LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 10: The First Meal
Lucillia
Uhmm...well...you see, uhm...so two weeks have passed. Yep. Two whole weeks, just like that. I guess Mama was right when she said I should be more patient, because it really didn't feel all that long.
Not much really happened in that time. Mama stopped giving me lessons, sniff, but she said it was because my sisters wanted to teach me things as well.
So, for those two weeks, I mostly got to spend time with Big Sis Luna. She gave me a bunch of math problems to start with, but they were all boring algebra problems, so I finished them in no time. Then, she gave me some physics problems, but again, they were just algebra problems with a bunch of words in them, so those were really boring. Easy, but boring.
For some reason, she looked really surprised when I did all that until I found all of the math and physics books from my old world that Mama brought back and showed them to her. They're really big and heavy, and I'm pretty sure you could kill someone with them. Not just from boredom, but also like, whacking them in the head.
Anyways, it wasn't until after that that Big Sis finally gave me stuff I didn't know, and we started from there. So far, she's been talking about tri...triiii...that one with the triangles.
"Trigonometry." [Mira]
"Yeah, dat." [Lucillia]
So yeah, we've been doing a lot of triangle stuff and now I see them in my sleep. Instead of counting sheep, I've been reciting identities or whatever they're called since I can never remember them. I never really understood this when I was reading the math books, so this is technically all new to me. Right now, I'm doing some of the homework Big Sis gave me, but I'm starting to get bored.
Haah, too many numbers, not enough novels. Bring me the novels, dammit! Bring them to me! Or food, I'll take food as well, because I'm starting to get sick of just drinking juice. It's tasty and all, but it's also all I've had for two weeks. At least there were more flavors to choose from. My favorite's the blue limenberry1It's exactly what it sounds like: a mix of lemon, lime, and raspberry.. Big Sis Silvie said it grows in regions with moderate amounts of mana, which is why it looks blue.
Speaking of food, isn't today the day Mama said I get to finally eat? I'm starting to get hungry from the boredom, so if that's the case, then I wanna eat!
IwannaeatIwannaeatIwannaeatIwannaeatIwannaeatIwanna-
*Squeak*
-eat.
"Lucky for you, you will get to do that in a moment." [Corinna]
"YAY!" [Lucillia]
"First, come with me so I can introduce you to our chef. He'll be making your regular meals, except for this one as your sisters are putting together their efforts to make you your first meal." [Corinna]
"FOOOOODDD!" [Lucillia]
"On second thought, it's too dangerous to let you walk on your own, so come here and let me carry you." [Corinna]
"Your Majesty, I am afraid the princess has slipped into her 'ignore everything else' mode." [Mira]
"I can see that." [Corinna]
FOOODDD, HERE I COME!!!
After tailing the little one, Corinna successfully captured the young elder dragon and headed toward to kitchen with a fishy maid in tow.
They arrived within minutes and upon opening the door, were greeted by a large, hulking figure flipping and moving a few pots and pans while gently garnishing a finished plate on the side. He also happens to be wearing a white button-up accompanied by a white apron and a tall, white hat. And let's not forget to mention the two large tusks from his mouth, his pig-shaped nose, or just head in general. Oh, and the brown fur that covers his skin.
"Ah! You've arrived, Your Majesty. And alongside our new princess, I see. Hello there, Your Highness. My name is Gruul. As you can see, I am a high orc, and starting from tomorrow, I shall be responsible for most of your meals." [ Gruul]
"Hi." [Lucillia]
"I assume the girls are still doing their thing over there?" [Corinna]
Off to the side, one would find four elder dragons furiously moving around. Solestia is flipping and turning several pans, Lunestia is stirring a large pot, Caelenia grilling several animals, and Silvania chopping ingredients like there's no tomorrow.
