Rosie's Games

Chapter 249: Sweets and Stories

"The Dark Lord is not human," Queen Aurinda continued. "I am certain you already know this from the books that the South possesses."

"Yes. Since we were children, it was already known that the Dark Lord used to be a god."

"Now, the North has a different story," Queen Aurinda said as she looked at one of the consorts. "Please give me more tea, thank you."

"Different story?"

"One of these days, I will show you the precious paintings that were done by experts from the past. Those paintings possess some secrets that the south end of the continent refused to teach their children. I am certain that it would entice you to learn more about the history that the seven families wanted to bury."

"Aurinda"

"Oh please, these are mere stories that we grew up with," Aurinda waved dismissively at the King as she snorted. "Stories can be true or false. It is up to the Duchess if she believes them."

Rosalind gave them an awkward smile. She did not know why they wanted to talk to her about this now, or why they would act like they were uneasy around her. Was it because of the Duke?

Their conversation soon started going towards what happened at the walls. It wasn't exactly something new, since beasts have always been attacking the gates for centuries. However, even the King said that the beast's behavior was alarming this time.

"When the first attack in Cirid was reported. They said that the beasts were acting very aggressive as well," King Marlin said. "I wonder if this is indeed the beast tide."

"Duke Rothley already said so. Unfortunately, Cirid did not believe us. It is not our fault it cannot be our fault," Queen Aurinda answered.

After this, the King decided that it was time for dinner. By then, they had already been inside the greenhouse for more than an hour. While Rosalind was in a little hurry because of the apparent danger that might happen at the walls, she had no choice but to stay with them for dinner.

During dinner, she was introduced to two more people. One was a twelve-year-old prince named Prince Claven and the other was another prince called Prince Steven. The two were the sons of the consorts and, since the Queen had no children, they were allowed to dine with the King and Queen as the official heirs to the crown.

To her surprise, the King excused himself right after dinner and the Queen chose to treat her to some desserts.

"The Duke specifically sent some word that the Duchess wanted to eat sweet things," Queen Aurinda said. "I personally asked the chef to make some of my favorites." The Queen gestured at one of the maids to open the covered desserts.

"This is a frost berry galette, it is a sweet, flaky pastry filled with a delicious mixture of tart snowberries, honey, and cinnamon." The Queen then asked the maid to open another dessert.

"This one is called Frosty Mint Chocolate Cake. It's a rich and decadent dessert that is perfect for any celebration. It has a moist and fluffy texture and is infused with the cool, invigorating taste of peppermint. These are two of my favorites, you should try them."

Rosalind's eyes were so wide as she looked at the other desserts on the large table. The King, the consorts, as well as the princes had already left, so it was only her, the Queen and two other servants.

"Thank you," Rosalind did not hesitate as she took a bite of the Frosty Mint Chocolate Cake. She had never heard of this dessert in the past and was quite curious about its taste.

The rich taste of the chocolate sponge filled her senses. To her surprise, what followed was a cool and refreshing taste of the peppermint frosting!

"This is delicious!"

"I knew you would like it! I asked the chef to make more in case you wanted to bring it back to the tower. That place can be very lonely without the Duke." Right now, Queen Aurinda looked like a magnanimous mother who was trying to get her daughter to eat more food.

"Thank you," Rosalind continued eating. She never expected that she would fall in love with the food that the North had to offer and she was not planning to refuse anything, even if it was poisoned after all, poison did not work on her.

"I heard that you will be fighting with the Duke's men tonight?" Finally, the Queen asked her the question that she had been waiting for her since she arrived.

"I am." Rosalind used a napkin and dabbed it on the side of her lips.

"That one is called Snowdrift Chai. It is a mixture of the northern bitter tea, petals of white flowers, cinnamon, and ginger. It's sweetened with honey and a little bit of steamed milk. I hope you will enjoy it."

Rosalind nodded. Judging by how the Queen describes the food, it was pretty obvious that she was just like Rosalind! Someone who enjoyed their food.

"I am planning to help them out," Rosalind said. "But I am only trying to make myself familiar with the beasts in the walls."

"As the Duchess, your actions are bound to get both criticism and praise from the other noble families. I hope you are prepared for that."

Rosalind wanted to say that she did not care, but only ended up nodding her head. She wanted to explore her Blessing and she could only use it in the middle of a battlefield.

"This is delicious," Rosalind said after she tasted the snowdrift chai. Indeed, everything that the Queen gave her was very full of different flavors. This was very different from when Countess Marchiana and Princess Freda asked her to join them for tea time.

"To be honest, I am surprised that the four pillars of the Rothley Family agreed to let you stay on the battlefield. After all, you are the first Duchess of Rothley."

"It was pretty easy to convince them." Once again, Rosalind started eating the desserts. Since she had been frequently using her Blessing, she had been feeling very hungry and, despite eating a lot, she had not gained any weight.

Or at least, that was the excuse that she wanted to tell herself while eating sweets.

.....

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