47 - New flavors and Sensations (2.47k words)

I found it funny how Bai could pull up recipes from thin air. She didn't know how to cook without recipes by using the available ingredients at hand, but once she had everything from the recipe, she could pull out a good dish.

Normally, she stuck to Chinese cuisine, so when I suggested something Italian (after Vick's begging), she pondered for a moment before recalling a few recipes.

Meanwhile, Vick cleverly used me as his excuse to venture into brewing alcohol, how I taught him everything about fermenting and how he managed to make sweet red wine.

"Woah, what is this?" Queen Memi covered her mouth as she savored the taste.

The food she had received was called 'pizza.' Bai and Nivi had used the wheat from the provision, cheese, tomatoes, and olive oil to make it.

From their interaction, it seemed Nivi had already fostered some relationship with Queen Memi. (Yes, I invited Nivi to visit our house the morning after the distribution day.)

"Thank you. I am glad that it turned out to your liking." Bai had a big smile on her face.

Our Little European castle came in handy during these crowded times. Everyone, from Nivi's males to Queen Memi's males and guards, assembled in the grand hall. Seated in two rows on the floor, the air buzzed with anticipation as the guest waited for the feast to begin.

Meanwhile, I used one of the spare rooms as a butchery, handling the fresh dinosaur meat which we had an excess of together with Vick and Curtis. They helped me with cleaning the meat and removing the excess fat and gristle. I checked the meat's appearance, inspecting it for any signs of discoloration or spoilage, ensuring that only the best cuts made it to the table for our feast.

Some cuts were tender, begging to be grilled to perfection. Others, like the ribeye, had just the right amount of fat for that juicy bite.

Some cuts of the dinosaur meat were best enjoyed raw, like the tenderloin and the sirloin. To prepare them, I sliced them thinly against the grain, ensuring maximum tenderness. Then, I arranged the slices on a large three-tier platters, taking care to showcase the meat's natural beauty.

We've been discussing taking Parker in, and prepared beforehand to welcome his family, which was not small. At the end of the day, he was still a prince, and it was important to show that we were not to be taken lightly.

For added flavor, I drizzled the slices of meat with a light dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

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When the feast began, the sun still lingered high in the sky, promising several more hours of daylight.

Beside the pizza, an array of dishes adorned the long mat. Nivi and Bai expertly prepared familiar meat like short bird chickens and pork with rice.

As a hostess, I couldn't simply stand by (I'd rather do anything than cater to our guests). While the girls helped me with showcasing brand-new sample dishes to our guests, I found myself tasked with satisfying the appetites of over thirty beastmen.

Beside the meat dishes, the table boasted an array of seasonal delights, such as fruit and salads.

Bai and Nivi sat on either side of Queen Memi, and the three of them were immersed in conversation. I've prohibited both of them from spreading any modern innovations into the public on their own. It was better to wait until they gain some connection with Queen Memi and use her as the bridge to pass it out. They wouldn't be able to take any credits for it, but it wasn't like they didn't steal the knowledge from another world and use it, right?

Bai and Nivi immediately went for the dinosaur sashimi. They loved sushi, but were not confident in preparing raw meat and were afraid of the bacteria. Instead of eating their own dishes, something familiar, yet still tasty, they now got a chance to experience new flavors and sensations.

Closing her eyes, Nivi sighed in bliss as she sent me a big thumbs up, "It's delicious, oh my god, I feel like I'm in a fancy restaurant."

Queen Memi prefered Bai's and Nivi's dishes, finding them refreshingly new and innovative. Mine were, well... simple. There was a huge quantity of them, which also made them look less special.

Vick used his chopsticks to pick a huge serving of meat into Skaris's bowl, "Yaya made this dish."

Skaris, blindfolded and adorned in a loose-fitting male yukata to conceal his scars, sat by Vick's side, unaware of the attention his presence commanded.

With a subtle tilt of his head, he glanced in my direction, a silent acknowledgment of the effort that went into preparing the dish. As he took the first bite, his expression softened, "It's the best meat I've ever eaten." Then, he used his own chopsticks to follow the scent of the meat to get himself a second serving.

Everyone in here knew how to use utensils, which showed that Nivi had been quite active in trying to win queen Memi over on her side, and also why queen Memi was able to find the truth behind her son's lies.

She would have found out sooner or later. I would have invited her myself to discuss our cub's future the moment Tony defeated Parker, but her arriving on her own was good too.

After lavishing praise on Nivi and Bai's dishes, the males savored mine with a perplexed expression. Their faces tilted in confusion as they chewed on the meat at a snail's pace, trying to decipher its flavors.

"Hey, doesn't this meat taste kinda... familiar?"

"Yeah, you're right. It's like... it's like something we eat all the time, but way, way, way, better?"

"The meat must be of higher quality, the flavor is more refined than usual," another pondered, "The way it was prepared must play an important role too."

"It's so clean-there's no blood or strong smell," another said. The generous portion size encouraged him to indulge without restraint, diving into the the meat with gusto.

I saw Parker trying to mingle in Bai's conversation and being brushed off constantly by both Nivi and Queen Memi. He eventually gave up and joined Tony who was eating and drinking with the males, to pick up a fight with him. And like this, he was being reprimanded again and again until he ended up by my side.

"If you don't clamp that mouth of yours, I'll have Bai turn all your siblings into her new males," I warned.

"I'll be quiet," Parker quickly responded, and the words coming from his mouth stopped immediately. He took a bite of his meat and chewed on it slowly.

After a moment, I felt the air around me get heavy.

"Parker," Vick called out to him.

"No, no, I'm not talking," Parker denied it and looked away.

