"Here!" Mei exclaimed, her hands carefully placing two large plates on the table, the warmth seeping through the porcelain.
'Sniff'
"The smell is still the same!" Mariel's eyes lit up as she inhaled the tantalizing aroma, a childhood memory reborn as she licked her drooling lips.
"Hahah... We may get old, but our dish never does" Mei said with pride, her eyes sparkling with the memories of countless meals served.
"What is it, Asher? Not to your liking?" she asked, glancing at Eli, her eyes crinkling with genuine concern.
"N-No, Mrs. Mei... It smells so good, I forgot to breathe" Eli replied with a smile, though he was hiding his surprise.
"Hahah... Dear, Asher loves your food" Mei shouted with her weak voice, a proud declaration that echoed through the cosy restaurant.
"Tsk" Only a tongue-clicking sound echoed from the kitchen.
'Munch, Munch'
"Hmm? Delicious!! It tastes better than before, especially this green onion, that mint, and salt adjusted to the chicken pieces" Mariel remarked, her words carrying the weight of nostalgia and appreciation.
"Right?" Mei smiled brightly, a grin that spoke volumes about the pride she took in her culinary creations along with her love.
"Huh?"
"Those vegetables were samples that my husband brought during one of his visits to your kingdom" Mei explained.
"Oh? Where?"
"That....I-Mica--no, no, what's its name...Wei!" Mei pondered, trying to remember, her expressive face portraying the struggle of recollection....but she couldn't so she called her husband.
"What?" A gruff voice came from the kitchen.
"Where did you bring the vegetables?"
"..."
"Wei?"
"Sigh, what do you want, old woman?" Wei came out of the kitchen and asked Mei with an annoyed tone wrinkling nose.
"Mai is asking where you brought it, you old fool?" Mei asked again, her playful jab softened his annoyance.
"Well....I forgot where I brought the seeds three years ago..." Wei answered with a wrinkled pondering face.
Suddenly,
"Ah, I don't know the market, but I do remember a gorgeous woman with light purpl-'Ouch'" Wei was hit by Mei's hidden chopsticks.
"Even with your old ugly face, still dare to look at the woman" Mei rebuked him squinting her wrinkled eyes.
"You old woman, even if the tree gets old, flowers still bloom" Wei retorted.
"Heheh..." Eli chuckled at their lovely banter, the familiarity of their exchanges made him relax heartfully.
Mariel glanced at Eli, who was simply savouring the food while observing the amusing banter of the elderly couple.
"Hmmm?" Eli glanced at her, feeling a stern gaze.
"Old Mei, why did you think he was my son?" Mariel asked, addressing the question that had been bothering her.
"Oh?.....Your daughter, Scarlett, told us" Wei said suddenly, skillfully dodging the incoming attack from his wife.
"Scarlett?" Mariel now looked at Wei, her eyes widening with curiosity.
"..." Eli also became curious, when they mentioned Scarlett.
"Yes, just like you, she always cuts class and comes here with her green-haired friend then...." Wei showed tiredness as if he remembered something bad, a brief shadow of concern clouding his features.
"Non-stop babbling about her little brother" Mei finished Wei's words, rubbing her husband's back as he seemed to have dodged too much and hurt his back, a tender touch healed his hips.
"Little brother?" Mariel squinted her eyes as she looked at Eli, who had an amusing smile.
"Yes, whenever she comes, she always says how great her little brother is while showing his childhood photo" Mei said with melancholy as she remembered the days when her restaurant buzzed with people, a wistful gaze directed at a past that seemed both distant and cherished.
"..." Mariel showed a deadpan gaze.
"Yeah, no matter which topic we talk about, she somehow changes it in a way where he would be the centre of attention and even boasts that his cooking is the best" Wei said with annoyance, pointing to Eli, a chef pride laced with a hint of irritation.
"Hehe..." Eli chuckled, feeling happy that his big sister always thought about him.
"D-Did she talk anything about me?" Mariel asked with hesitation, a vulnerable edge to her voice betraying a hidden desire for her daughter's love.
"..."
"..."
Both Mei and Wei exchanged glances and said with awkwardness,
"S-she said you are a good mother"
"Y-Yeah"
"...." Mariel bit her lips, sensing their lie, a complex interplay of emotions flashing through her eyes.
Both Mei and Wei patted Mariel's head before saying,
"Don't worry, Mai. At the end of the day, Scarlett always says she is grateful to her mother for providing opportunities to protect her little brother" tried to comfort her.
Mei and Wei thought it would reassure her; however, it only made her feel even gloomier, the reference to 'Little Brother' creating a pang of sadness as she glanced at Eli, who looked back at Mariel with a strain and awkward smile.
After a long silence, while eating, both Eli and Mariel left the restaurant.
"...."
"...."
Old Mei and Old Wei stared at the silhouette of Eli and Mariel as they slowly disappeared.
"He is not what they described in the media" Mei said.
"I guess, not everything is true then" Wei replied.
'wwoosshhh'
"Let's go inside" Wei said with a smile as he embraced his wife against the cold wind before walking in.
'Tirrinngg'
"wwoosshh"
Suddenly, a black-hooded figure appeared in front of the door, and,
"Tirrinngg"
"Oh? Welc---"
.....
....
...
Mariel silently walked while Eli held her hand.
The subtle crunch of gravel beneath their shoes echoed in the quiet street, creating a rhythm to their steps. Mariel stole a glance at Eli's hand, which was holding her hand.
Eli did it to ensure Mariel's spell working on him, not anything else...Okay?
Mariel stared at his hand before muttering, "Little brother..ah?"
"Pardon?" Eli asked, his gaze flickering towards her.
