Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 47

He bit his lip in anticipation, rubbing his hands together, waiting for her answer.

“It’s absolutely delicious!” Astoria replied, with a thumbs up, “I’ve never tasted anything like it. Completely out of this world-”

“Stop!” she heard Ai blurt out.

She paused, blinking rapidly in surprise. She wondered if she said something wrong or offensive.

“Don’t flatter him too much, Nexi,” Ai said, puffing her cheeks.

She looked like an adorable squirrel.

“You will just inflate his ego.”

The head chef laughed at Ai’s remark and softly pat her head.

“Someone is being way too jealous, don’t you think so Princess Nexi?” he teased Ai.

Astoria covered her mouth and softly let out a chuckle. Ai shook his hand off of her head and rolled her eyes.

“No, I’m not. Thanks for the food. Now, go away.”

The head chef chortled. “I did notify you that I can teach you how to cook, then you can also be on my level when it comes to your culinary skills….Maybe.”

Ai let out an exasperated sigh, blushing profusely.

“She almost burnt down the whole kitchen once trying to cook rice porridge for her brother, Prince Yoshito, who had a fever and-”

“Hey!” Ai gasped, interrupting the head chef, “Don’t tell Nexi that!”

The head chef softly laughed. “It’s true, though. Is that not the reason why you don’t like others complimenting my cooking?”

Astoria let out an even louder laugh and immediately covered her mouth tight. Ai turned and faced her, sighed again, and tilted her head towards the head chef.

“N-no, that’s n-not w-why…” Ai stammered, completely red.

She was a blushing mess as she tried to defend herself. Failing dismillay in the process. Astoria stared at her in amusement, enjoying her chicken salad which tasted even better now that her mood was being slowly lifted.

“Anyway, leave now. Go, bye!” Ai shooed him away.

He laughed, bowed, and left them to their meal. Ai turned her attention to Astoria and sighed again. It was like she was facing an existential crisis.

“So embarrassing,” Ai muttered, grabbing her fork, “He always brings that up every single time. Do you know how many times he’s repeated that story to the guards?”

She shook her head and the fox princess replied, “More than a 100!”

Astoria smiled and nodded in understanding.

‘Yes, that is quite embarassing,’ she thought.

They ate their meal while chatting. Upon finishing their meal, the head chef came back and took their empty dishes, clearing their table.

“Thank you for the food,” Astoria said, a smile plastered on her round face.

The head chef smiled, bowed, and left.

“We,” Ai began, standing up and carefully lifting her dress in the process, “should get going too. We need to meet my parents in the throne room.”

She nodded and carefully stood up as well. They walked to the throne room, and she was blown away once again by how spectacular throne rooms looked in this world. Truly elegant and expensive. The throne room of Chesropis had modest braziers which encompassed each of the eight onyx columns that lit up the lower levels of the throne room.

Their light wrapped the hall in a warm, welcoming radiance. The illustrations of kitsune gods and goddesses on the curved ceiling danced in the flickering light. At the same time, statuettes looked down upon the grey wooden floor of this elegant room.

A cobalt rug split the entire room in half from the doors to the throne while embattled banners with gilded tracery drooped from the walls. Between each purple banner stood several tapers of various sizes. None but a few had been lit and, in turn, illuminated the sculptures of the late royal family members below them.

Wide, stained glass windows of heavenly mosaics were bordered by drapes colored the same cobalt as the banners. The curtains had been adorned with gold leaves and delicate patterns. A grand throne of brass sat amidst two medium-sized statues. It was adjoined by five similar but smaller seats for the royal highness’ direct family.

The throne was covered in intricate designs and a jade dagger fixed on each of the broad ears. The bulky purple pillows were light cobalt, and these too have been adorned with ornate tufts. Those expecting an audience with their royal highness could do so on the abundance of decorated but somewhat uncomfortable oak benches.

These oak benches were perfectly aligned in rows. Those of higher standing could instead take a seat in the specially built balconies facing the benches below. Astoria found the king, queen, and Yoshito sitting on their designated royal seats. They were elegantly dressed and really had the aura of royalty.

“We’re here,” Ai exclaimed, waving at them.

She bowed at them and stood with her arms clasped in front of her body. The queen scanned her from head to toe and curled her lips.

“As I thought,” the queen began, a triumphant smirk on her face, “I really know how to pick the perfect dress. You two look absolutely stunning.”

Astoria smiled and thanked her. Yoshito gave them a thumbs-up, and the king nodded at his wife’s statement.

He cleared his throat and stood up. “We should get going. The festival can only begin once we get there.”

Everyone nodded. The king and queen walked in front while Ai walked behind them. Astoria found herself walking with Yoshito by her side. It was a bit awkward as she had no idea what to say. After all, she had barely seen him since she got here. She only saw him once, and that was during yesterday’s meal.

‘What did Nexi discuss with him?’ she wondered.

Yoshito was not much of a talker himself. Compared to his younger sister Ai, and his older brother Yashiro, he was a complete introvert. He would only speak when spoken to or when necessary. He cleared his throat and said to her.

“Are you feeling better today?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m completely healed now.”

“That’s good to hear. You must have been worried sick about my brother fighting Saxhish,” he told her.

They were now standing in front of the palace carriages.

“Yes,” she said.

Honestly, she was. For some odd reason, she had been worried about his brother. Would he manage to defeat her? Would he not get severely injured? Would Saxhish bite him? Why wasn’t he back yet? It’s been more than two hours, and he still wasn’t back yet?

No word from his parents or sister about the progress of the mission. Is that bad? Such questions had been racing through her mind when she waited for him. So, yes, she had been worried about his safety.

“One thing you must remember about my brother,” Yoshito began, “is that he never fails his missions.”

She stared at the second son of the Kuba family. The glint in his eyes and his facial expression showed me just how much he had faith in his older brother, just like Ai did. She wished that Nexi’s siblings, Naida and Morven, would treat Nexi like their little sister. That they would cherish her like the Kuba siblings adored each other.

She shook her head. “I’ll keep that in mind from now on.”

Yoshito pursed his lips in contentment. He was as dashing as his older brother and wore a clean white shirt. It was left unbuttoned at the top for a more casual look. On top of the shirt, he was wearing a sleek vest with six buttons. It had a fairly deep v-line, which caused the vest to line up perfectly with the black jacket’s v-line when it was buttoned up.

The jacket perfectly wrapped around his body. It had a simple but elegant blanket plaid pattern, giving the suit a dignified and elegant look. The five buttons of his double-breasted jacket were all buttoned up, giving him a sophisticated look. The jacket was the same length all around. It had vents on either side. There was a pocket on either side and a breast pocket that contained a stylish pocket square.

He was wearing pants that had a different style than the jacket. However, they complemented each other perfectly and perfectly complimented his shoes. He wore a stylish pair of black perf toe balmorals. To top it all off, he wore an elegant belt accompanied by a brooch and a scarf.

To her, he looked like he could appear on The Bachelor and have a ton of women swoon over him. She believed he would be the perfect candidate who would skyrocket the show’s ratings in such a way that he would make history as the highest viewed bachelor on The Bachelor.

“My wife and I will take this carriage,” the king instructed, pointing at a purple carriage, “You three will use the white one.”

With that, they sat inside the carriage, and it began to leave. Yoshito and her walked to the white carriage and sat inside. Ai followed.. They set off to the festival, everyone secretly feeling excited about it for their own reasons.