12 Chapter 12 - Birthday Breakfast
Her father's voice was soft and warm as he spoke, recalling memories of Willow's mother with a gentle smile on his face. Willow looked up at him, her expression softening at the mention of her late mother.
She knew she took after her mother in many ways; at least, that was what her father had always told her. To Willow, the memories of the time her mother was alive were but a blur.
It was such a long time ago that she could barely remember them; in fact, if it wasn't for the portraits of her mother that her father kept, she would have long forgotten her face.
Her memory wasn't bad; she was just so young when her mother was still alive. She didn't even know the reason for her passing— her father only told her she was in an accident.
"I wish I could have known her better."
Willow whispered softly, her eyes painted with melancholy as she reflected on her childhood memories.
Her father smiled gently at her statement and nodded his head, his gaze distant for a moment before shifting down to look at her.
"She would have been so proud of you, Willow. You're growing up to be a remarkable young lady."
Willow smiled at her father's words, the sadness in her eyes vanishing as she looked up at him.
"Thank you, Dad."
She hugged him tightly and spoke once more.
"I'm so happy you're back. It's the best birthday gift I could have asked for."
She said cheerfully, as she was truly happy he could make it home on time to spend the day with her— especially on her special day.
He ruffled her long golden hair with his hands as he picked her up in his arms— holding her with a slight struggle.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Now, speaking of birthday presents, there are a lot of things we have to do to get ready for your party later."
Willow nodded as she considered the celebrations ahead. It was still rather early in the morning, but time would fly by quickly, and the party would begin in the afternoon.
As such, she still had to get ready and do so much more. She hadn't even eaten yet.
"Did you just wake up? Have you eaten?"
Her father asked, to which she replied by shaking her head.
"Then it's settled. Let's have breakfast. Your Grandfather is still here. I'm sure he wouldn't mind joining us."
As he spoke, he walked out of the room and carried her in his arms. She could see he was somewhat struggling, but he wanted to do it nonetheless— after all, to him, this might be the last time he could carry his baby girl in his arms.
Making his way down the hallway, he stopped at the large door to the office and knocked on it four times in a rhythm.
"You should join us for breakfast, Willow is awake."
Her father said, and before waiting for any sort of reply, he simply made his way towards the dining hall.
Willow nestled comfortably in her father's arms as they made their way to the dining hall, with a sense of contentment having the chance to spend so much time with him.
Entering the dining hall, they were met by servants who had been preparing the table for them—setting the plates and glasses and simply making sure the place looked proper.
Walking over to the table her father placed her to sit on an empty chair and took the seat opposite of her— looking over to her with a smile.
"So, do you have any specific food you would like to eat for your birthday?"
"Hmm."
Willow pondered the question with a hum, but in the end, she couldn't think about anything she was specifically in the mood for. Instead, she decided to try something new.
"Why don't we let the chief decide— his best dish."
She said in response to her father, who only nodded at the prompt and ordered the servants that awaited their command.
"Well, you heard the birthday girl. Tell the chief to create his best dish for the day."
The servants went about their work as they were commanded, and as such, Willow and her father were left alone as they awaited the food.
Silence befell the hall as neither knew what to say— but that silence was soon broken by the sound of the doors opening and the footsteps that entered.
"Good morning, Willow."
Her grandfather's robotic voice greeted her as he entered the room, making his way to the head chair to take his seat.
"Good morning, Grandfather."
Willow replied with a soft smile painted on her face— this was the first time in years they had all been together to eat. She couldn't help but be ecstatic.
"Bartholomew."
Her grandfather said with a slight nod towards her father— but he didn't say much else.
"Morning, Father."
Her father replied in a similar manner—they were both distant in their own ways, and combined, they were extra distant from each other. But she found it amusing to observe—it was like two cats.
As her grandfather took his seat, a servant came over and handed him a piece of paper, or rather multiple papers in one. This was a newspaper— in this world, newspapers weren't a community that just everyone could afford because they often held news from all around the world.
In a world where technology hasn't advanced to the era of the internet yet, information was very important. As such, only those with some money could afford to read the newspapers, and they weren't published daily either, but rather on a subscription basis.
Flipping open the paper and reading through a few pages, he simply shook his head and spoke aloud.
"These Noxians, always looking for a fight, purely barbaric."
His words did not escape her father's ears, who only replied with a sigh and spoke.
"Father, no politics at the diner table."
Her grandfather simply shook his head at the statement and closed the newspapers, handing it off for the servant to take. He knew that reading anymore would just ruin his mood.
As such, he would do it later.
After a few minutes of silence passed like this, the servants came in carrying tons of plates atop trays. Neatly arranging them across the table, Willow glanced around to see what they had made.
The skilled chefs of the estate prepared spreads of pastries, fruits, and various other breakfast items for her to try on her birthday.
It was perhaps one of the more extensive meals she had seen in her entire life— and she knew that finishing it would be impossible.
"Dig in."
Her father said as the servants finished bringing out everything— and no one had to tell her twice as she started to devour the food placed before her.
She maintained her etiquette as best as possible, but she couldn't help but slip up a little when presented with such delicious food. No one blamed her either since today was her day to have fun.
===========
If you enjoy the novel remember to leave a review and comments. We currently don't even have even reviews to get a rating; I would appreciate it. I also added an Aux chapter with images and such.
