◆ Visiting Stalls and Preferences
AFTER we finished changing, we walked along the busy city streets with Layla as our guide. We visited the currency exchange counter and switched some Astrian money over to Rasheedan coins. The gold coins in Astria had an engraving of a star, but Rasheed’s was etched with a delicate rose.
Layla claimed that some counters had wildly fluctuating rates and would try to rip off unsuspecting foreigners. Those who clearly looked like inexperienced tourists and were dressed in quality clothes were often targeted, with expensive rates pushed upon them.
How terrifying. I’m so glad Layla’s with us, I thought. I knew that I should’ve looked into exchange rates while I was in Astria, but it’d never crossed my mind. I should be more mindful about stuff like that if I go on another international trip.
“Why don’t we eat first?” Layla suggested. “Since I think you’ll have some extravagant dishes at the banquet, why don’t we eat something more common and comforting? Personally, I’d recommend Stall Street, which is nearby. Would you like to go there?”
“Yes, please!” I immediately agreed.
The idea of a street lined with tons of food stalls made me excited. I loved street stalls myself—the food there was cheap and affordable. When I went on long expeditions to gather materials, I’d often stay in cities outside of the royal capital, and frequented stalls for a quick meal. I’d also stay at cheap inns by myself.
Every now and then, Mr. Roge would voice his concerns about my choices, finding it dangerous for a lady to travel alone, but everyone I’d met was kind to me, and I never had any problems. As a precaution, I’d hang Ms. Gazey in a birdcage from my staff; perhaps that was an effective deterrent.
I walked beside Layla while Mr. Julius and Prince Faisal followed close behind us. It was wholesome to see the prince ask various questions about Helios and Mr. Julius give occasional, short replies.
Stall Street was teeming with people, likely because it was lunchtime. Delectable aromas hit my nose. The scent of deep-fried and pan-fried foods filled the air. The street was a vast clearing lined with numerous stalls covered with cloth awnings. Some of these awnings were decorated with colorful glass ornaments, mirrors, or metallic tchotchkes.
“These decorations in front of the stalls serve as talismans to ward off bad spirits,” Layla explained. “It’s believed that beautiful items that glitter under the sunlight can chase away evil.”
“I see…” I mused. “This is a great idea. These trinkets glimmer beautifully, and they serve to accentuate the appearance of each store.”
“While some people choose to make these ornaments themselves, you can also buy them at stores.”
“Really? Then maybe I’ll buy a few as souvenirs.”
They might serve as good presents for Ms. Roxy and Mr. Robert. I once nonchalantly hinted at the idea of giving a second Ms. Gazey to Ms. Roxy for self-defense, but she gently declined. A beautiful ornament might suit her better, and I hoped she’d enjoy the gift. As for Mr. Robert, even if the design didn’t suit his taste, I felt like his wife would appreciate it.
“Then I’ll guide you to a store later,” Layla said. “While these stalls sell various foods, I recommend skewered sand lizards. There’s another dish where meat is finely chopped and sandwiched between thin, toasted bread. We’ve also got deep-fried fowl stuffed with rice and mutton meatballs stewed in soup. They’re all very delicious.”
“You’re very knowledgeable, Layla,” I remarked.
“I like food stalls. The meals within the Holy Palace and my house are all too stiff and formal. They tire me out. And corsets are so tight and suffocating that I can barely eat.”
“Ah, so you find corsets suffocating too!” I’d thought that corsets were too tight, even when I was still living as the daughter of a duke, but I didn’t have anyone to discuss my woes with.
“Yup, those things are awful,” Layla agreed. “Every now and then, I come here to satiate my appetite. It’s great that I can eat all the meat I want without worry. Sand lizards are delicious!”
“Sand lizards…” I muttered.
When in Rasheed, do what the Rasheedans do. I had no choice but to eat the dish that Layla recommended.
“Mr. Julius, let’s eat some lizards,” I said.
“No, I’m fine,” he replied.
“Are you not even going to give it a chance?”
“Lizards are similar to dragons.”
Now that you mention it… I reconsidered. I didn’t want to look like I was eating Helios, and that only made me more uneasy. Maybe there are some foods in this world that I don’t need to try.
“Thank goodness,” Prince Faisal said with a sigh of relief. “I’m not a fan of sand lizards myself.”
Layla looked up at Faisal with a glare. “Chloe and Julius are from Astria, so they get a pass, but sand lizards are the food of commoners in Rasheed. They’re far cheaper than mutton and oriental turtle doves, Prince Faisal, and thus are consumed very frequently. How can you, the future king, not be fond of this meat?”
