124 Grand Finale (1/2)
”And now, I am sad to say, that for the final time, I can present you a new treasure of Saniya. To celebrate the end of our banquet, I have the privilege to present the full work and dedication of Saniya's unique ensemble of chefs. Here it is, the great creation of master Chuku, as well as unique treasure of Saniya, lemon supreme!”
His arms spread wide to mirror the smile on his face, King Corco stood in front of the collected lords, accompanied by a large array of servants, while his baritone voice rang out among the tables. After the king had come back from his short break, he had lost no time to make himself the center of attention once again. Even though he still had to visit all the tables, the king had already announced the end of the banquet.
To Lord Macuy, it was a shame, by multiple measures. All throughout the evening, he had enjoyed the food and drink presented by the cooks of Rapra Castle. What had touched his palate this evening had been food the simple 'cow lord' from the countryside had never even dreamed of. At the same time, the beautiful, novel music on display had formed a perfect backdrop and supported Macuy's great war with the so-called 'treasures of Saniya'. In the end, his vigor had only gotten him drunk, which did nothing but worsen his displeasure.
Even though the king had announced the official end of the banquet with this so-called lemon supreme, Kind Corco still hadn't so much as visited lord Macuy's table. No matter how much the king tried to play charmer, no matter how much he had done for the power of the estates back in Arguna, if he never made it to the table here, none of it would matter to the lord. Lord Corco would remain a shameless and power hungry fiend, like the rest of them.
With a frown compounded by the nausea the brandy had spread in his head, Lord Macuy looked onto the cloth which covered whatever mysterious desert the king's cooks had prepared. At least he could look forward to the taste and return home with some new experiences, he thought, while the servant behind him pulled the cover away. However, what he found before him was nothing but another disappointment.
”A lemon?” Confused, the lord stared at the yellow fruit before his eyes. All throughout the evening, the lords had been presented with this exotic produce in all manner of form. He wasn't a fan of its combination with the brandy, but the lemon juice had been an excellent addition to the fish, if nothing else. Even then, as a poor lord with land in the lowlands of Sachay, far away from the open sea and too poor to import lemons over the land route, he wouldn't know what to do with the knowledge.
Still, there it lay, yellow and plump, with a fresh, green leaf sticking out the back, to taunt him for his own poverty. Even the dew still dripped from the precious fruit. It was by far the largest and prettiest specimen he had seen today, but even so, he couldn't understand just what was so 'supreme' about this specific lemon.
”Lord Macuy seems dissatisfied.”
”Bunch of high-strung fops,” he mumbled into his beard. With annoyance, the lord thought back to his own home, to the drab halls and backwards cuisine that would await him there. After today, he would have to return, back to the quaint life he had been accustomed to before. During the succession war, his trip to Arguna had taken far longer than expected, and so his house had wasted more silver than he would have liked. For now, they would have to save up for a while, and settle for turnips in milk. If that was his future, he at least had hoped for a perfect climax, the perfect last meal before he left the fairyland that was Saniya and returned to his own, gray life.
As he stewed in the murky waters of his own thought, Lord Macuy was about to touch the lemon with all the derision in his body, but someone poked him first. With a sharp elbow, his attendant reminded the lord of his duties. Although his mood only soured further, at least Macuy still had the presence of mind to look up before he unleashed all the curses of the countryside on his attendant. His hesitation was his great fortune. Stood before his table, armed with a patient smile, was the man Lord Macuy had blessed with his nasty answer before. Over there stood King Corcopaca Titu Pluritac.
”Oh, King Corcopaca. I was not... not aware. Excuse me, the lemon looks... good,” Macuy lied with what could only be a crooked grin. Even though the alcohol colored clouds in front of his eyes, he could see the king's own smile turn wider, as he picked up the silver spoon the servants had placed next to Macuy's lemon. As the king held the spoon out to the lord, he sat down at the table.
”Don't judge a book by its cover, they say. Seriously, don't knock it till you try it. And try it you should.”
After the initial shock, the lord's anger had returned, fueled by the king's casual attitude. With a grumpy snort, Macuy grabbed the spoon from the king, maybe with more force than necessary. Even though Utusku was a small territory, there was no reason for King Corco to ignore them for so long. At least where he came from, men knew how to be polite. For now he would play along with the king's charade and pretend the sour fruit's deliciousness. He wouldn't stay much longer anyways.
”You know,” the king continued, unperturbed by Macuy's lack of an answer, ”I'm really sorry that I'm only getting to you last. However, since Utusku is so vitally important, I thought it would be best if I came to your table together with the grand finale. It's much more dramatic that way, isn't it?”
”Sure,” the lord nodded, absentminded. Somehow, his spoon was still stuck on that lemon's peel. All the lemons he had seen today had possessed a rather soft rind, but this one was hard as glaze. By now he also realized that the lemon had been chilled down to freezing temperatures. Determined not to lose to a fruit, the great warrior put more force into his arm and pushed the spoon down into his helpless foe.
With a crack, the lemon opened to reveal the treasures inside. Fascinated, the lord stared at the strange phenomenon present on his spoon, his anger forgotten. In fact, the lemon didn't appear to be a lemon at all. Rather, it's rind was a hard, brittle shell, similar to a birch tree's bark in texture, while the inside was filled with a white, soft cream of sorts. Only the center itself appeared like a lemon, as little yellow droplets crowded together to form a core for the fancy desert. Truly, whether or not this was created by nature, it was a marvel, a work of art.
Astonished, the lord raised his head again, and stared back at his host.
”Go on, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.”
Still filled with suspicion, the lord followed King Corco's hand gesture and lifted the strange desert up to his mouth. However, as soon as the spoon entered, he forgot all around him. First was the rind, or crust. A strange, yellow shell, hard and brittle. However, the taste was sweet and creamy as the substance began to melt in his mouth. Even creamier however was the wonderful mass the shell had encompassed and protected, a heavenly concoction. Despite the extreme cold, Macuy could taste and feel the cow's milk as one of the main ingredients used in the treasure.
Back home, lord Macuy was intimately familiar with cows and all the products gained from them. After being surrounded by them since birth, he thought that he had seen enough of milk for the rest of his life, that he would never enjoy its taste again. This magical creation changed everything. Even now however, the lemon supreme still wasn't out of surprises. Once the shell and cream were melted away, he reached the small yellow pearls in the center. Just the slightest bit of pressure was enough to burst them open and fill his mouth with the lemon juice he had become so familiar with over the day. However, in combination with the cold cream and hard shell, its effect was entirely different. Cold and refreshing like morning dew, sweet and acidic at the same time, it was a divine taste like none lord Macuy had ever tasted.
At a loss for words, the lord searched around, to look for someone who could explain this marvel to him. Soon his eyes fell upon King Corcopaca, who sat before him with a complacent grin.
”What'd I say? Pretty good, huh?”