"Oh yes, Your Majesty, they are working quite hard to prepare a special little meal for the young princess. Although, I shouldn't exactly say little, considering the amount of ingredients they have gone through in only a few hours. Or the amount of plates taking up my countertops. " [Gruul]
"You'll have to excuse them for tonight, then, for disturbing your routine here in the kitchen. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, after all." [Corinna]
"Oh, I could never fault them for behaving as they are. In fact, their fury and passion reminds me of when some of the children first asked me to teach them how to cook. Oh, how it warms my heart to see others so serious about cooking~" [Gruul]
"Childwen? You hev kidss?!" [Lucillia]
"Hahaha, no no, I never had any children of my own. Never was interested in marrying in the first place. You see, I used to work as the head chef at a castle for this really old kingdom before it fell due to war. After that, I wandered around until I found a poor little orphanage with lots of children who were victims of the war. Those poor things; half of them were just skin and bones, you know. Now I admit, my figure isn't exactly child-friendly, especially back then when I was still in shape. But, I wanted to help out, so none of that bothered me, plus I was used to that kind of treatment. As you might imagine, the caretaker was hesitant to accept my offer to cook for them, so I did it outside and slowly too, so that everyone could watch me and know exactly what ingredients I was using. There wasn't much on hand, so I ended up making a bunch of sandwiches for them. Of course, I sampled one myself first before I let the others have some. Long story short, the kids started to open up to me after that, and I worked there for the next decade or so. All the kids grew up and were able to take care of themselves as well as their new siblings who came in. I figured that was a good time to head out, seeing as they no longer needed my help. It was a tough decision, obviously, lots of tears and hugs that day, but it was one I had to make. Ah, pardon me. The kids always complained when I got carried away with my stories, and it seems that still hasn't changed." [Gruul]
"Why you leave?" [Lucillia]
"Well, I certainly considered staying. But, a lot of the kids were already grown up. Some had even gone their own ways to other kingdoms. They were self-sufficient, with or without me. My original intention was to just help them out, and I did. Thus, I had no more reason to stay with them. That was part of the reason. The other part...well, to be honest, I missed my kitchen back at the castle. I worked that job twice, maybe three times as long as I spent at the orphanage. And when you get used to something for so long, it gets really hard to move away from it. That's how I found my way here. At some point of my journey, I somehow met the conditions to ascend into a high orc, which apparently counts as a Fae. Then, I was able to see and converse with the spirits and made my way to the East, where Queen Titania apparently heard about my journey and summoned me to her kingdom. She mentioned her friend was looking for a new chef after the previous one passed from old age. Offer came with a full kitchen and everything, so I immediately accepted, and here we are. Ah, I did it again, didn't I? Forgive me, Your Highness, I'm sure listening to this old boar isn't very exciting." [Gruul]
"Nuh-uh! Uncle Gwuul ish cool!" [Lucillia]
"Indeed. You're honestly way too modest, you know. Even when we first met, you were really putting yourself down." [Corinna]
"Your Majesty, he still behaves that way now during the staff dinners and meetings." [Mira]
"Haha! Old habits die hard, I'm afraid. If ten years with the kids couldn't change me, how could another ten here?" [Gruul]
"Dwo you shtill tawk to dem?" [Lucillia]
"In a way. After I settled down here, I wrote a letter to the orphanage explaining everything. They were quite relieved to hear I was doing well, and of course, I felt the same about them. Since then, we've exchanged letters about once a month, but I haven't actually seen any of them since I left." [Gruul]
"Why nwot?" [Lucillia]
"Because every time we offer to take him, he refuses and claims that he would be 'leaving his post' even though the rest of us could prepare meals perfectly fine. Plus, at this point, he has yet to even take a vacation." [Corinna]
"Hmph, I came here to be a chef, and I'll be damned if I do anything else, especially if it doesn't involve feeding my employers." [Gruul]
"See?" [Corinna]
"Mmm." [Lucillia]
The three (really four, but Mira likes to stay quiet) conversed a bit longer while the girls put the finishing touches on their special meal. Much of the conversation was driven by the child's curiosity, of which there is almost no end, but, owing to his experience with children, Gruul patiently answered every question while preparing everyone else's food.
In another 10 minutes or so, the girls were almost finished and finally noticed their audience. At that point, Gruul began plating and preparing to serve.
"Oh hello there. How long have you all been watching?" [Solestia]
"For a while now." [Corinna]
"*Drooool* , *SLUUURP!*" [Lucillia]
"I take it you girls are almost done by now? I don't think Lia can wait any longer at this point. It's getting quite difficult to hold her back, you know." [Corinna]
At the moment, the starving child is held in a loving embrace of scales and tail while drooling a waterfall, and her eyes have been replaced by sparkly stars. Wait, no, those aren't stars, those are ham hocks. Smoked ham hocks, to be specific, with a side of scalloped potatoes. Those just happen to be a few dishes of the large feast that is nearly ready to be served.
