12 - Books and Food

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Sustenance for both the body and the mind,

Knowledge and meals, their significance, one shall find.

Nourishment for one's personhood shall save you in a bind.

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It was lunchtime.

Kairo had been waiting for this with bated breath, he was keen to finally get a taste of the fruits of their— well, mostly Tiraga's— labor. Aisia was looking for him when she saw him in the kitchen having a conversation with Tiraga. Aisia called both of them out to eat.

Kairo asked if Tiraga was going to eat with them, but refused and said that she planned to eat by herself after the last batch.

"Oh, alright..." Kairo said dismally as he ran with Aisia to the dining hall. He sort of wanted to eat with Tiraga.

At the dining hall were Grisia, Fredrick, Esmeralda, Alexandra, Agata, the three unnamed maids Kairo met earlier, and some other maids he was meeting for the first time.

"Goodness, there are QUITE a number of people. And there'll be a few more batches after this?" Kairo asked in awe.

"Yes," Aisia answered. "A large mansion needs a lot of helpers to maintain it after all. At least that's what I've been told. It does make sense though, chores are a pain."

Eventually, they all got seated, with Grisia at the end of the long table. Kairo and Aisia were seated at the left and right-hand side of Grisia respectively. Fredrick sat beside Kairo, and Alex beside Aisia.

"Well, dig in, everyone," Grisia dullily declared.

Kairo observed his surroundings. Some of the maids were already chowing down, Aisia and Grisia included. There were others that were doing their own prayers and rituals before eating. Meanwhile, Esmeralda and Fredrick were idle, seemingly waiting on something.

Kairo asked Fredrick, "Sir Fredrick, what are you and Esmeralda waiting on?"

"Oh, we're waiting for the other maids to finish praying, so we may all eat together," he replied.

"That's quite thoughtful. I should do the same."

"Are you sure, Kairo? It's absolutely fine if you went ahead, you're a kid, so you don't need to be so reserved."

"It doesn't matter if I'm a kid, I think what you're doing is thoughtful. So, I think I should do it as well."

"Well, alright then," Fredrick smiled.

Esmeralda heard Kairo and Fredrick's conversation. The lights from the chandelier above the table hid her shut eyes with the gleam from her spectacles as she smiled softly. Meanwhile, Aisia didn't even hear anything as she was too busy eating to pay attention.

Once everyone had finished their rituals, that's when things got livelier.

People started to chatter while eating, but some were eating on their own, not partaking on socializing, most notably Grisia. He only had small portions on his plate, which looked like he wasn't going to be eating much. But he did at least have a little of every dish that was on the table.

Fredrick and Kairo were exchanging information about Aisia and scheming on how to put a stop to her thievery. Aisia noticed she was being talked about, and after listening in, she called out the two for scheming in front of her, waving her roasted chicken leg at them as she shouted.

But this was not something rude or unnatural in this household as everyone else was just as loud, if not, louder than Aisia, and Grisia, the master of the mansion, did not bat an eye. There was laughter amongst the banter and everyone was enjoying the scrumptious food.

"Pick up the pace! The next batch is coming!"

Kairo looked back to the dishes on the table and saw that it wasn't sloppy at all. Everyone was careful on how they took servings from the food that it was ready for more batches to take from. This may be the etiquette in this household, to eat neatly so that the next batch can eat without worry. He did get ordered by Tiraga to put serving spoons such as ladles, cooking spoons, and the like for each dish. He reckoned it must be for this reason. Furthermore, there were still more servings in the kitchen anyway, so the dishes wouldn't run out just yet for the other batches.

They may be rowdy, but it seems to him that they care a lot about each other. 

Kairo was just finishing up his fill when the dining hall became noticeably hushed.

Kairo looked around himself and asked with his mouth full, digging into a bowl of rice, succulent pork, and leafy greens, "Hmm? Ish da nexsht batch heehr? (Is the next batch here?)" he slurped up what he could and finally turned to where all the other maids were facing.

Behind him, at the entryway, was Tiraga, who was looking absolutely pissed.

"Hmm?! Tiraga?! I thought you told me to eat! Don't be mad at me!" Kairo pleaded, holding the bowl and spoon in his hands.

"I'm not mad at ya, boy! Shut your trap and keep eating!"

"Yes ma'am!" Kairo replied, stuffing his face while crying comically.

"GRISIAAA!!!" her voice echoed throughout the dining hall. They felt its intensity in their chest and ears.

