Chapter 2: Celaeno, the Demon Kingdom
TWO days later, a horde of one hundred soldiers wearing large, bulky armor would soon descend upon the quiet town. And if that wasn’t alarming enough, every single one of them was a demonic sorcerer.
As things went, it was a pretty big deal. Even so, the townspeople went about their peaceful lives as usual—because no one knew they were coming.
“I mean, how the heck would we tell ’em all?” Raven shrugged. “We can’t just go out there and shout ‘Hey guys, just so you know, a swarm of elite soldiers is gonna swing by to pick up the crown prince and his potential empress,’ can we?”
“By ‘potential empress,’ do you mean me?” Marialite asked nervously, concentrating on thinly slicing an apple.
“Who else?” he sighed.
Her gaze wandered over to where he stood next to her, chopping another apple. She didn’t know what to say. Raven didn’t elaborate, either; he simply carried on chopping up more apples with dexterous hands. Unlike Marialite, who always had a kitchen knife at the ready to prepare food, he used a small, thin knife. Apparently, he had experience cooking the ingredients he managed to hunt down in the mountains or rivers while taking care of Sirius during their time as fugitives.
“You’ve got quite a talent there,” Marialite complimented him.
“I’d be killed if anyone found out I fed the prince something unsavory, y’see,” he chuckled awkwardly. “That’s why I trained to make sure I can handle the bare minimum, at least.”
“What did you two used to eat on your travels?” she asked.
She had been lucky enough to grow up in a stable environment and had never known the struggle of foraging for raw materials in her immediate surroundings simply to survive. Even when she had traveled to far-off lands to carry out her saintly duties, a cook always accompanied her along with plenty of pre-prepared ingredients.
She wasn’t sure why they insisted on sending one, though. Perhaps they were worried she would get poisoned if she ate any food prepared by strangers. When she’d visited wastelands without any farm villages in the vicinity, the palace had gone to great lengths to ensure she had good food to eat.
Marialite’s powers only stretched as far as making plants grow. If she was ever poisoned, there was nothing she could do. No plant could cure her within minutes. The soldiers that came with her for protection would sometimes eat the strange-looking foreign fruits and berries they came across, but they didn’t allow Marialite herself to eat any.
That was why she was jealous of Sirius and Raven in a certain respect; of course, she knew they’d been through a lot, and it probably wasn’t much fun, but she would’ve loved a little more adventure in her life.
“Uhhhh… I’m not sure you wanna know,” Raven answered with a grimace.
“Oh no, I’m sorry… It must’ve been a horrible time for you. Don’t answer if it makes you uncomfortable,” she quickly backtracked.
“I’m not saying it because I don’t want to,” he clarified. “I just thought…it might make you feel sick.”
“I think I can take it. So—tell me.”
“…Grilled caterpillars. With salt.” Raven gritted his teeth as he said it, concentrating very hard on the neat slices of apple in front of him. “The hairy ones won’t work. But, if you get a smooth, slimy one, then you can cover it with salt and skewer it. Then, you just cook ’em.”
“What do they taste like?” Marialite piped up, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.
Raven flinched before continuing. Evidently, he hadn’t been expecting her to take an interest. “W-Well… If you don’t know they’re bugs, then the taste isn’t all that bad, but… Are you sure you really wanna know all this?”
“Huh? Why not?”
“In my experience, a lot of women are scared of bugs.”
“I don’t think there’s any reason to be scared of them,” she retorted firmly. “Bugs are a sign that nature is thriving.”
There was a little truth in Raven’s words, though; when she was younger, Marialite was so scared of insects that she would run a mile if she even saw one. However, at some point, she’d become immune to their presence. Although there were some bugs that preferred to nest in unsanitary conditions, in most cases, they were found in large numbers in healthy, green habitats. The more she came across various creepy crawlies in her daily work, her feelings of disgust towards them gradually waned.
“My mom even screams at butterflies, though,” Raven tacked on.
“I could never,” Marialite laughed. “They’re so beautiful when they fly. I particularly like the ones with pale yellow and white wings. I think they’re adorable.”
“Oh, I know those,” he nodded. “They’re common in spring, aren’t they?”
“That’s right. When I see them, I start to feel like spring’s truly on its way.” She always marveled at the way their softly colored wings shone as they danced through the springtime sky.
Raven nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
They turned around when Sirius suddenly appeared in the kitchen, having emerged from his room. He’d just been talking to the emperor through Raven’s crows, but he had a strangely pleased look on his face.
“Lady Marialite, did you call for me?” he asked.
“No, I didn’t… How come?” she blinked.
Sirius’ smile immediately fell and was replaced by a puzzled frown.
“I heard you saying ‘beautiful’ and ‘adorable,’ so I just assumed you were talking about me…” he pouted.
So, that’s why he was looking so cheerful.
“I’m sorry, Sirius, but we were only talking about butterflies,” she smiled apologetically.
“Butterflies, hm…?” he echoed, pursing his lips in thought. “Ah, I just remembered how Raven used to fry them with oil and—”
“Y-Yup! Now, now, Lord Sirius—would you like some of this delicious apple?” Raven swiftly interrupted him, stuffing a slice of apple right between Sirius’ lips.
“Raven? What was that for?” Marialite asked, startled by his sudden insistence.
“It’s nothing!” Raven sang with a grin before turning back to Sirius. “That’s it! Eat it aaaall up!”
They were planning to make dried fruit with all the apples they’d sliced. Since both Sirius and Raven had lauded the apples Marialite grew, the emperor requested a sample of them as well—with a special request.
“Will His Majesty really be satisfied with this?” she wondered. “I don’t think dried apples are anything fancy.”
“You might think so, but that’s just because dried fruit is common in this country. In the Demon Kingdom, all the fruit is extraordinarily sour. When you dry them, that sourness gets amplified, so generally, people only eat them covered with sugar or honey while still fresh,” Sirius explained calmly, trying to pry the small knife away from Raven as he spoke.
Raven scowled, suspicious.
“Sorry for leaving you to help Lady Marialite alone, but I’m here now, so you can take a step back,” Sirius gestured to him.
“No, no. I couldn’t make you work, my lord,” he shook his head. “Especially if I’m just lazing around behind you; it’d be discourteous.”
“Just sit down already,” he insisted.
Sirius wanted to stay close to Marialite and help her work. That much was obvious, and Raven didn’t have it in him to argue with someone with such a stubborn character.
Raven flopped down onto the sofa in the living room, and after a few minutes, his breathing became rhythmic and relaxed. In all honesty, he was still exhausted from his long journey, and he was secretly grateful to Sirius for his suggestion.