"Your Highness, that Lucas agreed to attend the banquet tonight," Sally reported, having returned to the tent.
"Oh?" Perry was momentarily stunned, then immediately ordered, "Then prepare our highest-standard banquet. If we are short on anything, go into the city and buy it. We absolutely must not lose face."
They had already been outdone in terms of appearance today. They had to rely on the high standards of a Valtoria Kingdom banquet to impress them. That noble was just a baron, wasn't he? He's surely never attended a banquet hosted by a princess.
"Yes." The attendant immediately left to make preparations.
"Sally, select a few others to attend the banquet with us tonight. Tell them to clean themselves up. Don't embarrass us," Perry instructed coolly.
"Yes." Sally nodded and turned to leave and select the attendees.
I hope this goes smoothly, Perry sighed. She just hoped the other party wouldn't be too greedy. The tribe still had tens of thousands of sheep, and simply feeding them every day was becoming a burden.
The sun set, and the sky darkened. Bonfires blazed throughout the beastkin camp, filling the air with the aroma of roasting meat.
Tap, tap, tap…
Lucas led Mina and Ayesha, flanked by Martin and Camilla, who had also been invited. Escorted by the War Wolf squad, the group walked toward the camp.
"Are we having roast meat tonight?" Ayesha's eyes lit up as she gazed at the main tent.
"Don't get your hopes up," Lucas said lightly, his eyes fixed forward. "They don't have many spices. The meat will just be salted."
"Huh?" Ayesha paused, but before she could ask why, she saw someone approaching to greet them.
"Welcome, honored guests," Sally said, her tone of welcome anything but warm.
Mina stared at Sally with cold eyes, holding out a small box. "A gift," She said, her voice just as cold.
"Go on in," Lucas said, lightly patting Mina's back, amused by their childish display of rivalry.
"Please." Sally took the box, lifted the tent flap for them to enter, and the War Wolf squad remained standing guard outside.
Tap, tap...
Lucas entered the tent and saw a female beastkin sitting at the head seat, though her face was veiled, making her appearance unclear.
The banquet was arranged with tables on two sides. Two brawny beastkin were already seated on the right. The head seat on that side was empty, which he presumed was for Sally.
"Honored guests, please, be seated," Perry gestured for Lucas and his party to sit on the left.
Lucas smiled faintly and took the head seat. Mina and Ayesha sat beside him, followed by Martin and Camilla at the next table, and James at the last.
"Serve the food," Perry commanded once everyone was seated.
"Yes."
The food arrived quickly. A whole roast sheep, a complete roast wild rabbit, and... boiled sparrows? No, birds slightly larger than sparrows. There was also some finely shredded greenery.
The tables were almost entirely meat, mostly mutton, served in two ways: boiled in salt water, or roasted. All the meat was served in large, whole pieces. In the corner of the table sat a platter of hard, dark bread and a large cup of cloudy wheat ale.
At the sight of this feast, Sally, the other two beastkin, and even Martin's eyes lit up. Clearly, they rarely ate so lavishly.
"Honored guests, please, don't be polite." Perry gestured for them to eat, her eyes on the stunned Lucas, a slight smile on her veiled lips.
"..." Lucas nodded with a smile. Looking at the whole chunks of meat, he had absolutely no appetite.
He looked up and saw that Sally, at least, was using a knife to cut her meat. The other two, however, were grabbing huge hunks with their bare hands, tearing off a bite, and washing it down with a gulp of ale. Their manners were completely wild.
"Camilla, aren't you eating?" Martin mumbled, his mouth full. "This roast mutton is really good!"
"Er..." Camilla was at a loss. Looking at her father, his mouth glistening with grease, she shook her head. "I was on the ship all day... I'm a little tired and don't have much of an appetite."
In truth, she had no appetite at all. She had been spoiled by the fine cuisine in Lucas's castle. She had no idea how to even start on this crude food.
"What should we do? Do you want to go back first?" Martin asked, concerned for his daughter.
"No need. Please, you eat," Camilla said gently. She could see the naked hunger for meat in her father's eyes. He had very few days in the year where he could eat like this. She made a mental note to learn how to cook the castle's food so she could make a real meal for him one day.
Sigh... Lucas heard their conversation and sighed inwardly. It looked like he'd have to ask for a late-night snack when he got back.
"Master..." Ayesha had cut off a piece of roast mutton. After chewing it, her face wrinkled in disgust. She forced it down and whispered, "It's so salty."
"Drink some water," Lucas said, passing her the cup of rinsing water from the table. He knew why it was so salty. In this era, the rarer an item, the more you used it to honor a guest. Salt was scarce, so they used it heavily to show respect.
"Master, you really shouldn't eat this. You'll get a stomachache," Mina said, also struggling to swallow a piece of mutton. She was getting annoyed. Given her master's refined palate, this meal was pure torture. It was a kind gesture, but they were from different worlds. They simply couldn't stomach this food.
"Oh? Lord Lucas, is the food not to your liking?" Perry finally had to speak up. She had been watching him for a while, and he hadn't touched a single thing.
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