"You've actually dined with King Thibert, haven't you, Micheline?" Maela asked gently, hoping to blunt the intensity of Nyrielle's attention falling on her niece by providing a starting point for her answer. "Are you saying that even he doesn't dine so well?"
"It, it isn't that King Thibert doesn't dine well," Micheline said, feeling like she might have inadvertently said something deeply inappropriate. "The palace cooks are masters of their trade, and the Lord Master of Kitchens in the Royal Palace supervises several masters beneath him, from the Lord Master of Soups to the Lord Master of Meats…"
"Are they really lords?" Ashlynn said, blinking in surprise. She hadn't spent much time studying the Royal Capital because it hardly seemed important. She knew full well that she'd never visit Gaalen, or if she did, it would be in chains as a prisoner of the Inquisition. The details of the Royal Palace and its staff were as important to her as the etiquette for greeting the Saint.
