Tori Transmigrated

“I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

“Don’t overwork yourself.” Ilyana stepped back and Tori smiled helplessly as they stood beside one of the many carriages that lined the driveway in front of Lycée. It was the last day to move out of the dorms for the summer and most students, especially the local ones, had already left.

Their rankings were posted two days earlier, at the start of the week, and immediately afterwards, students began to leave. Ilyana and Tori began to pack, but neither would leave until the last day. The majority of Tori’s things, including her trunk, had already been sent to Auntie Lucia’s. The last two nights, she had been living out of a bag of spare clothes.

Tori was remaining at the dorm to keep Ilyana company until she left. Now, that day had come, and Ilyana had tears in her eyes and looked hesitant to leave.

“Why are you crying? You’ll be home soon and can see your family,” Tori said as she raised her hands and wiped away Ilyana’s tears from her cheeks. “And I’ll see you in a few months. We’ll be roommates until we graduate.”

Perhaps Tori wasn’t as affected, having gone through a similar situation many times before, in her original world.

Ilyana sniffled and nodded. “I know....”

“Okay, okay, don’t cry,” Tori said, drawing Ilyana into her arms for another hug. “We’ll talk all the time, just like during winter break. You have to keep me up to date on where you are, so I know you’re safe.” Ilyana nodded obediently.

“I’ll call.” She pulled away and wiped her eyes. “I need to remind you to rest. You’ll just keep working if I don’t.”

Tori chuckled. “That’s fair.”

“We came to see you off, too.” Henrik’s deadpan voice said to her right. Ilyana choked back a laugh and turned to the others.

“I’ll miss you all, too!” Ilyana opened her arms to hug Sonia while the boys gathered around them and wished her a safe trip.

“Do you have all the snacks for your trip?” Ewan asked. Ilyana nodded.

“And your carriage has blankets and pillows to keep you comfortable?” Sonia peered inside to confirm and nodded, satisfied when she saw a small pile of pillows and a blanket folded on one of the seat benches.

“We can’t keep fussing over her like this,” JP said with a small laugh. “She has to get going or she won’t make it out of the city by nightfall.” Sonia rolled her eyes.

“It’s not even noon,” she said with a snort.

“Ilyana, keep practicing with your dagger, all right?” Nanny Rey said as she embraced Ilyana. “I will test you when you get back.”

Ilyana nodded. “Yes, Nanny Rey. I’ll be diligent.”

Tori looked over at the six bodyguards, who were the same six that Tori hired in the winter. Two of the women were standing by the doors to the carriage and would be staying with Ilyana inside while the others would ride along on horseback.

Tori smiled at them and lowered her head. “Please take care of Ilyana for us,” she said. “I trust her in your hands.”

“Of course, Lady Guevera.”

“It is our duty. We will protect Miss Agafonova well.” Several voices spoke at once to reassure her. Tori looked back at Ilyana and motioned her head towards the carriage.

“I’ll see you in the fall.”

Ilyana embraced her once more, barely holding back a muffled cry before she climbed into the carriage. One of the bodyguards closed the door as Tori stepped back and stood on the curb. The four bodyguards outside mounted their horses and Ilyana opened her window to wave at them.

“Bye!”

“Have a safe trip!” Tori and the others said as the carriage jerked forward and headed off to the northeast.

“Why does this feel like we’re seeing our child off?” Albert asked as he squinted into the distance.

“Because she is our sweet Ilyana and she’ll be on a near month-long journey home,” Tori said. “So, we worry and want her to be safe.”

“The bodyguards you hired in the winter are very good,” Sonia told her as she put a hand on Tori’s shoulder. “They were always with her and were thorough. Don’t worry.”

Tori let out a low breath and nodded. Nanny Rey gave her a warm smile. “I’ll go to the plaza to get a carriage to bring you to Lady Lucia’s house. Do you want to wait here with your friends?” Tori nodded. The others were all locals and left earlier in the week. They only came to see Ilyana off and it felt like a waste to part with them so soon. Nanny Rey told the others to wait for her and that if they needed a ride, the carriage could take them, too. The twins, who had ridden their horses, were fine, but Henrik, Ewan, and Albert would need to rent a carriage.

“Thank you, Nanny Rey! We’ll wait for you!” Ewan beamed as the old woman turned and headed towards the plaza.

Tori looked over at her friends and grinned. “So, are you all here to see me off, too?”

