He felt no different this morning than he had previously. The movements of his body were less foreign, and he could not deny that the comforts of the mansion were far preferable to living in the wilds. Unlike Ian and Erich, Aden’s role as a castle guard had required very little training in the wilds of Iseldis.
Perhaps he had a little more time than he’d expected. He could stay a few more days without endangering the good people here.
At ease with his decision, he left his room.
“Is it my turn?” Blanca asked as Aden poked his head into the kitchen.
Aden nodded. He had spent the previous day lounging on a comfortable chair in the library while Isa meticulously sorted through the shelves in the back corner. He had considered offering to help, then decided against it when he’d realized he wouldn’t really be able to help at all since he couldn’t read the book titles. So, he’d grabbed a random tome and pretended to read by the fireplace all day. Isa had shut down any attempt he made at conversation. Contenting himself with the fact that his presence annoyed her, he merely sat there and pretended to read.
Isa would get to work in peace this morning, though, as Aden had decided to enforce the plan the servants had come up with for keeping him in their view at all times. It would be simple enough for him to ease their worries by remaining in their presence while they went about their daily duties.
“Anything I can help you with?” he asked Blanca.
“Oh, no. Not at all, Your Highness...?” She stepped away from him, tittering uncomfortably.
“Well, I shall do my best not to bother you,” Aden said, attempting to put her at ease. He truly had no intention of scaring the poor woman out of her wits. Stepping into the large kitchen, he followed his nose to the larder. It appeared fairly empty, but it held an interesting myriad of scents mixed in with the perpetual dust that seemed to be in every room of the mansion.
He scrunched his nose, sniffing away a sneeze before it hit him.
Carefully picking up an item at random, he gave it a whiff. Dried garlic? He flexed his paw, gently squeezing it. The satisfying crinkle of the dried paper shell greeted his ears. Dried garlic, it was! He placed it back on the shelf and picked up another item.
“Are... are you hungry?” Blanca asked from behind him. “Some porridge will be ready shortly.”
“Oh, no.” He turned around. “Just amusing myself.” He held out the object in his hand, which he had not yet identified. “Close your eyes.”
Blanca said nothing, seemingly frozen in place. The woman was so still, Aden was afraid she had stopped breathing.
“Oh!” He must have frightened her. “Here, I’ll do it.” He placed the unknown object back on the shelf and left the larder to sit on a bench in the kitchen.
Blanca was still silent, but Aden assumed that, if he could see her face, she would be looking at him as though he were crazy.
He should have just said nothing. Maybe being ignored all day yesterday in the library had bothered him more than he’d realized. “Pick any object in the larder, and I’ll try to guess what it is using only my nose.”
Again, she said nothing, but Aden heard her muffled footsteps as she walked away from him and into the larder. She returned a few moments later, and an overpowering scent surrounded Aden.
Keeping his hands over his eyes to prove he was playing fair, Aden breathed in deeply through his nose. A little too deeply, as the bitter aroma struck the back of his throat. “Oof,” he said, leaning away. “Fermented cabbages.”
“That was too easy!” Blanca laughed.
Aden opened his eyes. The older woman was standing a full arm’s length away from him—but she was laughing. Aden smiled. He knew his face would not look any less frightening, but he hoped it would appear as non-aggressive as possible.
“Another,” she said. “Wait here!”
Aden’s tentative smile melted into a real one as he placed his hands over his eyes once again.
“What is this?” she asked when she finally returned from the larder.
Aden inhaled. He definitely smelled fish and salt, so he assumed it was some sort of dried fish. But there was something strange mixed in with it as well, something sweet. He inhaled again. It smelled terrible.
She was laughing under her breath.
“Honey salted fish?” he finally guessed just before opening his eyes. “Who would eat such a thing?”
Blanca laughed louder, holding up two separate hands. One contained dried fish; the other held a jar of honey.
“You cheated!” He laughed along with her.
“What’s going on here?” a grumpy voice spoke over their mirth. “Are we getting breakfast, or do we have to wait for dinner?”
