The pungent scent of roast ats, herbs, and spices filled the room. It was impossible to pick out one al from them all, and the food kept coming—familiar ats that I knew, like a platter full of rabbits, grumfels, and large buvul roasts with a rich aroma of herbs, mixed with the musky scent of fats.
There were also ats I’d never seen before, with an almost earthy sll mixed with spices that tingled the nose. What followed were the poultry options—so many types of birds. Again, I recognised a few, with various chicken dishes, and a platter of small, fist-sized birds that appeared to be stuffed with herbs, garlic grass, and butter.
Then ca the seafood. I couldn’t help but chuckle as the first dish through the door was a whole cooked thunar. What surprised , though, was that there weren’t really any vegetables. It was all very at-heavy, and I couldn’t lie—it slt absolutely divine. Even Lily watched the food coming out.
Although nothing seed to take her interest for long. She just stared at instead, and I knew what she wanted… I just didn’t know if I could pull anything out in front of the people at the table.
“Let’s feast!” the king announced happily from the head of the table as he reached forward and started to take food.
I noticed everyone waited for him to fill his plate first, but Lily had other ideas. She got to her feet, placing a paw on my arm, then nudging with her head.
That drew a lot of attention away from the food, and I knew if I didn’t do sothing she’d get grumpy—or more insistent.
“It’s fine, lad. She can have whatever she wants!” Marcus said.
I gestured to the table, but after looking at the king and then back at , she nudged again.
Jen chuckled. “Just give her so food, Trev. She knows you’ve got the good stuff in your storage ring.”
I saw the clear out Jen gave with that one, and with a sigh I pulled out a fairly large piece of cooked drake and placed it next to my chair. It vanished almost instantly.
But not quickly enough.
“That slt amazing. What was it?” Marcus asked.
I must have looked stunned, because Milo ca to my rescue. “Wyvern. We ca across so storm wyvern in Boltron before we were forced out. It turns out Lily quite likes it.”
There was a look from Lily that might have given us away, but Marcus either didn’t notice, or didn’t want to push it.
“I’d love to try so soday! But for now—dig in!” he said, still cheerful.
Once the king had a full plate, everyone else reached in and started grabbing food for themselves. I just watched in awe, not sure what I wanted to try. In the end, I went with one of the small stuffed birds, along with another poultry dish I hadn’t seen before that appeared to be covered in a creamy white sauce.
Relying on the fact my skill would ask to confirm, I attempted to store the two items. The small bird was an Uncommon Rockfer, while the other was an Uncommon Crystal Cockatrice. I’d heard of cockatrice before—never tried it, though.
I took a bite of the rockfer first. What I tasted first were the sweet, earthy herbs it was stuffed with, followed by garlic butter, but the at itself was incredibly juicy and soft.
The cockatrice had an almost tallic tang to it that was balanced out by the creamy sauce. The at itself was tougher than the rockfer—almost like eating buvul in texture.
Once I’d finished those two, I inspected the dishes on the table. There were so I couldn’t reach, and no one else was getting up, but there was sothing that both interested and scared .
An eel.
It wasn’t the sa as the one I cooked. This one had flaky white flesh, but what struck most was the head. The teeth were massive—at least finger-sized.
“Ah, you’ve spotted the strike eel, I see!” Marcus said, noticing staring.
“When you get juvenile ones like that one, the flesh is very sweet and delicate, but you don’t want to run into a full-grown one. They’ll bite you in half,” he said, laughing.
I reached out, took a little onto my plate, and tried it. Sure enough, it was sweet and juicy, with a hint of saltiness to it. There were no strong herbs or spices competing for taste on this one—it was just the eel by itself.
“Nice, right?” Marcus asked, grinning.
I just nodded.
For the first ti, Luis spoke up. “It’s my favourite, but you can’t find it anywhere outside of the palace. Everyone says it’s too dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” I asked.
“Yeah—well, for two reasons. It’s dangerous to hunt, as they live in deep ocean water, but the juveniles occasionally get caught closer to shore.” Marcus leaned back a little. “The main concern is preparation. There are two large venom sacks that are very easy to burst, and they need to be removed.”
“Only two of our chefs will make it!” Luis added, reaching over and taking more eel.
“You’re a chef yourself, right? We can have them teach you if you’d like,” Marcus said.
It shouldn’t have surprised that they knew. My lack of concern about keeping things hidden was biting now.
I waved it off. “It’s okay. It’s likely too complicated for .”
“Nonsense,” Marcus said with a chuckle. “It wouldn’t co as a surprise to you that I have done so research on you before you arrived, and I know you have an interesting class. I’m not prying for details, by the way, but I would be remiss not to offer you lessons from the royal chefs.”