“We’ll see you off when you leave for the delta,” Henrik said. “How long are you staying at your aunt’s?”

Tori patted the overnight bag slung over her body. “A few days. I’m not going to the delta until next week. I have those lunches and that dinner to go to. Henrik, are you going to go with your dad to the Imperial Commerce Commission lunch?”

Henrik let out a groan and tilted his head back. “I don’t want to, but I should.”

“I’ll be there. You can come talk to me.”

Henrik gave her a knowing look. “Aren’t you escorting His Highness?”

She rolled her eyes as her friends smirked. “I can escort Piers and still talk to you. Besides, the lunch is hosted by his uncle and I’m sure Prince Emil will want to introduce more people to him.”

“I’ll be there, too,” Albert told Henrik. “If you don’t want to intrude, come find me. I’ll just be sitting at the table the entire time, bored.” Henrik gave him a confirming nod and Tori narrowed her eyes.

“Wait, what do you mean intrude?” Tori frowned. “How many times do I have to make it clear that I’m trying to help Piers meet more people, and I’m escorting him as a friend since Axton left for summer training?”

Several pairs of eyes looked at her with varying degrees of pity and exasperation. “Tori, have you really not noticed?” JP asked.

Tori’s narrowed eyes bore into them. “I noticed I’m still fourteen and don’t have time for what you’re implying.”

“Does His Highness know?” Sonia asked, tentatively. Her gaze moved towards the street.

“Piers is very comfortable with our current friendship and respects my boundaries,” Tori said as she lifted her head. “We are just friends.”

“I know.”

“The hell!” Tori jumped back as the familiar voice spoke. She whirled around and finally noticed the carriage that stopped beside them. With various carriages coming and going around the oval driveway, she hadn’t paid attention to the most recent one that parked next to them. “When did you get here?”

Piers was looking out the window of an imperial carriage. “Just now.” He looked towards her friends and gave them a nod. “Hello.”

“Good afternoon, Your Highness!” Tori turned towards her friends with a tired look. Why did they always sound so awkward when greeting Piers? They were perfectly fine around Axton and they all pointedly ignored Gideon. Not to mention that they’d gotten drunk in Piers’ presence.

“Did you already see off Miss Agafonova?” Piers asked as his eyes moved back to Tori.

She nodded. “She just left.”

“I can take you to your aunt’s.”

Tori shook her head. “Nanny Rey already went to get a carriage. We’re also dropping off Ewan, Henrik, and Albert.”

“They will fit! This carriage is very large.” Nanny Rey pushed aside the curtain on the other side and beamed.

Tori looked at her with disbelief. “Nanny, what are you doing in an imperial carriage?”

“His Highness saw me before I could get to the plaza and told me he’d take us. Come, my angel. This carriage is much more comfortable.”

Piers tapped the side of the carriage and the footman jumped down to open the door. Tori’s lips tightened into a line and she looked at her friends.

Sonia raised her hands. “I’m not stopping you from riding with your friend.” JP and Albert held back muffled snorts and Tori rolled her eyes.

“All right, fine. Nanny Rey.” Tori looked into the carriage. “Sit on this side. I’ll sit between you and Piers.” She then turned to the three boys. “You three. Get inside. And are you two going to follow us?” She looked at JP and Sonia, who nodded.

“We’ll be right behind you.” They headed over to where they had tied their horses as Henrik, Ewan, and Albert climbed into the carriage and sat across from Piers. Tori prepared to pull herself up, only to have Piers grasp her hand and pull her inside. Tori pretended she didn’t see the looks her friends gave each other as she took a seat next to Piers.

The door closed and they began to move, only to stop a few blocks from Lycée to let out Nanny Rey.

“Since His Highness is with you, I know you will be safe.” Nanny Rey looked towards Piers with a glint of warning in her sharp eyes. “Please take good care of her, Your Highness.”

“Of course, Training Commander Reystrom,” Piers replied.

Tori narrowed her eyes. Her beloved nanny abandoned her. She could only sit there, with an empty smile as the door closed and then the carriage continued towards the fifth district, where Albert’s family lived.

“What was your final ranking?” Piers asked suddenly. Tori jumped. She didn’t expect he’d try to start a conversation. Before she could answer, another person did.

“In terms of niche students, I’m well above average this time. Ilyana’s review sessions really helped,” Ewan said. Henrik elbowed him and gave him a look, as if asking what he was doing. Ewan looked confused to have been elbowed.