"Almoooost...but we need a few more minutes, and...well..." [Solestia]
"Well?" [Corinna]
"HEEEY! ELDER SIS! HURRY UP OVER THERE WOULD YOU?!" [Caelenia]
"Weneedpeaceandquietbecausewecan'tworkunderpressuresoifyoucouldwaitinthedininghallthat'dbegreatokaybeye!" [Solestia]
With that, the reasonably young elder dragon kicked her mother and sister (and maid) out of the kitchen. Corinna and Mira were confused, but they chose not to question it and headed to the dining hall. Lucillia, on the other hand, was still drooling and focusing on the image of the ham that is now engraved in her mind.
As promised, the girls were out and ready to serve after a few minutes, at which Gruul silently served everyone else's meals off to the side. Once everyone was seated, the party was on. And for the record, the amount of food present in the dining hall is enough to feed over a hundred adults (common folk, of course).
"I'm sure you already know this, but congratulations, Lia, on hanging in there the last few weeks. As per tradition, all your awesome, loving sisters banded together to make your first meal because we love you so, so much~! Anyway, you might think we went overboard, but really-" [Solestia]
"Solis." [Lunestia]
"Yeah?" [Solestia]
"She's not paying attention." [Lunestia]
"*Omnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnom*" [Lucillia]
"Eh, I tried." [Solestia]
"Come on, Lia, don't just eat the meat, you need to have some veggies too! Here, have some of this salad. The dressing is super tasty, too!" [Silvania]
"Don't hog all the fun now, Silvie. Hey, Lia! Try some of this roasted flare goose. There's a nice and juicy drumstick with your name on it~" [Caelenia]
"*nomming intensifies*" [Lucillia]
"Lia, make sure to drink some liquids to help wash everything down. Since you are eating so much hot food, you can have some cold juice this time." [Lunestia]
"*Gulp gulp gulp*" [Lucillia]
"HEY! Don't just leave me out like that! Lia, catch!" [Solestia]
"*NOM!*" [Lucillia]
The dinner very quickly became a feeding competition between the sisters, who somehow ended feeding each other as well in order to gain the upper hand.2I think this section is kind of confusing, so allow me to explain. Basically, since this is also dinnertime for everyone else, everyone has their own meals in front of them. However, they are prioritizing feeding the little one rather than themselves. Since there is some competition at who's feeding Lia, they are essentially feeding their own meals to the other sisters to distract them and free up time to get more food to Lia. Hope that makes sense.
Meanwhile, Mira, the ever diligent maid, continued to serve her charge as fast as she could, even breaking out the tail for an extra hand...or well, tail. As always, she worked in silence...until she didn't.
"A-ahem, uhm, Your Majesty?" [Mira]
"*Sip* Yes?" [Corinna]
"I had heard stories about the...voracious appetite of young elder dragons, but I had never witnessed it myself until now. Is this truly normal behavior? I have had my fair share of hungry children to take care of back then, but this is...more than I could have ever imagined." [Mira]
A fair statement from the fishy maid, considering Lucillia is consuming food at a rate of roughly 3000 Calories per minute.3In case you don't know, 1 Calorie = 1000 calories = 1 kcal. The capital 'C' does matter, folks.
"Hmm, well it's been a while since I last interacted with a small elder, but the other girls were pretty much like this when they were younger. But, from what the others at Heaven's Gate have told me, it does seem like our family consumes more food than usual. In fact, when I was that age, my mother had to create an entire planet of livestock just to sustain my diet. And even then, that only lasted a week or so, locally." [Corinna]
Naturally, as most people would react, Mira completely froze at the information she just received. After all, it is not often you meet someone who can literally eat a planet to death in the span of a week. Fortunately, all she was holding was a wooden plate of garlic bread that Lucillia quickly caught and gobbled up, plate and all.
"HEY! Lia, no eating the plates! Get that out of your mouth right now!" [Silvania]
The small one's answer to that was to run away with a chunk of greasy wood in her mouth. Toward the food, of course, but away from her sisters.
"GAH! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW, MISSY!" [Caelenia]
"Quick! Block off that side before it's too late!" [Solestia]
"!!!" [Lucillia]
While the maid recovered from her shock, the girls played a lovely game of capture the gremlin. Fortunately for them, the game ended early when a pair of arms plucked the child out from her cover and reappeared with her back at her seat.
The child was now nicely seated on a lap with the plate out of her mouth and another drumstick to replace it.