"Hmm? Oh, Tiraga. Wanna eat—" but before he could finish, Tiraga ferociously chopped him on the head.

Kairo felt the shockwave from where he sat. It wasn't like how she usually did it to Kairo, it seemed more violent, like she wasn't holding back. It was as if she was seriously trying to harm Grisia, or kill him.

She used her entire body to aid her swing's momentum. Her hand went invisible for a second by how swiftly she did her chop. Kairo knew that if he was the target of that chop, he definitely would be down for the count.

Everyone's eyes widened and were locked onto the two, save for Aisia who kept on eating.

"M-Miss cook, maybe don't hurt Lord Grisia—"

"Shut your trap, gate boy! Keep eating!"

"Yes ma'am!" Fredrick imitated Kairo and kept eating nervously. Murmurs and fearful gasping by the maids filled the room.

Grisia removed Tiraga's hand on his head as if it was accidentally placed there. He never even flinched once from the strength she used.

"Grisia, what is this?!" Tiraga asked, casually making conversation just after assaulting him with an attack that could've seriously injured somebody. 

"What is what?" Grisia replied in absolute confusion.

"You're not eating a lot!"

Most of the people in the room who were listening did a collective "Huh?" They were all surprised that she seemed to be mad at him for such a simple reason. But was it truly only because Grisia didn't eat large portions of her cooking?

"Ah, yes. I did not feel like eating a lot for lunch because I already ate outside when I was with Sia."

"Lord Grisiaaa! Don't make it worse!" Fredrick shouted.

"Huh? But it's fine. Sia did not eat with me because she told me she wanted Tiraga's cooking." Grisia told Fredrick nonchalantly.

They looked at Aisia who was minding her own business, gorging on the food. She seemed to be satisfied with her wish coming true.

Many of the maids facepalmed, bowed their heads in disappointment, or sighed. Kairo spectated the scene as he continued to eat his food.

"So, you're not gonna eat what I cooked?!" Tiraga asked Grisia.

"Oh. I did have a bite-sized portion of each of the dishes. Don't worry."

"Oh, brother," the maids started murmuring to each other, one of them was biting her handkerchief and pulling it down in frustration, sobbing for Tiraga.

As brusque and intimidating Tiraga was, they were still sympathetic to a woman pouring her heart out to a man through her cooking. They would be unsurprised if the tough maid Tiraga suddenly broke into tears right then and there.

"Hmph, good. Then, I'll be back in the kitchen," she declared.

"Huh??!"

"Eh??!"

The spectators were surprised that Tiraga genuinely looked like she got what she wanted as she turned around and left the room as swiftly as she came.

"Certainly. Have fun," Grisia bid his farewell to her, giving an endearing wave.

But before she completely left, Tiraga went back and shouted, "Enjoy the food, ya rascals!"

To which the maids, Fredrick, and Kairo replied with a spirited "Yes, ma'am!"

Once she was gone, the maids breathed a sigh of relief and laughed nervously.

After they were done, they stood up and left the room. A new batch of maids sat down with their own plates and utensils. Kairo waved goodbye to Fredrick as he went back to his post. He then went with Aisia to follow Grisia outside the dining hall.

They kept walking until they arrived at the courtyard. The further they went, the quieter the chattering from the dining hall got.

They continued their stroll when Grisia started, "Every week, I place a bulk order for two days' worth of meat delivered on a random day," Aisia and Kairo nodded. "Then, Tiraga, the head cook, makes a meal plan to cook that meat on whatever day she wishes. This means that there will be two days in a week when we'll all be able to eat meat for the whole day. We don't know when those two days will be, but Tiraga will not let those precious meat spoil. This is also a form of training."

Grisia stopped to face the two. "You must be nurtured to expect that good things will happen eventually in life and that it is worth continuing to live on to experience those things. At the end of the tunnel, there will be a reward waiting for you. Understood?"

"Understood!" Kairo and Aisia responded in unison.

"But, the better ideal would be..." Grisia turned around and started to talk to himself while still being audible enough to the two. "...fighting for your beliefs, even if hell is waiting for you on the other side."

Aisia was visibly confused by Grisia's poetic statement, but Kairo was a different matter.

"Hmm... I don't really want to go to hell. I don't get that," Aisia said, crossing her arms and pushing her lips outward in contemplation.

"That is understandable. You'll realize what I mean when you grow older."

