"Dessert will be by me later. Let's eat," said Minwoo, proceeding to seat down.
The power of the Old Chapel truly shines as Ashley watched each dish danced around and get portioned out for the family. He seemed intrigued as the plate landed in front of him slowly. And the best part is that none of the portions is the same.
Ysabeau had more salad than meat, but her rice was the same amount as her salad. She had a small bowl of soup. Gil had lesser rice but the same amount of salad and meat. His soup portion was larger than his wife's. Z had the perfect balance of all four, including the soup.
The Angry Man had more meat than any of the dishes that he was given. Mavislin had more rice and meat than her salad but the sauce was much more than anyone else. Raiyen's portion was balanced as well but the sauce was lesser than the others.
Ashley looked down at his own. The right amount of rice that he'd take. The right amount of portion he usually takes. Minwoo's portion was the same as his.
"What's in the soup? What's miso?" asked Mavislin, tasting it.
"It's so salty..." complained the poor girl.
"It's a Japanese soup, made out of seaweed, tofu, and scallions. The tofu is the square, white things floating around," guided Ashley.
"Try eating the soup with the fluffy rice, but don't mix the meat sauce with it. It doesn't taste good," said Minwoo, patting the girl's head.
"I wanted the rice to be sweet too..." whimpered Mavislin, pouting.
"Well, it's not meant to be sweet. It's made from coconut but I can't have too much sugar as well," Ashley.
"But I like sugar!" said Mavislin, taking another spoonful of rice.
"You can take more of the sauce, darling," said Minwoo, sweetly.
"I also like sugar. Too much of it and I'll see the future," replied Ashley, shaking his head.
Z gave out a laugh. Ashley cracked another smile as he looked at his brother. Something did not feel right about this. Mages and humans aren't supposed to mix, right?
"Future? You have the Clairvonyance Element?" asked Mavislin, eager about Ashley's new 'power'.
"Nope, it's just his way of saying 'sugar-high'," replied Baldwin, making the Valkyrie sad.
The Mages resumed talking with each other while the kids focused on eating. This left the two brothers to clean up some personal issues.
"Ashley, there's still a place for you. You know that better than anyone," said Minwoo, looking at his brother.
"Yea, right. You guys kicked me out," replied Ashley, stuffing a spoonful of rice into his mouth.
"Not me. I wasn't even around when that happened. When I heard what happened, I ran off to find you."
"As if. You were always next in line to be Marquess. You couldn't be bothered with me," said Ashley, slowly getting upset.
"Well, that was just insulting. Do you know how many days it took to find you?" asked Baldwin, huffing down more duck.
"I beg your pardon?" asked Ashley, puzzled at the Angry Man.
"Minwoo came to us before we recruited Mavislin. Ysabeau had to use her true form to look for you while I used my original form to hone into your whereabouts. He had no idea where to find you so he came looking for us," explained Baldwin, pointing his knife at Ashley.
"Luckily, you made a name for yourself in the Mafia so it was easy to find you, but not after the month-long search."
Ashley felt slightly bad but did not let it show on his face. His expression stayed the same, blank stare.
"At least give him some credit as an elder brother," said Z.
"That doesn't change anything. You are recognized as the Marquess of the Campania, the leader of the people. I'm the filthy rat, the brother that was tossed aside. That's the reality, Minwoo. So don't think you can change my mind about that," said Ashley, getting up to wash the dishes.
"He is quite stubborn, after all. Perhaps you should look for others first," assured Gillian, patting Minwoo on the back.
"Reminds me of Angry Man," laughed Ysabeau.
"Excuse me, I'm still here."
"Yea, but the first few days you adamant about leaving the area. But this little girl decided to force you to stay," explained Ysabeau.
"By biting him?" asked Minwoo.
"Nope. My daughter and Mavis were best friends. So looking at her... It reminds me of my girl. Taking care of this little Valkyrie is like giving me the chance of being a father once more."
The feast was truly remarkable, both chefs' dishes complimented each other. Raiyen preferred Minwoo's duck but Mavislin loved Ashley's coconut rice. Minwoo went to the waterfall to take a bath while the adult Mages went into their respective rooms to rest.