Chapter 51: Tastes like swine
The inside of the mansion reflected Lord Hebaron's tastes as much as the outside. Trophies of wars he hadn't fought and objects void of meaning or use were standing in every corner, providing nothing but obstacles on the way. Dust was collecting on the borders of old paintings depicting important relatives of the past.
If Izaya hadn't been aware of the lord's status he would have thought him to be of much greater importance than he actually was.
Stepping forward with caution Izaya's cloak grazed the golden carpet that swallowed the ground whole. His body felt weak. Frail.
Like a freshly sprouted flower after a harsh winter.
Expected considering he had laid in bed for days.
For some reason Izaya suddenly remembered the day he arrived at the castle.
The dead body that had dropped off the carriage. It had probably been stiff in ways that were not unsimilar to Izaya's right now.
The memory definitely caused his appetite to plummet despite the pleasant smell drafting all the way down the hall.
"Are you okay?"
Shizuo had noticed the way Izaya slowed down in his steps.
The whisper was quiet and not meant for anyone but Izaya to be perceived.
"A bit dizzy," Izaya whispered back and the arm supporting his body tensed.
"Do you want to rest?"
Rest.
What an awful word. He had done nothing else the past few days.
He hadn't eaten anything either.
Izaya didn't need to be a medic to know that retreating now was not only going to worsen his state but also worry the king even further.
A quick shake of head was given and with that the two entered the grand hall.
"We prepared some food for you, my king, as you must be hungry from your long travel," Lord Hebaron was quick to inform Shizuo as he scurried around the table like a fly having found a fresh pile of shit.
Izaya didn't really know what this guy was scheming, but considering the way he was trying to suck up to Shizuo he definitely was aiming for something.
A long table covered by white table cloth and decorated with long white candles here and there stood before Izaya. He could spot basically any meal a person could crave. Roasted chicken, beef, fruits and vegetables of all kinds, potatoes cooked to varying degrees and enough deserts to feed half a nation.
In other words, way too much for a dinner serving just three people.
Shizuo pulled out Izaya's chair before he even got the chance to touch it and
Izaya cast an appreciative glance before taking his seat. Underneath his cloak he was still wearing nothing but his nightgown, but there was no need to change on this occasion. This was a mere short welcome. No one was going to ask him to take it off, especially not lord Hebaron and his servants.
Looking at a freshly cooked chicken along with bread and fruits not too far from his seat he picked a crusty loaf from the basket.
To be honest nothing he saw was motivating his appetite, but not eating at all was no option.
Opposite to him Lord Hebaron was quick to pile his own plate with a large variety of foods as soon as he sat down on the other side of the table.
"Everything you see is of the best quality, my king, of course including the drinks," Lord Hebaron bragged and snapped his fingers to call over a maid carrying a decanter.
There were a lot of servants standing by in general. Maids and butlers alike decorated the walls like a hunter's trophies. And not only them.
Glancing to the side Izaya spotted Craigh and the others suffering the same unjustified fate.
He was aware that nobility's rules called for a distinction between royals and common folk, especially when it came to dining at the same table, but after sharing a night at the fireplace and having the knights ride day and night to get here as fast as possible Izaya felt it was terribly unfair to persist on such a stupid topic.
"There are a few plates missing," Izaya quickly cleared his throat.
Vast silence filled the already cold and soulless hall as the lord frowned. It was quite obvious that Hebaron had no such qualms, as he paused in the middle of taking another bite from his dissected chicken breast.
Meeting Izaya's gaze, Shizuo was much quicker to understand and a smile spread across his lips.
"I agree."
Too bad. Lord Hebaron might be able to ignore the queen to a certain degree, but the king? Not so much.
Putting the chicken breast down he showed only a moment of dissatisfaction before nodding towards one of his butlers. Quick and without any more words needed the servant set a few others in motion and before Izaya could count to ten, plates for all their knights were placed onto the sides of the elongated table.
No word was said, no order given, but Craigh and the knights didn't need to be told twice to partake in this glorious feast.
Chairs screeched in a not too elegant manner and Lord Hebaron shortly held his breath with a light roll of eyes.
Only when silence returned to the hall did he resume his speech.
"... so. My king, what do I owe this visit to?"
Gnawing on the soft piece of freshly baked bread, Izaya looked back and forth between Shizuo and their host. Usually he would be the first to cut into the conversation, but right now with barely any knowledge about their mission it was best to keep his mouth shut.
After all, he hadn't witnessed much except for Shinra's words of precaution, Shizuo's worry and the inside of a carriage.
Taking a sip of the freshly brought wine Shizuo nodded towards the maid that had served it. "I have been told you are missing some people," he announced shortly.
His words had been no joke, but Lord Hebaron seemed to take them as such.
"That? Baseless rumors," he laughed, before chugging down his own cup of wine in one go.
