find some other way to earn his trust later,’ I told myself as I left.

Upon my return, I found everyone in the middle of laughter as if Briant had just finished his story. Skylark seemed a little more settled in than before, too.

"Friends, allow me to share these with you," I said, placing the biscuit box on the table.

"What are these?" Dimitri asked.

"A humble selection of biscuits we reserve for our guests back home. I hope the taste is agreeable," I answered.

"Wow! But... you call these ’humble’?!" Thomas remarked as I opened the box, revealing the assortment of the finest biscuits that our chef had selected.

"Is it really okay for us to eat them?" Alexis asked, somewhat nervously, but licking his lips.

"Sure, Alexis—and everyone. Please enjoy."

Then everyone took one from the box, and the room was filled with appreciative sounds of approval.

"This is excellent!" Briant said.

"The best I’ve ever had," Alexis exaggerated.

"Damn, Marius. You should have brought them out earlier," Dimitri added.

"But then we’d have none left for Leo by now, haha," Thomas pointed out.

"True!" Alexis concurred, taking another bite.

Then I noticed that Skylark hadn’t taken one yet. I picked up the box off the table and brought it over to him, inviting him to pick whichever one he fancied.

"You... saved them for me?" he asked.

"It—it was for everyone. I just wanted everyone to be here, Skylark. It would only be fair if EVERYONE was here, right?" I asked around the room.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

No, it was no big deal. I just wanted to share them when everyone was here.

"Heh~, thank you, Mario," Skylark said as he picked a jam biscuit from the box.

When I saw the smile spread on his face, I felt proud of my decisive patience.

Yes, it was worth making sure that everyone was here.