“That’s good,” Piers said. Everyone in the carriage, aside from Ewan, looked at him with surprise. Piers had a calm expression and sat back against the carriage with his legs crossed. “Then you’ve improved. If you keep at it, you could be in the upper percentile amongst the niche students by this time next year.”

Ewan lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I can only hope. My parents are watching my scores closely.”

“Do you plan to go to La Garda after your second year?” Piers asked. Ewan sat up straight and then looked down.

“I don’t think I’m good enough to get into La Garda.” His voice was somewhat quiet, as if both embarrassed and accepting of his fate.

“You still have another year,” Piers said. “When Axton returns, you should take time to train with him.”

Ewan’s eyes went wide. “Train with Sir Nassaun? I can’t...he’s so busy.”

“No, he’s not.”

“Don’t offer to lend him out without asking him first,” Tori said with a roll of her eyes. She looked at Ewan with a gentler expression. “I’m sure Axton wouldn’t mind occasionally taking time to train with you, but first, we’ll ask.”

Ewan nodded blankly, as if unable to believe he’d have a chance to train with Axton.

Piers looked over at the other two boys. “What about you?”

“Your Highness, I’ve come in at twenty-three and Henrik has come in at twenty-seven,” Albert said. “I’ve jumped ten ranks and Henrik has jumped almost fifteen.”

“Ilyana’s review sessions are very popular because she is so effective,” Tori said, sitting up straighter as she bragged. “The last review had a line waiting to enter the study room. It was the largest one in the dorms and it was full.”

“We had the door and windows open so people outside could listen.” Albert seemed just as impressed. “If we weren’t in there reviewing with her before it started, we never would’ve gotten seats.”

“Our Ilyana ranked number one.” Tori was in full boasting mode and didn’t bother stopping herself. “Everyone says that ranks slip in the last semester, but she’s held on to it since our first set of review exams. Who knows, she may be like you and Kasey and enter Université at number one, too.”

Piers seemed to smile softly as he listened to her brag about her roommate. “And what about you?”

“Fourth.” I shouldn’t have gone whale watching....

“That’s not bad. Master never reached the top five, to my understanding,” Piers said.

Tori sighed. “But Sebby entered and stayed in the top ten the entire time.” They continued the conversation with surprising fluidity. Piers was calm and collected; asking questions and giving his approval every now and then. Tori noticed the nervous air around her friends slowly relaxed.

She couldn’t help but be a bit proud of Piers.

They dropped off Albert first. “I’ll see you at the commerce lunch!”

“Bye, Albert!” Tori waved out the window as her friend walked to a large gate. Behind it was a rather large house that took quite a bit of land.

“The Martins are an old aristocracy,” Piers said, noticing her curious expression. “This is their ancestral property.” Tori nodded, distracted.

They dropped off Ewan and Henrik at the guild, and waved good-bye to the twins, then headed to the third district. Tori took the chance to get up and move to the now empty bench across from Piers. She caught his quizzical look as she sat down.

“Why did you move?”

“More space.” Tori looked out the window, pretending to be distracted.

“You don’t want to sit next to me?” She didn’t answer. “Is it because you grabbed me a few days ago?”

“I didn’t grab you; the carriage hit a rock and I fell forward!” Tori’s face heated up and she silently cursed him for reminding her of such a ridiculous, clichéd moment.

A few days earlier, when she was suffering from a hangover headache, Piers had offered her two hematite stones to ease her pain. She had reached forward to take them from him when, like a scene out of a cheesy romance story, the carriage hit a rock or a divot in the road, or something, but whatever it was, it made Tori, who was already leaning forward, fall.

In an attempt to stop herself, she had extended her arms.

And had grabbed on to Piers. He had caught her in his arms and her face hit his chest. The impact was a bit hard and her first instinct was to rub her nose and make sure it wasn’t bleeding. For a split second, she had forgotten that she landed on Piers and was essentially brushing up against him as the carriage continued along.

His strained voice asking her if she was hurt drew her attention and she had looked up, realizing how awkward their position was. She was draped across his body, with his legs on either side of her. He was frozen in place, wide-eyed, and a bit pale.

She had been horrified.

Tori had flung herself back across to her side of the carriage, stammered an apology and told him she was going to close her eyes for a bit before promptly pretending to fall asleep to ignore the situation. She had spent the rest of that day pretending she didn’t almost accidentally molest the first prince of the empire.

