Today was the last day of Ereneth's Autumn market, and also the day my father was scheduled to come to the city to buy winter supplies.
I sent him a word in advance inviting him for dinner instead of meeting him at my uncle's place like always, and he eagerly agreed, apparently wanting to come take a look at my new house.
I smiled nervously since, till now, I referred to this opulent mansion as a simple house in my correspondence with him to not appear too extravagant in my parent's eyes. Thus, I was slightly nervous about how he would take all this since I knew about my father's frugal nature.
Not that I was any sort of prodigal son. On the contrary, I knew the actual value of money and the hardships one must go through to acquire it in this world. Still, this property allowed me a lot of privacy and plenty of room to both train my magic and experiment with my potion crafting, so I was happy with it.
Not to mention, the money I spent to purchase this mansion was something I will be able to quickly gain back, and then some after my potion business gets back on track. But I couldn't tell my father the details of my dealing for his and my mother's safety, so I guess I would have to simply endure the weight of his judgmental eyes.
I stretched my arms lazily, wondering what to do in the meantime. Alaric was apparently too busy to meet me as during the market, the Merchant's Guild was swarmed with requests and complaints of every kind, so I will have to meet him tomorrow. That was not a problem; what I wanted from him was not urgent.
'Hmm, I guess I can take a look at the kitchen to see how the preparations are going...' I mused as I started heading toward the basement with a slight curiosity. I instructed the chef to make a real effort for tonight's feast since I had to go through so much trouble yesterday to secure such a pile of meat.
But when I set foot into the kitchen, I paused and blinked a few times, surprised by the sight before me. The usually serene place has now transformed into a literal battlefield.
An intense smell of roasting meat hung in the air, competing with the sharp clanging of pots and pans being banged around. The kitchen was a flurry of activity accompanied by constant puffs of steam hissing from the stove.
In the middle of it all stood the chef, a broad figure with a thick gray mustache and a bald head that glistened from sweat. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows as he surveyed his work until his eyes fell on me and he gave a slight nod in greeting before turning back to continue cooking.
As I turned my head to the right, looking into a storage room adjacent to the kitchen, I could see my maids having an intensive battle with the flock of Entfliegs, whom they were tasked to scald and pluck.
Even though the dreadful birds were long dead, they still gave quite a fight, and the maids were sweating profusely while heartily cursing their present task with all their might.
It was no wonder the Entfliegs were regarded as vicious predators since even their feathers were quite tough and sharp, like knives, so plucking them was no easy thing.
Still, I found out that their feathers were actually quite valuable thanks to their toughness, which made them a prized material for both quills and arrows, so I will be able to easily cover all my extra expenses with this unexpected boon.
And despite their constant cursing, the maids were performing this unpleasant task with an eager glint in their eyes as I had promised each of them half a bird to take to their families for their troubles.
Their help was necessary as without it, the chef and his helper alone couldn't possibly process all this meat on their own. I still remember my chef's dumbfounded expression when I returned from the hunt and dropped my bountiful catch onto the kitchen floor.
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At first, he simply stared at me with wide eyes, but when he finally broke out of his stupor, he smiled brightly, promising me a feast I won't forget anytime soon.
Helga, meanwhile, was upstairs helping with setting up the table. Since the maids were helping in the kitchen, no one could prepare the dining hall, so it would be quite a tough race to make everything ready in time.
I knew this was a direct consequence of me skimping out on the servants and getting only the bare minimum of staff, but it was not like we would hold another feast anytime soon, so I was content with a little bit of chaos now and then.
Helga originally wanted to go fetch our father to the market herself. Still, it would be too dangerous for her to go anywhere in the city alone, especially now that she had made her debut and many people could recognize her face. Hence, I ordered her to remain here and gave her that task so she wouldn't get any funny ideas.
Not to mention, I sent out my driver to the market earlier to escort father here when he's done shopping, so that should be already taken care of...
Seeing that everything was progressing nicely given the circumstances, I nodded happily as I went back upstairs, spending the remaining few hours resting by the fireplace while I was revising the new incantations I was given by Lily in our previous lesson.
Before I knew it, the delicious aroma wafting through the air had roused me from my reverie. I opened my eyes and saw a magnificent table spread out before me. The roasted boar, glistening with fat and covered in herbs and spices, was at its center. It was surrounded by vegetables cooked to perfection, steaming bowls of hot broth, and freshly baked loaves of bread.
At the side were the Entfliegs, their skin impeccably crispy. They came both roasted and steamed, accompanied by rich sauces and plenty of vegetables. Just the smell of it all was more than tantalizing, and my mouth watered in anticipation.
The chef beamed proudly as he presented his masterpiece to me. I couldn't help but smile seeing his proud expression. I made my way towards him, thanking him for his effort, and he bowed before me in appreciation. He had truly outdone himself this time - this feast was fit for a king.
Right at that moment, I could hear the sound of hoofbeats from the courtyard. 'Ah, it seems we managed to finish it all in time.' I thought pleasantly as I went to the parlor to welcome my father.
Helga eagerly trodded behind me with a bright smile on her face. She, too, wanted to make an impression so she donned her finest dress and carried herself like a true lady. I chuckled to myself, wondering what Father would say to all of this.
As soon as the main doors opened and Gorn stepped through, Helga happily shouted, "Father!" and jumped into his arms. He at first looked surprised, but then an affectionate smile spread across his face.
"Look at you, Helga. What a fine dress... I almost didn't recognize you." He said while patting Helga's back.
He then looked at me, and I smiled at him. "Welcome, Father; it's good to see you after so long."
"Darian." He nodded back, and we heartily shook hands. But then his smile disappeared, and he looked at me strangely. "When you said you bought a house, I never could have imagined something like this."
I smiled nervously as I scratched the back of my head, trying to avoid my father's inquisitive gaze. "It was a great deal; I got it for half price!" I proclaimed with a forced smile before quickly adding, "Let's go eat dinner before the food gets cold... I can show you around afterward."
Without waiting for a response, I ushered both Father and Helga into the dining hall, seating them around the large table laden with a literal mountain of food. The tantalizing aroma of the countless delicacies caused our stomachs to grumble in anticipation.
Before we dug in, I also introduced Theo, who was seated on my right, salivating at the sumptuous-looking boar.
My master, Lily, opted to remain in her room as she apparently didn't want to intrude on our family reunion. At least that was what she said, but I guess she is just a loner who isn't too comfortable around people.
We then feasted until our stomachs threatened to burst, and our laughs echoed loudly across the hall as we chatted merrily, enjoying each other's company. But as the evening progressed, I could see from my father's expression that I couldn't escape his burning questions for long.
After the maids cleaned the last plate from the table and we all sat with pleased expressions, Father finally turned toward me and asked. "So now that we ate, why don't you tell me what you have been doing lately?"