"Mmm~ This is not bad." Astrid let out a content breath as she placed her utensils to the side. The plate was wiped almost clean with a few streaks of grease still lingering in the centre.
The type of meat used in the dish was still a mystery but it felt alright. It had a contradictory texture and flavour.
The amount of fat in it was enough to clog any person's arteries. And while it tasted like a 50 times fattier pork, its texture was something more akin to bison meat.
It was hearty. And chewy. Really, really chewy. And rubbery.
There were some other dishes that stood out as well.
Like the Wyrmscale Pie.
The crust was a complicated pattern of golden-brown pastry, shining with a honeyed glaze underneath the beautiful candlelight.
Inside were tender pieces of—what I was told was—wyrm meat, seemingly slow-cooked with some weird blend of demon pepper and a variant of truffles I had never tasted before.
It was much more tender than the bison-pork meat.
Beside the Wyrmscale Pie was another dish that they called Tail Stew.
Which abomination's tail? I have no idea. Although Astrid really liked it, saying it reminded her of stews her grandma used to make on Christmas.
It was served in a cauldron of black iron and the stew was a deep, rich red, bubbling gently and releasing tendrils of aromatic steam.
It was filled with chunks of unidentified creature's tail. And despite succulent and slightly sweet meat, which absorbed the bold flavours of the broth, I couldn't help my gag reflex.
Hence, to not embarrass myself, I refrained from eating it any further.
The broth, however, was quite nice. It was a concoction of dragonroot, blood onions, and a splash of shadow wine which warmed the core.
On a much bigger platter was a Basilisk Egg Omelette.
The name itself should make you not even consider eating it. It's basically a snake's egg's omelette that can petrify you by looking in your eyes.
The only selling point was the presentation. It was whipped into a fluffy omelette filled with minced nightmare mushrooms and shavings of aged demon cheese.
The waiter who was a very young demon was kind enough to tell us what the specific ingredients were.
Although it was quite clear that he was doing it out of obligation and a direct order from Jayden. He could've just broken the plates on our head for all he cared.
There were many other things on the menu but the only other thing I personally tried was the Frostfire Pudding.
It seemed alive with magic, shifting colours from a deep icy blue to a fiery orange, depending on the angle of the light.
The waiterboy said that the pudding was made from the essence of petals of frostberries and fireflowers, giving it a unique sensation of cold and heat as it dissolved on the tongue.
Topped with crystallised sugar and a dollop of shadow cream, it was better than any dessert I had on Earth.
"For once I agree with this rat." Michael breathed out a heavy sigh as he finished his third cut of meat.
"Of course, you agree with a dish having 50 litres of fat being tasty. Cholesterol must be afraid of you."
"Hah! Only normal fucks like you are afraid of cholesterol."
"Hmph!" She crossed her arms and looked the other way.
They were getting unusually comfortable with each other. It's concerning.
Looking from the corner of my eye, I observed Ronan still eying Astrid every now and then.
Aren't women supposed to have like this sixth sense that tells them a man is looking at them in an inappropriate way? Or am I horrendously misinformed?
Other than that, the other noteworthy thing was…were the three figures who had silently taken a seat beside my father.
The three demons, 2 of whom were around my age.
The first one looked almost as old as my brother, Eric.
His figure, even though he was sitting, was huge and imposing.
His messy white hair was styled like a mane, wild and untamed, falling around his sharp, angular face.
His golden eyes burned with an intense, almost malevolent glint as he continued to overlook every person in the room, as if keeping them in check while Jayden and Aksel talked to the three Dukes of Central Dominion.
The horns protruding from the sides of his head curved up and outwards with the pair from his temples shorter, more jagged, and surprisingly menacing.
His skin was pale, almost ghostly grey, contrasting oddly well with his dark robes which were made out of black and rich purple, adorned with silver accents and flowing, cape-like elements that rippled every time he shifted.
The other one was much younger and looked to be around my age. A year or two older, perhaps, physically of course.
In contrast to whom I assumed was his brother, the younger one had a chilly calm demeanour to him, quite different from the energetic older brother.
His white hair was neatly kept, styled back meticulously. His golden – almost yellow eyes, though sharing the same eerie hue as the older one, had an unsettlingly analytical shine, as he observed everything with a cold detachment.
Even his presence was quite meek. If I wasn't seeing him with my own eyes, I would not have felt him sitting right there unless he directed some kind of animosity towards me.
The horns on the sides of his head were sleek and polished, curving upward in the same way as the older one and Jayden's.
