Chapter 40: 38. Meal Plan

The carriage bounced on the rough pavement as we passed now familiar streets on the way home.

I felt irritated… angry even.

It was only Stash and me in the carriage. He had offered for Jade to come spend the afternoon at the residence, but she had refused, stating she had chores to do at the orphanage.

It was disappointing that she had declined but it wasn't the reason I was in a sour mood. The guilt laid completely and entirely on Lionheart.

-Where is he?-

I asked Stash, barely hiding the emotions from my face.

For a few moments he didn't say anything and simply smiled awkwardly at me, hoping this would be enough of an answer, but I didn't break eye contact.

After a few tense seconds he relented.

-My lord had urgent business at the Green Palace.-

I raised an eyebrow.

-Green palace?-

Was that even a real place? It sounds made-up. Suspicious.

-What's the Green Palace?-

Stash rubbed his chin for a moment. Was he trying to think of an explanation.. Or making up more lies? After a few instants he seemed to nod at his own thoughts and he explained.

-It's a place where laws are discussed.-

-Like a court?-

Stash looked surprised.

-You know what a court is, my lady?-

I nodded.

-I heard about it from my Moth… -

No.

I already told myself that I wouldn't think about that woman as THAT anymore.

-...From someone.-

Stash smiled. Whether he understood that I was hiding something or not was a mystery.

-Is that so? Well, you are partially right. Although it is similar, the Green Palace is not quite the same as a court, but it has a similar purpose. Those of peerage are required to attend in order to resolve their disagreements.-

Disagreements?

-Is Lionheart in trouble? Is it my fault?-

I completely forgot about my earlier anger.

I remember Jade telling me that Lionheart had broken me out of prison. I don't know how these things work exactly, but I do know that you normally can't just take people out of prison like that, but Stash shook his head.

-Not at all, my lady. Perhaps quite the opposite. My lord is simply resolving a small argument.-

I let out a sigh of relief.

So he isn't avoiding me…

Despite having become closer during our trip to the toy store, I felt as if Lionheart has been avoiding me and keeping his distance lately. I barely ever see him outside of meal times and in a big house like his, full of busy adults, I've been feeling rather lonely.

The carriage finally turned into the short entrance path.

I called it short, but that was compared to the Estate in Oblon. It was easily four times the size of the yard at the orphanage.

-Ah, my lady! I forgot to tell you. There is someone I would like you to meet.-

Stash announced out of the blue.

-Uh? Really? Who? Why?-

Before he could answer, the coach came to a stop.

Stash stepped out of the carriage and held out his hand which I gladly accepted on the way down. At first he would carry me out, but after my consistent protest, he finally stopped. Unfortunately, it seems Lionheart caught wind of it and also stopped…

-So who was it that you wanted me to meet.-

I asked him as he handed my book satchel to another servant.

Having been looking elsewhere while I asked him, he tilted his head in interrogation. I repeated myself and he clasped his hand together as if just remembering about it.

-That’s right! Yes, my lady, I have someone to introduce to you.-

He said a few words, to a servant who bowed respectfully before leaving the room in a hurry.

-Why don’t we proceed to the garden first? You must be famished, I’ll have the cook whip you up lunch.-

I perked up at this announcement.

Lunch!

If one thing I could tell had dramatically improved since I came here, it was food! Despite not being considered particularly poor by the other kids' standards, the food at the orphanage had always been on the bland side. Most of it was composed of oats, carrots and potatoes and it almost always tasted the same… And sometimes slightly worse.

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Some of the kids ate something weird. They called it ‘meat’. It looked very tough and reddish brown. I had never seen anything like it before. It was apparently quite popular, but used sparingly since it was expensive.

I asked Jade about it when I noticed her eating some. After struggling for a few minutes to figure out the best way to explain it, she finally explained that it was the skin of dead animals.

At first, I was disgusted. I felt sick at the idea that my friend had eaten dead skin, but she explained that it was quite normal and that there are farms full of animals and people called “hunters” who spent their entire life killing animals so they could be eaten. It was also this way I learnt that leather was also made from the skin of dead animals. I had never questioned animal products like milk or eggs since they were simply a byproduct, but the bodies…

It was all very troubling. I had always been taught that killing and dying were the greatest tragedies and only done to the most wicked of people or wild animals. Never had I considered you could ‘eat’ them and never had I seen any of it being served at the estate.

For a few weeks I looked at the small amount of meat being served with disdain. I simply couldn’t detach the mental image of an animal being served as food on the dining table, but eventually curiosity got the best of me.

I took a piece of meat from the table and bit into it.

