Chapter 8 – Dinner & A Show

The banging of pots and pans in the Remington Castle's kitchen was not a new sound, but the speed at which the sounds are made and the force behind the bangs was quite new. Nick stands alone in the center of the room, panning his vision around to each of the projects he is working on simultaneously. The shocked kitchen staff stand off to the side, being sure to stay out of the Duke's way.

"...Okay, next is 3 Frost Wyrm Tears...a splash of Salamander Venom...heat to exactly 942 degrees..."

The ex-prince mutters to himself while his head whips from one direction to another. Plates, pots, pans, and utensils of all shapes and sizes zoom through the air and around the room, their accidental contact with each other, the cause of the noise. 

'I am no professional cook...but I think I can do a decent job.' Nick thinks to himself. 

Little does he realize that his view of normal is more than a little...skewed. There was a good reason that everyone in his party made him cook on his adventure. He had maxed out his "Cooking Skill" as his 6th Sense had called it, but honestly, he felt he still had much he could improve on.

'I mean, I can barely handle cooking 7 magical dishes at once! Surely, I am still lacking.' He comments and sighs when two forks crash into one another and the screech of metal on metal can be heard briefly in the room. Restoring the twisted metal with a wave of his hands, Nick gets back to his homemade meal for his family.

Meanwhile...

"...and then we saw a giant red dragon! It tackled Brother Nick through a mountain! I was super, duper worried, but he got up and they were laughing! Turns out, it was only a kind uncle named Radagas! He is the Head Chef of the Dragons! And! And then they told me about all the stuff Nick did when he was there! He cured a rat poison and stopped the chaos from exploding! Radagas said that our family are friends of the dragons because of what he did! Brother is so cool!...but...brother said he won't marry me..." Lily finally finishes her tale with crossed arms and a pout. 

She had been explosively throwing her hands around and jumping up and down, trying to act out and explain her trip to her mothers Regina & Heather, brothers Matthew & Michael, and sister Rose. Sister Mary was busy with Profit stuff, like visiting other cities churches and holding gatherings for the faith, and would be away for several days. At Lily's last words, however, Mother Regina and Heather chuckle, and Regina pulls her daughter onto her lap.

She sits on a comfy sofa chair in the lounge located in the personal quarters of the castle. The room is circular in design with comfortable couches, sofas, and chairs all facing each other. Nothing lies in the middle of the circle of seating, but in between each seat is a small circular table. The rug of the room is pastel red and yellow and that matches the lighter, happier tones of the walls and tapestries. Windows line the circular room on the south end, facing the royal gardens. To the north end of the room is a large door that leads to the other rooms in the royalty's personal quarters.

"Sweetheart, you can't marry your brother because he is your brother. He loves you very much, but we do not do allow that here. You will meet and fall in love with someone amazing, I am sure." She explains patiently.

"Yeah...we are not the Bozzin Kingdom..." Rose says under her breath. She has been silently looking at her reflection in a small hand mirror, mostly ignoring Lily's tale, and altering more and more about herself with her new ability. 

"Rosalie Patricia Remington," Mother Heather growls dangerously, "Do not speak of our political allies like that. That is an excellent way to start a war..."

Rose flinches at the use of her full name, but scowls back feeling offended that she was in trouble, "But it's true! It's not like I lied! The king married his blood sis-"

"Rose~" Mother Regina says sweetly with a smile and a scary aura around her. "Mommy doesn't want to hear another word out of your mouth about the Bozzin Kindom, is that understood?"

Flinching at the smile, Rose backpedals, "I-I understand! I was just telling the truth...sorry..." She ends her statement lamely and hides behind her hand mirror again.  

Micheal, who has been laying on the rug in the center of the room listening to lily and playing with his red, spiked gauntlet, chooses this moment to speak. "I wonder what Brother Nick is cooking for us. Think he is any good?"

"He is a strong warrior, of that there is no doubt," Matthew starts and scowls out a nearby window at the thought of how much better than himself his brother Nick seems to be, "But cooking? That is not a warrior's work. What the hell is magical ice cream anyway?" He looks up from his position laying down on his back on one of the sofas in the room. 

