Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich

RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Interlude: Stockholm Breakfast

Early morning of the next day, I woke up with Bryn still sleeping next to me, naked, with only a blanket protecting her decency. Even though the day will be jam-packed with things to do, it doesn't mean that we were banned from some mild activity at night.

The first day had been us getting acquainted with the surroundings and meeting the Riksdag through breakfast. After that, we retired to our allocated wing in the hotel where the Reichsguards conducted an intensive security update. We only fully settled down at midday after the Reichsguards gave us the all-clear. By then, I'd found it too bothersome to attend the Hogberga afternoon tea party. Instead, I took Bryn into our quarter and just had fun in there till meals were served. Interestingly enough, Gustaf V, the King of Sweden, barely managed to get a ten-minute conversation with us before his subordinate ministers started butting it, much to the King's chagrin. That alone had confirmed the reports that, at this point in time, Gustaf V barely had any governing power. It's still yet to be seen how we can profit from this knowledge, however.

Regardless, such thoughts should be for later, we have an itinerary to keep. I turn around to see Bryn still nuzzling by my side, my left arm being enveloped in between her valley. Perhaps she is still somewhat exhausted from yesternight, a rare thing to be sure, but not unexpected. I've made sure that our carnal activities last night would leave nothing but mild fatigue. It's nothing that a light shower and a breakfast tray can't cure.

I gently nudge the sleeping beauty awake, smiling when I see her blue eyes start fluttering open. Giving her a morning kiss, I say. "Rise and shine, love. We have much to do."

Bryn passes me another kiss before shifting her body to a sitting position. "Good morning, Lu." The blanket falls, revealing everything above her knees.

I whistle when Bryn starts stretching on the bed, her glistening skin reflects the rays of sunlight coming from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Seeing the bouncing bunnies in front of me, I would dishonor my title of The Devil if I miss up on the chance. I dive in for a hug, mushing my face in between her breasts while my hands start moving down from Bryn's spine to her rear assets. Unsurprised by the sudden dolphin dive, Bryn just sighs while she caresses my hair with one hand while another starts massaging her tummy.

My beloved Valkyrie speaks up. "Come on, Lu. You're the one who said that we have much to do. We don't have time to go for another round. I can still feel your love inside me even." The barest hint of a blush appeared on Bryn's cheeks as she said that.

I chuckle before righting myself on the bed, but not before giving Bryn's bums a couple of good squeezes. Bryn only rolls her eyes exasperatedly before gently chopping my head in admonishment, she then moves away from the bed and into the bathroom. I chuckle at that but ultimately follow after her without any shenanigan. And when I said without any shenanigan, I really meant it.

"Praise me, my dear~!" I demanded compliments after going through bathing without any frisky action. My Pride demands recognition after stomping down Lust!

Bryn, knowing better than to leave me hanging and pouting before we head for breakfast, pats my lustrous silver hair, her action akin to that of when she has to pacify Yuki whenever common sense is needed. I giggle at the display of affection. Bryn then helps me put on my best attire before I aid her with her military wear. Unlike me who has a royal closet of many Imperial Regalias, modified or not, Bryn has been a stickler for her formal officer attire in public settings for a long time now. It's a trait she has developed ever since she became Yuki's go-to aide for pretty much everything. With Yuki wearing her military dress everywhere, Bryn finds herself having to do the same until it has become a habit. Now, the pair admits that wearing their military dresses is much more comfortable than wearing anything else, much to my and everyone's else chagrin.

Mark my words, I will do my utmost to convert Yuki and Bryn to wearing something that's actually normal.

But I digress.

With us all dressed up and wonderful, I hook my arm with Bryn's before we make our way outside. We greet and acknowledge the Reichsguard that has been dutifully guarding our quarter for an entire night. Though a part of me is praising myself for making sure the room is soundproof, otherwise, it would have been cringe as Hell to look the guards in the eyes this morning. Coincidentally, the Reichsguards, both females and males alike, are all wearing snappily fitted suits and ties. This makes for a very formidable sight when they start escorting to the outdoor dining area that's on a balcony.

Per protocol, our escorts ensure the venue's security first before welcoming us in. I thank them for their effort, with Bryn leaving behind some parting instructions before we pick a place to sit. We opt for a spot that is by the railings, overlooking the misty riverway that's a mere walk away from Hogberga Hotel. Our seatings promise the most breathtaking view of the sunrise if you go by the word of the waitresses around the venue. Once situated, Bryn starts placing the table towels for us to use, knowing my tendency to enjoy my drinks and meals neatly whenever possible. Then, we start ordering something simple and light. Bagels sound nice, and when in Sweden, one must try their egg coffee.

