The Perfect Knight and the Illusionist (BL)
Chapter 27: Marius vs. Leo

Chapter 27: Marius vs. Leo

MARIUS

I realized Skylark was a rather difficult boy to read.

In the carriage, he seemed both happy and deep in thought. Possibly because this was the first time he had gotten to see the capital as we rode through the streets and passed by some of the landmark governmental buildings with imposing architecture. And when we entered the mansion, I noticed him eyeing the front garden carefully. He probably had some botanical knowledge, growing up close to nature in a village, and was maybe wondering about the types of grass we had. When we entered the mansion, though, I could clearly see a sign of alarm, albeit only for a brief moment.

What for?

But then he seemed fine again when we were having tea and the cookies, about which he had an interesting anecdotal story, and it was a chance for me to learn about the customs of different regions, which I appreciated.

What puzzled me all the way through, though, was that despite seemingly wearing his emotions so clearly on his face, such as delight and fear, it was impossible to read what he was thinking.

Reading people—that was one skill I was taught to develop. It was such a crucial skill necessary for survival in this world, both on the battlefield and in social gatherings, which were pretty much the same thing; one was fought with blades, the other was fought with words.

And I had usually been good at reading people.

But ever since joining the Academy, I had learned that I was foolish, or perhaps even too arrogant, to believe in my own ability. I couldn’t read Dorian’s intentions and movements, and I couldn’t read Skylark’s thoughts.

So it was a rather, I have to admit, nervous moment when the potato dishes were served. The Chef assured me that those potatoes were sourced from the Southern region, and not only that, they were supposedly the best of the South. It wouldn’t just remind Skylark of the ’taste of home,’ but hopefully taste ’even better than back home.’ Also, the Chef told me that there was a specific recipe and combination that was popular in the South: a deep-fried pork cutlet served with whole potatoes and hard bread, with cranberry jam as a condiment. That was just perfect—potatoes and berries in one dish.

"How are the potatoes and berries, gentlemen?" I asked the table, finding just the right moment to politely interrupt the conversation that was flowing.

"They are fantastic, Marius," Alexis said first.

"This jam goes really well with the bread," Thomas remarked, adding a little too much jam to his bread.

"I wonder if they match the potatoes from Erdville?" Briant asked with a faint smile on his face.

’Briant, you are a good man, although you don’t realize it,’ I thought to myself, quite pleased.

Then all eyes were on Skylark, who was carefully slicing the potato in the middle with a fork.

"It’s cooked so perfectly," he said, almost involuntarily.

As if we had all been waiting for his positive verdict, the rest of us looked at each other with smiles, then paid attention again as he took his first bite of the potato.

"And it tastes... wait... huh?!"

With that, Skylark started to really dig in, furiously shoveling the potato into his mouth. Then, with his mouth full, he said,

"Yee hah, yee hah!"

I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. Maybe it was a Southern dialect we were not aware of.

"Damn, Leo, eat slowly. Of course the potato’s hot," Thomas said.

I wondered how he could understand, but it made sense that Skylark’s weird noise should have been understood as ’It’s hot’ from the start.

One more thing I should get used to—how to understand people when they talk with their mouths full.

Once Skylark finished, Briant asked him directly,

"Is it comparable to the potatoes from Erdville?"

"It tastes JUST LIKE the ones we have back home!"

Victory.

"Try the jam as well, if you’d like," I said, encouraging Skylark.

Without hesitation, he put a huge scoop of cranberry jam on his bread and took a large bite. I could see his eyes flash, and it was clear that he was enjoying it.

"And these are... berries from the South. NO DOUBT about it," Skylark said, very pleased.

"What a coincidence! It’s your lucky day, Leo," Briant said, saying something I wanted to say. But of course, as the host, I should say something as well, so I did.

"I’m glad you like them, Skylark."

The boy nodded happily.

I hadn’t touched my plate yet, but now that I saw the potatoes and the cranberry jam had earned Skylark’s approval, I tried them myself too.

They were delicious indeed, and Skylark was definitely right in his claim.

I chewed slowly, trying to savor the taste and texture, trying to understand. I closed my eyes as I did so, just as Father did when he tasted his wine. I was seeking, seeking that something special that was beyond just ’delicious.’

But I couldn’t quite grasp it.

It tasted great, but I wasn’t sure if this was the ’taste of happiness.’

Then, suddenly, Thomas pointed out something I had never thought of or noticed myself, saying,

"Hm, Marius, why do you always call Leo ’Skylark’?"

My eyes opened immediately, and there were five pairs of eyes looking at me, probing.

"Do... I? But I suppose it’s not unusual, it is his name," I answered.

"But you insist everyone calls you Marius, not Valenkraft," Thomas said, and yes, he had a point.

"I don’t mind," luckily, Skylark spoke for himself, then continued,

"But Mario, if you call me Skylark, maybe I should call you Vayleencraft too."

Briant almost spit out his drink, trying to hold back from laughing.

"It’s Valenkraft, Leo," Alexis corrected him.

"And it’s Marius," Dimitri joined in with a chuckle.

"Mauricio...?" Leo said sheepishly.

Then we all laughed.

"I’m really sorry... I’m just not very good with unusual names," Skylark confessed.

"Maybe a nickname will do?" Thomas floated the question, clearly joking.

But Skylark seemed to take it seriously, his eyes rolling around as if they were trying to catch an answer circling around him in the air. Then he hit his palm with his fist, as if he had finally found the suitable word.

"Mimi."

I dropped my fork and knife.

"Wha—what?" I blurted out.

"Mimi is a good nickname for Mario, right?"

Everyone laughed really hard, but I was horrified that this might stick as my name.

I absolutely couldn’t afford to have a nickname like this, and this time, Alexis came to my rescue.

"You can’t seriously give such a nickname to Marius."

Then the laughter stopped, but smiles remained on everyone’s faces.

"Fine then, you can call me Skylark, but please accept... er... ’Mario.’ But I promise I will practice and try to get it right," Skylark said, shrugging.

I was finally relieved, but the peace of mind only lasted a few seconds until Briant said,

"Let’s hear you say ’Leo’ once, though."

"Why?" I shot back immediately.

"’Leo’ is easy to say. At least you can say it once," Briant insisted.

"I—I request that Skylark say my name correctly at least once too, then. I will say it if Skylark gets it right," I said.

That was smart of me, I thought.

"Mariosu," Skylark said, but seeing that everyone giggled, he knew he had gotten it wrong, so he tried again.

"Mariose, Marias, Mariuh, Maris, Mari-wuss..."

"Very close, Leo, keep going," Thomas said, encouraging him.

Then Skylark took a deep breath and said slowly,

"Marius."

Everyone clapped their hands, and somehow, I felt my knees go weak although I was sitting down.

"Your turn now," Briant said, his voice mischievous.

I did the same as Skylark, taking a deep breath, looking straight ahead at the wall behind Thomas, who sat next to the boy, and said,

"Leo."

I was proud that I got this right the first time—obviously I could—and then finally looked at Skylark and—

Why was HE blushing?!