He picked up his gla.s.s of lemonade and took a sip. As soon as the gas bubbles. .h.i.t him in the mouth, Lycster nearly spat out his drink. The tingly sensation on his tongue was something he had not felt before. He was just about to ask Vy what it was when the liquid slid down the back of his mouth and obstructed his breathing. This sent the poor boy into a coughing fit as he desperately tried to keep the liquid down while catching his breath.
But nothing he did was helping as the liquid his mouth sprayed all over the table, causing Vy to burst out in laughter. Lycster"s face was too adorable at this moment. She quickly walked over to him and gently rubbed on his back as Lycster tried to take in deep breaths of air in between the cough.
Vy reached over the table to grab a napkin. She used the napkin to wipe his mouth.
"Deep breaths, deep breaths. Coughing it up helps," she said soothingly as she continued to rub his back.
"What… what was that sensation in my mouth? That drink, why does it taste so funny?" he finally put his words together.
"It"s a carbonated drink."
"Carbonated?"
"Yes, it"s where they add gas bubbles into the drink to give it this fizzy tingly sensation in your mouth when you drink it," Vy explained as she walked back over and took her seat.
Lycster marvelled at the drink. As he observed the gla.s.s that the drink came in, he could see the little gas bubbles bubbling up. Placing his ear next to the gla.s.s, he could hear the bubbles fizzing all the way to the surface of the drink.
Kasper returned to their table with the first course of their meal. As part of the meal in the restaurant, a salad and soup appetiser would be served first. It was a cold citrus salad. The bed of lettuce was covered with freshly peeled orange slices, croutons and almond flakes.
They were offered a side of cream dressing, but both siblings politely declined.
Lycster enjoyed crunching down on the croutons with his molars. The crunch sound each bite made was satisfying to hear. Seeing how much he enjoyed it, Vy pa.s.sed him her croutons while she enjoyed the sweet citrus flavour of the peeled orange slices in her salad along with the other ingredients.
As soon as they were done, the next course was served. It was a creamy mushroom soup with a dash of truffle oil. According to their waiter Kasper, the soup was made from a blend of five different breeds of mushrooms. Some were smoked and roaster before being added in. This helped to give the soup a smokey flavour that paired well with the truffle oil.
No matter how well it paired with the soup, both siblings knew in their hearts that nothing compared to the truffle oil they had back at The Memory Lane. Made from the truffles they had picked together in the forests.
"We should go truffle hunting again when we get back," Lycster said as he finished the last of his soup.
Vy nodded as she too took the last spoonful of her soup, savouring it in her mouth. It was now time for their main course, the carbonara spaghetti. Freshly cooked spaghetti cooked in a pan of olive oil and garlic before a cream sauce was added in. Once on the plate, smoked bacon bits were sprinkled on top of it as the final touch.
"Kasper," Vy called out to their waiter as he was about to leave.
"Yes?"
"Could you bring us some parmesan cheese please?"
"Most certainly miss, coming right up,"
Kasper hurried away to the kitchen. He returned with a block of cheese in one hand and a cheese grater in the other. As per Vy"s instruction, he started to shred the cheese straight onto Vy"s plate. When Lycster was asked if he liked some, he politely declined.
The creamy sauce and saltiness of the smoked bacon bits were a perfect match. It was evident how good the food had tasted for it did not take them very long to finish their plates of spaghetti. They were now ready for their dessert.
"I"ll get the kitchen to prepare it for you now," Kasper replied as he came forward to clear their plates.
It was at this point that Vy noticed that the letter she had placed in the holder, was no longer there. As she scanned the other tables around them, she realised that most of them did not have the holder.
Before she could share her thoughts with Lycster, Kasper returned to their table. He was not holding their bread pudding in his hands either.
"Miss Blackfire, the chef would like to thank you in person for coming to our restaurant. Could your brother and you please follow me to meet him?" Kasper asked as he stood to the side and put out his hand towards the kitchen doors.
The siblings stood up from their seats and followed him to the back of the restaurant, into the kitchen. Kasper led them all the way to the back of the kitchen where there was a black door. It had no emblems on it, just a simple silver doork.n.o.b at the side.
Kasper signalled them to wait as he knocked on the door three times. After waiting for a few short seconds, he opened the door. Kasper ushered Vy and Lycster into the room and closed the door behind them.
The room was dimly lit with a ceiling light and candles on the walls. A large table sat at the centre of the room with three people seated at the far end of it. On Vy and Lycster"s end, there were two plates of bread pudding on the table and two empty chairs.
The three people at the end of the table had distinct features. The man on their left had a roughly trimmed beard, short hazel brown hair and matching brown eyes. He was wearing a b.u.t.ton down s.h.i.+rt with a grey vest over it. Though it was a little difficult to see with the dimmed lighting, Vy noticed that he had a silver ring on his left hand.
"Miss Vyrena Blackfire, and Lycster Blackfire. Please, take a seat and have some dessert," the man with the beard invited them.
Though the situation was uncommon, Vy and Lycster took their seats. Both of the siblings had the same thoughts floating through their minds.
-What if this was poisoned?-