Joyful Feast for Everyone

The prince’s aide stood in the middle of the bustling bazaar, frowning. He stared at his master across the Central Square, who was walking alongside a honey-brown-haired girl. 

It seemed that his job had been stolen from him once more.

“You will help Miss Cynthia watch over Esmeraldo on Annette’s behalf, right, Lucas?” said Henry to him earlier with a mischievous smile.

Next to Lucas stood one of the Guardians of the World, the Verdant Dragon, Esmeraldo, in his young human boy form, who also stared in the same direction, pouting. 

His vivid green eyes were fixed on his favourite human mage, who was dutifully showing the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Sheldiawald around.

“You’ll come with us while Annette shows Prince Henry around, alright?” Miss Cynthia had said to him earlier as she pulled him away from Annette.

Both of them didn’t seem to enjoy their walk around the bazaar, unlike Miss Cynthia, who cheerfully shopped for snacks at the stall behind them. 

While they silently stood next to each other, Esmeraldo suddenly moved and was about to follow Annette when Lucas quickly grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him—still with his eyes fixed on his master. Both of them let out a sigh together.

“Come on, you two! Don’t just stand there like that! Look, I have some meat!”

Miss Cynthia held a few wooden sticks with chunks of meat pierced onto them and gave one to each of the two frowning boys. Still standing in their spots and staring, they silently took the meat from the professor and ate it.

A few moments earlier, Lucas had been following Henry, who had said that he wanted to look around the bazaar. They wore long winter robes with their hoods up and successfully blended into the crowd unnoticed.

In the middle of their walk, someone accidentally bumped into his master and quickly apologised. Lucas thought that everything was fine and they could continue their walk. However, his master suddenly caught the girl who bumped into him by the arm and pulled her in.

Lucas was baffled by his master’s behaviour, but when he saw a glimpse of his smile under the hood, he realised who the girl in his arms was.

I bet earlier they didn’t even realise that I was standing there all the time, watching them stare passionately at each other for thirty seconds, Lucas thought as he chewed the meat in his mouth.

Miss Cynthia, who had seen the behaviour of the two boys before her, grabbed both of them by their clothes and dragged them away. “Geez, stop staring at them! You’ll pierce those two with your gaze! Come on, let’s go that way!”

Still chewing on their meat as Miss Cynthia dragged them, both Lucas and Esmeraldo silently stared across the bazaar until they lost sight of Prince Henry and Annette.

***

“Is this your first time at a bazaar, Annette?” Prince Henry asked.

“Oh, um, y-yes. It’s my first time. Last summer, I spent most of my time studying with Miss Cynthia in her house,” Annette replied.

“I see.”

Henry smiled as he noticed that Miss Cynthia had dragged his cousin and the little dragon away.

As he silently thanked Miss Cynthia, Henry asked the girl before him, “Do you want to go over there? It should be less packed with people.”

“Oh, yes, sir.” Annette followed behind Henry.

As they walked, Henry quickly pulled Annette by the shoulder, just before someone on the street was about to brush against her.

“Stick close to me,” he whispered.

Both of them walked down the street full of people, leaving the Central Square, until they reached an uncrowded area.

“Are you okay, Annette?” asked Henry as he released her shoulder.

Annette quickly bowed. “Y-yes, sir! You saved me! I’m forever grateful to you!”

“I’m glad to hear that. Hm, let’s go that way! There should be a small park with some benches, so we can eat what we have bought in peace,” said Henry as he raised the paper bag he held in his hand.

“Alright, sir.” Annette smiled.

The street they walked along now had very few people passing by since most of the townspeople would go to the Central Square where the bazaar was. It was perfect for Annette to take a breather from the crowd and noises.

Henry’s eyebrows slanted down as he saw Annette trying to calm herself down. “Are you perhaps bad with crowds?”

“Eh? Oh, um… to be more specific, I’m bad with loud noises, and um, being surrounded by people showering me with questions, sir. So, um, being in the crowd made me anxious,” Annette said as she gazed downwards.

“Hm…”

As they talked, a man on the street suddenly shouted to everyone passing by.

“The Great Hero Arthur was a great liar!!”

“Hiiekk!” Annette jolted.

Ah… When Henry saw her flinch as she squeaked, something suddenly struck him.

