January 9, 1928, Moskva Ruthenian Empire.
A man wearing a long black trench coat with a scarf wrapped around his neck and an ushanka hat adorning his head was walking on the busy streets of Moskva. He whistled a familiar tune as he looked for a place to eat. He just woke up and is now looking for things to do to spend his ordinary day as a citizen of the Ruthenian Empire.
He stopped whistling a tune as he grabbed his pocketbook from one of the pockets of his coat. He opened it and flipped through the pages.
"Hmm, what is my schedule for today? Ah...first I will visit a real estate agent to get a unit for me in the..." he trailed off as his eyes looked into the distance. There, an under-construction skyscraper that has yet to be finished with construction stands before him.
It was his first time seeing a tall building. According to the magazine he read covering the new skyscrapers that will stand in the center of Moskva, the building will have a height of two hundred and two meters and fifty-eight floors. The name of the tower is called Romanoff's Tower, similar to that of a surname of the current royal family, the Ruthenian Empire. The family whose safety has been his job for the last four years.
Last month, he handed a letter to his boss, the Emperor of the Ruthenia Empire himself, asking for permission to grant him a four-month leave to unwind. He is still feeling guilty about the assassination attempt ordered by Yamato tycoon, Shinzo Sakawa, which made him think he failed to do his duty to protect them. The emperor granted his request and so after that, he went here, in Moskva.
Rolan gazed off from the skyscraper as his nose picked up a sweet aroma coming from a restaurant five meters away from him. He looked up to see the sign to find out the name of the restaurant. When his eyes landed on the sign, he sighed inwardly. It was a Ruthenian Fried Chicken. One of the major fast food chains that are dominating the cities of the Ruthenian Empire. A food-chain company that is owned by no other than the emperor himself.
He had never come across a restaurant with a concept of fast food, this is a great opportunity to try it.
He entered the restaurant and immediately noticed the temperature difference.
"It's very warm here," Rolan remarked as he looked around to see people enjoying their meals and drinks. And they seem to taste delicious as he saw one chomping and munching on his chicken. It was also crowded, making it hard for him to navigate through the restaurant. But nevertheless, he managed to make his way to the nearest table where there was a single empty seat which meant one thing: it was vacant.
Rolan sat down on the chair and began thumping his fingers on the table as he waited for the waiter to arrive. He waited for five minutes, ten minutes, and fifteen minutes, but no one came. It was at that moment that he is starting to become a center of attraction as the customers inside are staring at him for being weird.
"What's that guy doing? Is he going to sit there forever without even ordering?"
"Looking at his face, I can say that he came from an aristocratic household. He doesn't know the etiquette of the fast food restaurant."
"Who is going to tell him?"
"Let him be. I have been there and it is embarrassing. I am one of the men who believe that experience is the best teacher."
Rolan is beginning to have an existential crisis inwardly, wondering what he is supposed to do in this kind of setting. Usually, waiters will approach a customer to get their orders, wait for the order to be cooked, and then the waiter will deliver the food to their table. But there's none here. Though there are uniformed personnel who are cleaning the table, none of them actually, even once, approached a customer to ask for their order.
Rolan gulped and raised a hand to get the attention of the restaurant crew who was currently cleaning one of the tables nearby.
"Ah! What can I do for you sir?" the restaurant crew member asked as he walked over to his table.
"Uhm..." Rolan gulped again, thinking about how he should phrase what is in his mind, "...Where is the menu?"
The restaurant crew member frowned after hearing Rolan's question. He realized what was going on and turned back to look at Rolan with a smile.
"I see that you are new here, sir. Unfortunately, we crew members usually don't take orders and give menus. You have to queue up like everyone else over there and place your order at the counter where you can browse for a meal."
A burst of soft laughter broke out from customers who were standing in line, waiting to order. The crew member laughed along with them.
Rolan rubbed his head in embarrassment. So that's how it works.
"Don't worry sir, it happens to all first-timers. Even I got confused at first. Anyways, may I suggest the three-piece tenders? It is one of our main sellers here in the Ruthenian Fried Chicken. Of course, this is just a suggestion, you can choose for yourself at the counter."
"I see, thank you, you are a lifesaver," Rolan stood up as he began to walk to the line.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, sir."
Rolan returned a nod as he made it to the line. There, he waited for about two minutes for his turn.
"Hello sir, welcome to Ruthenian Fried Chicken, how may I take your order?" the clerk pleasingly asked.
"Uhm...I'll take the three-piece tenders," Rolan said.
"Okay, do you have a side dish on your mind?" the clerk followed up with another question.
"Side dish?" Rolan started to sweat. What is a side dish? The crew from earlier suggested a three-piece tender, which he did. He didn't mention anything about the side dish.
"Ah, you're new here aren't you, sir? What I mean by side dishes are fries, mashed potatoes, kernel corn..."
"I'll take the fries!" Rolan quickly interrupted.
"Fries it is, what about your drinks sir?"
"Drinks? Ah! I know this one. A glass of wine please."
The clerk blinked. "Uhm...sir we don't sell wine here. We only have carbonated drinks, soda, fruit juices, and water."
Rolan's ego took a heavy blow because of the clerk's remark and he decided to drop the subject of wines.
"Alright, I'll have a soda," Rolan said defeatedly.
"...Right away sir," the clerk smiled as he went behind the counter. "That would be 15 rubles!"
Rolan pulled out his wallet from his trousers and gave the clerk 15 rubles worth of credits to pay his bill.
This is probably the most embarrassing day of his life, he thought.
Not just a minute later, a tray of food appeared before him.
"Enjoy your meal sir," the clerk said politely.
Rolan let out a forced chuckle as he tilted his head in confusion. "Uhm...that's it?"
"Yes sir."
"But I just ordered," Rolan said in a dumbfounded tone.
"And there it is," the clerk smiled again.
"That's fast..." Rolan commented softly. "Am I going to carry this tray or is it the waiter?"
"You carry your tray of food and seat to where's available," the clerk replied in an unbothered manner.
"I see," Rolan nodded as he grabbed his tray with his food on it and returned to where he sat six minutes ago.
"Let's try these tenders..." Rolan grabbed one piece of chicken tenders and took a bite. A light moan escaped his lips. "This is delicious..."
He tried the fries next. They were also delicious. Then he attempted the corn. It has a sweet buttery flavor that melted in his mouth. Then the drinks also tasted sweet and bubbly. These dishes are heavenly, probably one of the most delicious foods he had ever eaten in his life. To think that an ordinary citizen could afford such a meal.
With that, Rolan enjoyed his meal, taking a few more bites until there was nothing left, only the grease that was dripping off of the sides of the carton. After wiping the corners of his mouth with a tissue, he let out a satisfied sigh.
"Okay, time to go," Rolan rose to his feet and left the restaurant. The food is delicious, he'll give them that. He might return here sooner to try other dishes.
"What's my next schedule? Ah, a condo unit at Romanoff Towers and a vehicle..." Rolan hummed as he looked at his pocketbook.
"I see that you're enjoying your stay here, Rolan." A tender voice so sweet like an angel whispering called from behind.
"Wait..."
Rolan recognized the voice and immediately turned around to confirm it with his eyes.
"What the...Your Imperial Highness...Christina?!"