"I am sure it will be fine." Mother Heather placates and the conversation ends there as King Remington enters looking haggard. Regina and Heather get up and move to hug and kiss their husband, who smiles at them lovingly, before sitting back on a random chair with a groan. 

"Ooooh...Well, today sucked. How was it for you all?" King Remington asks.

"Daddy, Daddy!" Lily yells and tugs at his kingly robe, "You'll never guess where Nick took me today!"

Thus began the third round of Lily explaining the entire trip. Halfway through the head butler, Santago, knocked on the door and announced, "Nicholas has completed his meals...We are ready for you in the dining room." 

"Well then, angel, let us continue this in the dining room, shall we?" The King asks his daughter as he scoops her up in his arms and makes his way towards the dining room. 

Halfway there...everyone who had been following closely behind the King freezes...

The smell in the air...it's...it's...

"Heavenly..." Mother Regina whispers.

"Wonderful..." Mother Heather echos.

"What is this?" The King chuckles happily, "I must say, I didn't know what to expect when Nick told us he would cook tonight...but I am starting to get some expectations..."

When they enter the dining room, they are blown away by what they see.

Piles of food both strange and familiar line the dining room table. Traditional mixed with foreign, but all of it smelling amazing. Nick stands nearby, organizing the layout of some of the sushi he prepared. When his family enters, he brightens up with a giant smile. 

"I am so excited to share this all with you! Not to brag, but I was a highly requested chef in my party...In fact, I was the only chef in our party...But still, the point stands!" He says with a laugh and while scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Please, grab a plate and put a little bit of everything on and try them one by one. I don't expect each of you to like them all, but you should find some new dishes that appeal to you in the pile." He says and waves to the table that is pushed up against the wall in a buffet style. 

Each dish is stacked and tiered on the table with plates and serving platters. They seem to be separated by taste types, rather than by region of origin. This ensured that if one liked what they tasted, there was a good chance they would enjoy what is beside it as well. The best part? Nick enchanted the plates so the food would stay exactly as intended no matter how long they stay out. Additionally, as long as Nick gave the plates some mana, they would refill with the same food they were enchanted with. Nick was not 100% sure, but he believed that a dish left out this way would be safe to eat even a decade later. Lots of possibilities with that kind of enchantment.

'Like helping to end starvation in our nation...So much to do, and all the time in the world to do it.' He thinks with a small laugh to himself.

"Wow...Nick...This is a lot of food...I must admit, I have no idea where to start..." Mother Regina says with a confused and overwhelmed smile. Lily & Micheal didn't seem to have the same issue as they make a beeline for the sweets table - Yes, Nick prepared a whole 6-foot table filled with sweets from all over the world - but Nick intercepts them and scoops them up in his arms, tickling the duo to stop their pouting. 

"Nice try squirts, but you need to wait until Mothers tell you it is okay for dessert." Nick laughs. He then turns to the rest of his family and smiles. "Start wherever you'd like! Just pick something up and give it a try. If you don't like it, simply put it in the bin in the center of the room and it will dispose of it. I don't expect each of you to like every dish here...I don't even like some of them...but I wanted to open you up to all the dishes that I have discovered around the world. Maybe the cuisine will make you want to visit the region sometime! I can take you anywhere and I would love to go on fun family trips with you all when we have time."

"That sounds wonderful!" Mother Heather says with a warm smile. "I have often said we need to take more vacations. Alas, it is hard to do with the responsibilities of the nation..."

Nick waves his hand dismissively and states, "I can help you make constructs or body doubles to do some of the more mundane things while we are gone. The magic is complicated, but it should help to free up more of your time." He turns to look at his father and smirks a bit. "I was thinking of starting with a construct that will do your paperwork exactly as you would normally, father...In case you are interested in not having to do it anymore-"

The King's head snaps to Nick faster than he thought possible and he stands up fully and announces shamelessly, "By my order as King, I command that we do this...Tomorrow morning, if at all possible...I swear Santago and Prime Minister Ashforth are trying to assassinate me with paper cuts..."

