44. Meal Plan

I was annoyed… angry even.

I was alone with Stash in the carriage. He had offered for Jade to come spend the afternoon at the residence, but she had to refuse since she had chores at the orphanage.

I was disappointed that she had declined, but that wasn't the reason I was in such a sour mood. 

The guilty lied with Lionheart.

-Where is he?- I asked Stash, barely hiding the emotions on my face.

For a few moments, he didn't say anything and simply smiled awkwardly at me, hoping this would be enough of an answer, but I didn't relent. After a few tense seconds, he relented.

-My lord had urgent business at the Green Palace.- He explained.

I raised an eyebrow.

Green palace? Was that even a real place? It sounds made-up. 

-What's the Green Palace?-

Stash rubbed his chin for a moment. Was he trying to think of an explanation… Or making up more lies? After a few moments, he seemed to nod  to his own thoughts, and he explained.

-It's a place where laws are discussed.-

-Like a court?-

Stash looked surprised.

-You know what a court is, my lady?-

I nodded.

-I heard about it from my Moth… -

No. 

I already told myself that I wouldn't think about that woman as THAT anymore.

-...From someone.-

Stash smiled. Whether he understood that I was hiding something or not was a mystery.

-Is that so? Well, it's similar to a court. The Green Palace is where those of peerage settle their disagreements.- He clarified.

Disagreements?

-Is Lionheart in trouble?- I asked.

Was it my fault?!

I completely forgot about my earlier anger. I remembered Jade telling me that Lionheart had broken me out of prison. I don't know how these things work exactly, but I do know that you normally can't just take people out of prison like that. Maybe that's why he was in trouble? 

But Stash shook his head.

-Not at all, my lady. Perhaps quite the opposite. My lord is simply resolving a small argument.-

I let out a sigh of relief.

So maybe Lionheart wasn't avoiding me…

Despite wanting to become closer, I felt as if Lionheart had been avoiding me and keeping his distance lately. I barely ever saw him outside of meal times, and in a big house like this one, filled with busy adults, I felt rather lonely.

The carriage finally turned into the short entrance path. I called it short, but that was compared to the Estate in my old life. This one was still easily four times the size of the yard at the orphanage.

-My lady, there is someone I would like you to meet.- Stash announced out of the blue.

-Uh? Really? Who? Why?-

Before he could answer, the coach came to a stop.

Stash stepped out of the carriage and held out his hand, which I gladly accepted on the way down. 

-So, who was it that you wanted me to meet?- I asked him as he handed my books and satchel to another servant.

-Ah well, it will make more sense to explain once they arrive. Why don’t we proceed to the garden first? You must be famished. I’ll have the cook whip you up lunch.-

I perked up at the mention of food.

Lunch!

If one thing I could say had dramatically improved since the orphanage, it would be food. Despite not being exactly bad, the food at the orphanage had always been a bit bland. Most of it was made of oats, carrots and potatoes. It almost always tasted the same thing… Except when it tasted slightly worse... 

Though there was one exception and that had to be those stick things I came to know was called ‘meat’. It looked very tough and reddish brown and I had never tasted anything like it before. It was quite popular at the orphanage, but I wasn't allowed to have it every day since it was so expensive..

I had asked Jade at some point what 'meat' was exactly and after struggling for a few minutes to figure out the best way to break it to me, she finally explained that it was made from dead animals.

At first, I was disgusted. I felt sick at the idea that me and everyone at the orphanage had been eating dead creatures, but she clarified that it was quite normal and that there are farms full of animals for eating and also people called “hunters” who spend their entire lives killing animals so they could be eaten. It was also this way I came to learn that the leather of my satchel I had been carrying around was also made from the skin of dead animals... 

Speaking of, I never saw that bag again after the kidnapping incident. I guess they kept it…

Anyways, before then I had never questioned animal products like milk or eggs since they were simply something that came from animals, but their bodies…

It was all very troubling. I had always thought that killing and dying were very sad things and only the most dangerous animals, like those in stories, would be killed. I never considered you could ‘eat’ them, and never had I seen any of it being served at the table back at the home of 'those' people.

For a few weeks, I looked at the small amount of meat being served at the orphanage with disdain. I simply couldn’t detach the mental image of an animal being served as food on the dining table, but then the memory of the juicy and savory flavour had been too much to bear.