"Never gets any less lively, does it?" [Grandma]
"Well, if we compare this to Kira's4You'll meet her soon enough. Maybe like 1-2 chapters. first meal, it's actually quite a bit calmer even though they didn't go through nearly as much food that day." [Corinna]
"Fair enough." [Grandma]
The girls were in confusion after seeing their sister disappear before their eyes, but they quickly found the culprit after hearing her voice.
"Grandmother?!" [Girls]
"Yes, yes, it is me, I am here. Come on, dear, finish up your soup first before it gets cold." [Grandma]
"*SLURRRRRPP*" [Lucillia]
"Don't just leave the vegetables behind either, eat those up as well." [Grandma]
"*Nom nom nom*" [Lucillia]
"Well, that was easy. Your mother never listened to me like that when she was your age. Even now, she still refuses to eat her greens." [Grandma]
"Are you really bringing that up right now?" [Corinna]
"Wait. Mother, you don't like vegetables? Is that why I never see you eating them?" [Caelenia]
"Indeed. Remember that planet she just mentioned? It was supposed to last a lot longer than a week, but that was only if she alternated between eating the livestock and the local produce." [Grandma]
"Huh. Now that I think about it, the only thing Mother ever eats is some sort of meat and rice, but no vegetables." [Solestia]
"I always thought Mother was too full from her steak to have any vegetables after." [Silvania]
"Wait a minute. I have always calculated our food supply while separating meats, vegetables, and others into categories, but there have never been any inconsistencies with our vegetable supply." [Lunestia]
"Oh, that's because I always took her leftovers." [Caelenia]
"Never mind, then." [Lunestia]
With every word her daughters said, Corinna turned more and more red. After a certain point, she could not bear to listen any longer and averted her head, only to meet her last daughter's gaze. The two locked eyes for a moment, with the adult slowly becoming a red dragon while the little one-
"..." [Corinna]
"*Nom nom nom*" [Lucillia]
-simply munched on a cob of corn while sitting on her grandmother's lap.
.....
Eventually, things calmed down after the grandmother told a few more embarrassing stories of Corinna's childhood.
Likewise, Lucillia's nomming spree also calmed down a bit, to the point where she is now silently nomming everything slowly rather than shoving as much food as she could into her mouth. She is also finally able to pay attention to the conversation her sisters, mother, and grandmother are having.
Said conversation was mostly filled with catching up, more embarrassing stories, and gushing over how much Lucillia looks like a squirrel and how cute she is. By now, everyone else has already finished their meals, so the girls are taking turns feeding her once again.
Once they got through the bulk of the feast, the girls suddenly left the hall and headed back to the kitchen, leaving everyone else waiting in suspense. Well, except for Lucillia, who was now nomming some edamame, leading to more teasing of the red dragon.
The girls came back hauling a food cart with a rather large cloche. They stopped just in front of Lucillia where they unveiled the final surprise: a literal mountain of mega shrimp prepared in various ways. From steamed, to pan-fried, to deep fried, to a lovely cocktail at the peak. Since mega shrimps have powerful bodies, their flesh is perfectly safe to eat even raw, as evidenced by the platter of sashimi off to the side.
The girls then attempted to give a little spiel about the mega present, but for Lucillia, all that in one ear and out the other because she was busy trying to digest everything faster to make room for the massive amount of shrimp. As soon as they were done talking, the tiny dragon dove right in.
"*nomming, the sequel*" [Lucillia]
"Huh. Is it just me or is she going through these faster than earlier?" [Solestia]
"I believe you are correct." [Lunestia]
"Don't eat too fast or you might choke!" [Caelenia]
"Don't forget these spring rolls! They're nice and tasty and have lots of veggies too! Just give them a little dip in the sauce and they'll be even better!" [Silvania]
"Mmm!!! *insert nomming here*" [Lucillia]
Needless to say, Lucillia certainly found these shrimp to be far more delicious than anything else she had this dinner. Eventually, the question came up for whether or not she wanted dessert, but after finishing the shrimp mountain, Lucillia promptly fell asleep due to food coma.
As per tradition, the maids were not allowed to do the clean up afterward, leaving the girls to do so themselves, much to their dismay. The mother and grandmother put the sleeping dragon to bed, shared a few more bits of conversation, and parted ways once more with hugs and kisses.
Of course, the kisses were one-sided and left behind a red dragon.
