Chapter Three: I’m Already Busy with My Job as the Viscountess
WE’LL arrive in the capital the following day, so the night at the inn is our last on the road. The inn is larger than is typical, probably because of its location near the city, and therefore manages to accommodate both our entourage and the fourth prince’s. Our combined number is impressive, which is why we’ve never lodged at the same establishment before. I think we stayed here on our way to Longhurst as well… I can’t quite remember, though I do recall we ate dinner in our rooms.
I remember the delicious dumplings stuffed with richly flavored meat and soft potatoes. I could only eat one…and I don’t think the fourth prince was there. Probably.
Tonight we will eat in the dining hall. The fourth prince has booked the entire facility “so we can relax,” but I’m always relaxed when my lord husband or Tabitha is around.
“It’s strange. Our trip didn’t last as long as expected, yet I feel as if so much time has passed,” comments the fourth prince.
“If it didn’t last as long as expected, it was a short trip.”
“That wasn’t my point…”
The table is stacked with large plates of food. Usually, Tabitha prepares the appropriate portion for me, but since the fourth prince’s staff is handling the meal, my lord husband serves me instead. Tabitha and Rodney are dining at a table nearby.
“Anyway, how about once a week? That’s surely fine, right?”
“Please do not try to compromise, Your Highness. I’ve already refused.”
“I’m just trying to work this out before we get back, you know.”
Once again, he is requesting my lord husband’s favor. He’s begged every time we meet on the road, and my lord husband always declines. Yet he hasn’t given up.
I finish my rabbit stew. Although the meaty chunks and carrots are filling, my lord husband ladled only a small amount into my bowl. I stare at a dish of what appears to be meat stewed in tomatoes. The meat is almost cylindrical. Perhaps it’s also stuffed with tomatoes. Or maybe it’s a meatball, though it doesn’t look like one. Why is it so round…?
“I mean, I haven’t even gotten the chance to speak to the lady about it since she’s always napping!”
“Longhurst tires her out. Abby, that isn’t the natural shape of the meat.”
Oh, he’s serving it to me! Its surface is brown, likely grilled. I stab it with a fork to prevent it from rolling away and slice it open… Oh! The meat inside isn’t grilled at all! It looks like a meatball wrapped in meat!
“I hear that her body is weak—” the fourth prince starts again.
“I’m strong,” I counter.
“She needs frequent rest, so work at the palace is not suitable at all,” my lord husband reiterates. “Don’t you already have plenty of talented bureaucrats at your disposal?”
I take a bite. The outer meat is thin yet firm, and the meatball inside flaky and juicy as it immediately falls apart on my tongue. I savor the rich fat and fragrant tomato. Delicious!
“True, but the documents we recovered from Longhurst aren’t organized in the least.”
“My lord?”
“It’s bragioli, Abby… My wife has already helped you choose the most important ones to bring back.”
“Bragioli…is meat inside meat,” I note.
The fourth prince coughs.
“I’m sure your aides at the castle can assist you, Your Highness… Abby, I’ll ask our chef to make it if you like.”
“Yes!” The head cook always manages to make tasty dishes even more appetizing.
I really want to eat another piece, but I must save room for dessert. In the meantime, my lord husband passes me half a bread roll, and I dip it into the bragioli sauce. The roll is crispy outside and fluffy inside, how delightful!
“That’s exactly it, sir. We have many specialists, but the lady knows the documents best. She can make predictions and calculations at a glance! I’ve never seen or heard of anyone else doing that before! Oh, don’t cluck your tongue at me! You know it’s true!”
“Dessert is here, Abby. Look, it’s something you didn’t get to try last time.”
“Yes! It’s cannoli!”
“Your aides will do just fine, Your Highness.”
The light-brown tube of dough is filled with so much white cream and reddish-yellow fruit that the mixture spills from both ends.
I yelp as my lord husband starts to cut it in half. “Oh, my lord! I can eat the whole thing! I’ll be fine!”
He merely smiles, then rotates his plate so I can see the cream inside his serving. “Look, mine has nuts instead of fruit. Are you sure you wouldn’t like to try both?”
“Please cut mine in half!”
I didn’t know there were different flavors!
He nods, then slices both cannoli and places the halves on my plate.
“Please, my lady, do me a favor,” wheedles the fourth prince. “By the way, sir, I’ve noticed that for someone with such a small appetite, she does love snacking…”
The dough wasn’t baked, so the cannoli is both fluffy and crispy! And I thought the cream was regular cheese at first, but it’s not. It’s ricotta! How smooth! It goes so well with the syrupy apricots.
“She can’t eat much at a time, so she eats frequently. Is it delicious, Abby?”
“Yes!”
“I see…” The fourth prince frowns. My lord husband has told me to ignore him, so I do.
The other cannoli has pistachio nuts and custard cream. It’s just as yummy!