Ileus: The Dark Prince

Kaizan thought that they were talking about how uncomfortable things became at the wedding between the two sides. "It's nothing," he replied. "We are fine now." 

Fuchsia blinked trying to understand what he said. When she realized that he was talking about the wedding, she looked at her daughter for help. Fuchsia gave Olivia a nervous look. "She was—"

Bernice quickly changed the flow of conversation. "No, no, General Kaizan. I was talking about the awkwardness with which Olivia came as your wife. You see she wasn't ready for the marriage. Mother was telling about her discomfort about the wedding. She—"

"I think both of you must be tired," Kaizan cut her off as he snapped at her. "Why don't you take a rest and we can continue this conversation later?" 

Bernice's mouth fell to the floor. With wide eyes and a flushed face, she stared at Kaizan. Was he dismissing her? Couldn't be. She was looking sexier than Olivia. Perhaps he was just too tired. She had to handle the conversation deftly and not allow him to see her in a bad way, so she said, "I am sorry, Kaizan," she said in an apologetic tone with a hint of huskiness. "But—"

"That is General Kaizan for you," Kaizan again snapped. 

Bernice jerked her head back. "I— I am truly sorry, General Kaizan," she replied and bit her lip to check herself. This man was not an easy person. She had to find her way through his heart even if that meant to put Olivia down. "We can talk later." But now she wanted to show to him that she was a better host and a better woman as a candidate for wife because she was thoughtful of how to receive her man as compared to her stupid little cousin who was sitting there like she had no clue about her man. But if Olivia was sitting there like a duck, then it was working in her favor. "I am sure you must be tired. Would you like me to get anything for you from the kitchen? Some tea perhaps? I make great tea!" she said with enthusiasm. 

"Oh yes!" Fuchsia supported her daughter. "Bernice makes great tea. In fact, she has learned to cook a lot of things despite being one of the privileged children of the pack, unlike a few who only knew how to act like a princess from the day they were born." She glanced at Olivia who was clearly too embarrassed because she didn't know much about cooking. 

While Olivia was being trained in other things like training as a warrior or perfecting skills on how to manage a house with servants, her mother never really sent her to the kitchen to learn how to cook. On the other hand, Bernice was never interested in training as a warrior. She was more into girly stuff on how to create beautiful dresses and learning cookery and had excellent ideas about makeup. No wonder Bernice was looking so much better than Olivia. And Fuchsia couldn't help feeling proud about it. If things went according to their plan, they would kick Olivia out of the house soon enough. 

Olivia glanced at Kaizan, as she fidgeted her hands in her lap where she ended up bunching the silk of her gown. She found him looking at Olivia with… interest and that made her feel all the more low. 

"So you make good tea?" asked Kaizan as he crossed his one leg over the other and relaxed back on the sofa. He was feeling very tired and said with a smile, "Then I would like to sample it." 

"Oh sure!" Bernice jumped up from her seat. "I will get it as soon as possible!" Saying that she gave a side glance to Olivia who was looking at her lap, with a flushed face. Hah! I am going to show you that you don't deserve him, bitch. Bernice thought in her head. With her chin tipped up, she spun on her heels and walked to the kitchen. 

Fuchsia's chest swelled with pride. This was what she was hoping for. A comparison between Olivia and Bernice was going to show exactly who was better amongst the two cousins and who was more adept at being the General's wife. She had to add more praises to her daughter's already growing reputation. She turned her attention to Kaizan and said, "Do you know that Bernice has learnt various types of cuisines? Whenever we had people visiting us from different packs, Bernice would make sure that she interacted with them and learn about their food habits or if there was some new dish that she could add to her knowledge. That way she learnt a lot about cuisines from the south." Fuchsia meant that her daughter knew a lot about what people in Silver Vales ate. "Would you believe that southern cuisines are her favorite and that she has hosted parties where she would only have that menu? She is a great cook and a perfect hostess!"

Kaizan nodded. "That is good," he commented. 

Fuchsia felt all the more encouraged. "But you see General Kaizan, it's only my daughter from the entire Whiteclaw pack who has such fantastic cookery skills. Other than her there is no one who can boast about it," she said with her chin tipped up. She gave a side glance to Olivia and could see her crumpled looks. 

"In that case her husband would be one lucky man," Kaizan remarked. "After all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." 

Fuchsia clasped her hands. Her trick was working. She wanted to add more to it. However, she thought of an idea. She turned to look at Olivia and said, "Olivia, have you not made any dish for your husband ever since you have come here?" 

Olivia's blood drained from her face. She jerked her head back and glanced at Kaizan, feeling miserable. Instead of knowing people in the kitchen better and spending time over there, she went to meet Murtagh. There was only one instance in which she asked the chef to make one of her favorite dishes. "I haven't," she replied in a low voice. 

Fuchsia twisted her lips and shook her head. "You should learn from Bernice. See how eager she is to make tea for the General as soon as he arrived." She gazed at Kaizan for approval but by that time Bernice had come with a cup of tea for Kaizan. 

Bernice looked at Olivia with disdain. She had asked the chef in the kitchen to bring all the ingredients to prepare a nice cup of lemon grass and orange tea. She had peeled the orange and used its rind to make the tea. She had added lemon grass and exactly two drops of lemon juice at the end to get the right taste. In the end she added only one-fourth teaspoon of sugar. The tea was a mood enhancer. She poured it in the best china of the kitchen and brought it while it was steaming hot. Placing it on the table in front of him, she knelt on the floor and then poured the tea for Kaizan. "Here it is," she said with a lascivious smile. 

Kaizan narrowed his eyes as he bent forward.