A Grandfather's Feast
Mister Ferman.
That evening, we had dinner with him. It was a full gathering, with Victor and Rain joining us at the table. Facing each other across a long, grand dining table, we sat in two neat rows. Ferman took the seat of honor at the center, while Shine and I sat side by side next to him. Across from us sat Victor, Amy, and Rain.
"I didn't prepare much, but I hope it suits your tastes," Ferman said, looking at Shine and me with a warm smile.
At his invitation, I reached out and picked up a knife and fork. But there were so many types of knives, so many forks, and so many spoons. I had absolutely no idea which one was for what. In the end, I just grabbed the largest knife. My logic was simple: a bigger blade would surely cut the meat better.
"Which one are we supposed to use?" Shine whispered, looking just as lost. This was clearly her first time dealing with such formal dining, too. After agonizing over the selection for a moment, she eyed the size of the utensils in my hands and picked out the exact same ones.
Contrary to Ferman's humble words, the table was practically groaning under the weight of the feast. There was so much food that I didn't even know where to start. There was a massive roasted turkey, along with various exotic dishes I had only ever seen on television. Sadly, my beloved pork cutlet was nowhere to be found.
I tried slicing into the mysterious meat on the plate in front of me. The blade slid through it effortlessly. Actually, rather than typical meat, it looked more like some kind of animal organ. I speared a piece with my fork and brought it close to sniff it.
Sniff, sniff.
An earthy, slightly off-putting aroma tickled my nose. Wondering how it would taste, I tentatively stuck out my tongue and gave the mysterious food a lick. It was incredibly tender and technically delicious, but a subtle, gamey aftertaste made my stomach turn slightly. Grimacing, I pushed the plate far away from me.
The moment my plate slid away, another one was gently pushed into its place. Ferman had slid a different dish right in front of me. When I looked up at him in confusion, he chuckled softly and gestured toward the new plate.
"Am I supposed to eat this?" I asked.
"Yes. You will find this one much more to your liking."
I looked down at the dish Ferman had offered. It was a shallow bowl containing a delicate portion of soup. I dipped my spoon in and took a sip. A rich, savory aroma combined with a clean, light flavor. It was a wonderful soup that instantly whetted my appetite, accompanied by a subtle, aromatic fragrance that tickled the tip of my nose. Licking my lips, I polished off the entire bowl in no time.
"Does it suit your palate?" Ferman asked.
"Yes!" I replied enthusiastically.
It was an exquisite dish, incomparable to the bizarre organ meat I had tried first. The moment I finished, yet another plate was slid before me. It was Ferman again. I looked up at him, thoroughly puzzled by his attentiveness. This time, the plate held a beautifully prepared fish. When I poked it with my fork, the crispy skin crackled open to reveal tender, snowy-white flesh. Salivating at the sight, I darted my tongue out to taste it before popping a piece into my mouth. From then on, my fork and knife moved without a moment's rest.
Ferman wasn't just doting on me, either. He constantly reached across the table, portioning out various delicacies onto small plates and sliding them over to Shine and me. Sitting across from us, Amy rested her chin on her hand, watching the display with an exasperated expression.
"Aren't you going to eat, Amy?" I asked.
"I'm going to," she replied dryly.
Despite her words, she hadn't touched a single bite. Worried by her unusual stillness, I had spoken up, prompting her to give me an awkward smile and a nod. She finally picked up her utensils and began carving a piece of the large turkey. The dining room fell into a quiet hush. Even Rain and Victor ate their food in silence, a stark contrast to their usual lively selves.
"Victor. Rain," Ferman called out.
"Yes, sir?" Victor grunted.
"Huh? Yes!" Rain chimed in.
Ferman, who had been quietly finishing his plate, dabbed his mouth with a napkin. "You two are the ones who trained Jeff, correct?"
"Yessir! Jeff is my disciple!" Rain raised her hand high in the air. I nodded along. I was indeed Rain's disciple.
"Her movements carry your habits to the letter," Ferman observed.
"That's because Jeff is super good at copying us!" Rain boasted.
I nodded again. My combat style was essentially a hybrid of Victor's and Rain's techniques.
"We will have to correct that," Victor muttered quietly under his breath. Ferman nodded in agreement with his assessment.
"Correct it?" I asked, tilting my head.
At my confused response, Ferman's stern expression softened instantly. A gentle smile graced his lips, and he spoke to me in a warm, soothing tone. "It simply means we need to refine your movements so you don't develop any bad habits."
"Do I have bad habits in my movements right now?"
"Not at the moment, but you might down the road if we leave them as they are."
Ferman reached out and patted my head as I stared at him with wide, round eyes. His large hand rested on my crown, gently ruffling my hair. It was a strange, unfamiliar sensation. The moment his hand pulled away, I self-consciously smoothed down my hair. Next to me, Shine was glaring at Ferman with a terrifyingly cold gaze.
Noticing her murderous look, Ferman let out an awkward chuckle and quickly slid a plate containing a massive turkey leg over to her. Shine's expression instantly shifted into a satisfied smile as she sank her teeth into the meat. Chomp, chomp. Compared to the giant drumstick, Shine's mouth was adorably small.
Trying to use a knife and fork on the giant drumstick proved too frustrating for Shine. She abruptly set down her utensils and grabbed the turkey leg with both hands, tearing into it like a little beast. I nervously glanced at Ferman, expecting him to scold her for her complete lack of table manners. To my surprise, he didn't say a word. Instead, he simply slid another steaming turkey leg over to me.
