Carina was unhappy.
But Carina did not show it.
At last night's banquet, she had been captivated by Ryugu Palace's distinctive flavors-the shellfish roasted on hot-spring rocks, the coral dumplings mixed with sea-grape juice, the sashimi sliced from the finest deep-sea seafood. Every dish had made her wrap her tail around Boer's arm and whisper, "Boer, try this."
She had thought there would be an even more lavish breakfast this morning, perhaps with the Sea King meat she had missed last night, perhaps with desserts made with coral honey.
Yet when she yawned, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and dragged her tail into the dining room, what awaited her and Boer was a simple bowl of plain noodles.
Plain noodles in the most literal sense.
In a bowl of broth so clear she could see the bottom lay half a bowl of translucent, pale noodles, a few slices of white fish as thin as cicada wings, and a scattering of fine, jade-green scallion rings.
Nothing else. Beside it sat only a small dish of dipping sauce, dark brown, seemingly made by mixing soy sauce with something, lying quietly in its little dish like a tiny, deep pool.
Neptune stood beside the dining table, struggling to muster an apologetic smile.
That smile held a humility a king should not have shown honored guests, and a nervousness an old man should not have shown young people. His fingers rubbed lightly against the edge of the table, once, then again.
"I'm sorry for making a spectacle of ourselves last night." His voice was somewhat dry. "The people of our small country are simply that ignorant. Please don't take it to heart, Lord Boer."
Boer nodded mildly. His gaze settled on the bowl of plain noodles for a moment, then he picked up his chopsticks.