Chapter 303: Exclusive Fried Chicken
Miraculously, the snake beastmen obediently scrambled over each other, their tails swishing as they hurriedly formed a neat, orderly queue down the dark corridor.
But Syris wasn’t paying them any mind. He was completely mesmerized. He walked slowly toward the sprawling feast on the prep tables, drawn in by the intoxicating scents of garlic butter, fried fats, and reducing berries. He stared down at the bright crimson swamp crabs and the perfectly golden, lacy lotus chips. It looked even more beautiful than it smelled.
Ren couldn’t help but chuckle. "You are so silly," she smiled warmly. "Of course it’s food! What else would it be?"
Smack!
Syris froze. He slowly pulled his hand back, his brow furrowing in deep confusion. He, of course, did not get the joke at all. "I am the King," Syris stated smoothly. "I should be fed first. I do not stand in lines."
Syris’ frown deepened. She was delaying him from his meal. He lifted his pale hands and inspected them closely.
"That’s what you think," Ren countered, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot. "You’re not getting any of this until you wash your hands."
Ren chuckled. "It’s definitely not a joke. And honestly, the time you’ve spent standing here arguing back and forth with me, you could’ve already gone to wash your hands and been back by now!"
The entire line of snake beastfolk looked on in shock. They had never, ever seen their king get ordered around like this before!
The snake beastfolk almost tripped over their own tails, quickly scurrying off down the corridors without a word of argument.
She began plating Syris’s "royal" meal. She loaded his wooden platter with the biggest, meatiest crab legs dripping in fiery garlic butter. She added a massive handful of the crispy, salted lotus root chips and a generous bowl of the sweet-and-sour wild berry sauce.
"Let me see your hands," Ren demanded playfully.
Ren smiled brilliantly. "Good boy," she praised him teasingly. "You cleaned them very well!"
Ren happily handed heavy wooden platter over to him. Syris smiled down at his spectacular feast, the spicy, buttery aroma making his vertical pupils dilate. But as his eyes scanned the platter, he noticed that something was glaringly missing. He looked over at the separate pile of golden, extra-crispy fried waterfowl resting on the prep table.
By this time, some of the snake beastfolk were beginning to return to the kitchen, proudly holding their wet, clean hands up in the air as they lined up.
Syris’ face dropped. He stared at her, completely baffled. "Ren, I cannot understand your jokes. Put the orange waterfowl on my plate."
Hearing the escalating confrontation involving his name, Viper rushed inside the scullery immediately. The guard kept his head deeply lowered in the tense presence of his king.
But Ren firmly held her ground. "Viper, stay out of this," she commanded.
Syris crossed his arms, the platter balancing on his forearm. He did not look convinced.
Ren stepped closer, placing a soft hand on Syris’ arm. "I promise you, Syris, I will cook something really, really special, just for you, another time. But for right now, you can’t get any of the fried chicken."
Viper’s head was still deeply lowered, but internally, the guard was pleading with Ren. ’Just give my King the crunchy waterfowl! Please!’
"Fine," Syris relented, his amethyst eyes softening as he looked down at her. "I will let it go just this once. But next time, any special food you make will be for me, and me alone."
With the King finally served and happily retreating, the rest of the eager beastmen began crowding forward.
Eventually, the warriors cleared out, leaving the tail-end of the line.
She looked up at Ren with bright, wide, sparkling light blue eyes, and proudly held up her tiny, dripping wet, freshly washed hands.