It was chewy. Very chewy. So chewy in fact I wasn't sure if I was eating food or tree bark. But every time I bit at the meat, some invigorating aroma escaped it and filled my mouth. It was a curious taste and somehow… Filling. Plenty of time in my life I had eaten until I couldn’t take another bite, but this was different, almost as if it was filling a new stomach I didn’t know I had.

I asked Hare about it, but he had gone into a long winded explanation about how eating certain food gave different types of nutrients and small rocks. It left me more confused than anything, but from what I understood, some foods had more of them and made us grow taller and feel more energised.

Although meat made me feel full, it was always really difficult to eat so I only ate a small amount, but this changed soon after coming here.

At first, they didn’t really serve me meat at all. Although I didn’t particularly mind since I had spent most of my life not eating any, I started missing the chewy taste of the meat they served at the orphanage.

So, not knowing any better, when I was asked what I wanted for lunch by Stash, I asked for meat.

He had looked completely bewildered at my request and turned to Lionheart. After an energetic back and forth, they eventually turned back to me and asked if I was sure I could eat meat. Confused, I simply nodded and Stash excused himself to go prepare our meal. When he came back, he placed a plate in front of me. What was in front of me looked completely foreign to me. It looked similar at a glance, but it was much larger and looked somehow… wet?

Instinctively, I tried to grab it with my hand like I had done with the meat at the orphanage, but I was surprised to notice it was warm and soft.

Seeing my actions, Stash panicked and quickly cleaned my hand and explained I couldn’t eat it with my hands.

He used a large knife at my side and used the blade to cut through the meat. As he did, I was amazed to see the pink inside, almost red. It was incredible, I had never seen anything like it. It was almost like…

It finally hit me, it was still warm and the inside was red… Like blood! The meat was still alive!

I started panicking, I trashed about, tried to pull on Stash’s sleeve to make him stop cutting and started crying, thinking they had killed the meat right in front of me. After some time, they were finally able to calm me down.

I finally understood that that was simply how the meat looked before it was cooked. Apparently, what I had eaten at the orphanage was called ‘jerky’ and to cook it, it had to be completely dried so there wasn’t much red left compared to what they had served me which they called ‘steak’.

I was still reluctant to eat it for a moment, but as soon as I tried some, the taste flooded my mouth. I couldn’t believe I had never eaten anything like it before and it erased the entirety of the sadness I had experienced a moment before.

The idea of eating animals still left a funny feeling in my head everytime I thought about it and sometimes felt waves of discomfort, but I slowly began to accept the idea that this all made sense… Somehow.

Ever since then, there have been many meat dishes cooked for me and I feel like everyday is a new experience.

And today was no different.

-Here you are my lady.-

He placed the plates in front of me, but as practised I waited before eating.

-This dish called ‘Mrḡ’s plate’. Originating from the great plains of Morrow, it is composed of wild herb sprouts topped with mutton meatballs and goat cheese. The meat is either chopped or grinded and then shaped into a ball that can then be stuffed with garlic and other herbs. It was once a common dish among sheep herders for the ease of access to the ingredients, but it slowly gained popularity throughout the years and can now be freshly prepared in any region with some adjustments.-

I nodded at his explanation.

This exercise was two pronged. The first was that, after the ‘bloody meat’ incident, I didn’t want to get caught off-guard again. The other was to teach me more about the world. It seemed that from most people’s point of view I had a lack of understanding of the world and history, so Lionheart and Stash have been trying to shove ‘common knowledge’ trivia like this in my daily activities so I become more ‘cultured’.

I took my fork and split the meatball in two, a fragrant aroma assaulted my nostril and I happily started digging in.

As I did, I noticed an amused look on Stash’s face. If there is one thing I dislike, it’s to be made fun of…

-Why are you laughing?-

I asked with a scowl.

-Oh, pardon me, my lady. I simply cannot get used to this sight.-

He said as he tried to compose himself.

-The sight… Of how I eat?-

He’s definitely making fun of me.

-Oh not at all! My lady is very gracious in all she does…-

I raised an eyebrow at his answer. Gracious in everything I do? Yeah right.

-Then if it’s not about HOW I eat, what is it?-

I asked as I placed my utensils on the table and crossed my arms. I’m not letting it go.

He looked uncomfortable for a few moments, before speaking up.

-You see, my lady… How should I put this… Meiriemkins can’t usually eat meat.-

My eyebrow sank into a disinterested look.

-Is that all it is? I’m a Scornkin so it doesn’t matter what Meiriem says.-

Stash shook his head.

-No, my lady. You misunderstand. Those with Meiriem blood would normally surely get sick and could even die from consuming this much meat.-

I sat up from my chair in panic.

-Wait what?!-

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