The Prince's Taste - Chapter 5.3
Richard felt uneasy hearing Judy Esther call Calix Darling. He thought he needed to caution her. It might be seen as nagging or possessiveness, but her attention should be focused only on him.
“Judy, don’t call just anyone ‘darling’.”
“Hang on.”
Judy Esther cut off Richard and abruptly stood up, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards as she stalked over to a neighbouring stall, where a variety of meats were skewered, grilled and sold. Her slurred speech and improvised behaviour suggested she was drunk.
“How much has she had to drink?”
“This is her first cup. She was like this even when she was sober.”
Calix chuckled quietly. He had never spared anyone who treated him rudely. But what was this sense of discomfort he felt now? Calix’s eyes, filled with curiosity, were fixed on Judy Esther.
“Calix, have you fallen for our Judy?”
“The rumour about a fairy living in Adrian has even reached the Imperial Palace of Rumelern. I was merely curious.”
“You’d do well to mind your own business.”
Richard gritted his teeth at Calix’s smooth, teasing remark.
“Here are your beers. Is the food not to your liking? You haven’t touched it…?”
The stall owner tilted his head in confusion at the still-full plates.
“Oh no, it’s delicious,” Richard drawled, his voice slow and deliberate. “It’s just that this friend here is from the inland. His palate isn’t quite accustomed to it.”
“Ah, if you’re from the inland, I suppose oysters and octopus must be difficult to stomach. But surely, grilled shrimp should be fine?”
“Leave us be, stall owner. We’ll handle it ourselves.”
Richard’s lips curved ever so slightly as he turned to look at Calix. The childish sense of victory he felt was undeniable. Calix frowned at him, not liking it, and looked away from the grilled clams and shrimp.
“Here comes a meal so good you could die! Behold, the legendary chicken skewers!”
Judy Esther returned with a large plate brimming with appetizing skewers. The moment she placed it on the table, the small space was completely covered with food.
“The beer’s here, too. Chicken and beer—now that’s a pairing! Ugh, I’m in heaven.”
Her eyes sparkled as she grabbed a mug, took a long drink and finished with a satisfied gulp.
She pulled a chicken skewer from the plate, and wolfed it down, happily, mumbling to herself, I have to stay alive and keep eating this good food forever.
“Did Richard starve you?”
“He fed me. But do you know who Richard is?”
Judy Esther narrowed her eyes at Calix. He looked wary, almost lecherous.
“You said his name when he arrived.”
“Oh, did I?”
She let out a thoughtful “hmm” before shrugging and taking another sip of beer.
Richard took the opportunity to pluck a piece of shellfish from its shell, gently placing it in Judy Esther’s mouth.
“You should eat something while you drink.”
“My Darling, so thoughtful.”
“Judy,” Richard’s voice lowered, his gaze unwavering. “You shouldn’t go around calling just anyone Darling. You only need one, don’t you?”
“More than one is exhausting… I just called him that because I didn’t know his name.”
Judy Esther chewed on the shellfish, mumbling under her breath.
“Don’t you know who he is?”
“I wasn’t curious, so I didn’t ask.”
Richard couldn’t help but laugh at her response. He wondered if the Crown Prince Calix of Rumelern had ever received such dismissive treatment?
“Even so, you shouldn’t just call him ‘darling.’ Why not just say, ‘Hey, you’?”
“If I did that, that ‘darling’ over there would probably separate my head from my body.”
“As if I’d ever let that happen.”
Richard shot a cold glare at Calix. Threatening Judy Esther? Unforgivable.
Calix’s expression darkened with displeasure. Tension crackled between them. Meanwhile, Judy Esther remained utterly uninterested in their silent battle of wills.
“One more round here!” she called out.
“Judy, you’ve already had quite a bit…”
“But the food is so good! If you tell me to stop drinking, then… darling, that’s just cruel.”
She grabbed the glass and looked at Richard as if he were an enemy. Then she gulped it down with a look that said it could never be taken away from her. Richard’s frown deepened.
As cute as she was, and as pretty as her drunken antics were, he was beginning to worry about her liver.
He picked up the octopus, dipped it in a savoury sesame oil sauce, and popped it into her mouth. Judy Esther squealed with delight, and Callix winced.
“She looks like a fairy, but her actions and eating habits are…”
“You have no right to judge my woman.”
“I thought fairies survived on morning dew. I didn’t expect her to devour monsters instead. The squirming things are repulsive.”
Calix grimaced at the sight of the still-twitching octopus on the plate.
Richard stared at him coldly.
“Calix, when visiting another country, it is only proper to show some respect to its culture.”
“It isn’t wrong to call disgusting things disgusting, is it?”