He remembered two other occasions when Annette had seemed particularly overwhelmed: when she was startled by Lucas’s shout as he barged in the library’s back room, and when he saw Annette run away from her classroom after the last bell rang.

I see. So that's why…

Annette’s startle had made them stop in the middle of the street.

“The Great Hero was immortal! He saved the world and proved that humanity was worthy! He was bestowed eternal life! Eternal life would end humanity’s suffering! He earned humanity’s salvation, yet selfishly kept it for himself! He was a great liar!! A great liar!!”

Henry leaned closer and said, “Are you okay, Annette?”

“Ah, yes, sir!”

Annette’s focus shifted to the skinny old man across the street, who loudly preached as he held a book in his hand even though not a single person listened. Something bothered her.

“That person seemed to be an occultist, an anti-Great Hero believer. Don’t let it bother you. Let’s go,” Henry whispered.

Annette hesitantly nodded before they resumed their walk.

***

Miss Cynthia was in the kitchen preparing the dinner she had bought for everyone when she heard the door to her house open. It was Henry and Annette, who had just arrived home after their private stroll. 

The professor had invited the prince and his aide to join them for the Evernight feast at her house.

On the evening before Evernight, people across the Kingdom of Sheldiawald would gather with their dear ones to share a grand dinner together before the festivities began the next day. This tradition was called the Evernight feast.

Esmeraldo and Lucas had sat next to each other at the dining table as they quietly watched the prince and the girl walk in.

“I’m home, Miss Cynthia! We bought some desserts,” Annette said as she joined her adviser in the kitchen.

“Oh my! That’s perfect!” Miss Cynthia exclaimed.

Henry took off his winter robe and took a seat near his cousin who had been quiet for a while. The usual Lucas would have immediately come over to greet him and stand by his side, taking care of Henry’s robe and pulling out the chair for him.

Henry glanced at him and thought to himself, He’s sulking.

Henry then leaned closer as he placed one hand on his cousin’s shoulder and whispered, “You did well today, Lucas.”

Lucas muttered in reply as he squinted down at the glass of water before him. “I know.”

“Here we go! Evernight feast special, honey-glazed roasted boar!”

Miss Cynthia came out of the kitchen and brought a huge plate of steaming-hot roasted meat to the centre of the dining table. Behind her, Annette carried a bowl of hot vegetable soup and a basket of freshly baked rustic bread.

“These are wonderful! Thank you, Miss Cynthia,” said Henry.

“I believe this is nothing compared to your usual meal in the palace, Your Highness. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the humble commoners’ feast with us!”

“This looks very appetising!” Henry said excitedly.

Was it the food that excited him, or was it something else, I wonder? thought Lucas.

“Come on, you two! Stop sulking and dig in!” Miss Cynthia said to Lucas and Esmeraldo, who were still quiet.

“Please, Miss Cynthia, Annette, sit with us!”

Miss Cynthia guided Annette to the nearest seat to the prince, then took the chair beside her.

“May Evernight bring us together again next year! Let’s dig in!” Miss Cynthia announced.

“Let’s dig in!” said Annette and Henry together.

Lucas and Esmeraldo quietly accepted the meat cut by Miss Cynthia and ate it. At her adviser’s instruction, Annette cut the meat for Prince Henry, with the help of Miss Cynthia.

Lucas secretly glanced at his cousin. Henry appeared far more cheerful than usual. It was a rare sight for Lucas to see him smile so openly, let alone be so excited. Normally, Henry was calm and composed, and at most, he would allow himself a mischievous smile when the two of them were alone.

I really did well today. He convinced himself and decided to just enjoy the flavourful dish before him.

“How do you like the food, Esmeraldo?” Miss Cynthia asked as she gave him a piece of bread.

As he shoved the meat into his mouth, he couldn’t lie about it. “It is very good.”

It seemed that Esmeraldo had been consoled by the delicious feast.

Miss Cynthia smiled as she gave him more meat. “I’m glad! Eat more! There are still plenty!”

Beneath the cold sky, warmth and joyful moments filled the hearts of everyone in the Kingdom of Sheldiawald. As Annette, Henry, Lucas, and Esmeraldo shared their first Evernight feast together, they secretly wished that such an evening might come again someday, with everyone gathered together once more.