11.3

The dining area was empty when Aidan walked in. The floor polished to perfection, the table spotless and the chairs without a speck of dust.
      A wonderfully serene sight.
      The thought of spending his dinner alone here made it even better. His father was out for a private business dinner Aidan was not allowed to attend. Luckily for him, no one had thought of organising a dinner with Aidan to discuss the final details for the Ascension Rite.
      A magnificent smell filled the air in the dining hall. Fresh baked bread, hints of garlic and, of course, the always pleasing scent of onions sautéed in olive oil.
      For a moment, he thought about sitting down and waiting it out, but after being in the fancy mansions and spending so much time with snobbish elites, he decided to follow his nose. Followed the aromas in the air towards the kitchen.
      He hurried down the hall, his stomach growling as the scents grew more intense and more fragrant. There were more aromas, too. Tomatoes, something being fried, potatoes with a lot of different seasonings.
      Before he entered the kitchen, he collected himself. A quick straightening of his pants and dress shirt did the trick.
      As he pushed open the door to the kitchen, the rattling of pots and pans and talking noises disappeared immediately. It all became awfully quiet – safe for the kitchen sounds.
      The cook closest to him – a man with ivory skin and a chef’s hat – bowed hurriedly. “Brother Aidan, what brings you here? Dinner will be out in just a minute, so please go take a seat.”
      “I’m not really interested in eating alone in the dining hall. Do you have a place where I could eat together with people? Perhaps with you?”
      His question hit the kitchen like a bomb. Everyone’s eyes widened and their jaws dropped. It almost looked funny from where Aidan was standing.
      “The heir of Conqueron is wishing to dine with cooks and servants?” the cook who had just spoken asked in confirmation.
      “I’m aware it’s… unusual. It’s just been a rough few days and I am in need of some less stuck-up company. I’d love some normal conversation and to not need to be my best self and stick to etiquette and such.”
      “Why did you not ask the girl to stay for dinner? You could’ve eaten together like friends do,” a young servant piped up from the back. She was immediately shushed by the workers surrounding her.
      “An excellent question. And definitely something I hadn’t thought of,” he laughed sheepishly.
      “We can arrange something, if that’s what you desire. We have our own dining area. We can have that set up very quickly and we’ll still have the food out shortly then.”
      “Great! Do you want me to wait here or–”
      “–you can follow Melia .” The cook pointed to the girl who had just asked him the question. “She’ll assign you a spot where you can wait for your food.”
      “Thank you kindly. I appreciate it.” Aidan gave everyone the most charming smile he could give before approaching Melia. She just waited nervously before almost running towards the doors at the end of the kitchen.
      As brave as she’d been when she had asked why Yuno hadn’t stayed for dinner, she now didn’t dare utter a word. With a little murmur and a hand gesture she appointed him a chair before leaving to the kitchen again.
      But she returned just as quickly as she’d left. Aidan could’ve sworn she was pushed back out of the kitchen. Either because she was in the way or because she had to keep him company after her little adventurous outburst.
      “They’ll be done in a minute,” she mumbled as she sat down across the table.
      Aidan patiently waited and watched the servants put down stacks of plates and trays of cutlery on the tables in the room.
      The dining room reminded him of dining halls in the novels he read. Not the literature novels, but those about teenagers living in dorms and eating together in mess halls he imagined looked similar to this.
      He counted eight large tables, with benches on both sides, making up four rows – 2 tables in each row – with space for around twenty to thirty people per table if he had to guess.
      A tiny bell rung through the room and as soon as it had stopped, the chefs and their assistants came walking out of the kitchen with dishes and pans. The first few pots that were dropped upon the table scared Aidan slightly. The loud clunk it made when the lid rattled was a pain in his ears, but he was mostly afraid the food would spill out.
      Within seconds the tables were filled, plates were being handed out and cutlery was passed from the beginning of the table to the end.
      “Bon appetite, Brother,” the cook that had been talking to him in the kitchen said as he sat down next to Aidan. “My name is Georg, in case you were wondering.”
      “Thank you, Georg. Bon appetite.” Aidan smiled warmly at the man. He reached for the nearest bowl and to his delight, it contained garlic baked potatoes sprinkled with rosemary and other herbs and spices.
      Georg put a piece of meat on his plate in the mean time. “Here, you should taste this. We never serve pork belly in the throne room. Your father thinks it’s disgusting, because it’s not a luxurious piece of meat. But it’s absolutely delicious, especially when Tisala makes it.” He pointed at a young woman seated behind Aidan. “Tisala is one of the workers from Underconqueron who was lucky enough the be stationed in our kitchen. She came here five years ago, but she was quick to show how skilled she was.”
      Tisala gave Aidan and Georg a kind smile before returning to her dinner. Her copper curls bounced a little when she moved her head, the light hitting just the right spots to make her hair glow.
      “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Georg laughed at Aidan. “She always has to reject the new workers when they arrive – both male and female, mind you.”
      Aidan laughed in agreement, but didn’t yet remove his eyes from the golden-skinned lady. She had something different to her, something none of the girls in Conqueron had. Not even the ones who looked similar to her. She had something wild, a certain vibe that intimidated him a little. He wasn’t sure if it was because she was from Underconqueron, or how fast she’d established a name in the kitchen, or how great of a killer meat she could make – something was different.
      “Would she mind if I talked to her?” Aidan asked before shoving another piece of pork belly into his mouth.
      “I don’t think so, she’s nice to most people. Just don’t hit on her, is my advice,” Georg shrugged. “Now, why did you want to eat in here instead of in your throne room diner hall?”
      “The past couple of days have been so busy and full of those snobs, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I know I was raised among them and you probably think of me that way as well, but it was too much. I never noticed how much ass-kissing happened during dinners or lunches until they were doing it to me.
      And to be completely frank, I hate it. Every part of me detests the grovelling and the fawning. You’d think I’d be happy to spend my dinner all alone, but I just didn’t want to be alone. I wanted to feel alive. I get that you all probably despise me, but it makes me happy that you just welcomed me for dinner without second thoughts. Thank you for that.” The room had quieted while he was speaking and everyone was looking at him.
      “It’s our pleasure, Brother,” the head chef said. “You’re more than welcome to join us for dinner more often. Especially when you find yourself dining alone.”
      Everyone in the room made an agreeing noise before continuing with whatever conversation or food they were having.
      Aidan talked with Georg and Melia and some other servants while he ate to his heart’s content.
      His stomach was almost ready to burst when he left the kitchen, his voice raspy from the loud talking, but it felt good. It didn’t seem right to think it was the first time he’d felt happy, especially not after spending such a lovely afternoon with Yuno, but something just clicked into place.
      As if he’d finally done something because he had wanted to.