Chapter 351: The Grand Hall Dinner (5)

[Rosalin’s POV]

Rosalin was still making her way through the buffet when she stopped in front of another tray of roasted beef. She picked up the serving tongs, stared at the meat for a second, then casually added two more slices to her plate.

At this point, her plate was already ridiculously full. A large mound of rice sat underneath several pieces of grilled chicken and roasted beef, with roasted potatoes, pasta, vegetables, and a few slices of bread squeezed into whatever space was left.

Somehow, Rosalin was still looking for more.

She moved down the table and stopped in front of the grilled fish. Her eyes dropped to the salmon, then to her plate.

’Hm... I can fit one more. Should I? Or shouldn’t I?’

In the end, Rosalin carefully placed a piece along the edge. She stared at it for a moment before letting out a satisfied smile.

Then the smell of roasted lamb reached her.

Rosalin immediately turned her head — a servant had just brought out a fresh tray, and the meat was still steaming beneath the warm lights.

’Oh, that looks good.’

Rosalin swallowed and glanced back at her plate. There was barely any room left, but after a few seconds of serious thought, she began moving the bread around.

’Well, if I move this here... ah—’

A potato nearly rolled off the edge, but Rosalin quickly caught it between two fingers. Her brows drew together as she stared at the pile.

’...Maybe I should just get another plate.’

Then, something suddenly bumped into her.

"Hm?"

Rosalin slowly turned around, still holding the absurd mountain of food in one hand. Then her gaze lowered toward whoever had walked into her.

Her gaze froze when she saw Calyra standing right in front of her. Rosalin’s heart gave a sudden thump, and her body went stiff.

Calyra was wearing a white dress with soft blue details, and standing this close only made the difference in their height more obvious. Rosalin could only stare at her, her grip around the plate tightening slightly as Calyra took half a step back.

She had not properly looked up yet.

"Sorry, I wasn’t looking," Calyra muttered softly.

Calyra slowly lifted her head.

The moment their eyes met, Calyra’s eyes widened slightly.

Then, both of them spoke at the same time.

"Calyra?"

"Rosalin?"

Silvena stood nearby, watching the two of them in silence.

’Oh goodness...’

It was already too late for her to interrupt, but at the same time, she could not deny that she was curious to see how this would go.

Rosalin’s gaze soon fell upon the plate in Calyra’s hands. Compared to her own, the amount of food on it was rather small, and nearly half of the plate was filled with desserts. It looked very neat and ladylike.

However, seeing Calyra standing before her brought Rosalin back to their battle on the island.

She remembered what Calyra had said after their fight had finally come to an end.

Strangely enough, recalling that moment no longer made her feel bitter, ashamed, or frustrated about her defeat.

No, Rosalin did not want to keep looking back at the past anymore. It was true that she had failed to convince Calyra again. She had failed to defeat her and make her believe in their dream once more.

However...

Calyra had already told her, through Violet, that she was grateful Rosalin had kept their promise. And for now, she wanted to find her reason again first before she could start chasing their dream once more.

And until that day came, Calyra wanted Rosalin to keep moving forward and lead the way toward their dream first.

That was why Rosalin had decided to stop looking back.

She would look forward now and live in the present. She had already told Calyra everything she wanted her to know, and because of that, her heart was finally at peace.

Rosalin looked at Calyra’s plate again, this time noticing one of the desserts near the edge.

"Oh, you took the... I forgot the name."

"Mille-feuille."

"Ah, yes that."

Rosalin said, her expression slowly brightening.

"Do you still like those?"

Calyra glanced down at the crisp pastry on her plate.

"Yes. I was surprised to see them here too," she replied softly. "They look almost the same as the ones we used to eat."

Then, Calyra stared deadpan at the mountain of food piled onto Rosalin’s plate.

"That reminds me, you are not much of a sweets person, right?"

"Mhm, actually, I do eat them," Rosalin said. "Just not that often. I like something sweet once in a while, but not enough to call it my favourite."

"I see."

Rosalin paused for a moment before smiling again.

Talking to Calyra like this made her heart feel strangely warm. It was the first proper conversation she had shared with Calyra in a very long time.

Before either of them could say anything else, another voice called out to Rosalin.

"Ah, Lady Rosalin! Look what I found!"

"Hm?"