"Look," Vick used his chopsticks to point at various people, "you see these people, right? They all have one thing in common, and that is, they know when to talk and when to keep quiet, when to whisper and when it's okay to be loud. You are the only one that doesn't. Listen and learn from them, or else, no matter how hard you try to grab their attention, you'll just be ignored," he advised him, then resumed eating, "You can also continue to use the same trick you used as a cub and hope that they'll find it adorable and cuddle you to their heart's content."

"Nobody ignores the strongest," Parker muttered, like he'd heard similar advice many times before, "If I become the strongest, I'll have the last word like my father."

"You aren't the strongest," I said, "So untill then, just shut up until you are spoken to. In this house you are at the bottom of the ladder, and at the bottom of the ladder there is only one word: obedience. So either you shut up, or I'll make you shut up."

Parker gritted his teeth and glared at me. He didn't like to be told what to do. But at the end of the day, he wasn't in a position to argue against it. He clenched his fist tightly and looked down. He knew that he couldn't fight me. His only option was to be quiet.

"A ladder is here to climb, not to fight," Vick said, "You just have to watch your mouth and climb up. There is no shortcut to the top, not here." He then realized that Parker was probably not smart enough to get his words so he changed it, "Just behave around us and we will let you stay."

"I know," Parker looked at Bai. His eyes were starting to shine as he sniffed.

"What is it now?" Vick asked.

Parker wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Qingqing doesn't take any actions, even though your female is treating me like this. She'd usually comfort me, like when Nivi was giving me a hard time with her advices." He rubbed his eyes more harshly before looking up at Vick, "Why are you comforting me? Shouldn't you be on your female's side?" Since he couldn't speak unless spoken to, Vick was the only one who he could talk with.

I stared at the silent interactions between my males and felt the corner of my lips twitch.

"Because you are soon going to be my son in law," Vick answered, grinning like a Cheshire cat, "and it's only right that I look after my sons. Don't worry. As long as you listen, we will be on good terms. After all, a family is one that sticks together, isn't it?"

Parker nodded, his eyes glistening.

"Good. That's the spirit," Vick smiled and patted Parker's back, "Now, finish your food. I can't wait to show you how to grow the finest grapes and produce the greatest wines."

"Okay," Parker responded, finishing his food as told.

"Good boy," Vick grinned, patting Parker's head.

I watched as Parker's ears perked up and his tail wagged a bit. He was enjoying the attention he was getting.

After we ate our fill and rested for a bit, we had the males help clear the plates. Nivi suggested we play some games after the plates were washed and cleaned, so the males were quick to clean them and we headed outside.

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Location: Outer Ward.

Nivi explained to us the game of Red Light, Green Light. The game was simple: the person would say "green light" and others would run toward the person calling. But when the caller says "red light," the runners have to stop immediately, and if they moved even a finger, they would have to start from the starting point.

Because Nivi was pregnant, she played the caller and the rest were the runners. To make it more fair for the females, each male had to balance a plate on their head, and if the plate fell, they would have to start from the beginning. The movement of their animal features wasn't counted, given that most of them had tails for balance.

"Red light!" Nivi's voice sounded.

Everyone hunched over and froze, the males' bodies trembling, but they didn't move.

"Green light!"

"ROAAAAR!" The voices were so loud and so sudden, I thought I was surrounded by a bunch of orangutans. I quickly glanced at Skaris, noting his lack of reaction to the loud sounds around us.

Queen Memi's males were all growling as they walked toward Nivi at a snail speed, the plates on their heads still balancing.

"ROOAAR!" Then, everyone began to roar as if the roar would help them reach Nivi faster.

Queen Memi and Bai were laughing so hard their knees were weak and they couldn't even stand at the funny scene.

"Red light!" Nivi screamed in between her own laughter, "Red light!"

The males were still running.

"Red light, I said!" Nivi shouted. She was practically wheezing by now.

I covered my face and laughed, shaking my head at the sight of Vick joining the bunch of idiots. Nobody cared. They all just wanted to be the first to reach her and win. Nivi's males, knowing the rules, had no choice but to break them and join the madness in order to reach their spouse first.

"Hey, stop, don't come over here!" Nivi yelled at the bunch of males charging at her with plates on their heads, "START FROM THE BEGINNING! EVERYONE! START OVER AGAIN!" She squealed as she took a step back, and then another, and then another, trying to get away from the stampede of males heading her way.

"Red light! START OVER AGAIN! RED LIGHT, I SAID!"

"Roar, roar, roar, roar!"

"Nivi, you can't run, you're pregnant!" Harvey yelled as Sei dropped his plate and quickly picked her up, which made him a new target. The males chased him around, trying to reach Nivi who was screaming at me to take over the caller position and get my slingshot ready to shoot at whoever moved.

I pulled out my slingshot, twirling with it, "How about we make all females the callers, and the males the runners, hm?"

"Sounds good," Nivi said, telling Sei to carry her back as Bai quickly joined my side, not wanting to be under my slingshot's wrath, followed by the curious Queen Memi.

"Bring out some soft clay, Bai. I'll need you to make me ammunition," I requested, "Queen Memi will take charge of saying green and red light while I will shoot any male who dares move a muscle. Nivi, you'll be on distraction duty with fake green and red lights."

Bai covered her mouth and started laughing as she ran to fetch some soft clay, "That's so mean!"

"Hahaha, this will be fun!" Nivi joined in the laughter.

Nivi's males began to stretch and crack their necks and fingers, while Bai was busy making clay bullets and handing them over to me.

My males, knowing the drill, gathered together to devise the optimal strategy.

Queen Memi, unaware of what was going on, simply laughed in anticipation as she ordered her males and guardian beast to give their best effort to win.