BXBX NOVEL Chapter 422 421: Dinner
I had been looking forwards to being able to just sit down and rest with both of my women, not just one; I didn\'t want to think about anything, to even be slaking my thirst for their bodies… I just wanted to rest and enjoy some downtime.
So, I walked alongside Anput - who was humming quietly to herself as she took in the grandiose halls - and behind Mom as we made our way through the Palace, making our way towards one of the dining halls – likely the one meant for the Knights of Cinder – and get ourselves something to eat.
With the Empress and her wives now gone, it was just the three of us.
Adelina had gone to make sure the Legion got settled back into the Empire and hadn\'t caused any trouble by celebrating too excessively, while Nirinia went off into the city with an anticipatory smile as she likely went to go visit that brothel.
Kolia went to go purchase the things she needed as well as relax, and Lady Sker was doing the same, her hesitancy to be inside the Palace noticeable when she heard that the Knights would be training under Lady Fenryas once more.
That just left Anput, Mom and I to enjoy our night off together, though how well – and how long – that would go on was up for debate.
"So Jahi, what are you thinking of doing with the Tigerkin woman from your squad? She still gets that money from my pockets that you promised her, but are you going to retain her? What about Iaso?"
Walking through the empty, dimly lit halls, I pursed my lips as I contemplated what she was asking me, before I decided to ask her her own question.
"What are you going to do with the people you drafted into your squad, Mom?"
She smirked at me as she turned the corner, beckoning towards a large set of wooden doors.
As she opened them, she said "There were two that I wouldn\'t mind moving over to my personal soldiers. There was a rather skilled archer who used her magics quite well in tandem with her bow, and I think I can sway her over to join the Asmodia soldiers, but the other one…"
We entered a large mess hall that had a few of the servants eating, all of whom glanced over at us in surprise before bowing.
Waving their formalities aside, Mom just nodded to the chef who peeked out of the kitchen, the chubby Pigkin woman beaming as she returned to her work a moment later.
"That Oni woman. I find her rather curious. She has incredible control over her bloodlust, showed perfect judgement inside of a battlefield, and she was quite strong too. It\'s just, she apparently prefers life inside the military to anything else, which includes a Noble\'s personal army. I\'m still going to try and offer her a position, but…"
Shrugging, Mom sat down at a table, accepting the proffered mug from one of the servants that scurried over, making sure we were served something to drink.
The mugs were filled with a honey mead, and I sipped on it appreciatively before smirking at Mom, saying "You might want to be careful with how you word things, Mom~! Mother might not enjoy hearing you say another woman has you \'intrigued\', y\'know~?"
She just rolled her eyes at that, though she nodded and said "I know. Trust me, I don\'t plan on giving you any Aunts past Julie… I think. I\'ll play it as I see it."
I chuckled at that, before sighing as I drummed my fingers on the table.
"Liga and Iaso… hmm… Liga is a rather talented mage, but I just don\'t know how willing I am to have her on my payroll just yet… well, your payroll currently. It\'s not an issue of skill or power, it\'s just…"
"You don\'t think it\'d be worth the coin as of current. She\'s talented, and her magic is rather rare, but… I understand that. What about Iaso?"
I nodded, sipping at the mead once more and ignoring how Anput was already on her second mug.
"If I can, I definitely would hire her. After a few more tests to actually see her skills up front, that is. If she lives up to her reputation, well, she would be well worth the coin. Healers are always a welcome addition, especially a good one."
A moment after I finished speaking, plates were set onto the table before us, and we all fell silent as three large, juicy steaks were presented, as well as a few loaves of freshly baked bread.
On top of the steak and bread, there was a fresh salad laden with vegetables and covered in a thin drizzle of dressing, and a steaming baked potato sat off to the side as well, butter, chives, and cheese filling the slit.
Our stomachs all grumbled in unison as the delicious food was presented to us, alongside a few pitchers of mead.
Giving the waiting chef a nod, we dug in like a pack of ravenous dogs, tearing into the large slices of beef and devouring a third of it in mere moments.
The spicy butter on top of the steaks added a nice heat to it all, while the sharp taste of lemon and some herbs rounded it out perfectly.
Pair that with the honey mead, and you have one excellent meal.
Seeing that none of us could even spare a moment to compliment her, the Pigkin woman grinned and rubbed her hands together, looking proud of herself for her work.
We ate in silence for a few minutes, getting our initial fill and eventually managing to reach a point where we could taste more of the food.
Our chat resumed, and Mom and I discussed hiring Iaso on as a permanent addition to House Asmodia before moving the conversation on to asking Anput if she wanted to start arming some of the soldiers, alleviating the costs of needing to purchase fully smithed items and instead just buy the materials.
As we were mud conversation about that – Anput seemed rather excited at the proposition and was already looking forwards to completing it, wanting to further her smithing skills – I frowned slightly as I rested my hand above my heart, wondering why I felt odd.
Like there was something I was missing, and that something was tugging at me…