CHAPTER 6: DINING WITH THE PRINCE
1438 Words
The three of them went in to the dining hall. It was big, can even house a huge party for two hundred guests or more. The ground floor has wide space to walk around. There are wooden square tables at
the sides with four wooden chairs, and a few long tables with twelve chairs on the ground floor. There is a small buffet table covered with white table cloth at the far end of the ground floor. There are only three buffet tray on top of it, plus one drink dispenser. There are plates, cups and utensils piled up at the end of the table. A few students are already lining up for their dinner.
There is a wide staircase in the middle of the ground floor. Kev walked straight towards it. Czarina and Yin didn't move, having a second thought if they should go upstairs or just stay on the ground floor. Yin stopped on the third step and turned his head to them. "Let's go," he said.
"But..." Czarina wants to say no, but Kev stopped her.
"You are also assigned to have your dinner on the second floor." He glanced at Yin. "I am inviting you to eat with us. Let's go." He walked upstairs.
Yin and Czarina exchanged glances, and shrugged their shoulders. They just followed the prince.
The second floor is more elegant. It has a different ambiance compared to the set up downstairs. The long buffet table is enormous with several buffet tray on top of it. the table is covered with golden yellow cloth, and the centerpiece is a giant, three-layer chocolate cake. The utensils and plates are piled on both ends of the buffet table. There is a separate smaller table for drinks in three different flavors. One green, one orange and one reddish cold drinks in clear dispensers. The glasses are piled up beside the reddish drink.The tables and chairs for the students are also covered with golden yellow textiles, matching the buffet table. The flooring is made of red marble.
"The distance between the rich and the poor is definitely as huge as the country, or even more," Czarina said while scanning the entire floor.
"I know, I can see that. Am I dreaming?" Yin agreed.
"Let's take the seat at the corner for privacy." Kev went straight to the table he chose. The two followed him and sat down. Czarina is facing Kev, Yin is beside her.
A lady in red cheongsam mini dress arrived, carrying three menu cards. "Here's the list of our food served tonight, Prince Kev. Please, inform me once you have decided your order." She handed the menu cards to the three of them and left their table.
"The principal must have alerted them about you." Czarina giggled.
Kev just shook his head. "I won't have a peaceful days in the campus."
"They serve the food here?" Czarina's jaw dropped while reading the menu card. "The food is just right there. We can get it ourselves."
"The lady also needs this work for a living," Kev said while laughing.
"Let her do it."
"You have a point there." She sighed.
"Can we order whatever we want from this menu?" Yin asked, eyes are wide open while reading what's written on it.
"You can order everything, if you want." Kev laughed. He called the lady again. She slowly walked towards them. "Can you serve everything in three servings?"
"That will be no problem," she said. "Your food will be served in ten to fifteen minutes. For the mean time, we will serve you your appetizers." The lady excused herself and left the table.
Czarina noticed a group of students not far from their spot. They are staring at them. "Why are they staring at us?"
Yin and Kev looked at the direction she pointed. There are three male students and one female in that group.
"I know one of them," Kev said. "She's my cousin, Thea, the daughter of Duke Lance. I don't know her friends." He shrugged.
"Are you not in good terms?" Yin asked." She's giving us a killer look."
"She's stubborn and a bully. She's also trained to be a ruler of
Zariste. She's after the crown, that's why she hates me and my siblings." Kev shook his head. "She's always trying to compete with us,especially to my brother Loi."
Why would they want to compete with a family member and fight for the crown?" Czarina asked. "Why not let the rightful one to sit on the throne? The one who could serve, protect, and lead the people and the kingdom?"
"I don't know." Kev shrugged his shoulders again. "I'm not interested. I don't want to be the king."
"What do you want to be?" Yin asked.
"I want to be an explorer. I want to search for the remains and unknown lands we have not discovered yet. Those ruins that were long gone after the war." Kev started dreaming, imagining in the journey of finding undiscovered lands. His eyes lit while thinking of his dream.
"I can see that you are already decided with your dream." Czarina stopped when she saw the server carrying a tray with three cups and utensils on it.
"Here's your appetizer." She placed the cups and the utensils on the table. "it's a r****h soup with broccoli. Enjoy your meal!" The lady left them.
"Let's eat first." Kev took a spoonful of the soup and started eating.
"It certainly is not a commoner food. We rarely have this at home," Czarina said. She took a spoonful of r****h soup and ate it. "It's yummy!"
"Let's enjoy our meal and forget those kids." Kev just ate his soup, ignoring his cousin.
Czarina was busy with her soup when she noticed the familiar teenager coming from the stairs. It's the straw hat boy from the bidding room. He went to the nearest table and sat. He was quiet, but she thinks he is fully alert with the surroundings. She just ignored him and continued eating.
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