“It didn’t hurt,” he said, as if to reassure her. “You’re very light.”

She ground her teeth together. “I still hit you pretty hard. I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s all right. I don’t mind.”

Yes, you did! You could barely talk; you were so tense! She silently screamed. And just as importantly, she minded. “Piers,” she said in a firm voice. “I am fourteen years old.” Technically.

He gave her a nod. “I know. Your birthday is on the first of the sixth month.”

Is he counting down? Tori narrowed her eyes. “I am only escorting you as your friend.”

He nodded once more. “I know. You’re not interested.”

“That’s right, I’m not....” She tilted her head to the side and looked at him curiously. “You know I’m not interested?” He smiled softly and nodded again.

“I am happy to be your friend. You are dependable and listen to me,” he said. “Axton gets annoying.”

Tori bit her lips to keep from letting out a laugh. “Axton is just looking out for you,” she said, relaxing. “I am, too.”

“I know, but you aren’t annoying.”

“Does Axton know you talk about him like this?”

“I tell him when he’s in front of me.”

Tori pursed her lips. Axton has it rough. “Well, I’m glad we understand each other.”

“Piers, we need to communicate better about these things,” Tori said as she looked around the Varsha Kingdom Embassy’s elaborately decorated hall. She stood beside him, stiff and somewhat resentful that, once more, he did not properly prepare her for a social event. “You said this was a dinner.”

“This is a dinner.” Piers, in an evening tuxedo and his hair combed back, had her hand in the crook of his arm as they took a step forward.

Tori resisted the urge to glare at him in public. She leaned forward and hissed. “This is an event thrown by the Ambassador of the Varsha Kingdom!”

“Yes, and dinner will be served. I heard their food was very good.”

Tori narrowed her eyes. “Did you accept this invitation because of the food?”

“You like foreign food.”

“That’s not the point.”

They reached the entrance of the embassy ballroom and a man standing at the door received a small card from Piers. They were first announced in Varsha’s language and then in the common language of Soleil.

“His Royal Highness Prince Piers Emil, First Prince of Soleil, accompanied by Lady Victoria Antonia Sophia de Guevera, daughter of Marquis Guevera!”

Tori took a deep breath and stepped into the ballroom in tandem with Piers. Her business smile was again slapped on her face as they walked in. Shoulders were down, chin up, and eyes forward. Tori took care to walk as Piers led her towards the Varsha Ambassador.

She was lucky Auntie Lucia insisted on her wearing a fancy evening gown for the night’s event. One of the maids had pulled Tori’s hair into a curly updo and decorated it with ornate pearl hairpins. It went well with her blue-purple gown’s silver embroidery with pearl embellishments. Tori thought she was overdressed until Piers came to pick her up.

He’d changed from the casual suit he wore at the luncheon at Université earlier that day into a tuxedo with tails. He’d even had his hair done, which he didn’t even do for the Prime Minister’s evening party.

That’s what should’ve tipped her off that the dinner he spoke of was more formal than she thought. Instead, Tori had naively looked out the window and asked where they were going as they rolled into the first district. That was when he told her that they were attending a dinner thrown by the Varsha Ambassador.

Tori knew absolutely nothing about the Varsha Kingdom except that they were a strong trading partner and they were also dealing with some issues with the Duraga Federation on their northwest borders. She hoped that when they entered the embassy, she could figure out what country or culture they were most similar to in her original world.

The Varsha Embassy did not disappoint and upon arrival, they were greeted by men in achkan and dhoti.

Pseudo-South Asia, is this you? Tori had thought as she stepped out of the carriage. She rarely saw dhoti in California; most of the time she saw achkan paired with churidar, not counting any cultural performances she’d attended. Even then, it was more common to see women wearing a sari than men in achkan.

“Your Highness!” A jovial voice greeted them and Tori gave a small bow of her head to a tall, middle-aged man with graying black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. “Thank you for coming. And good evening to you, Lady Guevera.”

“Thank you for having us, Ambassador Das,” Piers said with a small nod of acknowledgement to the man and woman in front of them. “Madam Das.”

“It’s an honor to be here, Your Excellency, Madam,” Tori told them with a bright smile. “This is my first visit to an embassy.”

“Is it?” Ambassador Das chuckled. “Then it is our honor to have you for dinner.”

Tori’s smile was genuine. “I am looking forward to it.”