With a quick wave of hand he called the woman carrying the decanter over to pour him another drink and Izaya let his eyes wander.
It was awfully silent inside the hall.
Apart from Craigh and the other knights enjoying their meals there was clearly no one present with the will to speak.
But with the wish they could.
Four maids and three butlers were on standby. Their faces were quite solemn, not a single muscle twitched allowing Izaya to deduct that this was Lord Hebaron's typical way of dining. But the second Shizuo mentioned the disappearance, some of them looked at each other.
Only shortly, barely noticeable, especially not for the self centered lord, but to Izaya that action spoke volumes.
"Your servants seem to know what my husband is talking about," Izaya pointed out, but it seemed not only the knights were being looked down upon by the lord.
"Forgive me, my lady. But gossip and needless chatter is all they are capable of. None of which are reliable resources."
So far the knights had been dining in peace with light attitudes and faint smiles on their lips, but at least Craigh seemed to have his mood soured by the lord's words as he paused in the midst of eating a piece of potato.
His brows curved into a displeased frown, but he remained quiet. Regarding status they were in no place to talk when a lord and king conversed.
Same for the rest of knights who seemed to heavily disagree with the lord's opinion on his servants. Izaya couldn't agree more with their offense.
"And preparing an exquisite dinner," he added quickly, while nodding towards the maids wearing the freshest aprons as they had obviously been the only ones required to change their clothes after preparing this feast.
They seemed to receive gratitude rarely and showed quick smiles, before bowing curtly.
Their behavior left a bitter taste on Izaya's lips as they reminded him too well of his father's servants. Ruled by fear and cruelty was nothing a human should have to endure.
A shrug was all the lord had to offer while reaching for one of the delicately crafted desserts. A small cake, decorated with cream and honey. Patterns of honeywabs had been drawn onto its surface by a cook who obviously loved her job, but the sight wasn't even appreciated before he swallowed the treat whole.
"One talent is not enough to make up for the lack of others," he shrugged and had Izaya not already had a fairly biased opinion on this guy's morals and character he now had a pretty good idea of who they were conversing with.
"I wholeheartedly agree," he nodded, showing the best of his smiles, "Seeing as your various talents undoubtedly kept you too busy to notice, shall we continue this discussion with you or your maids?"
Sarcasm was definitely not the right choice when talking to nobility, Izaya was aware, but Shizuo was the king, he was his wife and at the end of the day Lord Hebaron was an asshole, but not an idiot.
His words were all but suited and a soft cough from a maid on the side that tried to suppress her laughter was all the reward Izaya needed.
Who was this guy that he thought himself so much better than the servants that managed his entire life for him?
Craigh's mood seemed to have bettered infinitely as well as he resumed his meal and reached for a thick sausage resting on the meat platter.
Of course the Lord was smart enough to recognize an insult when it was showed this grand, but one specified glare from Shizuo was enough to shut him up quite efficiently.
Eyes narrowing he swallowed down his attitude and leant back in his chair.
"Alright. Go ahead, inquire my lady," he announced and gestured towards the array of servants on the side.
"You," Izaya addressed the maid that had looked most disturbed by Shizuo's question. Long black hair was tied up behind her back in a loose bun. A few hints of flour, her clean apron and her overall delicate expression told Izaya that she was most probably the one who had so finely crafted the desserts on the table. "What's your name?"
A bit startled to be the chosen one to talk, the young woman pointed at herself before quickly stepping forth from the row of servants. A bow much deeper than needed was executed immediately as she answered the queen.
"Teresa, my lady," she stuttered between quick breaths.
She was obviously nervous. Of course. Izaya had unintentionally put her into quite the spot by making her talk in front of her already displeased lord.
Taking it upon himself to discharge the situation, Shizuo raised his voice before Izaya could. "I heard people went missing around the border. Farmers and merchants mostly?" he asked, with a tune so gently it would have calmed a bawling child.
Nod daring to lift her head in the face of this land's king the maid remained in her bow as she quietly whispered.
"... it's a curse, my king,"
"A curse!" heavy laughter slaughtered the rest of the maid's confidence as she flinched, "Would you look at the confidence she is spouting such nonsense with?"
True. A curse was something Izaya was pretty confident did not exist.
This was apparently yet another dragonslayer tale to be solved. Something definitely caused the villagers to disappear, whether it be a curse or something else was yet to be found out.
"What kind of curse?" Shizuo tried, obviously hoping to gain more information on the topic so he knew what he had to work with, but the lord's reaction had chained the poor maid to silence.
She was obviously afraid to voice more of her silly opinion.
"All baseless superstitions, my king, as I said, listening to them is nothing but a waste of time," Lord Hebaron agreed and motioned for the maid to retreat.
It took Izaya really his best to not glare at the bastard as he took a sip from his own glass of wine.
Showing an expression of disgust he looked at the liquid before raising his voice.
