A serving girl places the next dish on the table in front of him—a large bowl of hearty stew, thick with meats and vegetables. Donghae scoops a small portion of it into a serving bowl and stares down at it. He examines it closely, looking at the dark brown liquid with hint of cut up vegetables and meat peeking through. He checks the consistency of the stew, making sure it’s well mixed and there’s no abnormality in its appearance.
“—I’d send my soldier to the eastern gate to guard the walls there because many of the displaced people from the affected region have been trying to push through into the city but we don’t have the resources feed and house them all.”
Donghae brings the bowl closer to his nose and inhales its rich scent, noting all the recognizable ingredients he can detect. He puts it down on the table again and carefully stirs it before taking a spoonful of it into his mouth.
“The latest winter storm left our food stock and supplies in shambles so we have been rationing it to the oldest and youngest in our city, while the rest of the citizens are taxed for food alongside the use of drinking water. From the taxes we had gather we bought necessities from the neighboring gu but because we are constantly besieged by those in the affected area trying to break through our walls, so much so that most of our funds ended going back into reinforcing our border protection.”
The stew is warm and delectable in Donghae’s mouth, filling his appetite as it make its pass his throat and down toward his stomach. He makes sure to note all the flavors he can taste and measure it against the imaginary list he pulled up in his head. Like every meal the Regis had taken back in Verinber, in preparation for this evening dinner Donghae had memorized all the ingredients the cook had listed down for him earlier. He had carefully observed how each meal was prepare, what goes in it, and how it all should look so that anything out of the ordinary that he managed to see, smell, or taste at dinner would be easier for him to catch.
Donghae takes another spoonful, confirming once more of the taste and nods his head in clear approval before casting his serving bowl aside and putting the spoon down on it. Jinho appears beside him and takes away the larger bowl of stew he had portioned from while another serving girl clears his table, removing his unfinished stew and wiping away any mess left on there.
Jinho carries the stew toward the raised seat several feet away from Donghae, where the Regis sat and is playing an audience of one to the host of this dinner as the Conte continues explain the circumstances plaguing his district and city and his resolution for it. All the while the Regis sat still, hands in his lap, not a single word pass his lips, and appearing dreadfully bored if not for the way his eyes refused to move away from the Conte and the tightening of his jaw every time the Conte mention the refugee encampments outside the city’s fortified walls with a note of derision obvious in his voice—who made it very clear how he felt about the influx of people seeking shelter in his city after a series of deadly snowstorm had drove them out of their home from the surrounding countryside and toward the already overcrowded city.
“—and despite what you may hear, I haven’t abandon them at all, sire. It pangs me deeply to see them suffer like that but even as the Lord of Tilain-gu, I am limited by what I can do and who I can help so I’d offer them some money from our treasury and a safe passage to other nearby gu that can accommodate and assist them much better than I can.”
Jinho’s put the stew on the Regis’ table, joining the other pre-approved dishes Donghae had tested earlierm though the majority of the dishes remained thoroughly untouched. Donghae frowns at the uneaten food and almost open his mouth to tell Eunhyuk off on it but he is quickly reminded that this isn’t Verinber and he must be careful with his words and how he present himself in front of other people. His Majesty had already given many leeways to Donghae, despite the difference in their position but Donghae can’t forget; he won’t forget.
Finally the last dish arrives with the serving girl bringing another plate down in front of him and this time it’s a huge slice of sweetcake. Donghae casts a quick glance at the Regis’ figure and a sliver of a smile makes it way to his face. The Regis’ notorious sweet tooth is apparently even well known this far down south.
The cake sits nice and pretty against the porcelain plate, blue on white with decorative flowers spun from sugar and cream. The outward appearance of the cake and color match true to the sample cake the chef had let Donghae examined earlier, so now all that left is to taste it, making sure it too lives up to the standards.
He picks up the fork that was already set aside for him and cuts off the smallest portion he can possible manage that would allow him to make a fair judgment without compromising the rest of the cake for His Majesty. Donghae lifts a spoonful of it close to his nose and sniffs it deliberately, inhaling all the sweet familiar aroma before engulfing it into his mouth.
“While I’m glad and appreciate that you would grace us with your presence here in Tilain-gu, Your Majesty, even though we’re a small inconsequential gu that should barely rate that much interest from you but any intervention from the Ver is not needed. Now that it seems the winter storm have finally move on, we are making progress with our recovery effort and given a couple more months I think we will fully resolved any issues brought by the storm and hopefully we would return to normal soon just as expected—”
Donghae carefully places the fork down on his plate, spits out the remaining undigested pieces into his handkerchief, and calmly says to the room, “It’s ashe’s root, Your Majesty.” Though Donghae didn’t raise his voice, his words alone cut a sweeping silence through the room. The servants freeze in their spot and the guards rise to attention, hand at their sword.