Vanessa hurried over with a bright smile, proudly holding up her bowl. Inside were several scoops of ice cream in different colours and flavours.

"There were so many kinds, so I took one of each!"

"Oh, ice cream," Rosalin muttered as she looked at the colourful scoops inside Vanessa’s bowl. "I didn’t notice they had those here."

Meanwhile, Calyra stared at Vanessa with her head tilted slightly, wondering who the woman standing before them was.

She looked familiar, but Calyra could not remember where she had seen her before.

Rosalin immediately understood what that look meant.

"Ah, right," Rosalin said before turning slightly toward Vanessa. "Calyra, this is Violet. She was one of my teammates during the test on Vazrun Island. You have met her before."

She then looked at Vanessa and continued, "And Violet, this is Calyra Arcanis."

Calyra studied her face for another moment before recognition finally appeared in her eyes.

"Ah, right. You are that woman."

Vanessa blinked at the unexpected response.

Calyra finally remembered her.

Vanessa was the woman who had come to carry Rosalin away after their fight on the island.

It was no wonder Calyra had not recognized her at first. Back on the island, Violet had been hidden beneath a dark cloak. Now, dressed for the ceremony, she looked completely different.

"I almost did not recognize you without that dark cloak."

"Yes, that was me," Vanessa replied with a polite smile. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you properly, Lady Calyra."

Vanessa held her bowl close to her chest and gave Calyra a polite bow.

Calyra responded with a polite bow of her own.

"The pleasure is mine."

At that moment, Irene approached with her usual composed expression, though her eyes had not left the colourful scoops in Violet’s bowl. "Excuse me, but may I ask where you found that ice cream?" Irene asked, leaning forward slightly.

Then, realizing that they had never met, she quickly straightened herself.

"Ah, forgive me. My name is Irene."

"Oh, hello. I’m Violet," Vanessa replied with a friendly smile. She then turned slightly and pointed toward the other end of the buffet.

"The ice cream section is over there, beside the chilled desserts. They have many different flavours, though it was a little hard to see because so many people were gathered around it."

Irene followed the direction of her finger, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"I see. Thank you very much."

Before she could leave, Silvena walked over and stopped beside her.

"Ice cream, huh?" Silvena said as she glanced into Vanessa’s bowl. "You have quite a lot in there. Is it your favourite dessert?"

"Yes!" Vanessa answered almost instantly.

"I have always loved ice cream. It is cold, sweet, and there are so many flavours that you can never get bored of it. Oh, and even if you do, you can just mix two flavours together and make something completely different."

The more she spoke, the faster her words came.

"Chocolate is good with vanilla, but strawberry is better with milk cream. Fruit flavours are also nice after a heavy meal because they taste lighter. Oh, and if they have crushed nuts or small pieces of cake, you can add those on top too. My sister and I always used to eat it like that whenever we..."

Vanessa’s voice suddenly slowed.

For a brief moment, her smile faded at the edges, and her eyes dropped to the ice cream in her bowl. But only a second later, she raised her head and forced the brightness back into her smile.

"Well, anyway, I have tried many different kinds," she finished lightly.

Rosalin noticed the change, and judging by Calyra’s quiet stare, so had she. Neither Rosalin nor Calyra knew how to respond. Thankfully, Silvena did.

"So, which flavour here is the best one so far?"

Silvena asked, gently changing the subject. She then placed a hand on Irene’s shoulder and gave her a teasing smile.

"You see... my friend here is a die-hard dessert lover, so your answer may decide what fills her entire plate tonight."

"I would not fill the entire plate," Irene replied, trying to sound serious.

Silvena raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. You cannot afford to anymore, considering how fat you have become."

"Huh?"

Irene’s eyes widened in disbelief before her face flushed bright red, while Vanessa covered her mouth, barely holding back a surprised laugh.

"Sure, in that case, I would recommend the strawberry cream," Vanessa said as she pointed to the pink scoop in her bowl. "But if you really love sweet things, then you should try the caramel one too."

Irene gave a firm nod.

"Understood. I will try both of them."

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[Chapter 351: The Grand Hall Dinner (5)]

A/N: This will be the final breather Chapter focusing on the side characters POV. After this, we’ll return to Ruvian’s POV. Also, I apologize for the inconsistent updates lately. I’ve been struggling a little, as my current environment and circumstances haven’t been the best for writing. But I’ll try my best.