"Weird, this wine tastes a bit like a swine."
Perplexed by the topic change Lord Hebaron's attention reverted to the table.
"... excuse me my lady?" he asked, and Izaya raised his glass as if to emphasize his point.
"I don't know what it is, dear lord, would you be so kind as to bring me a fresh glass?" The sweetest smile he was able to manage decorated his face like a well crafted mask. He knew about his status and he knew about his looks. At the end of the day Izaya was a gorgeous queen and this lord a man that desired attention.
"Of course," Lord Hebaron quickly smiled, confirming for himself that the topic of his useless servants was now done and over with.
Raising from his table he circled to a door at the back of the room, "I have a couple exquisite wines in my cellar, much better than what these imbeciles dared to serve," he announced quickly while casting his butler a punishing glare.
And with that he left.
A short moment of silence returned to the hall and Izaya reached for his glass of wine once more.
The servant's eyes were still on him and he made it a point to take a deliberate sip from his drink while looking at the shy maid.
"Good heavens, would you look? Now it's gone," he announced with well crafted astonishment.
The insinuation was clear, and his opinion of Lord Hebaron probably matching everyone's inside the dining hall.
Craigh even snorted, but quickly cleared his throat with a quick cough while the maids chuckled softly.
Shizuo was smiling too. Nodding towards the maid called Teresa he signaled her that she was free to speak her mind.
"You said it's a curse? How do you know?" he asked quietly, careful to not let his words be heard down into the Lord's wine cellar. They didn't have much time until the prejudiced man was going to return.
"The kettle is falling ill, my king, for no reason. Large areas of the fields have started growing dark black for no reason, ever since…" The maid faded out, her quick bursted confidence fleeting as she realized what she was about to say. A butler, having stood right next to her, took it upon himself to finish her words as he stepped forth from the row of servants.
"Ever since his lordship felled the elder tree, my king."
"The elder tree?" Craigh asked with a raised brow.
Another maid, the oldest of them all but probably also the most skilled, stepped forth and nodded with tired eyes.
"It had a seal embedded in its roots that kept all evil at bay. Now with it gone, that same curse is back to haunt us." It might have been her age, might have been the way she spoke the words, but somehow Izaya was of the impression this woman had actually witnessed this so-called curse and its abolition through what she thought to be a seal.
"You all agree on that part?" Shizuo asked and the entirety of the staff quickly nodded.
As if on cue the lord returned from his wine cellar at that moment, carrying a decanter with a freshly opened wine.
Silence refilled the hall as he moved down the long table to pour Izaya a new glass.
"Here you go, this is one of my best," he announced proudly.
Funny how this guy was so proud of things that he had probably had his butler take care of.
"Thank you, my lord," Izaya politely said, and took a small sip of the wine.
It was actually good. Much smoother than the first one, sweeter and with less bite to it. But looking around Lord Hebaron suddenly found himself surrounded by awkward stares and an even more awkward silence. His staff seemed fairly pleased for no reason and it irked him beyond belief. "On second thought this location is not befitting of a lady like you," he suddenly announced, gesturing towards another door, leading to the outside. "If I could interest you in another glass at the garcon-"
"I have never really been a fan of wine," Izaya quickly interrupted with not the slightest interest in following this guy anywhere. "But I heard the beer at the nearby inn is supposed to be fantastic."
"Be- … beer my lady?"
Even Shizuo had to hold back his amusement by now and quickly reached for a piece of bread himself to divert the lord's attention from his face.
"It's as much of a suited beverage as wine, no? I'm sure with your wealth, you can spare us a drink or two," Izaya asked with as much innocence as a child questioning why the sky was colored blue.
Still a bit confused, but not about to decline a queen's wish the lord quickly showed a polite smile, "Of course," he answered while trying to hide his incomprehension of the queen's request and Izaya smiled, knowing he had already won.
"You heard him," Izaya said, and signed for the knights to rise from the table.
Glances of confusion were exchanged for a moment, but Craigh was quickest on the update as he pushed the chair away with a bit more force than needed.
It was only then that Lord Hebaron realized the queen had not been talking about herself and her husband alone, but included her lowly knights.
"My lady-" he quickly stuttered and the queen, having risen from her chair as well and grasped the king's arm, briefly stopped to smile.
"Yes, Lord Hebaron?" she asked, sweetly with the attitude of a hornet circling a flower and it was at that moment and with Shizuo's glare that lord Hebaron realized this was not a war he wanted to fight.
"... I hope you enjoy your stay," he quickly cleared his throat with resignation, and Izaya smiled the smile of someone who had not only won, but steered the entire conversation.
"I'm sure we will."
to be continued~
Sorry for the delay xD I was visiting my hometown and completely overlooked that yesterday was Saturday xDDDD At least I have a 5 out of 5 winstreak this week hahaha