Chapter 6 - Is Dinner Always This Awkward?

Dinner conversation was difficult for me to keep up with. Whenever something came up that I didn't know about, I could only BS along with some vague answers. Fortunately, I was pretty good at improvising and managed to get through with only a few raised eyebrows.

"How are your lessons, Alexander?"

"Ahh, well, they're mostly fine. I'm learning a lot."

My parents looked surprised. "Good!" Father exclaimed. "With how much you've been complaining about old Albert, I thought it was time to look for a new tutor again."

"It's not him that's the problem…" Christine grumbled, in an indignant voice so quiet that I almost didn't hear.

For the next few minutes, I somehow managed to avoid giving myself away by deflecting questions whenever I could. It was nerve wracking. But one weird thing I noticed was that my parents talked to Francesca much more than my little sister. Christine ate silently, only mumbling a few words whenever someone asked her something. She barely even looked at us.

Strange. I couldn't reconcile my memories of the haughty, loud Christine Halesworth with this little ice princess. In the game she would take any chance to brag about herself, and I haven't even heard her trademark "Ohohoho!" laugh once tonight. Maybe she's shy when among family? I filed that tidbit away. It could be an important clue to rehabilitating her.

As for the food, it was delicious! I half-expected it to be bland since this was a medieval setting, but realism and historical accuracy were never Lost in Love's strong points. Then again, you could just explain away most of the anachronisms with 'magic' and you probably wouldn't be too far off… it's a pretty huge wild card. I wouldn't be surprised if teleportation, earth magic, or even just the differences in geography made spices and foreign cuisines far more accessible in this world.

Anyway, I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Everything was full of flavor and wouldn't lose at all to most restaurant food I've tried in my past life. Father even praised my appetite as I put away plate after plate, while mother's eyes narrowed dangerously, but I was too hungry to care. I made sure to go easy on the wine though… who knows what I'd say if I got drunk?

When I reached for the last sausage, my fork hit someone else's.

"Oh."

Christine sighed and pulled her fork back. "You can have- wait, I said you can have it!!!"

"It's fine, you should eat more anyway sister," I said with a smile as I put it on her plate. "You're still growing."

The girl scowled, then reluctantly nodded. "Thank you." She said in a low voice.

I wasn't sure if this was the right way to do it, but I needed to decrease the distance between us if I'm going to change this girl's rotten personality in the three years we have left. I'll do my best to become the perfect older brother and guide her back to the path of a decent human being!

Then suddenly, a bit of sausage was thrust in front of my face.

"Here, you can have half of mine!" Francesca said happily while reaching across the table. She looked really eager to feed it to me. Damn, were Alexander and this girl really such a stupid couple? She had no shame even though we were in front of my parents.

I plucked the meat off her fork before eating it. "Thanks, Francesca."

When those words left my mouth, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet several degrees. Francesca stood up with a terrible expression on her face.

"Like I thought, you're mad at me for some reason." She said with a wavering voice. Glaring at me with tear-filled eyes, Francesca turned around and stomped away. "I'm full, please excuse me!"

What the hell's up with her? I thought while chewing on the sausage.

"Alexander. I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but resolve it before she goes back home tomorrow." Mother said in a disapproving voice.

"Indeed! And don't bring your disagreements to the dinner table, it's poor etiquette." My father added in between munches. Hey fatty, you shouldn't be the one to talk about table manners.

Seeing my confused expression, Christine rolled her eyes. She muttered, "You called her Francesca. Anyone would notice that something's wrong."

I almost slapped my own forehead. Right, that was something Emma mentioned too, I had a pet name for her (Ces) and never called her by anything else. It totally slipped my mind. Combined with the way I kept my distance from her, it's no surprise that she and everyone else assumed that I was angry.

Well, who cares?

My goal was to end this relationship anyway. If I wasn't worried about being outed as a fraud or insane, I'd be even ruder to her. I planned to keep straining our relationship, then find a way to break the engagement as soon as my footing in this world became more stable.

"I'll talk to her later, father, mother." I bowed my head apologetically towards the two. They seemed to be satisfied with that and dinner continued.

Discussion turned towards other nobles. Mother complained about a viscount's wife having larger earrings than her in the last party they attended, while father promised to get her something that would outshine 'that upstart'. They also talked about politics, like how the crown prince was currently on a diplomatic visit to the neighboring country of Mislan. It was fascinating to hear about a large, vibrant world out there when the setting of Lost in Love was so sparse.

"What is Mislan like?" I asked curiously. That was a mistake.

Father stared at me with an odd expression. "Didn't you travel there last year?"

I coughed while internally panicking. "I mean, what is it like these days? It's been a while, after all."

Damn. Not having Alexander's memories was really screwing me over. I should be more careful with my questions. But fortunately, my father just snorted and kept talking.

"Probably as hot and uncomfortable as always. I don't understand why you even wanted to go there in the first place. Aside from their food, nothing there is worth a damn."

"Husband, you say that about half the countries on this continent."

"And it's bloody well true!"

I forced a smile while listening to them banter. The conversation quickly turned in a pointless direction, so after a few minutes I decided to just leave before I slipped up again.

"Please excuse me for tonight. I'm quite full."

"Go on then. And don't forget to see your fiancée off in the morning."

I nodded obediently and stood up. As I walked away, I noticed that Christine was just silently looking at her plate. She didn't even react as I passed by, like something was on her mind.

Tomorrow I'm going to have to find some time to chat with her, I thought while leaving the dining hall. But my steps suddenly came to a halt.

…

Wait.

How do I get back to my room again?

__________________________________________________________

Some minutes later, Christine Halesworth was still staring at her empty plate. She wasn't hungry anymore, but the girl couldn't bring herself to stand up yet. Her parents continued to chatter and gossip away, not noticing their daughter's odd state at all. Finally making up her mind, she looked up with a determined expression.

"Um, mother…"

"Yes sweetheart?"

The duchess smiled, which filled her daughter with more confidence.

"Albert praised me during our lessons today," Christine said excitedly with upturned eyes. "He said that I'm years ahead of most students my age, and that I'd even fit in among the capital's academia."

The pride in her voice was obvious.

"That's nice dear." Duchess Halesworth said, losing interest. "But what about your etiquette and dance practice?"

Christine visibly deflated. "Err, Ms. Perrins says I'm passable."

A total lie, it had been months since she'd heard anything resembling praise from her instructor in that regard.

"Hmph. It is not enough for a Halesworth to merely be 'passable', my daughter." Duke Halesworth said with a frown. "The competition for the second prince's attention is fierce, you cannot afford to be overshadowed! We are doing all we can to secure the engagement, but you must put in effort as well. The royal family's standards are extremely high."

"And you are a lady, not a scholar," the duchess added, ignoring Christine's gloomy expression. "You only need enough knowledge to not embarrass yourself. If you're doing as well as you claim, then perhaps it is time to put an end to your studies so that you can focus on more important things…"

"No! I mean," Christine said hurriedly, forcing a smile. "There are still many areas where I am lacking. I do not want to appear ignorant in front of others."

"Mm, very well. But go to sleep now, staying up late is bad for your skin."

"...Yes, mother."