Star-Cross Cookies: Part 1
#FanFiction #AscendanceOfABookworm
#Wss366 Revulsion
Having finished giving the chef the next recipe she wanted to try, Aub Rozemyne looked around the kitchen. Sometimes she got an idea when she saw something new. This time, it was a row of brown ceramic pots, each with two blue stars, that caught her attention.
âMilburn, what are those?â she asked the chef.
âThose would be pickles, Your Grace. Theyâre for Star-Cross Day.â
He took down a jar without further instruction, something he would never have done for another noble, let alone the Aub. But Rozemyne was different. She was relaxed about etiquette and had an insatiable curiosity.
He opened the vessel, releasing the smell of vinegar, wine, and spices. Then he reached in to extract a large, flat, brown bug. âThis is a coach beetle,â he said, showing it to her.
âUghhh.â Her response was involuntary as #revulsion swept over her. To her, they looked like giant cockroaches.
"Why would you eat that?" she asked, scrunching up her face.
âI suppose you wouldnât know, Your Grace. Next week is a local holiday when the twin stars align. Itâs said that proposals made on that day are blessed. Also, if your partner eats one of these, theyâll never stop loving you. Young men make quite a show of swallowing them.â
âYuck! Why those?â
âWhen these little devils mate, the male rides around on the femaleâs back for weeks. Thatâs how they got the name coach beetle. Some people believe that men who eat them will be as faithful as the beetles themselves.â
Rozemyne thanked the chef and departed. âI know one thing: Iâm not giving Ferdinand one of those. Revolting!â
[To be Continued]
Tags: #MicroFiction #TootFic #SliceOfLife #NMFic #Bookworm #AoaB #ValentinesDay