Everything Needed
There was no way for us to fit so many people at the dining table. I, consequently, had to bring two bedside cupboards down to extend the table. The elves never dined with us in the past; today was their first time. Nevertheless, I could sense their intense hostility due to the seating arrangement.
The Elven Queen occupied the spot next to me. Foolish Veirya had no idea what seating arrangements were. She sat in her usual seat. Leah grumpily stared at the Elven Queen next to me. On my other side was Angelina. She looked at her daughter, disappointed, as she had hoped for better from her. Then, she gave me an admonishing look. The heavens could testify that I had no clue about seating arrangements. I went upstairs to set up a table.
The Queen giggled as she turned in my direction. She politely remarked, "Hehe, while I cannot see I can smell the delicious food. This smell is totally different to food in the forest. This aroma is very appetising."
Owing to the lunch being important, Anna and I worked overtime to organise it. Anna went out of her way to go to the tavern to buy the ear dish. Then, I used the ham, lots of vegetables and flavouring to boil a pot of meat stew. I then made a number of Chinese dishes, thereby whipping up a table of lots of food
"Now then, we can all start now, everyone. Thank you for taking care of things while Veirya and I was out."
We didn't have a custom of speaking before dinner, but I instinctively mentioned a few things. Needless to say, it wasn't supposed to be my job but the job of the one I served. That said, the person I served would always ask me to say a few things and have a toast.
"If possible, I, too, would like to have a taste. I heard you personally cooked these dishes, Sir. You truly are very gentle." The Queen giggled as she reached her hand out to seemingly search for her eating utensil.
I quickly pressed down on the Elven Queen's hand and then stabbed a piece of ham with a fork for her. She seemed to know what I did. She smiled and twirled her long hair. She amorously turned her head toward me, slightly opened her mouth and waited… I bet anyone could tell she was waiting for me to feed her…
If she was someone else, it wouldn't be too appropriate, as we'd be behaving excessively intimately. The issue was that I couldn't apply that to the Elven Queen, I think… She was blind, after all. Others probably spoon fed before her ordeal, as well. I carefully brought it to her mouth. She gently grabbed it with her mouth and gently chewed it. I turned the fork to pull off the crumbs of the ham and gently held it up to her lips. I could feel her breaths on the tip of my finger.
"You spread honey on it, am I right? It truly is very sweet." The Elven Queen titled her head and smiled: "I am very fascinated with this lunch. Please feed me some of the dishes you prepared."
I instinctively nodded since taking care of a blind person was no big deal. I couldn't teach a blind woman how to proficiently use a knife and fork. However, when I turned my head back, I felt a chilling sensation down my spine. I instantly realised what I did. I didn't think it was an issue, but Leah and Veirya stopped eating altogether. An extremely calm, yet murderous, gaze was on me. The other individual clenched her teeth and glared at me. At the same time, I felt immense pain on my right foot. I looked to my right with a terrified expression. Angelina wore a bright smile as she conversed with Ciara. She didn't even look at me. It was definitely Angelina who was putting her weight onto my right foot. She then turned to face me with a friendly smile as if to say, "If you dare to speak, I'll make sure you reap what you sow." And thus, I just had to take back what had nearly escaped my lips.
I turned back to the Queen, albeit awkwardly. She silently waited for me. Leah gripped her fork as if she was seriously mulling whether or not to stab it into my eyes. Meanwhile, Veirya looked nonchalant, but I could sense the murderous intent she leaked… Apparently, Veirya didn't understand what we were doing, but she was purely unhappy.
"Um… this is your fork. I've prepared a variety of dishes. You can eat whichever you like. Here, they're over here," I said to the Elven Queen, smiling helplessly.
The Elven Queen couldn't see my smile and, therefore, titled her head with puzzlement. She smiled: "Have I caused you trouble? Is Lord Veirya not too happy?"
I awkwardly nodded: "Mm…"
It was somewhat shameful to admit to another woman that you were afraid of your wife, but the Queen didn't seem to share that sentiment. She gently grabbed my hand and touched her face with it, especially her eye bandage. Voice soft, she explained, "Lord Veirya, I do not know if you have experienced this. You can shut your eyes now; you will be able to experience my feelings if you shut your eyes now. See if you can put the spoon closest to you in your mouth with your eyes shut. You may feel that I am challenging your dignity and flirting with him, but I want to prove that I absolutely respect your feelings and His Lordship's love. I understand. However, what you consider to be flirting is a necessity for me. I need you to believe me."
Veirya blankly looked at the Queen. She then glanced down at her plate. Leah was evidently thrown off. She tried to eat with her eyes closed. Unfortunately, but as expected, she wasn't able to put a spoon of food into her mouth. Instead, she nearly stuffed it into her nose. She opened her eyes and looked at me feeling hopeless. Then, she shifted her gaze over to the Elven Queen; she was sympathetic at that point. Veirya lowered her head and bit into her ham. She appeared to have no intention of saying anything else.
The Elven Queen gently opened her mouth. I took in a deep breath to calm myself. I calmly faced the Queen and scooped up some food to feed her. The Queen slowly chewed her food with a gentle smile on her face. She swallowed her food then softly giggled: "This is delicious. You truly seem to be capable of every, Sir. If possible, I sincerely hope to be able to join you for meals as I am now. But nonetheless, Lord Veirya may get angry. Therefore, if Lord Veirya thinks that it is all right, please come up to invite me. Thank you."