Kathrine, who had been silent throughout the entire affair, spoke up. “I think they could learn from him. Lily was completely uninterested in anything on the table, and only wanted what Trevor had already cooked,” she said, with a small giggle.
I felt uncomfortable with all the talk about my class—especially since I didn’t know what they knew.
“Lessons would be good, but they’d need to happen at the house,” Jen said.
“That could be arranged. I’m sure,” Marcus said. “I’ve heard the inner markets have a wide variety of amazing produce. I’ve not been out there myself—it causes too much chaos.” He chuckled again.
“I’ve been,” Luis said excitedly. “They have really nice food.”
Then he went silent, clearly realising he’d said sothing he wasn’t ant to.
I caught the smirk on Kathrine’s face as she hid it behind her napkin.
“You’ve been to the market? When?” the queen asked.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on . Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“No, no—I ant I wish I had been,” Luis said quickly, then grabbed for safety. “This eel is great, right?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his attempt to change the subject.
“I agree,” I said, nodding. “It really is good.”
Amber looked unimpressed that she’d gotten no answer, but didn’t push. Luis gave a quick smile and kept his head down.
“I’m sure we were all troubleso in our youth and up to mischief,” Hari said.
“So more than others. Have you spoken to your father since, Hari? I’m sure he’d like to see you after all these years,” Reginald said, speaking up for the first ti.
Hari’s face dropped almost imdiately. “I don’t believe he’ll want anything to do with , and I think it’s best he doesn’t know I’m here,” he said quietly.
“Nonsense. You know he’s been keeping tabs on you since you left, right? He was very concerned when he heard you were in Boltron during the attack,” Reginald persisted.
Hari didn’t respond, just looking down at his plate.
The main al wrapped up quickly after that, as the servants began taking away the food.
“Hope you kept room for the next course!” Marcus said happily, leaning back in his chair.
Beside , Liane muttered, “The best course.”
Monts later, cakes and pastries stread into the room—servants carrying trays and setting them across the table. There were so many options I didn’t know where to start.
This wasn’t a dilemma for Liane, Jen, and Kathrine. All three dove in imdiately. Clearly, there was no waiting for the king now.
“So much food,” I said, still staring. “What do you do with all the leftovers?”
“Well, normally we’d not have anywhere near this much—usually just a single al,” Marcus said, taking only two small pastries for himself. “However, on a night like tonight where we hold a special feast, all leftovers are eaten by the servants and then taken ho to their families.”
I reached out and took a few myself. One was a flaky pastry with fresh fruit and a sugar syrup over the top. Next was a small berry tart. The third was a slice of cake that looked wonderfully soft and airy, layered with fruit and cream.
“You should try the lemon tart as well. It’s absolutely divine. I hired the chef purely on his ability to make that one dessert,” Marcus said with a laugh.
He wasn’t wrong. The crust was slightly sweet and crumbly, while the filling was cold and tangy, without being overly sugary. It paired perfectly.
“Good, right?” Marcus asked.
I just nodded, taking another bite.
Liane overheard and grabbed one too.
“Soooo good!” she practically squealed. “Trev—learn how to make this one!”
They disappeared quickly after that as everyone decided to try one.
The desserts were phenonal, with my favourite being the cake. It was so soft and airy, and the cream had to have sugar whipped into it—perfectly sweet, then sharpened by the tartness of the fruit.
Before I knew it, the al was over and the plates were being taken away.
“Marie, Henry, Reginald—it’s been a pleasure having you join us this evening, but I must now have a more private discussion with my guest,” Marcus said.
They all rose and bowed, then made their way out of the room.
Amber and Luis rose as well.
“We will leave you to it. It’s been an absolute pleasure to et you, Trevor, but I need to have so words with my son,” Amber said with a smile.
“Hopefully, I’ll get to see you again,” Luis said, his smile only faltering for a mont at his mother’s comnt.
Soon there were only eight of us left: Hari, Jen, Milo, Liane, Kathrine, Marcus, Liam… and .
“I hope you don’t mind that Liam remains for these talks,” Marcus said. “He handled most of the information.”
I looked at Hari.
“It’s fine,” Hari said.
“Excellent. I won’t play around—your connection to the phoenix is sothing we’re very interested in,” Marcus began.
I was about to shut him down straightaway, let him know I couldn’t do anything with her, but I felt Liane squeeze my leg, stopping and allowing Marcus to continue.
“Historically speaking, our lineage rules due to our loose connection with the phoenix, with the blessing she bestowed on us. In turn, it provided our ancestors and family line with unique classes from the System—often phoenix-related. Now it is my understanding that you have received the feather that our ancestor once received, centuries ago,” he said.
