Chapter 23: The Fateful Banquet —To Start the Party, Knock Back Three...Mushrooms—

That night, Mia arrived at the evening banquet hosted by the King of Perujin. Stepping into a large gala chamber in the cake-shaped castle, she was greeted by long tables of mouth-watering food. She gulped.

In the middle of the edible display were the fresh veggies, boldly declaring their presence through their eye-catching green. Carefully carved into their leafy surfaces were marvelous floral patterns—a testament to the manual prowess of the cooks. Surrounding those were more vegetables. Some were much larger and used as substitute vessels for sauces, while others were grilled and arranged around the plant-based container. Presumably, the latter was meant to be dipped into the first. A whiff of charred goodness made her tummy gurgle.

There were even those tahkoes she had the other day, except splayed atop the flatbread this time were mushrooms.

My, so those are Perujin mushrooms. Oh, I can’t wait to try those. I wonder how they taste...

She swallowed her anticipation along with a mouthful of saliva. Then, she gracefully greeted the king. “Your Majesty is most gracious to have arranged such a marvelous banquet for me. Please accept my gratitude.”

“You flatter me, Princess Mia. It is but a token of our appreciation. We hope you find it satisfactory.”

“Oho ho, you are far too modest. Satisfactory? I can hardly stop my heart from fluttering at the sight of this gorgeous assortment of lavish delicacies.”

Technically, what was fluttering was probably her stomach. Having been denied the opportunity to satiate itself in a shop-and-snack spree, it was now all but growling for recompense. With her hunger-tinted glasses, everything on the tables looked absolutely delicious.

At the king’s side was the queen consort, and beside them were Rania and her younger brother. The boy looked even younger than Bel and Tatiana, putting him at no more than ten years of age. The way his eyes were glued to the food before him, tiny lips writhing as if struggling to prevent a wave of drool from spilling forth, was quite endearing.

Hmm, so that’s Rania’s mother and brother... They definitely resemble her a little.

Mia had no siblings, and her mother had already passed away. Her only family was her father, the emperor. She’d never felt lonely because of that, but seeing Rania surrounded by so much family, she couldn’t help but mouth a private “it must be nice.”

Nicer, however, was the food, so she promptly made her way to her seat, which was also beside the king, opposite his wife. Next to Mia was Bel’s seat, and next again was Tatiana’s. She was further supported by Anne and Ludwig, who both stood in attendance behind her. It was, in her opinion, a near perfect formation—the ultimate opening in the game that was about to ensue.

Well then. We’re set and ready to go. Where might Shalloak be? Is he not here yet?

Judging by the current ordering, Shalloak would probably sit next to Rania’s brother. She fixed her gaze on the unoccupied seat and waited until...

“I offer the deepest of apologies for my late arrival.”

...Shalloak showed up. She greeted him with a small nod.

“What a pleasure it is to see you, Shalloak. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Frankly, I didn’t think we’d meet again.”

“Indeed, indeed. It is an absolute honor to be invited to such an event. Please accept my deepest gratitude, Princess Mia.”

Shalloak Cornrogue lived up to his reputation as a seasoned merchant. His businesslike smile displayed not the slightest hint of lingering rancor from their past confrontation.

“If I may be so bold, though... What prompted you to invite the likes of myself, a lowly merchant, to an occasion of this—”

Mia held up her hand, cutting off his question.

“I’d prefer to dine first. Let us get this banquet underway, shall we?”

It was a matter of priorities. Face-stuffing first, Shalloak-trouncing later. The latter could be done at any time, but the former was time-sensitive. Plus, the cooks had worked hard to prepare all this great food, and it’d be both disrespectful and a waste to let it go cold. Most importantly, her stomach had reached the limit of its patience. It demanded satisfaction now.

“The young prince there appears to be quite hungry, after all,” she said, shifting attention to Rania’s little brother.

Yes, she just wanted to start snarfing as soon as possible, but she wasn’t about to admit that; she had appearances to keep up. The poor boy, unaware he was a sacrificial pawn in Mia’s bid to save face, looked down and blushed. A gurgling sound promptly followed, dissipating the tension that had begun to form between princess and merchant.

“A fair suggestion,” said Yuhal. “Let the feasting begin.”

In a stately voice, the king signaled the commencement of the banquet.

Yuhal had barely finished his sentence before Mia started reaching for food. She began with the tahkoes. The yellowish flatbread had been cut into bite-size pieces, each overlaid with mushrooms and grilled. She took one and popped it into her mouth. Biting down, she felt a satisfying crunch as the crispy bread gave way. Savory mushroom touched her tongue, followed by a thick sauce. Her tongue waltzed in delight to the triplet of flavors.

Next, she picked up a mushroom skewer that used black ones larger than those in the tahkoe. Leaning in to sniff, her nose was tickled by an indescribably rich aroma. As she bit into a cap with her front teeth, she discovered a pleasing springiness; there was a bit of bounce before the flesh parted. Seasoning seemed to be limited to salt, which allowed the faint but complex flavor of the mushroom to shine.

She didn’t stop there. Charging forward in her crusade against untasted food, she moved on to a roasted item consisting of mushrooms sandwiched between meat. As she chomped down, freshly broiled juices spilled out, accentuating the mushrooms’ firm yet slightly crunchy texture. It was not just cuisine—it was an experience. She was only vaguely aware of her own voice as she chewed with rapt delight.

“What impeccable flavor... Please give my highest regards to the chef.”

So pretentious was her tone that one would almost expect her to make a “mwah” gesture with her hand.

By the time she swallowed everything and returned to her senses, she realized that in the span of three gulps, she’d devoured three types of cuisine: mushroom, mushroom, and mushroom, fulfilling the ancient adage of drinking culture—to start the party, knock back three. Three mushrooms in this case, but whatever. In doing so, she’d activated the first of her secret techniques: the positive-feedback loop. The more she filled her stomach with mushrooms, the hungrier she got, logic and physiology be damned.

“Aaah... It’s so good. They’re all so good...! I can’t get enough!”

“My goodness, Princess Mia, you seem to be enjoying yourself very much,” said the queen consort with a good-natured smile.

“I certainly am, because the food is superb. The vegetables are incredibly fresh too, and the mushrooms are simply exquisite. A country of such rich produce as Perujin is one I hope to maintain a long and lasting friendship with...” said Mia, pointedly glancing at Shalloak.

The merchant paid her no mind, choosing to focus his attention on devouring the platters of food before him. Food that consisted of nothing but meat. Food that...Tatiana eyed with a deeply disapproving frown.