A Dove's Tale

Chapter 152

A group of fifteen was a bit much for the palace's smallest kitchen, especially with fires burning in the fireplace and all the ovens and stoves. Fortunately, after the initial chaos of everybody showing up at the same time, there were never that many people in the room again. It still wasn't long until I opened the window a crack to let the cold of an autumn night help reduce the stuffiness.

"No! You can't sit there! I need that space!"

I glanced to my left at the sound of Yves' outburst. Clavis, still the only person in pajamas, had seated himself on the counter right next to Yves' cake-making zone. The sparkle in his golden eyes as he feigned a frown made it clear he was intentionally provoking his younger brother.

"But there's nowhere else to sit," he whined.

"There's a spot right here," Gilbert offered from the other side of the room.

The mischief in Clavis' eyes dimmed a little. Gilbert and Obsidian may have become Rhodolite's allies, but nobody really trusted the Conqueror Beast, and nobody was sitting next to him. Of course, his evasiveness about the state of affairs in Obsidian didn't help, nor did the veiled threats he slipped into casual conversation whenever somebody broached a subject he didn't want to talk about.

"That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen," Leon commented. He drained his mug in one swallow and hopped onto the floor. "You can sit here, Clavis. Better to keep you and Gilbert apart. I don't even wanna think about the schemes you two could come up with. Ivetta, you want me to take that to Luke and Arianna?"

"Yes, please." I finished arranging the échaudés, darioles, and pain perdu on a tray and handed it off to him. "And ask if there's anything they want me to make."

"Wait, you're taking requests?" Clavis asked hopefully.

"We all are," Belle chimed in. She opened her mouth to say something else, but a volley of requests shouted in near-unison from all corners of the kitchen drowned out her voice. I caught one word in particular, though, and not just because it came from the person standing closest to me.

"Meatloaf?" I asked Leon, raising an eyebrow at him. "That isn't a dessert."

"You didn't say it had to be a dessert," he pointed out, flashing me a winning smile.

"We just had dinner," Jin reminded him. "And you ate two steaks."

"You need to eat more than meat," Yves interjected. "Fruits and vegetables are important, too."

"As long as they're not carrots or bell peppers," Nokto muttered.

Leon shrugged. "What can I say? I love meat. Please, Ivetta? Your meatloaf is so good."

There was something very amusing about a man ten years my senior and nearly a foot taller than me begging and wheedling like a child, but baking nights had that effect on him and his brothers. All my experience babysitting the Stotts children came to the fore on these occasions. I sighed and looked past Yves to Licht, standing in the corner where the counter reached the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his crimson eyes dark in an otherwise impassive face.

"This is your party, Licht. What do you think?"

"Before you make your decision, I'd like to add that I didn't have dinner," Gilbert interrupted.

"Neither did I," Keith added. "I just got here."

I frowned and swept the room with my eyes until I found Nokto and Silvio. "What about you two?" I asked. "Did you eat before you came here?"

Nokto, chewing a mouthful of échaudés, shook his head.

"Luke said we had to come here right away," Silvio explained. "I ain't even had time to get a room."