Despite Seit's concerns, breakfast proceeded without incident. Lord Ravenshield was absent, leaving Ravina to dine by herself. The butler must have felt bad for her because he stayed by her side as she ate, despite having tasks to attend to. He offered her lessons in manners and etiquette, assuring her that a proper instructor would soon be available.
Ravina however couldn't care less about the count’s absences. After all, the food was absolutely delicious. Never in all her lives had Ravina even tasted such wonderfully cooked eggs, properly spiced sausage, and the absolute perfect pancakes before her. A meal to die for, however, the annoying restrictions placed upon her by the butler almost ruined her mood. Yet she held her tongue, some small part of her glad to have a friendly face nearby.
She was initially taken aback by the distinctly American nature of the food: bacon and eggs. Given the naming conventions of this world, she had expected something more Germanic in nature. The German-inspired names of the knight orders had particularly stood out to her. The author obviously had no better ideas for naming things than using the German language.
Well, it's not like that mattered, Ravina was lost in the pure bliss of the taste of food she would never be able to enjoy, even in her old world. Having savored the final bite, she leaned back contentedly in the elegant dining chair.
"Here, my lady," he said, his smile slightly softening his otherwise professional demeanor. Next to her now-empty plate, he placed an ornate silver key, polished to perfection with a delicate purple rose carved into a beautiful gem set into the handle.
“What’s this?” Ravina questioned looking at the ornate-looking key.
"It's the key to the grand library, my lady. I recalled you mentioning your interest in the tomes earlier," the butler said, smiling warmly as he stood beside her expectantly.
“I see.” however Ravina felt uncomfortable with the butler’s happy gift. With a moments hesitation, she took her eyes off the key “I do not think I am a Ravenshield yet.” her mind sped down what little she knew about noble ideologies, finding that almost each and every single one came from fantasy stories and trashy romance novels. So many romance novels. Oh… I never finished them…
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Her thoughts were interrupted by the butler's voice, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes. “My Lady did the count not personally accept you himself?”
“He did but I still have to be accepted not only by the elders of Ravenshield but the vassals as well. Moreover, there's the matter of my formal introduction and explaining my absences." Plus, my interest in the library is little more than a front. Access to this library would mean that I can't move freely outside as I want to.
"My lady, I believe the count would want you to-"
"No," she interjected, the iciness in her voice surprising even her. Taking a moment, she inhaled the lingering aroma of meat and fruit. “What I mean to say is that I need to do everything by the book here. Please, kindly take the key back and hold it for me until I am properly introduced.”
"...Very well." Marthus, although hesitant, respected her wishes. With a somewhat crestfallen expression, he took the key and carefully tucked it into an inner pocket of his jacket.
“Tell me, did you hire Aurelia yet?”
“Lord Ravenshield seemed quite eager to hire her, requesting any position be held for the girl. We all thought it right to have her start off in the stables given her status.” Marthus hummed as he shook his head, “but I suppose we could adjust the schedule.”
Ravina raised her eyebrow, “Starting her off in the stables?” she questioned.
"Yes, my lady," he affirmed with a nod. "Typically, new recruits begin in the stables, tending to both horses and equipment." He suddenly stood taller, a sense of pride evident in his demeanor. “It allows them to become accustomed to the duty and strength of those supporting them. The horses are powerful animals - with pride that makes them a little unruly. There is a lot of support that goes into supporting our great county!”
Caught in the grip of the butler's enthusiastic recounting of history and traditions, Ravina found herself anchored to the dinner table long after the maids had cleared her plate. A debate about whether to interrupt him weighed down by the desire not to be rude.
Eventually Ravina was able to break free from the dinner table. Unfortunately it was with a rather long but informational description on how knights progress from being hired to gaining their own command. Eventually however another maid was able to save her when she came to inform the butler that he was needed elsewhere.