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He found the royal steward sitting out by one of the fountains. The older man opened a box in his lap, setting aside the lid before picking up a pair of…
Were those sticks?
“What is that?” Cedric asked with a frown, sitting down beside Baileywick. He looked into the box and saw an assortment of differently prepared vegetables, a large amount of rice, and a few pieces of sausage that looked like they had been cut to resemble...octopi? Cedric picked one up to look closer and blinked when he saw that a little smiley face had been painted on with mustard.
“No, please,” Baileywick hummed, “I don’t mind you sticking your hands in my lunch. Go ahead and just shove your fingers everywhere.”
“What is all this?” Cedric asked, putting the sausage octopus back into the box.
Baileywick pointedly used the sticks to pick up the sausage Cedric had touched, separating it from the others. “It’s a bento box. Princess Jun is visiting and she is teaching Sofia how to make them in the kitchens. She made this one for me.” He reached for something to his side and produced another box, decorated with sparkles. “This one is yours.”
Cedric perked up as he took the box. “She made me one?” he asked. He opened the lid to look at the food inside. His meal mostly consisted of rice topped with some kind of odd looking yellow gravy, various bits of vegetables mixed into it. A few smiling sausage octopi were set to the side. “What...is it?” he finally asked.
Baileywick laughed, taking the sausage Cedric had touched and switching it for one of the one’s in the sorcerer’s box. “Wei-Ling curry. I am told it’s rather spicy.” He watched the younger man pick up the pair of chopsticks he had been given, allowing him to try and figure them out before speaking up when Cedric nearly stabbed himself in the eye. “Need help?”
“Yes,” Cedric said with a pout. He blushed when Baileywick reached out, guiding his hand and fingers on how to hold and move the sticks. His hands were always so warm and surprisingly strong. “Oh…” he murmured.
“You see? It’s rather simple,” Baileywick said, turning back to his own lunch as Cedric successfully picked up a piece of carrot. He picked up a piece of pickled ginger and offered it to the sorcerer, smiling as Cedric carefully ate from his sticks.
The couple sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the lunches the youngest princess had made for them, occasionally sharing a piece from their boxes. Cedric leaned into Baileywick without realizing it and the steward just smiled to himself.