I had asked Hare about why we ate meat, but he had gone into a long-winded explanation about how eating certain food gave different types of nutrients and small rocks. It made me more confused than anything, but from what I understood, some foods made you grow taller and gave you more energy.

Now, when I first arrived at Lionheart's home, they didn’t really serve me meat at all. Although I didn’t particularly mind since I had spent most of my life not eating any, I started missing the chewy texture. 

So, when I was asked what I wanted for lunch by Stash, I asked for meat.

He had looked completely bewildered at my request and had to ask permission from Lionheart. After an energetic back and forth between the two, they eventually turned back to me and asked if I was sure I could eat meat. Confused, I had simply nodded. After some hesitation he left to fetch me some 'meat'. When he returned, he placed a plate in front of me. What was in front of me looked completely foreign. Its colour was slightly similar, but it was much larger and looked somehow… Wet? 

Instinctively, I tried to grab it with my hand like I had done with the meat at the orphanage, but I was surprised to notice it was soft and warm.

Seeing this, Stash panicked and quickly cleaned my hands and explained that I couldn’t eat it with my hands. 

He used a large knife at my side and used the blade to cut through the meat. As he did, I was amazed to see the pink inside, almost red. It was incredible, I had never seen anything like it. It was almost like… 

It finally hit me, it was still warm, and the inside was red… Like blood! The meat was still alive! 

I started panicking, I trashed about, tried to pull on Stash’s sleeve to make him stop cutting and started crying, thinking they had killed the meat right in front of me. After some time, they were finally able to calm me down as they explained that that was simply how the meat looked before it was cooked. 

Apparently, what I had eaten at the orphanage was called ‘jerky’, and to cook it, it had to be completely dried, so there wasn’t much red left compared to what they had served me, which they called a ‘steak’.

I was still reluctant to eat it for a moment, but as soon as I tried some, the flavour flooded my mouth. I couldn’t believe I had never eaten anything like it before, and it erased all the negative emotions I had experienced a moment before.

The idea of eating animals still left a funny feeling in my head, and sometimes I felt waves of discomfort, but I slowly began to accept the idea that this was normal… Somehow.

Ever since then, there have been many meat dishes cooked for me, and I felt like every day was a new culinary experience.

And it seems today was no different.

-Here you are, my lady.- Stash signed after he placed the plates in front of me, but as practised, I waited before eating.

-This dish is called  ‘Mrḡ’s plate’. Originating from the great plains of Morrow, it is composed of wild herb sprouts topped with mutton meatballs and goat cheese. The meat is either chopped or ground and then shaped into a ball that can then be stuffed with garlic and other herbs. It was once a common dish among sheep herders for the ease of access to the ingredients, but it slowly gained popularity throughout the years and can now be freshly prepared in any region with some local adjustments.-

I nodded at his explanation. 

This exercise was two-pronged. The first was that, after the ‘bloody meat’ incident, I didn’t want to get caught off guard again. The other was to teach me more about the world. It seemed that from most people’s point of view, I had a lack of understanding of the world and history, so Lionheart and Stash had been trying to shove ‘common knowledge’ trivia like this in my daily activities so I became more ‘cultured’.

I took my fork and split the meatball in two, a fragrant aroma assaulted my nostrils as I happily started digging in.

I noticed an amused look on Stash’s face. If there was one thing I dislike, it’s to be made fun of…

-Why are you laughing?- I asked with a scowl.

-Oh, pardon me, my lady. I simply cannot get used to this sight.- He said as he tried to compose himself.

-The sight… Of how I eat?-

He’s definitely making fun of me.

-Oh, not at all! My lady is gracious in all she does…-

I raised an eyebrow at his answer. Gracious in everything I do? 

Yeah right.

-Then if it’s not about HOW I eat, what is it?- I asked as I placed my utensils on the table and crossed my arms. Not letting him get off so easy.

He looked uncomfortable for a few moments before speaking up.

-You see, my lady… How should I put this… Meiriemkins can’t usually eat meat.-

I let my eyebrow sink into a disappointed expression.

-Is that all? I’m a Scornkin, so it doesn’t matter what Meiriem says.-

Stash shook his head.

-No, my lady. You misunderstand. Those with Meiriem blood normally get sick and could even die from consuming this much meat.-

I sat up in my chair in panic.

-Wait what?!-