The sight of the hot, juicy meat emitting wisps of white steam made my mouth water. I tried to be polite and use my fork and knife at first, but I quickly gave up and followed Shine's lead. There was no denying it—tearing into a turkey leg with your bare hands made it taste ten times better.
"Eat your fill," Ferman said warmly.
The other dishes had been excellent, but meat was truly the king of the table.
Eventually, the feast drew to a close. Ferman took it upon himself to personally clean my hands, meticulously wiping away the turkey grease that coated my fingers. He reached out to do the same for Shine, but she stubbornly pulled her hands back, refusing to let him touch her.
"Jeff, you do it," Shine demanded, turning to me.
I offered Ferman an awkward, apologetic smile. He looked quite dejected by the rejection, but there was nothing I could do. Taking the warm, wet towel from him, I began wiping Shine's hands. Her fingers, glistening with turkey grease, smelled incredibly appetizing. On a whim, I stuck out my tongue and gave her hand a quick lick.
It tasted faintly of savory turkey, followed by Shine's sweet, distinct scent.
"What are you doing...?" Shine whispered, her expression turning complicated. The tips of her ears flushed a delicate pink.
"I was just curious what it tasted like," I replied innocently, pulling my tongue back in and going back to diligently wiping her hands.
By the time I finished cleaning her hands, the mountain of plates before us had completely vanished. The staff must have cleared them away while slipping silently in and out of the room. However, the table didn't remain bare for long. To fill the empty space, beautifully styled bowls of ice cream and tall glasses of juice were placed in front of us.
"Whoa!" I squealed in excitement, captivated by the rich, sweet aroma. My short legs dangled from the oversized chair, kicking back and forth happily.
The ice cream was out of this world. It was a burst of cold sweetness that melted instantly on my tongue, spreading a vibrant apple fragrance throughout my mouth. And the juice was just as amazing. It was incredibly rich and concentrated, but that only made it better. The intense, sugary sweetness practically paralyzed my taste buds. I couldn't help but giggle with pure joy.
"Hehehe."
"Do you really like it that much?" Amy asked, amused.
"Yes!" I chirped. Next to me, Shine also wore a deeply satisfied smile.
As for Rain, her hands were moving at a terrifying speed. Swish, swish! Empty ice cream bowls piled up beside her in the blink of an eye, only to be instantly replaced by fresh ones. Ice cream, chocolates, jellies—all kinds of sweets vanished into her mouth like a black hole. Before long, the little chick's belly was visibly bulging.
"Ugh... I'm stuffed," Rain groaned, dropping her spoon and slumping back in her chair like a discarded doll.
"How many years has it been since we last shared a table like this?" Ferman murmured, setting down his spoon and pouring himself a glass of red wine. The sharp scent of alcohol immediately wafted through the air, followed by the rich, deep aroma of fermented grapes. I watched him intently, licking my lips.
"Five years, I believe," Amy replied, pouring a glass for herself as well. Another wave of that rich, intoxicating aroma drifted over. My tongue darted out again in curiosity.
"You should come visit more often in the future," Ferman said with a soft chuckle. He looked a little lonely.
Amy swirled the wine in her glass. "As long as you don't bring up marriage."
Ferman's gaze briefly flickered toward me before drifting away. He chuckled softly. "I won't. I will keep my word. I did promise, after all."
"And don't go putting weird ideas in the kids' heads, either."
"Wait, does that mean you'll bring the children with you when you visit?!" Ferman blurted out, his voice rising in sudden excitement. Realizing he had let his composure slip, he quickly cleared his throat and adjusted his collar.
Amy gave him a flat, unimpressed look. "If I don't bring them, you'll just pull some weird stunt to see them anyway."
"A weird stunt? You make me sound like some kind of eccentric creep."
"Because you are. An eccentric creep."
"Ahem." Ferman shot a quick glance at me and muttered something under his breath. No sound came out, but Amy seemed to read his lips perfectly, narrowing her eyes and shaking her head in exasperation.
"At any rate, stay here until things are completely safe," Ferman said, his tone turning serious. "We need to take down those missing person posters with the children's faces on them, and we also need to shift public perception."
"How long do you think that will take?" Amy asked.
"Once we confirm exactly who is pulling the strings from behind the scenes, we will begin immediately."
"Do you already know who it is?"
Ferman smiled faintly at Amy's question, gently swirling his glass. The deep red wine sloshed smoothly, creating a miniature crimson wave that seemed to swallow the light, as if ready to engulf everything in its path.
"Well, who they are doesn't really matter," Ferman murmured, tilting his glass back with a knowing smile.
Once dinner was officially over, we returned to Amy's quarters. The moment I stepped through the door, I let out a gasp of pure shock.
"Beaxy!"
A colossal teddy bear that looked just like Beaxy was waiting to welcome me, only this one was even bigger. No, wait—it wasn't the original Beaxy. It was just the same model, but on an entirely different scale. It was absolutely massive! Without a second thought, I sprinted across the room and threw myself into Giant Beaxy's plush embrace. My momentum knocked the giant bear backward onto the floor, but it didn't hurt at all. Beaxy was incredibly soft and fluffy.
This was definitely a present for me. Even with my limited social awareness, I could easily put two and two together and realize this was Ferman's doing.
Meanwhile, a book had been left for Shine. She picked it up and carefully read the title printed on the cover.
"The Essentials of Monarchology in a Single Volume...?"
A deeply satisfied smile spread across Shine's face. It seemed she liked her present just as much as I liked mine.