Blanc understood why this extravagance was required after all, since Noble Blood Maroux were a Crownbound, and as such, they had to make sure they would never forget their duties, not even in private.
Though annoying to have your name announced during breakfast as if you are entering negotiations during wartime, you get used to it after a while. With that in mind, he stepped inside the Dining Hall of the inner mansion, seeing all who awaited.
"A beautiful morning to you all," Blanc said, bowing lightly to all present at the table as a single droplet of sweat ran down across his forehead. After all, without noticing, he had really entered a battlefield.
Besides Kael, who was busy reading a book from Lucien's library, no other man was present. Not even Lucien, who had to leave for urgent business a few days after they arrived a month ago. But instead, the room was filled with women.
Women of Noble Blood, who, just looking in their eyes by mere mistake, meant you were in danger. Not the sword stabbing your heart kind. No… they were capable of that as well, but their preferred way of combat was the kind of ruin you don't even realize is happening until you feel your head detaching itself from your neck.
They wore danger as clothing, threats as smiles, and whispers as swords. Luckily for him, none present wanted that for him, yet he still understood their power.
"My son," Mera nodded, as she placed her teacup down, "All alone?"
"Celine and Miyanna are taking a shower, and are having their breakfast later," Blanc lied, hoping it would go unnoticed.
Blanc felt Sophie's stare on his skin, as the feeling of thousands of ants crawled all over his body. But it soon vanished.
"I see," Lea muttered, "In that case, feel free to take their breakfast to your room after you are done eating."
"But of course, Mother-in-Law," Blanc nodded, taking a seat on the far end of the table.
On his left stood the four younger sisters Celine had. Sophie, the eldest of the four, was followed by Louiseanne, Charlotte, and the youngest of them all, Crina.
All had Lucien's blonde hair, and all had the same look in their colorful eyes.
The eyes of one capable of reading your soul as if it's an open book without your consent.
Yet when Blanc looked at the four, all smiled and looked away, as in this month, they had barely spoken with each other, besides formalities that Celine usually started.
Aside from the four sisters, the three Matriarchs of Blood Maroux, Lea, Manon, and Salina, sat at the head of the table.
They had already begun their meal, eating with such practiced grace that not a single scrape of cutlery against porcelain could be heard.
And lastly, there was his own Blood. His mothers and siblings.
Mera and Auren ate quietly, sitting next to the Matriarchs. And beside them, as inseparable as ever, were the twins, Kael and Lune.
However, he did not linger for long on the danger in that room, focusing instead on the light meal in front of him.
An exquisite taste attacked his taste buds, a common occurrence as of late, since the hired cooks of Blood Maroux were the competitive kind, having tasted defeat at the hands of Blanc's cooking a week after they arrived. After that shameful behavior, they doubled their work, creating such unique and delightful tastes that it was difficult to compete with them anymore.
They prepared a main made of mushrooms and eggs, drizzled in a creamy brown sauce which, from the taste of it, was made with tomatoes, apples, an amalgamation of spices, a few drops of vinegar, hiding all the rest of the ingredients Blanc could not fully comprehend.
Next was a salad full of -
"Blanc!" Auren said out loud, "Are you all right?"
"Hmm?" Blanc asked, confused, looking upward and seeing himself the only one with food on the plates, "By the Vita…"
"You've been staring and nibbling at the food for the last ten minutes," Mera replied, worried.
"Is the cooking not to your liking?" Salina wondered.
Blanc shook his head swiftly, "No such thing, I was perhaps enjoying the breakfast too much, trying to guess all the ingredients, and such."
Lea and Sophie giggled as they heard his explanation, being present at the cookoff between him and the chefs.
"Did you manage to do it?" Lea asked, grinning.
"No…" Blanc sighed, "There are some things in the sauce that are overpowered by the vinegar, making it impossible to tell what they are."
"Is there really vinegar in it?" Sophie muttered, looking at the remains of the sauce on her plate.
"That slight acidic taste on the tip of the tongue is from the vinegar," Blanc started, going on for at least ten minutes about the tongue and its sensibilities to all the tastes there are.
Funny enough, as Blanc began his explanations, even Kael stopped reading and listened to him speak.
"Fascinating," Lea said as Blanc finished, "Such knowledge over such a small thing."
"A small thing in our day-to-day lives, but overly important in survival situations," Blanc replied.
"How so?" Sophie asked, curious.
"The tongue is the first line of defense against poisons or other harmful things we might otherwise eat, such as spoiled food, that have a 'wrong' taste, which tells our body it might be dangerous to consume," Blanc explained.
"Amazingly said," Auren nodded, "Your knowledge of poisons appears to be quite advanced, Blanc."
"All thanks to your books about it, Mother Auren," Blanc bowed lightly.
"Ah, yes," Manon muttered, "I forgot what your former Blood is known for, Lady Auren."
"Call it a hobby, Lady Manon," Auren giggled lightly, "A hobby that reminds me of a life I barely remember."
"Isn't that all our truths, after all?" Salina added, a sad smile on her face as she placed a tied strand of hair on the table, "Long is the time since I forgot what the face of my own mother looked like. All that reminds me of the life I lived before becoming a Maroux is this single strand of her hair that she gifted to me on my wedding day with Lucien."
Crina, Celine's youngest sister, not much older than Lune and Kael, did not feel the weight of her mother's words before she decided to speak.
"You mentioned Papa, where did he go? It's been weeks," she asked, curious.
It was with no wonder that her question widened some eyes, but soon returned to normal as none could blame the innocence of a child who hadn't yet experienced hardship.
And hopefully, she never will.