Nick hides his chuckle as he bows and says, "By your command, my king."

"How marvelous!" Mother Heather says with a hand to her cheek, "Would you mind doing the same for my book circle? I am tired of having to read such trashy... *Ahem* romantic novels..."

The room goes silent as they turn to look at Mother Heather who just chuckles at their reactions.

"Uh...sure," Nick says and quickly tries to change the subject by putting down his youngest siblings and pointing them to a corner of the room. "Over there are the sweeter dishes. Try the Orange Chicken. It is one of my personal favorites!"

They waste no time and sprint for the dish. "Mmm"ing and "Aw"ing at the taste of the food. 

Nick claps again and gives his best-winning smile, "Well, Let's dig in!"

The group does as Nick commands and starts small. Rose is the first of the "adults" to take a bite of the unfamiliar food and chose to start with some Karaage that was prepared with dipping sauces. She dips the fried chicken and pops it into her mouth while everyone waits with bated breath for her reaction.

They didn't have to wait for long. Shortly after the first bite, her eyes shine like stars and she beams at Nick before grabbing more of the fried chicken and shoving it into her mouth, doing a childish and unladylike happy dance at the taste. This causes Matthew to get curious and so he takes a bite of a dish Nick calls "Collyfornia Rolls" and has nearly the same reaction as Rose. 

So starts a chain of reactions from each of the family members where, with every new bite, they are discovering their new favorite type of food. 

Something worth mentioning, all of the dishes are cooked with monster parts or magical ingredients making them much better than their regular counterparts could ever be. Nick is used to eating magical meal rations on the road and so he has no idea the effect this new type of food would have on his family. They are no strangers to magical food, being royalty and all, but these dishes are far more than any of them have ever tried before. They do wonders for their bodies as the magical food is broken down, revitalizing them, clearing years of toxic build-up, and strengthing their muscles and bones. 

The piles of food quickly disappear as each family member tries several things, bringing them to their plates, then shoveling them down with gusto, only to get up and grab more. Nick waves his hand and the food replenishes as he enjoys his Tri-Tip sandwich on Sourdough with salt and vinegar potato chips. He watches and laughs as his usually orderly family acts like starving beasts in front of his food.

King Remington has settled on a simple ham and sharp cheddar cheese sandwich with thinly cut garlic fries as his favorite. The flavor of that simple sandwich combined with the garlic, salted, and buttery potatoes cannot be denied. Mother Heather has fallen in love with a dish Nick said was called goulash while Mother Regina simply raves about the teriyaki chicken and white rice she is eating.

Matthew chows down on his 5th bowl of spicy seafood curry and keeps claiming that he cannot wait for Miss Bella, his Baron's daughter girlfriend, to try it. Rose has not moved from her karaage with its 4 different dipping sauces and has lost concentration in her form, causing it to revert to her natural state. 

"It never ends!" Micheal yells as he grabs his 5th handful of Onion Rings and shoves it down his throat, ignoring all semblance of decorum.

"Yup! As long as you put magic into the dish, it will automatically replenish itself! They will last a really long time as well, so we can store them in the kitchen for you all if you would like. I suggest letting the staff enjoy them as a reward after we are finished." Nick says between bites. 

'Not gonna lie, this feels pretty damn good. Good food, good people, no bullshit etiquette. Just shoving our faces, laughing, and sharing stories. Reminds me of the open road with the gang...'

This is exactly how the rest of the night went and whenever someone was full, Nick would remove the food from their stomach and disintegrate it so that they could continue to eat and experience the new food types. It was clear that the royal family was enjoying one of the best meals they each had ever had. 

Once Mothers gave their approval, Nick opened up the dessert table and Lily was convinced this was a dream. She held a massive ball of cotton candy and chewed on it reverently with her eyes closed the entire time. 

When it was nearly time to call it a night, Nick brought out the last item. Magically enchanted ice cream. This nearly caused a fight to break out between Rose and Matthew as they each swore the creamy and delicious treat tasted like something completely different from one another. It would have escalated further, if not for Nick bursting out laughing as he explained the enchantment to his confused family.