“I’m sorry, Layla… But the Holy Palace doesn’t serve sand lizards…”
“You actually haven’t tried it either, so I simply must have you take at least a bite. We’ll go and get skewered sand lizards. Chloe, Julius, you two can choose what you like. Once we’re done eating, let’s meet back up at the entrance.”
With that, she dragged the future king toward the stalls. While Layla may have had a point, I felt a little bad for Faisal for being forced to eat foods that he didn’t like. As the couple melted into the busy crowd, I looked up at Mr. Julius.
“Is there anything you’d like to eat?” I asked. “Aside from sand lizards.”
“Mutton or fowl, I guess,” he replied.
“You like meat, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I never gave my preferences much thought until now, but that seems to be the case. I’m probably just used to the meals that you make.”
“I did increase my repertoire of meat dishes. I’m glad that you like them.”
It was a good thing that he enjoyed eating his meals. During difficult or tough times, food often becomes tasteless, no matter what you eat. I felt like my cooking was being praised and gave a beaming smile. He roughly tousled my hair, and I guessed that he was trying to hide his embarrassment.
He’s adorable. What should I do? I never thought the day when I’d find Mr. Julius adorable would come. I hid my internal panic and tugged on his hand.
“Then let’s buy all the meat we can get and eat tons,” I said. “We just exchanged our currency, so we’ve got plenty of money. We can buy every food from every stall and still have some left over.”
“You can’t eat that much, can you?” he asked.
“I think I can eat more than usual. This is my first trip, so I’m pretty excited by the atmosphere.”
“You’re more excited than usual? You look the same to me.”
“You make it sound like I’m always excited or something.”
He ignored my complaint and walked towards the stalls. To ensure that I wouldn’t get lost amidst the throngs of people, he firmly grasped my hand that I’d used to tug on him earlier. We ended up in front of a stall selling stewed mutton meatballs. A large pot filled to the brim with translucent soup was bubbling away. Mutton meatballs were floating around with plenty of spices to mask the gamey scent of the meat.
“Hello!” I said to a lady manning the stall. “Two bowls of soup, please!”
The large lady looked at Mr. Julius and me before saying, “Your husband looks like he’ll eat quite a bit.” She took out a larger bowl and ladled so much soup that it practically overflowed. Mr. Julius wasn’t my husband, but I found no reason to decline her kindness.
“Thank you!” I said brightly, albeit a touch flustered.
Mr. Julius didn’t say a word. Maybe the ring on his ring finger made it look like we were married to that lady. That wasn’t my fault—it was his for putting his ring on that finger.
I paid the lady and sat on the bench in front of the stall. The deep bowl was filled with plenty of soup and meatballs so large that I couldn’t eat it in one bite. The hearty soup had lots of other ingredients floating around, and I felt like I’d get full with just one bowl.
I took my spoon and scooped a bit of the meat into my mouth. The seasonings were completely different from Astria’s. Our kingdom favored tomato-based flavors, but the Rasheed soup was chock-full of potherbs and spices. It was a little spicy. The spices had completely masked any gamey odor from the meat, and while the flavor was unique, it was delicious. I was pleasantly surprised.
“This is good, isn’t it, Mr. Julius?” I asked. “It’s a bit spicy, though.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “They’re selling quite a bit of alcohol. It’s seasoned well to encourage people to drink more.”
I nodded in understanding. I’d never thought about it that way. I don’t really like to drink alcohol on a regular basis. Mr. Julius would drink every now and then, but I’d never seen him drunk. The men who visited Ms. Roxy’s diner would get drunk in a flash, and I guessed that Mr. Julius might’ve been especially strong against alcohol.
“Would you like to drink a pint?” I asked.
“No, I’ll wait until night,” he said.
“Are you drinking at night, then?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why don’t we buy a few bottles of alcohol while we’re here? We’re apparently staying at a good inn tonight, so I think we can relax and kick back for a bit.”
As always, he drank all his soup at an astonishing rate. As for me, I was full after eating half a bowl. I gave the rest to him.
Forget eating around; my plan to visit every stall and eat every dish had ended on my first one. But it looks like Mr. Julius can still eat a bit more, so maybe I’ll steal a bite or two from him. Thanks to his hearty appetite, I was able to have a small nibble of various dishes. I was happy to see that he ate quite a bit despite his slender frame. Admittedly, I was envious that he was able to maintain his excellent physique while eating tons of delicious food.