King George, seated at the head of the table, held up a glass of red wine. "Congratulations on the peace between our kingdoms and the wedding of a lovely duke and princess! Cheers, friends!"
King Gerald had a frown over his features as he kept thinking about the secret his wife had kept from him. He knew the King of Luminairea could be a menace if he was angry, so he feared the man would somehow find out his child's secret. Unlike many others, Gerald had been the target of George's unrelentless rage, which changed his usual carefree character into one of nightmares. He felt the jolly disposition was an act he put on in front of others, and he hated it.
The scar over his abdomen was proof of that.
He was afraid that the man might become angry with Corina, but given the current circumstances, he had no choice but to allow his daughter to marry Duke Alexander. He saw Corina and the man loved each other, and even if they didn't, the peace treaty wouldn't let the princess back out.
He sighed and held up his glass. "Indeed," he stated in a tone that hid his frustration. "To many wonderful partnerships between our kingdoms."
Their wine glasses clicked together. King George took a huge swig from the glass and then set it down on the red tablecloth, a grin over his lips. "It's a glorious arrangement, is it not? Princess Corina is precious. We are blessed to welcome her into the Frostbloom family."
Corina blushed and appeared nervous from the attention she was receiving. She listened as the two men talked about the upcoming wedding. She wondered how she would look walking down the aisle. As she thought about it, she began to think she would probably end up doing something foolish, which mortified her. She didn't want to mess up such a huge occasion.
The staff served the meal as she pondered over the images in her head. Calvin rolled out a cart and placed the appetizer plates in front of everyone at the table.
When the princess snapped out of her thoughts, her blue eyes narrowed on the strange critter staring back at her from her plate. It was small, with a big head, and several squiggly arms with little round things over them. The creature was adorned with an unusual brown sauce.
She had never seen such a terrifying thing on a plate before. It was tiny, but looked like an evil creature.
She poked it. It was slimy. She recoiled.
King George didn't notice her reaction to the tentacled creature. For him, it was the most marvelous food in existence. "Fantastic!"
Calvin smiled at the man and gestured toward the plate. "We made this especially for you, your highness. We placed several on your plate because the cooks are aware of how much you enjoy the dish."
"Ah, wonderful," George smiled as the butler walked back to the kitchen.
Corina glanced up just in time to see the man poke his fork into one's head and pop the entire body straight into his mouth. She held her breath as she noticed the delightful expression on his face as he chewed, a small tentacle hanging out between his lips.
She imagined that the creature would taste like a soggy leather shoe. In her mind, there was no possible way eating such a thing could be delicious.
Corina leaned toward Alexander and whispered to him. "W-What is this?"
"It's a baby octopus," Alex replied in a whisper, shielding his lips with his hands.
Corina mimicked his action. "I don't think I can eat this."
He asked, "Why not?"
"It's a baby," she replied, her eyes widening. "It had a whole life ahead of it. Look at its beady little eyes. It's innocent. And it looks horrible."
Despite Alexander's best efforts to suppress his laughter, it was clear that his father's favorite appetizer had traumatized the princess, so he couldn't help but choke back his laughter. "I'm sorry. I know it's gross." He sighed, "I almost throw up every time I have to eat them. Be strong, wifey. I believe in you."
All eyes were on the royal couple, who had their hands shielding their lips, whispering to one another. Neither of them were even aware the others were paying attention to their actions. Well, all but the King of Luminairea, who was too engrossed in the dish.
Lazarus noticed everyone had their eyes on Alex and Corina. He figured he knew what she was whispering to the duke about, so he glanced around, then quickly plucked the octopus off both their plates and tossed them under the table. There was no way the thing was fit for human consumption.
"It still has eyeballs," Corina whispered to Alexander. "Why does it have eyes?! Why can it look at me?! I think the little guy is able to see into my soul."
"It knows everything," Alexander whispered the joke back. "The child can probably predict the future. It's aware of all of your past, present, and future lives."
Corina sighed. It wasn't funny. She wished Alex took her distress seriously.
"Oh no," Corina furrowed her brows. "Does your father like other gross foods?"
"He does," Alex admitted. "I had to compromise. I promise the rest of the meal won't be gross. Calvin tried to get even nastier things on the menu tonight to please my father. He's a rather unconventional man."
Corina nodded and moved her hand away. A poke pricked her in the shoulder. She turned her head to see Lazaraus pointing at her plate.
"Lazzy," she whispered, placing a hand over her heart. "You saved me."
Corina looked down at the table and saw King George pop them into his mouth in rapid succession. She wondered if he swallowed them whole, and if he did, if it were possible for them to reanimate in his stomach. She was sure he had decades of sea creatures living as parasites inside of his digestive system.
The princess shivered at the thought.
King Gerald, on the other hand, chewed on the rubbery creatures over and over, feeling his jaw go stiff from the texture. Corina noticed the scowl on her father's face and could tell he was quite annoyed by the item of choice.
She then noticed Alexander stuffing his own food into his mouth. She placed a palm over her lips and gasped as she watched him do his best to hold back gags. He looked as if he would spew his stomach contents over the table at any moment.
When she saw him swallow, her eyes lit up. He had struggled through it. In her mind, he was the manliest man in all the world to suffer through such torture to make his father happy, though he did hurriedly gulp down his wine immediately after he swallowed the abomination George called food.
Corina reached under the table and gently squeezed his leg. Alexander offered a weak smile in response. He was pale as a ghost. She could tell it had been a real struggle.
Alexander prayed internally that he wouldn't end up passing wind in front of his bride, like he had in front of Nadine and Lazarus. He knew he would never be able to look his love in the eye again if something embarrassing happened, but his stomach didn't feel right after choking down the vile food.