"This is my special recipe." He begins after calming down his giggling, "It makes the cream taste like the perfect flavor for your tongue. The really cool thing is that it changes depends on your mood or what you recently ate. So you can enjoy this treat at any time. I have filled several large tubs in the freezer and they will never go bad, but these will not refill with magic, however, as the enchantments are incompatible...Also, please don't eat it all at once. It will still make you gain weight." He finished gravely and the women all nod seriously at him. 

After another hour of enjoying ice cream and the company of family, they decide to wrap it up for the night. Lily and Micheal are asleep on the rug in the center of the room and Nick have to clean food off their entire bodies. 

'How Lily got cotton candy behind her ear, I will never know...' He thinks as he pats her now clean head lovingly. 

"That was simply amazing," Mother Regina says as she pours herself more tea from an enchanted teapot. It was another of Nick's special enchantments and the pot was always the perfect temperature and whatever tea flavor the pourer wanted. Mother Regina had already told him she would be keeping the teapot and asked for several more to be made. He had no issues with this and was just happy she was happy.

'Maybe I should open a magic item shop with convenient items for sale at reasonable prices...that could be interesting. I can already tell that the requests from other nobles will be immense...Just wait until I tell them about the never-ending, soft as silk, toilet paper...'

Nick had no issues with introducing new knowledge, magics, or enchantments to others of any station. Knowledge was meant to be shared after all, and, let's be honest, no one was going to threaten him with any real danger, no matter how valuable his knowledge might be. He was Duke Caspian, Protector of the Capital City, and was allowed to kill anyone for any reason. The only person he answered to was the King and his father would be fine with him cleaning up some trash.

'I could even use it to make the worst of the worse come out of the shadows...'

Thoughts for another time. Nick wasn't here to crusade against evil or change society. He was here to find love and relax. He did his fighting, it was time for others of this generation to shine. 

With that thought in mind, he bid everyone goodnight and said he would take care of feeding the staff and cleaning up. The royal family was currently suffering from massive food comas and had no strength to argue. The effect of magical food on one's body induces lethargy for the first time someone is exposed. This is due to their body needing time to reconstruct or cleanse itself as needed. Magic was awesome and Nick was excited to hear how they all felt tomorrow. 

Kissing his mother's cheeks, he waved goodbye as they made their way to their bed chambers. He then asked Santago to summon the staff. They arrived shortly, looking confused, and Nick explained the food, their free meal, as well as telling them they will all get the morning off and he will prepare breakfast for everyone tomorrow. 

They were reluctant at first, but Matilda was a great help as she took the first bite and squealed in delight. After that, little by little more of the staff got into the heavenly food and were astounded when Nick simply waved his hand and it all reappeared. Once they knew that there was more than enough for everyone, the real party started. 

If the family dinner was chaotic, the staff meal was pure anarchy...maybe bringing out the enchanted mead was a mistake...at least no one would get a hangover from it!...hahaha...

* | * | *

By the time the party ended late into the night, most of the staff were completely wasted, many returned with others that they hadn't arrived with, and Nick had to escort more than a few blackout drunks back to their rooms.

He hummed to himself as he cleaned up the dishes and put them into a storage china cabinet he moved into an empty place in the Kitchen. He then attached a mana crystal battery to the side so the food would automatically replenish itself. This would last for a couple of years before needing a replacement. Lastly, he added a sheet of paper to the front of the cabinet, explaining its workings and how to retrieve food as well as what to do with dishes after they are removed from the cabinet. 

Nick was pleasantly buzzed, but not drunk as he would regulate his blood alcohol levels every couple of minutes. He had learned his lesson from the event that happened on the Dragon Continent last year...

'Never again...' He shudders to himself as he remembers that night with a blush. 

A noise behind him made him spin around.

