Demon Meat

"Why are you two arguing?"

"Oh, nothing serious. His highness loves to argue. It's why his wife doesn't love him."

"Aretha!"

"It's not a lie now, is it? He's not like us, Caspian. Don't worry, you're allowed to pity him."

"Aretha!"

"What? You don't always have to yell my name. It's very discomfiting, your highness. Please refer to me as Lady Aretha now that I'm married."

"You are too pleased with this even though you were set up. Some of us aren't lucky enough to be born with beautiful faces."

"Even if you were born with a beautiful face, she would still not love you. You are a bad person with a rotten heart."

"Aren't you just describing yourself at this point?"

"Gone are the days we used to be similar, your highness. I'm married now."

Caspian was still confused but now, he could take his tea in peace. He was certain Taylor brought him here on purpose…but why?

"Are you going to tell your husband?"

"…he doesn't have to know. I'll handle it."

"Saying it like that would make a man feel incompetent."

"Incompetent? You've got it all wrong. My paperwork now has an official signer. He has plenty to do."

"Why do you keep avoiding the topic? Don't tell me…this should be fun."

In an instant, the atmosphere became charged. If Caspian thought Aretha was angry before, it was nothing compared to the look on her face now. Prince Jaime grinned savagely like he was expecting a fight. But contrary to everyone's thoughts, she took a deep breath…and let it go.

"I think you've overstayed your welcome, your highness. I won't escort you. I have to attend to my husband."

"You're no fun when you're calm. But we'll be meeting more frequently in the future, that I can promise you. Let's see how you'll be able to keep your calm then."

Aretha didn't respond. The Prince stood up and took his leave, accompanied by Conan. Once he was out of sight, Caspian heard Aretha's voice.

"Annoying bastard."

"You don't like his highness?"

"We're old friends. His hobbies just happen to include fighting with everyone he considers strong to escape the unhappiness of his marriage," she replied, cackling to herself. Caspian couldn't help the amused smile on his face, especially after he saw that she was fine.

"You said there was plenty to do. When do I start?"

"I'll take you around the territory. Taylor!"

"Yes, my lady?"

"You sneaky bastard, don't think I don't know what you did. Prepare your lord for our outing. You know what to do, right?"

"Of course, my lady."

Prince Jaime made his way back to his mansion. His territory was just a few hours from Aretha's, making it easy for him to visit. He had been "banished" from the palace to lead a territory, putting his brother, the third prince, as the heir to the throne.

Even with his notable achievements, he just wasn't seen as a contender for the throne. He wasn't good for the royal family's image so he was given a retirement package like the other soldiers and was under surveillance by royal spies and others alike.

He lived a relatively peaceful life so if he wanted trouble, he would find his way over to Aretha's castle and return in a few days. Now that she was married, she kicked him out immediately.

"Welcome, your highness."

"Is my wife in her room?"

"No, your highness. She went out to town."

"I got a gift for her from the Duchess. Place it in her room. Bring tea up to my office."

"Yes, your highness."

Rather than say he's hated by his wife, his relationship with her was non-existent. Their marriage was purely political and sharing a bed was an arduous task for the couple. He didn't press the matter because he wasn't interested in having children. Having spent several years of his life on the battlefield, he just wanted peace. Except of course when it was too peaceful, then he would bother his friends.

"You have a letter from the capital, your highness."

"Who is it from?"

"It's from her highness, the second Princess."

"I wonder what sister wants this time. Hopefully, she's not still asking me for ridiculous things."

He took the letter from his butler's hands and made his way to his study. Unlike Aretha, he didn't have a huge pile of documents on his desk. He wasn't capricious like her when it came to his work. He didn't have much to do so he focused his energy on work and training his mana.

He opened the envelope and started reading the letter. There was an amused smile on his face the entire time he read it, seeing as the content wasn't capable of surprising him. When it came to his siblings, he already knew what they wanted.

"Lincoln?"

"Yes, your highness?"

"Prepare the guestroom. My sister would be visiting us soon."

"Is it the same procedure as last time, your highness?"

"Replace the colors this time," he said, turning the envelope. "It looks like she prefers pink."

"Should I inform the Madam, sire?"

"Go ahead and tell her when she returns. Better she knows now than to be caught by surprise."

"Yes, sire."

After wearing appropriate attire for visiting the town, Caspian descended to find Aretha already waiting. The fur coat she wore made her look taller and more imposing...until he saw the expression on her face when she spotted him. The smile that broadened from one cheek to the other when she saw him made him blush. She helped him into the carriage with ease and sat opposite him.

"There are a few things to note if you don't want to be surprised enough to faint."

"Faint?"

"Yes. Being located next to the crimson divide means several different things for our town. Firstly, all the buildings are fortified and all stalls are required to have a protecting fortress so it is more common to find several stalls in a building than to find them on the streets. Demon attacks are common so the citizens feel safe enough to shop even while we deal with the demons."

"Yes, that would seem very strange but it is a genius idea. Whose idea was it?" Caspian asks, his eyes sparkling with interest. Something flashed in Aretha's eyes, something that diminished his interest.

"It was an intelligent's person's idea, yes. I doubt you'd ever be able to meet them but they are also responsible for more than half the reforms in the town. Now, the second thing to note is that people missing several limbs are more than common in the town. I strive for a fast response but there are just some incidents I cannot avoid. The town was made easy for them to live in and I do my best to support them but sometimes, I think it's not enough."

This revelation sent Caspian reeling. People with disabilities were rare enough in the kingdom but to find a town catered to them is just...it was no wonder she was able to make custom materials for his needs.

"This wouldn't even interest most people. You're doing a wonderful job, my lady."

"...as long as you are pleased with it, then I shall accept that I am indeed doing a wonderful job."

Caspian's cheeks were the color of a fully blossoming rose at this point so he made an effort to disguise it as a cold. They passed the forest and began making it to the town area.

"One last thing. This would be the most surprising of all..."

"What is that smell? Is something grilling? It smells delicious."

"...that is in fact what I wanted to talk about. Look outside."

She opened the door and he poked his head out in time to see them passing butchers tearing apart meat and placing it on a grill while sprinkling some type of liquid on it. One stopped and waved at the carriage.

"What's that they're sprinkling?"

"It's a concentrated solution of the strongest alcohol we have, salt, rockbell and rosemary."

"What is rockbell?"

"It's a strange rock that when ground, has a spicy taste. Legends say it was 'planted' by faires. Not sure about that though. We ate it this morning at breakfast. That solution is used to cure the meat."

"Isn't it too strong?"

"For demon flesh? I fear it's not strong enough. I've been eating it for years so safe to say, it's safe."

"D-D-Demon flesh?"

"Yes. We consume demon flesh in this town. Don't worry. After this process, it is completely safe to eat. We can't raise livestock to eat because the demons keep stealing them. Leaving demon flesh to rot causes a wealth of disasters, including drawing other demons. So, we started curing and eating demon flesh. It's probably why everyone in this town grows very big and strong."

"I-Isn't that a taboo?"

"In the capital and the south, probably. We send the cured meat to the surrounding territories for profit. They love it so that's more profit for us. Honestly, at this point, we're the ones hunting the demons. There are some demons that can't be eaten, the ones in the Jade hall for example. Not all demons look like that. Some of them are..." her voice trailed off as her eyes grew alert. She suddenly raised her coat and covered them both.

"Forgive me for this," she whispered and placed her lips on his. Caspian blanked and was unable to tell if he was kissing her back. She pulled away, staring into his eyes. It was only after she lowered her arms that he saw three long white spines lodged deeply into her arms.