“It is a bit different,” Madam Das told her with some worry. “Tonight, we will be eating specifically with our hands.”

Tori nodded and had absolutely no problem with it. “I look forward to it.”

Madam Das looked taken aback, but nodded. “Are you familiar?”

“I have read things, but please correct me if I make a mistake,” Tori said. “I am curious about foreign foods.”

“Wonderful! Then you will be quite pleased with tonight’s dinner!”

Please have biryani. Please have biryani. And curried goat. I haven’t had curried goat in a while. Tori assured them she was excited to try before they stepped away to let the Ambassador and his wife greet other guests. When they were far enough away, Tori leaned closer. “Do you know how to eat with your hands? Will you be all right?”

“I was taught eating etiquette for numerous cultures,” Piers told her. He frowned. “I don’t like it, but I know how.”

Tori nodded. There were many people at the party, but rather than make rounds, as Tori didn’t know anyone and felt too ignorant of the cultures of the world of Soleil to make proper conversations with foreign dignitaries, she and Piers stood to the side and admired the artwork that was hanging on the walls.

Every so often, they would be approached and someone would formally greet Piers. Tori remained rooted at his side, carefully watching him in case he showed signs of anxiousness. However, he seemed composed the entire time. At most, she felt him tense up when a small group approached.

Her hand on his arm would squeeze him to reassure him she was there and, if he wanted, they could leave. Piers remained stoic and seemed to hide any unease. He would greet each individual respectfully, sometimes in a different language she didn’t recognize, and then even ask a question and listen intently to the answer.

As an older couple left them, Tori raised her other hand and patted his arm. “You’re doing very well,” she said.

“You said to ask a question and they will open up.”

Tori drew her head back a bit. “You remember.”

He nodded once and looked down at her. “I listen to you.”

Her mind blanked for a moment. This man really needed to watch what he said. She didn’t even know where he learned to answer so sweetly. Was it from Axton? She would need to have a stern conversation with Axton.

Tori looked away and glanced around the room. “How many other languages do you know?”

“Five and I can read and write Old Sulfae.”

“That’s impressive.” In this world, Tori only spoke the common Soleil language. Not counting Old Sulfae, should I learn another language? I should try to learn another language.

As she debated with herself whether it was worth the effort or not when her future was relatively unknown, and when she was extremely busy as is, a few men entered the room and began to tell the guests that dinner would be served.

Tori tried not to look too eager as they moved to a dining room. She looked towards the rows of tables that went around the room and the open space in the center for the entertainment. A man in one of the uniforms approached them.

“Your Highness, my lady, please follow me to be seated,” he said with a bow.

Piers gave him a nod and they followed him to the main table, to sit beside the Ambassador and his wife. Once everyone was seated, carts were rolled out with brass bowls and pitchers. A brass bowl was placed in front of each person and Tori washed her hands. A warm towel was handed to her before the brass bowl was removed.

Beside her, a server placed utensils beside Piers' place setting and the Ambassador let him know that they were for him to use, as he is aware of Piers sensitivities. Piers gave him a small nod and thanked him. He tried to hide it, but Tori could see relief in his eyes. She leaned a bit closer.

"You don't have to try so hard," she said in a soft voice.

He kept his eyes on the utensils he was given. "I want to try."

The bowls were cleared off all the tables, servers arrived and placed long, silver plates of warm, fresh triangular stuffed dough in front of them. Tori waited until her hosts started and then plucked two samosas for herself. As she bit into one and relished the familiar taste and satisfying crunch of the bread shell, she had to tell herself not to eat too many.

Save your stomach for the main course, Tori. Don’t just fill up on samosas. She forced herself to eat her second one slowly.

“Lady Guevera, have some more,” Madam Das said. Tori wondered if she saw her stuffing her mouth with the first one and now trying to restrain herself. “There are plenty!”

“I don’t want to eat too much before the main course,” Tori said. She could smell it in the air. It was coming.

“Oh, that’s a good idea,” someone said from across from her. An old man gave her a nod of approval.

Tori continued to munch on the samosas. Just when she was about to give in and take a third, the flatbread arrived. It looked like naan, but it could have a different name in this world. Large, silver plates that were separated into sections were placed in front of each person. The rich scent of hot, spiced food filled the air and her mouth watered. Tori tried to identify what she thought would be tikka masala, aloo gobi, butter chicken, chickpeas, and a brownish-red curry with meat that had thin bones, but wasn’t chicken. She swallowed hard.