Mariel shook her head, a strand of her hair swaying with the motion, and said, "Nothing, I want to drink some wine"
Eli observed the sky, still bathed in the soft hues of noon, and then turned his attention to Mariel, who seemed to be hesitating to say something, "I don't mind a little tipsy" he said.
A genuine smile graced Mariel's lips as she pulled him, or...rather, teleported them in front of the Royal Restaurant.
"Here, wine is the only thing best" Mariel commented, a subtle pride in her choice evident as she secured a reservation on the 92nd floor.
Seated across from each other, Eli weirdly looked at Mareil who eagerly ordered....no, more like she spouting some weird name,
"2 Crimson Dominion Sour and 2 bottles of Virgin Lady Blended Cock...."
'What???? What the fuck are they blending??' Eli inwardly screamed.
Weirdly Eli stopped hearing anymore and looked around thinking, 'First my Little sister, then Big Sister and now their Mother.....' wondered why they brought him to this restaurant every first meeting or important discussion.
"Asher Eli" Mariel called, snapping him back to the present.
"Hmm?" Eli looked at Mariel, who had completed her order.
"What do you want to have?" Mariel asked, handing him the menu.
"Hmm..." Eli scanned the menu and a maze of unfamiliar names and descriptions, 'I don't understand a fucking single thing!' Eli inwardly screamed but managed a composed response,
"I don't mind drinking, whether it is virgin or not, but do not blend 'that thing'.... no, do not blend ANYTHING" his voice carrying a mix of humour and seriousness.
The waiter blinked in confusion, 'What?', prompting Mariel to take charge, "Just bring what I ordered"
The waiter nodded and left the room.
"....First time?" Mariel asked, her eyes reflecting an amused curiosity.
"Well, not the first time, but yeah, this is the first time drinking something made by others" Eli admitted, injecting a casual air into the conversation.
"Oh? So you know how to make wine?" Mariel leaned in, genuine interest gleaming in her eyes.
"Yes" Eli answered with a proud look.
Mariel's expression suddenly changed.
"You know everything...Just what you don't know, man?" Mariel's frustration and a hint of anger coloured her words.
"..." Eli stared at her, 'She started even before drinking?'.
Mariel continued, a torrent of emotions pouring out,
"You know how to cure poison, you know how to cook, you know this, you know that, this, that, this, that... arh... You really can do anything..ah?"
"Mrs. Ma--"
"Shut the fuck up!!" Mariel shouted in anger.
'Knock, Knock'
The interruption shifted the atmosphere, and Mariel's demeanour abruptly changed.
"Come in"
After that waiter arrived put the wine on the table and was about to pour it into the glass but Mariel dismissed him.
"..." Eli looked at the four large bottles and thought, 'Who going to finish this all? Is she a heavy drinker?'.
True to his musings, Mariel confidently seized one of the brimming bottles and commenced a determined assault,
'Gulp, Gulp, Gulp.....'
"..." Eli's eyes widened momentarily, caught off guard by Mariel's action. Nevertheless, he quickly composed himself, diverting his attention from one bottle to another.
Mariel paused, her crimson-stained lips curving into a frown, she queried with a slightly reddened face,
"What are you looking at? Just drink, brat" as she continued her less-than-graceful gulps.
'Gulp, Gulp, Gulp...'
"Hmm? I am just checking which is what?" Eli muttered, his gaze switching between bottles and suddenly Eli said,
"Oh? You are taking the cock!!"
"ssllurrrrrrppp"
Mariel inadvertently spewed out the wine.
"Cough, Cough, Cough- W-What the hell?-cough-cough" Mariel coughed vehemently, her eyes now burning with fury.
Eli, wiping his wine-drenched face, 'I should have framed my words correctly'.
"What the hell are you talking about, brat?" Mariel's frustration resonated in her shout.
"..." Eli opted for silence, allowing her a canvas to paint her frustrations upon....his poor soul.
"You know, you are annoying me so much...Why do my children love you more than me?....
I know I left them when they needed me but what else I could do in that predicament?...Hey, You also do the same, right?... Protect what you love no matter what, right?" Mariel asked a series of questions, her face tinted with a shade of red as she completed the first bottle.
"..." Eli nonchalantly took the Crimson, or whatever it was, and poured it into his glass. He knows only an idiot would answer her questions now.
Bringing it to his nose, he took a refined sniff, 'Hmm? Not too wild' before sipping with an air of elegance.
'Hmm... nothing special... tastes bland' Eli thought as he savoured the drink, all while attentively listening to Mariel's ramblings.
"It's all because of you, because of you only they approached me" Mariel continued, her words weaving a tapestry of resentment and tangled emotions.
Mariel seized another bottle, determined to drown her sorrows in its contents.
'Gulp, Gulp, Gulp....'
"..." Eli observed her face with a blank expression....there are two reasons why Eli agreed to drink with her.
Firstly, to unravel the 'Curse' that Mariel talking about.
More importantly, the second reason lingered in the intricate dance of emotions....a complex blend of hatred and.....a budding love?
Eli comprehended Mariel's hatred, a consequence of his relationships with her daughters.
However,
Love? He sensed it faintly but wasn't entirely certain.
In this wine situation, he aimed to get information....While He wasn't opposed to Mariel's feeling of love?; the idea of being involved with both mother and daughter simultaneously struck him as a bit...disgusting.
That's how he felt when he witnessed someone marrying their daughter in front of her mother who was already married to him.....sigh, it's kind of complicated for him.
For Eli, it's either mother or daughter, not both simultaneously, otherwise it would complicate both mother and daughter's feelings.
Yes, it was also disgusting to marry his own sister but....so what? He likes what he likes and others like what they like...that's all.
His sisters were everything to him....He harboured a fierce protectiveness over the bond they shared.
In his world, their connection was sacred, and he would go to great lengths to safeguard it...Truly a selfish guy.