76 Neva 2 (2/2)
”I doubt you were paying much attention to what the girl and her father were discussing but I caught enough.” Natalia smirked at him, clearly delighted by the situation. ”She couldn't stop gushing about her shiny new fiancée. Oh stop grinning like an idiot.”
Nikolai rubbed his mouth to remove the smile rippling across his lips and eagerly dragged his chair forwards. ”What did she say? Is she happy? What does she like best about me?”
Natalia blinked at the barrage of questions and rapped him on the head lightly. ”That's for you to find out. I won't interfere with you love-birds.” She coughed at Nikolai's flat glare and clarified. ”Well not too much. Don't be fooled by that boy's stern visage. He dotes on his daughters and Elya's been gone a long time, serving with the Knights of Chernigov, across most of the Empire. The boy expected a long happy conversation about her time away but instead all he heard was stories about you.”
Nikolai preened at the explanation. At least the Duke didn't have a personal grudge. Everything could be resolved as long as he hadn't committed some blunder. Relieved, he settled into his chair and tossed the vial of nectar to Natalia. She gushed over it, caressing the glass and crooning under her breath.
”What's First Emperor's nectar?” Elya returned and dragged her chair as far from her aunt as possible while still remaining at the table.
”It's a special vintage of wine which can only be produced in the Imperial palace. The recipe is known only to the Emperor and his Imperial vintner. Anyone who even has an inkling of the recipe is imprisoned.”
”Why haven't I heard of it before?” Elya stared at the vial with wide eyes. Anything the Son of Heaven himself treasured to this extent was bound to be remarkable.
Nikolai shrugged. ”I would have been surprised if you did. As far as I know only the greatest connoisseurs even know the name. More than that, the Emperor is surprisingly stingy in its distribution, so the number of people who've tasted it are few. It's a strange substance, meant to have cleansing properties capable of removing even the most powerful poisons.”
”Astonishing.”
Nikolai patted her shoulder. ”I guess. No documented case exists to prove its efficacy though and not enough is available to test it rigorously either.”
At ease, he picked up a fork only to discover an empty table. Even the small cake from his plate was gone. His stomach rumbled. [Of course. Now that I'm feeling hungry my unfilial apprentice has already finished everything.]
”And why did you feel the need to steal from my plate Jarek?”
”You weren't eating Khan.” Jarek mumbled through stuffed cheeks. ”You know the rules.”
”Rules?” Elya was unsuccessfully trying to hide her grin behind a cup of tea.
”Yes Khanbikeh. The Rules of the Table.” Jarek reached into his pouch and to Nikolai's horror, solemnly withdrew a tattered scrap of parchment. [I forgot he kept that Fates cursed thing!] ”Rule number four. If someone ignores their plate for five minutes, it shows their disinch… disink…. disinterest…” Nikolai reached out to snatch the paper while Jarek struggled with his recitation but his hand was caught immediately. Elya snickered and covered his mouth while Jarek continued to narrate solemnly. ”Rule number seven. Disinterest equals disrespect. Those who disrespect food don't deserve it, so it's fair game.” He waved the parchment at them once and carefully returned it to his pouch. Satisfied with his argument, he grabbed a mug with both hands while a maid poured milk with a red face. Nikolai slumped at the soft snickers coming from the servants and covered his face.
”Jarek. Where did you get those rules?” Elya kept throwing him glances as she asked the boy and Nikolai's face flushed with even more embarrassment.
”The Khan taught me. This copy was even written by him. He wrote it a month before you came Khanbikeh.” Jarek beamed proudly at the statement.
”Kill me.” Nikolai whispered.
”Not yet Niki.” Elya chuckled and stroked his hair. ”It's not that bad. Amusing even.” He grunted in response, planning a series of arduous tasks for Jarek as punishment. ”If you're hungry, we can always get more food…”
As if to prove her incorrect, the doors slammed open, and a valet scurried inside clutching a strange wooden sceptre. Nikolai sighed at the worn sceptre, recognising the markings of the Suzdal lineage. The Suzdals were ready faster than expected.
”Count Morales! The ancestors summon you.” The valet boomed, waving the sceptre in figure eights as a traditional blessing.
Nikolai's stomach growled as he stood up and Elya squeezed his arm in sympathy. [I doubt I'll get anything to eat now. Maybe I should have an egg?] Elya's piercing gaze shot through him before he could even complete the thought, resting on the bag at his waist. He grimaced and reached into the bag as they walked out of the room. Nikolai made sure no one could see his movements or they would all end up asking him for eggs. He gave Elya an egg and popped one into his mouth, trudging through the hallway and watching her out of the corner of his eye as she licked her fingers clean in delight.
[How did she know?]