In the largest space, in the center of the plate, was a small mountain of familiar rice topped with chicken. Chicken biryani. She didn’t even pay attention to the other dishes set in the middle of the table. Her focus was on the biryani.

Don’t cry, Tori. Just breathe deeply and remember this sweet, delicious moment. She tried not to smile like an idiot as she looked towards her host. When they began to eat, she did as well. Cautious of Varsha custom she slowed her movements to observe and follow. She reached for the flatbread and took two pieces to tear apart and scoop up some of the waterier dishes.

Her first target was the curry. Her eyes widened. It was goat. She held back her whimper as she took a bit of each of the smaller portions on her plate before tackling the biryani. It was nice and warm between her fingers as she scooped little piles to be picked up and then brought to her mouth with her right hand.

The flavors were as she expected and filled her with a sense of familiarity. Maybe it was because she hadn’t had them in so long or maybe it was because the taste reminded her of home and all the food she had access to with ease, but she found that she was both elated and sad.

“Do you like the food, Lady Guevera?” someone asked. She looked up and realized she hadn’t been paying attention. Several eyes were on her and she slowly swallowed her food.

“I love it,” she said. “It’s delicious. The...bread is warm and buttered. The meat is seasoned well and this rice is amazing.” She was careful not to call them the names she was familiar with. “And is this goat? I was hoping it was goat.”

The Ambassador and his wife, along with a few other dignitaries, were satisfied with her response. Madam Das began to tell her what each dish was called and Tori could only nod. The names were familiar, but Tori only focused on the dishes she really liked. “Oh, so this is bhuna. You can taste the meat juices; it’s very savory.” She almost blurted that she was used to a wetter curried goat.

“What about you, Your Highness? Is the food to your liking?” The Ambassador asked.

Tori turned to her left. Piers started off eating the samosas with his hands, but as soon as the main dishes were presented, he used utensils. Still, he was doing his best. His face was a bit red and was chewing slowly. He swallowed and gave them a small nod. “It is.”

She drew her lips inward and smiled to herself. It seemed he wasn’t used to the spice. Tori subtly called for something for Piers to drink before taking time to chat with the people around her. There were a few performances of dancers and traditional Varshan instruments, but Tori tried to split her time between watching and talking.

It turned out, Madam Das had been to Lions Gate and that conversation led to the material of Madam Das’ sari, embroidery work, and gemstones. The Varsha Kingdom did a lot of trade with gemstones and crystals. Tori’s eyes lit up as she finished off the last of her bhuna.

“I’m always looking for more crystal suppliers,” she said. “Particularly for specialized crystals.”

“What crystals are you looking for, Lady Guevera?” the Ambassador asked.

“As of right now, carnelian and ice calcite, but I like to collect crystals that catch my attention,” Tori said. “I have a project I’m working on that may require more crystals. The quality doesn’t matter. It’s mostly for experimentation purposes.”

“We have vast stores of carnelian in Varsha,” the Ambassador told her. “And many others, both common and rare. I will have a catalog prepared for you.”

“Is that all right? I’d hate to trouble you.”

He waved his hand. “It is a way to bring interest and trade to my country,” he said. “Consider this part of my job.”

Tori smiled wide and nodded. “Then, I thank you in advance, Your Excellency.”

The night ended with Tori also asking about fabrics and discussing how they felt and what seasons they’d be good for with several other people. The Ambassador and his wife personally saw them out, as Piers was a royal, and Tori once more praised the food and thanked them for their time.

As Tori sat in the carriage, sighing contentedly as she watched the embassy disappear out the window, Piers tilted his head.

“Did you like the food?”

“I loved the food,” Tori said. She looked over at him. “Food is universal, not just for survival, but for community. It brings people together and can define societies. That’s why dining often has a sense of ritual. Sitting around as a group and eating a meal is deeply embedded in all cultures, and to share a meal is one of the most welcoming things people can do.”

The corners of his lips curled up. “Is that why you share what you cook?”

“For people I like, yes.”

Piers seemed to think for a moment. “Do you like me?”

She hesitated. Was this a trick question? She pushed aside suspicion; they’d already confirmed that they were just friends. Besides, there was only one answer and she wasn’t going to lie to him about it. “Of course, I do.”

“Then why haven’t you cooked me the steak you made for Ewan’s birthday party?”