"I understand," Kairo spoke.

Grisia and Aisia turned to Kairo. "There will be things more important than my own life, things I cherish too much. There will be a time when I have to do what I must to protect them, even if I have to walk through hell over and over again," Kairo had a fervent stare, as if he was a different person, seemingly looking through Grisia like he wasn't there.

"Not exactly what I had in mind, that is a bit extreme. I meant, even if the weekly meat meal plan did not exist, in the absence of a rainbow after the rain, you should continue to live and improve yourselves. But what you said had some sense to it, Kairo. You simply need to tone it down. Don't go sacrificing your own life for others selfishly. You will make your loved ones sad. Be strong enough to survive and return back home to them," Grisia responded.

Aisia was getting lost in the conversation between the two boys.

Kairo laughed nervously as his face softened up, placing his hand behind his head and smiling. "I... I don't remember what I said. I must have spaced out. But I agree, I do think that's a better plan."

"Huh." Aisia made a confused noise.

"Lord Grisia," Esmeralda came up from behind them.

Aisia and Kairo were surprised, they didn't notice her at all behind them until she spoke. Although Grisia didn't even seem to be startled by a bit.

"Yes, Esmeralda?" Grisia responded.

"I sense a—" she stopped herself as she took a gander at Aisia and Kairo.

Kairo saw behind her spectacles, a stare that was devoid of the warm friendliness he usually felt from her.

Seeing that the two children were present and couldn't tell them to move away, she decided to whisper her message to Grisia instead.

"Man, secrets again," Aisia pouted.

As Esmeralda continued to whisper to Grisia, Kairo kicked around a pebble while Aisia restlessly alternated between standing on one foot and then the other, admiring the grayish-blue sky.

After Esmeralda had finished giving her message, Grisia spoke, "It's fine. I have already met the person in question."

Her eyes widened. "Does that mean that last night's—" she stopped herself from saying any more, covering her lips with her hand as she remembered the presence of the two children.

"Oh, to hell with the drama!" Aisia complained.

"I can't talk about it right now. Understand, Sia," Grisia told her. His tone wasn't as grave as the tone he used last time when he didn't want to be found out that he knew about Kairo's situation.

"I knowww. I'm not asking, right? But I can still complain about how it suuucks," Aisia replied. Grisia smirked kindly and rubbed her hair, messing up her ponytail like usual.

As Grisia gave orders to Esmeralda, Aisia distracted herself by redoing her ponytail while Kairo observed how she did her hair.

"Do not engage. Let them be. If the person comes to us, notify me immediately, I'll personally handle it. It is important that no one engages that person. I'll give you additional orders later. If you or anyone else who is involved in this have any questions, ask only me. Do not let anyone else know about this."

"As far as I know, no one else is aware of this but the two of us, my lord," she replied.

"Perfect. Make sure it stays that way."

"Understood, Lord Grisia," Esmeralda bowed to the three. As she rose from her bow, Kairo saw her usual, amiable face return with her familiar, kind smile. It was like he witnessed another side of Esmeralda.

And so, Esmeralda went on her way back to the mansion as the three continued their march.

They were finally at the outskirts of the manor. Looking at it again, Grisia's land was wide and expansive, the mansion sat atop a field of plains, and beside it is a bountiful forest that bore fresh fruits and herbs. It was impressive just how much land Grisia owned, there is even a waterfall deeper in the forest. It was unthinkable how a single person owned this much land and had such a massive house. It must be a testament to Grisia's might and charm, Kairo thought.

"Tomorrow is your last day for rest and adapting to life here, Kairo. The day after, you two will start your training right here," Grisia stated, stomping twice on the ground.

The chilly wind howled. The grass and the leaves of the trees swayed along its motion. The sky was already turning gray as the clouds started to form.

Slowly but surely, winter was coming.

After some moments of silence, Grisia blurted out. "Well, I suppose it's time to head back and read at the library."

"Awww!" Aisia pouted.

"C'mon. It's quite chilly outside, you two might catch a cold. It'll be inconvenient for you two to get sick and then have to postpone training. The three of us will be in the library until dinner. Afterwards, sleep."

"Tour me around, Aisia," Kairo beckoned. "Books are very expensive, it's a luxury to enter a library, let alone have one in your home! So, I'm really excited to see it!"

"Fine," she said begrudgingly. But with the excuse of having to give another tour to Kairo, she obtained the opportunity to properly check out reading. Until Kairo came, she was disinterested in books, now, the seeds of curiosity sown then were beginning to bloom.