Standing there, in her sheer, purple nightgown neglige, was a very drunk Matilda. Her face is flushed and she leans heavily on the Staff of the Magi he had gifted her as part of her new position as head of the kingdom's mages. The vine-like earrings embedded with emeralds that she wore were another gift from him and hung dazzlingly from her ears.

The reason behind the two gifts was because the staff was intended to be an item of position and would be passed down from head mage to head mage for years to come. The earrings that boosted her nature magic further than the already obscene amount the staff provided were his personal gift to her. 

Matilda was a sinfully beautiful woman. She had curves that drew the eyes to all the wrong, or right depending on who you ask, places and legs that went on for miles. She was almost 6 feet tall and her curly red locks cascaded down her shoulders like spilled wine. Her pink lips and strikingly bright emerald green eyes bore into his as she bit her lip seductively.

"Duke Caspian...I can't help but feel you avoided me this evening." She accuses in a sultry purr.

Nick 100% did avoid her. Her obvious attraction towards him and flirty nature lead him to blush like an innocent schoolgirl whenever she was around. 

'No...She is attracted to my power and magical abilities. None of this is genuine.' Nick convinces himself.

"H-Hello Matilda, I-I can assure you that is not the case." He blatantly lies to her. "You must be a bit drunk as you seem to have lost your c-clothes..." He trails off, laughing nervously and taking a step back until he runs into the china cabinet behind him. She stares up at him through long eyelashes and takes slow, predatory steps towards him, not unlike a cat stalking its prey. 

"Is that so? My, how clumsy of me..." Matilda says, running her tongue across her pink lips. She steps closer still and her bountiful bust bounces with every step. The sheer fabric is thicker around her chest and pelvis, obscuring the view of her privates. The fact that the rest of the outfit is practically see-through makes this less important at the moment.

"It would seem we have a bit of a...misunderstanding..." She says with a playful pout. "You believe I am only interested in your power and magical might, no?" Matilda continues, taking the first step into his personal space and reaching out to run a hand down his arm, slowly.

Nick flinches slightly at the touch, to which Matilda looks up at him with a kind, reassuring smile. Her green eyes taking in the whole of his attractive face. Seeing she hit the nail on the head with his reaction, she smiles wider and continues.

"I would like to prove to you, tonight, that your power has nothing to do with my feelings for you. That I am attracted to the witty and kind man behind the Duke's title." Here she steps in one final time and molds herself to his form, running a finger down his chest in slow circles.

Nick gulps. 

"H-how would you be doing that, exactly?" He asks in barely a whisper.

"Simple," She says in a whisper of her own that sends goosebumps down Nick's whole body. "By baring my entirety to you and letting you decide on your own."

Here she leans across him, smushing her large chest into his, and rests her staff against the side of the cabinet. She follows this up by removing her earrings and placing them in his hand, closing it into a fist and patting it afterwords. She smiles up at him once more before stepping back and moving her hands up to her shoulders where the straps of her nightgown rest. 

"W-wait!" Nick calls desperately, his face resembling a red sun.

Matilda quirks an eyebrow at him and her smile turns feral. "My, my. Did you think I was taking off my clothes for you? I am afraid I am not that easy of a woman, Duke." Her purr was like electricity in his ears. She is still right in front of him and the palpable sexual tension between the two has grown to a crescendo. Her hands move up to her shoulders again, but, to Nicks's releif, they continue past, up to her face.

In one smooth movement, she pulls her hands down her body and where she passes, a change can be seen. Her smooth pale skin is replaced by healthy tanned brown color. Her eyes keep the same color but grow larger and almond-shaped. Her ears elongate and come to a point about a foot above her head. Her body shape stays the same, but lean muscle replaces delicate pink skin.

Standing before him is not the Matilda others see in their mundane eyes, but rather the elven woman he detected with his magical senses. No longer is she double imposed in his vision, as only her true Wood Elf form remains. 

"Greetings to you Duke Caspian, my real name is Mathienne Amarille Genvyre, 8th Princess of the 7 Leaf Elven Empire." She says with a formal bow to him.

Nick stares in shock and his heart skips a beat at the beauty that is the elven princess in front of him.