A couple of minutes later, the hotel's chef returns with a cart of ingredients. With permission from Bryn and I, the chef starts making our orders with an energetic smile.

The respectable chef with an interesting set of mustaches starts by cutting the bagels, already toasted, in half. He then spreads the toasted bagel bottom halves with cream cheese and sprinkles some capers over the cream cheese. With expert knife work, the chef starts slicing the smoked salmon before topping them on the creamed bagel bottom. Lastly, the man then garnishes the bagel tops with capers, onion, black peppers, and lemon wedges. And voila, we now have smoked salmon bagels for breakfast.

But that's only half of our order. It's time for the chef to make our drink. The chef, with our permission, began explaining the history of the famous Swedish egg coffee.

Swedish egg coffee is a unique way of brewing coffee with an egg. According to legend, this recipe originated en route from Sweden to America in the late 1800s. It has become a long tradition for Lutheran church gatherings of Scandinavian-Americans in the Midwest and was dubbed "church basement coffee" for the large quantity it usually makes. To make Swedish egg coffee, a raw egg is added to the coffee grounds before brewing the coffee, creating a potting soil-like mixture. Some diehard egg coffee lovers use the crushed eggshell as well, but that's optional.

Adding the egg helps clarify the coffee, allowing the grounds to separate from the water easily. The egg white extracts the bitterness from the grounds and enhances the caffeine. The result is a light, clear brew with absolutely no bitterness or acidity and a velvety texture that's easy to drink. You'll notice that after a few minutes of simmering, the grounds will clump together and float to the top, which is why the coffee has such a mild taste. Adding the cold water toward the end creates a French press effect, causing the mass of grounds to sink to the bottom of the pot. To make Swedish egg coffee, you can use either an enamel coffee pot or a saucepan. And, understandably, a nice cup of egg coffee is almost always accompanied by a cinnamon roll or bagel in Swedish dining establishments.

To make the honestly quite delectable-sounding drink, the chef starts by rapidly boiling cups of water. While waiting for the water to boil, he stirs together the ground coffee, water, and egg in a small bowl. We opt to forgo the egg shells this time, though we learn from him that some avid coffee lovers retain the shells. Once the water is boiling, he carefully pours in the egg and coffee mixture. The chef then turns down the heat and lets it simmer for 3 minutes, being watchful that it doesn't boil over. We then watch as the coffee grounds gradually bind together into a single mass that floats to the top of the pot. Once this happens, the chef immediately removes the pot from the heat source. He then pours in one cup of cold water and let the coffee sit for 10 minutes. This allows the coffee grounds to settle to the bottom of the pot. Finally, once the grounds have sunk to the bottom, the chef runs the coffee through a fine-meshed sieve before serving the aromatic brew to Bryn and me.

Thus far, I have been quite impressed with his craft and passion. Hence, we a snap of my finger, I send a Reichsguard to step forward and hand the man a small briefcase. It will be his bonus for the day, and also the signal that he will be our private chef for the duration of our stay at Hogberga Hotel.

With a deep, respectful bow, the chef excuses himself after wishing us a good meal.

Seeing the treats in front of me, I can already see that today is gonna be a nice one. Before we dine, however, Bryn runs everything through anomaly detection, checking them for poison and any sort of danger. I am quite relieved that the chef has been an honest one since Bryn has given the ok-signal soon enough. Well then, it's time to indulge ourselves.

After we trade our wishes for the other to have a great meal, we start digging in. The smoked salmon bagel is great. It's fresh, creamy, and just the right of saltiness, all intertwined nicely whenever you take a bite. The coffee though, it's a very interesting and nice experience. It's very easy to drink, and highly aromatic while leaving behind a pleasant aftertaste. It's honestly quite perfect to finish off the lingering taste of the bagel while giving you enough energy to run till dinner time.

I am pleasantly surprised and will be coming back to Berlin with new recipes for Yuki to try out. Can't have Yuki just drink milk or the occasional black coffee. She needs more flavor in her life. Sharing a look with Bryn, I realize that she has the same idea as me.

Truly, good food can resonate with everyone... Is that sentence even applicable in this situation? Frankly, I don't know, Hel has made comments about me being such a dork sometimes. Well, being smart and serious all the time is a drag, I can vouch for that with my Sloth.

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