However, the pair from his temples was much more streamlined, tapering to fine points.
He was wearing a robe of the same material as the older ones, consisting of a blend of dark grey and midnight blue with subtle golden embellishments across his chest.
And while both of them gave me jitters, unlike the older one's menacing presence, the younger one felt more troublesome. Insidious. Like a quiet, looming threat.
And I would've almost missed the one sitting right beside them if not for Michael elbowing my ribs and almost blowing them away.
"That one's hot as sin." He whispered, raising a brow at the third person sitting right beside the brothers. Her brothers.
They were Jayden's kids. The so-called young masters who were mentioned time and time again by Harper and Sloane.
It was a girl. Appearance wise she looked to be between the two brothers in age.
Her hair was a much darker shade of white and cascaded in soft waves around her shoulders. It was let loose but at the same time it looked extremely prim.
With an aloof demeanour, she sat perfectly still, her hands crossed over the table.
Dressed in a deep blue gown, kind of similar to Astrid's, it draped gracefully along her slim body.
You could almost see a hint of her thighs through the slit into the side of her dress which she had crossed over the other leg. Her dress curved into all the right places and she was indeed, objectively, pretty.
It wasn't as much as Michael was reacting, but she had the allure to bewitch any man.
"Hmmmmmmm."
The girl's eyes shifted towards us. Placing her chin in her palm, she tilted her head, the look on her face hardening.
Oh, she's making eye contact. Aaand she's trying to compete.
Good lord. What on Earth– Eden is this situation?
"HMMMMM!" The humming sound and the tapping of fingers only intensified as both of us looked back to see Astrid who was scrutinising me with narrowed eyes. "Like what you see, huh!?"
"I suppose so." I replied. "They are ginormous."
"Dude, what the fuck?" Michael blurted out, his eyes wide and an expression hanging on his face that screamed disbelief.
"What? Aren't you the one who told me to look that way?"
"No…yes, I mean, but…" he paused and leaned in, "…don't talk about another woman's tits in front of other women. Especially when she's got a much smaller rack than hers."
"I can hear you perfectly, even though it doesn't seem like you're trying very hard." A vein popped on Astrid's forehead. "And why are you even observing everyone's…chests?" She placed one arm across her own.
"Man! You got your cleavage poking out of that dress. It's hard to not look at them." He paused and smirked, "But don't worry so much. There's nothing much to look at anyways."
She grumbled, her palm balling into a fist.
"Heh. If you believe otherwise, prove it."
"That's enough." She made a disgusted face. "You creep!"
"Hah! When you are proven wrong, then I am a creep. Geez."
Putting their banter aside, I think I get it now. He meant that Astrid might get insecure if I say stuff like this out loud. Now that I think about it, I have never looked at her in that way.
Perhaps it is because she was a scared, trembling little girl when I saved her. And that I still look at her that way.
I looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And while I could tell she was not the same frail looking girl anymore, and had grown up quite well, I couldn't just see her that way. Was it because I had been looking after her all this time? Or was it some other reason? I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
While our table was getting abuzz with talks that were playing a precarious game of balancing over the rope between immoral and moral, Jayden suddenly stood up and clapped his hands.
The clap was powerful enough to send a shockwave throughout the room as he grabbed everyone's attention.
"I hope the dinner is treating you well, Ladies and Gentlemen." He spoke with an extremely happy voice. And somehow it ticked me off.
"The food might be good, and that's a part of the banquet, but…" he paused as he looked at my father and then at me.
Oh Goddess. This can't be good.
"…what is a banquet without some entertainment!?"
Everyone let out slight murmurs, agreeing with their Lord.
"And what better way to start the entertainment other than a duel between the Demon and Human Royalty Young Masters!?"
The entire crowd went silent for a brief moment before erupting into chaos.
The girl looked down at me with a rather disappointed look. As if the mere thought of a duel with us was making her feel nauseous.
"Isn't that right, my friend?" He asked, looking in Aksel's direction.
Intoxicated, my father bobbed his head. "Of course. Drag my boy into a fight and let him do his magic."
The older brother smirked and whispered something to his younger brother, causing him to frown.
Well…while this is not ideal, it's not as bad as one would think. I couldn't learn anything about Cromwells' Arcane Art before. But now it was different. I am not exactly aware what Category the 'young masters' are, this can prove valuable.
"What are they saying?" Astrid inched closer. Her face was bright red and her breathing was really fast.
Looks like someone had a bit too much alcohol.
"Something I'm not too against." I returned the girl's gaze with my own. "Something that might end up benefiting me in the future."