They went up to the second floor and arrived at a large double door. When Grisia opened it, Aisia simply narrowed her eyes and let out a weary sound at the familiar sight, meanwhile, Kairo was in awe at how many books were there.

It was simply a room filled with books! How delightful of a sight it was for a child who was only able to read the same ten or so books from his village over and over again from cover to cover because those were the only ones available.

At the middle of all the towering bookshelves was a long, dark, wooden table. Right behind it, in the middle of the room, a large glass window let in natural light. There were oil lamps as well, but it was still bright enough at noon, it was too early to light it, it would be a waste of oil. There were stools and ladders that Kairo inferred to be meant for reaching the higher parts of the bookshelves.

Grisia introduced Kairo to the system in which the books were organized. He explained that it was alphabetically arranged by title, but Kairo could simply put down a book on a nearby chair or table and Grisia will put it back for him.

He said he personally organizes the bookshelves anyway, not the maids. Not that they aren't allowed in the library, many of them spend their pastime here, perusing the wide selection of fictional or educational books.

Kairo respectfully declined the proposition and wanted to learn how to do it the right way, and so they spent some time talking about it. Grisia pointed at a stack of parchment with a pen and an ink bottle beside it. Written on the parchment was a list of all the books for tracking purposes, as well as dates for checking in and out of the library, and other information such as the title of the books and the name of the person who borrowed it.

After Kairo was introduced to other things about the library, he had a look around the bookshelves until he found a simple book he was familiar with.

"Ah, yes. This. I know this one, this is good, exactly what I needed," Kairo did as he was told, filling in the necessary information once he took the book he found.

Afterwards, he initiated reading the simple book with Aisia, calling her to where he sat. She accepted.

They read together as Grisia continued a book he was already reading previously, sitting at the opposite side of the table from where the two sat.

At first, Aisia was slightly hesitant to read, but as Kairo helped her understand the words she didn't know, she got the hang of it and started to enjoy it. After a while, the library darkened and Grisia had to turn on the oil lamps.

When it got completely dark outside, Aisia asked, "We going to eat yet, pops?"

"If you want to, I'll stay here until the last batch though,"

"Oh? Oh, right. It's that time," Aisia remembered what being on the last batch for today's dinner meant. "Fineee. I'll eat at the last batch too."

"You're not hungry, Kairo?" Grisia asked. "You can eat ahead of us if you would like."

"I am feeling peckish, but I think I'll join you two at the last batch too. See what it's like."

"Alright."

They kept reading books until it was around the time for the last batch of dinner. Kairo and Aisia only got to a quarter of the book they were reading, but he understood that to her, it was a tremendous amount of progress. She was somewhat disappointed that she didn't get to finish it, and wanted to continue reading it with him next time.

Much to Grisia's surprise, she was excited to return to the library tomorrow at the same time. They put their books back and went downstairs, right on time for the last batch of dinner.

When they entered the dining hall, Kairo was shocked to find out that there were still a lot of maids present, even Fredrick was there. Esmeralda and Agata were not present though.

The maids all had serious looks on their faces as if they were prepared for battle.

"Err, what's the occasion?" Kairo asked. Grisia already started to walk to his seat.

"Move out of the way, boy!" a familiar, loud voice shouted from behind him.

It was Tiraga, and she was carrying a tall pot with her—the tall pot. Neither Kairo nor Aisia could sniff out what was in the pot as the lid was tightly shut.

"No use sniffing," Kairo saw Tiraga wearing a dark grin. It triggered chills in his back. She was giving off a dangerous aura that made the hair in his arms rise.

"So, it begins," Grisia spoke in a grave tone.

Kairo turned to Grisia, then back to the cackling tall maid.

Her presence was immense, she looked bigger and more intimidating than before. He could sense bloodlust coming out of her, though, he felt it might only be a small amount that was seeping through a tiny crack of a formidable wall that housed a deeper bloodlust, deeper than the darkest depths of the ocean.

It was staggering how this small amount alone was enough to make his knees tremble.

Kairo knew Tiraga to be a wild and crass woman. He was also wary of her the first time they met in the kitchen, but this other, more savage side of her made him feel like he was a prey cornered to his certain death.

For what reason was Tiraga wearing such a crazed and ominous smile?

No one moved, Kairo gulped, his heart pounded, preparing for what was about to come.