Sitting on the floor like everybody else and with his leg crossed and food in front of him, Sir John raised his cup filled with drink and said, "Let's enjoy the food here!"
Aiden found himself sitting awkwardly beside the man that once commanded him, 'This is awkward, I shouldn't have gone here. If only Oliver didn't do this and that!'
Right in front of him, was Oliver playing a lute while the people at the food and drank the drinks. Aiden just sighed, but his face produced a smile not long after that, 'Guess I'll just enjoy it since I'm here"
The feast was going great, Aiden ate the food and was amazed by the taste of it. He drank the alcoholic drinks and once again, was amazed by the taste. While still eating, Sir John touched the 19-year-old with his elbow and asked, "By the way Aiden, why are you here today?"
Aiden stopped his eating and answered, "You see that? Oliver, the one playing the lute. He is actually my teacher since I have nothing to do. He said he wanted to go somewhere and have an adventure with me. So, here I am"
Sir John nodded with a big smile on his face, but all of a sudden, he placed his mouth to Aiden's ear and asked, "Aiden, if somehow, the sultanate and our kingdom went to war against each other… Which side would you support?"
Aiden grabbed his cup and drank the content of it before responding, "Why do you ask such a question?"
Sir John, once again, whispered to him, "Actually… the king has gotten a bit, ambitious if I should say. I don't know what happened in the capital but I got a command to go here and talk with the sultan"
Aiden sighed and whispered back, "I'm not that good with politics, but there's something going around with the king. Wouldn't it be normal to call a noble to the capital and then order the person with words from the mouth and not letter?"
Sir John nodded and whispered once again, "That's why I felt weird. This country has done nothing wrong, even though I saw poverty, they were happy with the living condition and no one looks too skinny"
Aiden was silent for a few seconds and didn't know what he could say as a response. Instead, he grabbed the grapes on the plate and ate one before passing it to Sir John, "Try this"
Awkwardly, he grabbed the grapes and placed one in his mouth. Needless to say, like everyone in the party, he was surprised. Aiden smiled as he asked, "How's the taste?"
He smiled back as he placed another grape in his mouth, "Delicious! Fantastic! This is one of the best fruit I ever have!"
Aiden nodded and then said to him, "Well, I didn't see you eating the food and drinking the beverages, why not enjoy them?"
Hesitantly while nervously sweating, he extended his arm and reached out for one of the meat dishes he saw and placed it in his mouth. His eyes widened and his face brightened up, amazed with the taste, he extended his arm once again, reaching for the same dish.
Aiden chuckled, "Try other dishes too! You will know how amazing they taste is!"
"How's the food, gentlemen?" The voice of the Sultan Arslam reached Aiden's ear as he felt the sensation of the sultan's hand on his shoulder.
Aiden turned around and said with a smile, "Simply delicious! There was no food like this back in my country, or I haven't found one yet!"
The sultan chuckled as he slowly got close to Aiden's ear that the 19-year-old could feel and hear the man's breath. He then whispered, "By the way Aiden, what do you think of Jasmine? Is he pretty?"
He was silent for a few moments but blushed when he remembered her face clearly in his memory, 'Tan, young, beautiful, pretty, with a kind of long nose and the eyes that are not too small and her long, silky black hair...'
Aiden responded back, "To be honest to you… she is perfect"
Sir John coughed, but Aiden and the sultan could clearly tell that he was clearing his throat, "Well… Aiden, didn't you have a girl you like back in our kingdom?"
Aiden nodded, "Well, yes. But how do you know?"
Sir John just smirked, and it clicked on the 19-year-old's mind, 'This man… he didn't actually know! He was just making random guess!"
The man said to the sultan, "Your majesty, Sultan Arslam, it seems that the boy has a girl he likes back in the kingdom, but do you want to know something?"
The sultan smiled, and they both whispered to each other, Aiden was confused but wasn't interested in their talk and returned his attention toward the food. Eventually, Sir John and the sultan left the room, without even many people noticing about it.
Though, all of a sudden, Jasmine sat beside him and whispered, "Aiden, my father called me and you to a room. He said it's for a private feast or something"
Aiden simply agreed and made his way with Jasmine to a small room where Sir John and Sultan Arslam were waiting on a comfy-looking couch. Aiden and Jasmine sat themselves, side to side, on the couch opposite of the one the two men were sitting on.
They found themselves face to face like it was a family meeting, awkward and intense. Trying to cool the ice, the sultan said, "Let's enjoy the tea on the table! The food is coming shortly after this!"
Sir John helped himself pretty quickly after that and did some small talks with the sultan. While both of their attention was toward each other, Aiden and Jasmine blushed while slowly sipping their teas.
There was no progress or anything happening in that room and Aiden thought to himself, 'What is the point on being in this room?"
When most of the contents of all four cups of teas were gone, the situation became awkward and intense once again. All of a sudden, at the same time and at the same volume, Sir John and Sultan Arslam shouted, "Let's discuss engagement and marriage process!"