I shrugged. I couldn’t tell whether or not the feather was the sa. It looked similar to the mural I’d seen, but whether it was exactly the sa, I couldn’t say.
“It’s fine. I’m not trying to take it. In fact, if history is anything to go by, anyone who tries will burst into fla and die,” Marcus chuckled, causing Kathrine’s eyes to widen.
“No—this rumour of your ties to the phoenix will spread soon enough, if they are not already everywhere, and I would rather have you as a friend, or an ally.” Marcus leaned forward slightly. “Honestly, best-case scenario, I would like for you to marry my daughter.”
“Dad!” Kathrine blurted, shocked, her professional mask cracking.
Marcus laughed. “But I wouldn’t force my children to marry anyone, regardless of the benefits. What I would like is for you to be closer to the family. Part of that will be granting you a surna.”
“I… I don’t know,” I said, not really sure how to respond, and looked towards Hari and Jen.
“We’ll need ti to think about it,” Jen said. “He left his ho less than half a year ago. He’d barely be sixteen now, and this is a lot for soone to take all at once.”
Liane wasn’t as kind. She crossed her arms “And what does he get out of all of this? You parade him around saying, look, the phoenix loves us, but what does Trevor get?”
Marcus’s smile faltered.
“It’s a fair question,” he said. “And ti is certainly fine—I don’t expect a decision tonight. Truthfully, he’ll want for nothing if he chooses. He can live his life in luxury, doing whatever he likes, pursuing whatever he likes.”
“A golden cage is still a cage,” Liane shot back.
“Oh, please don’t mistake . I don’t want him trapped here,” Marcus said, waving a hand. “He has the freedom to go wherever he’d like.”
“I still want to be an adventurer,” I said. “I like my group, and it’s fun to see the world.”
“You understand that being an adventurer is very dangerous,” Marcus said.
Hari snorted. “That’s what my father said to too, right before he disowned . Personally I think court politics are just as dangerous.”
I was surprised at the comnt from Hari of all people.
“And I believe he’s regretted those actions ever since,” Marcus said to Hari, making him falter.
“But it’s perfectly fine. I respect your want for freedom,” Marcus continued, turning back to . “Would you be willing to take a gift of armour, then?”
I looked at Liam in his polished armour and rembered the king’s bright red set from earlier.
“I… I can’t wear armour with Alira on it,” I said, shaking my head. “It wouldn’t be right. She’s most interested in Crisplet, not .”
“How about I set you up with the phoenix smith, and he’ll make you a piece more in your style?” Marcus offered.
I still felt sceptical. What was I really agreeing to?
“What’s in it for you, though?” I asked. “I don’t understand—sorry.”
Marcus laughed. “Politics. I would very much like a positive friendship with you for many, many years to co. But even having you on friendly terms earns political points, and as I’m sure your party mbers will inform you when you leave tonight, many will try to get in your favour with invitations, parties, or gifts. Shafully, I am no exception.”
“Appearance is everything in the noble world, Trev. It’s why I couldn’t use my last na,” Hari said bitterly.
“Precisely,” Marcus said. “Although, for what it’s worth, your father really did regret his actions before he heard of your connections to Trevor. In case you believe there are other motives—he ca to a couple of years ago asking if I could summon you to the capital just so he could see you again.”
A pensive look ca across Hari’s face, but I could tell he didn’t want to respond, at least not yet. Changing the subject, I said,
“Could you help my friends set up a shop in the capital?”
That seed to catch Marcus off guard.
“The rchant girl you were travelling with?” he asked.
“Yes. Her na is Micca Carlye. She’ll be selling so high-end products, and we need to get her a shop. She’ll be living in the mansion you gave ,” I said. I obviously hadn’t run this by anyone, and I hoped I wasn’t speaking out of turn.
I looked to my party, but I only saw smiles—everyone except Hari, who stared into his lap.
“I can certainly organise a building for her,” Marcus said. “Kathrine, could you see it done?”
Kathrine nodded once.
That was far easier than expected.
“I will give you so ti to think about everything, Trevor,” Marcus said, his voice more serious again. “Understand I am not trying to use you, and I will not parade you around or force you to co to court. I would genuinely like our lines to be close. I imagine you have an interesting future ahead of you, and I’d be a fool not to try.”
“I will think on it,” I said.
After that, we stood, bowed, and made our way out of the room, with Lily and Crisplet walking alongside.
There was so much to think about—but I really wanted to talk to Hari.
I’d never seen him look so down as he did right now. All the talk of his family had clearly gotten to him.
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