Orison | Celeste Academy Series BK #3

Chapter Forty-Nine ۞ Meeting the Wyldens (pt. 2)

Valeriana and Alovia's heated exchange went unnoticed. Corvan and she were both guided to take their seats. The lounge was furnished especially to be able to house a large seating capacity, yet in a cozy and non-meeting room kind of way.

The curtains were drawn open, allowing an ample amount of sunlight to flood into the room. Secondary sources of light such as candles classily scattered to every corner for an extra dash of illumination.

Saskia led Corvan and Valeriana to an open sofa where they sat beside each other. The woman then reclined back on the seat next to her husband. Valeriana squirmed uncomfortably the moment she felt Corvan's father's eyes on her--they were scrutinizing and so sharp it seemed to look straight into her soul.

She busied herself with a tall tray of sweets standing in the middle of the room. It had layers and layers like a fountain, only that the plates resembled a skewered barbeque and got smaller as it got higher--sort of like those movies she saw with those beautiful cutesy arrangements. The treats it held were more than appetizing to look at. Some had strange appearances, like caramel-covered nuts of some sort.

Too bad she didn't like sweets much.

She saw Corvan reach for two, one of which he handed over to her. "They're almond-dates."

Her mouth formed an 'O' in wonder. It was sprinkled with chocolate and had a drizzle of caramel or whatever. Curiously looking up at her companion, he popped it into his mouth. She sweated slightly, knowing her detestation of sweets could potentially make her barf before this entire thing was done. Even so, as she looked around the room and saw that they were observing her actions, she did what she thought she should do. Following Corvan shortly, she did the same and let her teeth crush the treat. It had a very sweet edge when it exploded inside her mouth and a fruity tang afterwards, also . . . there was a dash of salt somewhere. The first few moments was a bit unbearable, but she did what she always did--focus on finding the balance. The aftertaste was more calming, especially after she got to the nutty bit.

The nutty bit was the best. It balanced the whole thing. It was actually good.

Was there a pinch of cinnamon here, somewhere?

"Mm." She uttered softly.

"Isn't it delightful?" Saskia was holding her own share. She slipped it between her lips.

Valeriana nodded. "Yes . . . yes, it is."

Saskia smiled. "I believe you can say more than that. Well, what do you honestly think of them?"

Corvan shot her a glance. Alovia had a cunning look in her eyes, as though she was waiting for Valeriana to embarrass herself the coming moments.

She stammered. "Um . . . well, honestly speaking, I'm not really fond of very sweet things." She looked over to Corvan, but the look he had on was very impassive it was impossible to read him. "But the whole thing was balanced. Salty on the side . . . the almond part was the best. Also, I could taste a bit of cinnamon."

The woman brushed back a stray curl that fell on her face and laughed, melodic and controlled that it wasn't unexpected from someone of her stature. "Very good. You have sharp senses. Yes, I put cinnamon. You caught me."

She said 'I put cinnamon'. Valeriana repeated. Don't tell me . . .

Seeing the dubious look on her face she continued. "Oh, yes, I have taken the liberty of trying my hand on these." She answered. "I have a hobby of whipping up desserts. The natural sweetness of dates is sometimes unbearable for me as well. It tastes much like honey, does it not?"

"Honey mixed with . . . fudge." She muttered thoughtfully.

"Fudge?" Saskia's brows rose to her hairline.