Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
“You do understand, good.” Gunter looked fierce for a moment, a dragon looking after his own. His smile still had an edge of ferocity to it. “Be good to him, Sora. And I hope things work out well for both of you.”
He hadn’t been looking for any sort of recognition or approval. But now, having been freely given both, Sora was surprised by the warmth he felt. “Thank you, Gunter.”
Sora found Ravi in the kitchen.
To be precise, he heard Ravi’s name being yelled before he even made it to the kitchen doors.
“RAVI!”
“What?” Ravi responded, sounding defensive. “It’ll taste good!”
“Don’t you dare put a banana into the curry!”
“But it tastes good that way!”
Sora rounded the doorway and took in the scene. The two people on staff were in the middle of a large meal-prep, obviously ready to serve lunch to the entire castle soon. There were pots of curry on multiple stove eyes, with large, industrial-sized rice cookers lined up on another counter. Ravi had a peeled banana over his head, looking rather like a monkey getting up to mischief.
Which, all things considered, probably wasn’t too far off.
Ravi heard him enter and turned, then pointed to Sora as if he were the answer to all questions. “He’ll tell you! Being both Japanese and living near India, he’ll be the master of curry. The banana will work!”
Sora was hardly an expert in culinary matters. But he could try and salvage Ravi’s point before it got tossed. “The reason why chopped apples go into curry is because the sweetness counters the spiciness. I’ve never tried it with a banana, but I think the combination of the sweetness and the texture will add a thick consistency to the roux.”
The staff members respectfully shared doubtful looks before regarding Sora with open misgiving.
“We can dish up a single bowl and mix in a bit of banana, try it on a smaller scale, if you wish?” Sora offered. “There’s no harm in testing it, is there?”
“No, I suppose not.” The woman with short blonde hair fetched a bowl and ladled some curry into it.
Ravi promptly cut off a bite of banana with a spoon and blended it into the curry. He offered it to her, eyebrows waggling in challenge. Rolling her eyes, she accepted the bite, then chewed. Then chewed some more, expression turning thoughtful.
“Gris, come try this.”
Gris obediently came over and dipped a spoon in, his expression also turning thoughtful. “That’s…oddly good?”
Proud of himself, Ravi’s chest puffed out. “See? Just one banana in each pot, that’s all I’m asking.”
“Pfft, okay, fine.”
When their backs were turned, Ravi gave Sora a high five. Sora played along with a grin on his face, enjoying being in on the joke with Ravi. And look at him, sparkling with delight and smugness, practically bouncing. One of the things Sora most liked about Ravi was that he radiated joy. He was drawn to the man like a moth to flame.
“Ravi, stop flirting,” the woman ordered. “You’re still on lunch duty.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I can help?” Sora offered.
Ravi gave him a quick kiss, light but full of promise. “Dish up the rice? And I will reward you later.”
Reward? Sora’s libido perked up at the word. “I’ll take that promise. Leave the rice to me.”
There were large bowls to put the rice into, and Sora filled them up before putting them onto the buffet table. He passed the others back and forth as they brought the pots of curry out, and the dishes, setting it up for the lunch crowd. On his nth trip out of the kitchen with rice, he spied King Alric and Cameron with plates in hand, helping themselves.
It was still rather odd to him, to see a king so willing to meet his own needs. But in a way, it made sense. With such a small clan, having a staff to see to the king would take too much manpower away from other tasks that needed to be done. It said something about King Alric’s character that he chose to do things himself and put his clan’s needs first.
They were among the first to arrive in the dining hall, and it gave a small window of privacy that Sora belatedly realized he might not easily achieve again. A flash of mischief took him over and, on impulse, he gave in to it. Ravi had, after all, requested it. And he could hear Ravi coming out of the kitchen, even now, so he was sure to catch this moment.
Sora put himself directly across the serving table from King Alric, in line of view with him, before clearing his throat. “King Alric? A question, if I may.”
The man paused, ladle in hand. “Yes?”
Gesturing to the Ravi in question, Sora asked in as serious a tone as he could muster, “May I lick this dragon?”
King Alric’s eyes flew wide, jaw steadily dropping. His expression was the height of both surprise and bemusement, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just been asked.