Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

"What's the matter, didn't you enjoy the party?"

"What's there to enjoy at a party? Aren't parties just about listening to the most powerful men boast?"

"Well said, Miss Navarre, well said!" This witty summary made Winters laugh and applaud in approval, and no one could empathize with that sentiment more than a soldier.

Anna stopped maintaining her ladylike smile and began to giggle. In that moment, Winters truly felt that the Miss Navarre before him became a living, breathing person, no longer a puppet.

"Please, have a seat, Mr. Montaigne." Anna gestured for Winters to sit down.

Winters tasted Anna's culinary efforts—the combination of smoked meat, cheese, pickles, and bread was wonderful: "Although the bread is a bit dry, it's really, really delicious."

"When I was a child, my grandfather used to make this for me. It tastes a bit better with fresh bread because it's moister."

Winters was truly famished, and the best way to compliment a chef's skills was to eat; Winters tried his best to express his admiration for Anna's cooking.

While he was busily wolfing down his food, Winters caught Anna staring at him out of the corner of his eye.

Winters stopped and asked with his eyes: What's the matter?

"I actually haven't eaten anything since this afternoon either," Anna said, sounding forlorn.

"Then, shall we split the food between us?"

"But I can't eat."

"Why not?"

"Only married ladies have the right to eat freely, burp, and fart in front of gentlemen."

"Hahaha, why do you say that?" Winters found Miss Navarre to be quite the character—not only did she have a unique perspective on the world, but she was also articulate and witty.

"Mr. Montaigne, do you have sisters?"

"I have one sister."

"Then haven't you heard your mother and your sister say 'Girls who show their appetite can't find a man'?"

Winters thought for a moment: "I've never really heard my sister's mother say that."

"If you were a lady, your mother would tell you 'Men want girls with appetites as tiny as sparrows, preferably without any insight, who only know how to say how amazing you are. If men find out you're more insightful than they are, they won't marry you.'" Dropping her façade, Anna no longer maintained her smile, her expression one of dismay.

"So the ladies have to play dumb?" Winters had never even held a young lady's hand before, let alone considered marriage, so this was a new concept to him.

"Yes."

"But one can't pretend to be dumb forever, right?"

"After they're married, it's too late for the men to regret it."

"Hahaha."

"What's so funny, Mr. Montaigne?" Anna said crossly, letting out a sigh of frustration: "It's just the way things are, you can eat without a care at the party, and people will commend you for your composure. But what about me? I'm very hungry too, yet if I were to do the same, my reputation would be ruined, and all of Sea Blue would quietly gossip about me. Do you think that's fair?"

"It's indeed unfair, but that's a big issue, beyond what you and I alone can solve. We can only solve a small problem," said Winters thoughtfully, with a smile he asked Anna, "Do you plan to marry me?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Anna stood up in a panic, her eyes wide as she looked at Winters.

"Since you don't plan to marry me, and I don't plan to marry you, why would you worry about maintaining appearances in front of me?" Winters calmly explained to Anna: "It's just the two of us here; even if you ate an entire cow in front of me, it wouldn't reach the ears of the man you fancy. If you seek fairness, then all the more you should not oppress yourself even when alone."

Winters pushed the tray of bread towards Anna: "Eat if you're hungry; don't worry about me. I won't tell anyone about this."

"Even if you told someone, I wouldn't be afraid!" Anna's cheeks turned red for the umpteenth time that evening: "Come here!"

"What for?" Winters was somewhat puzzled.

"I want you to come over! Stand next to me," Anna repeated.

Winters, bewildered, slowly walked over to Anna's side, a bit worried that he was about to receive a slap.

The girl looked at Winters for a few seconds, then turned around, presenting him with the graceful lines of her back: "Undo it for me."

"Please don't, I'm not considering marriage right now!" Seeing Anna's beautiful nape, Winters quickly spoke out in refusal. His mind was in turmoil; he couldn't figure out why suddenly they were talking about undressing?

Anna was both angry and flustered, punching Winters hard on the back and stamping her feet: "What are you thinking? I want you to help me loosen my corset; I can't eat with this thing constricting me."

That scared the life out of me, I thought she wanted to sleep with me, Winters thought. Upon realizing it was just the corset, he let out a sigh of relief and asked, "Where's the corset?"

Anna was dressed in a blue long dress with ruffled edges, the ruffles trimmed with white velvet ribbon. Overall, the dress was wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, with an exaggerated skirt supported by a crinoline from the waist down.

It was at this moment that Winters noticed the girl's waist was incredibly slender, thinner than even a sixteen-pound cannon. Such a waist was an affront to normal human anatomy, evidently compressed by external forces to this degree.