Isabelle held her mother’s hand as she strolled through the busy street market. It was a noisy place, with sweaty vendors hawking their wares, housewives haggling over prices, and street performers playing music. Cramped market stalls lined the route, selling all sorts of food and merchandise.

It was a perfect afternoon to go grocery shopping. The air was warm and the sun was out.

Her mother pulled her aside as a creaking wagon passed by. Following closely behind them was their servant, Jacob. They brought him along to carry the groceries. He was mute, so sometimes Isabelle would forget that he was even there.

They stopped at the butcher’s shop. Isabelle could smell the freshly slaughtered meat hanging behind the butcher.

Her mother turned towards her. “What would you like for lunch today?”

Isabelle put her finger on her lip. “Hmm… What about ribs? They’re yummy.”

Smiling, her mother pointed to the rack of ribs. “I’ll have a full rack please.”

“Coming right up.” The butcher bagged the ribs and handed them to Jacob.

Keeping his gaze lowered, Jacob accepted the package without saying a word. Isabelle could never understand what he was thinking. His face always looked devoid of emotion.

After her mother had paid the butcher, the three of them continued along the street market.

A couple walked in front of them, holding hands and occasionally giggling. Watching them made Isabelle wish she could grow up faster, so that she could have as much fun and freedom as adults.

Their next stop was a stall selling blood cubes.

Her mother pointed to the blood cubes. "Would you like to try some?”

Isabelle scrunched up her face. “Yuck! That’s so gross!"

“You haven’t even tried them yet, how would you know?”

“They look disgusting.”

“They’re actually quite tasty.” Her mother purchased some blood cubes from the vendor. “You should try at least one. We'll have the new chef warm them up for dinner.”

In the past year, their family had gone through five chefs. Sometimes Isabelle would wonder if their family was cursed or if they were just unlucky. The new chef's cooking was actually quite good, so she hoped that he would stay longer than the others.

When they returned home, the head butler opened the door for them.

“Welcome home, Lady Charlotte. Welcome home Lady Isabelle.”

Isabelle smiled. “Hello, Gerald.”

She was still not use to others referring to her as ‘Lady.’ Just a year ago, her family had lived in much humbler lodgings and didn’t have servants.

Her mother didn’t reply. She passed by him, as if he didn’t exist.

Isabelle never quite understood why her mother acted so coldly toward the servants in the home. They did so much for their family, so shouldn’t they be treated more kindly?

Jacob handed the bags of groceries to Gerald, who gagged a little when he looked inside them.

"Are you feeling okay?" Isabelle looked at Gerald with genuine concern.

"I'm sorry for the unsightly display. I get a bit queasy at the sight of blood."

“That’s okay. I’m not fond of seeing blood either.” Her stomach started growling. "Excuse me."

"It's almost dinner time, so it’s only natural to be hungry. I'll bring the ingredients to the chef and tell him to start preparing them right away."

"You're the best!"

***

The dining room was a grand space. Shimmering gold paper covered the walls. Two intricately carved silver candelabras were displayed on the dining table, bathing the room in a warm glow. Delicious-looking food was laid along the table.

Isabelle sat at the dining table, waiting for her mother to arrive. Her stomach gurgled and ached. The hunger pains brought back memories of a time not too long ago, when she would often go without food for days.

Now, she could eat as much as she wanted and rarely felt hungry for an extended period of time. The food on the dining table was much better in quantity and quality, compared to what she used to eat.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Her mother entered the dining room.

She took a seat at the dining table, next to Isabelle.

"It’s okay. I know you were busy reading father’s letter."

Her mother smiled. "You're such a good girl. I've kept you waiting long enough. Let's start eating."

Isabelle went for her favorite dish first - the ribs. Ignoring the polished silver cutlery in front of her, she grabbed a rib bone, brought it to her mouth, and took a bite. The exceptionally tender meat was delicious. Its savory flavor was highlighted by the smoky and tangy sauce.

As she munched on the rib bone, she realized that she had forgotten her table manners. She glanced around at the servants in the room, to see if they noticed her unrefined table manners.

They were staring at the floor, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Are they hungry?

She turned toward her mother. "What did Father say in the letter?"

"He says he misses you very much.”

Isabelle giggled. “What else did he say?”

“He also said that, when he returns home, he'll bring you a special gift."

"I can't wait! When will he be back?"

"He didn't say."

“Tomorrow?”

“I’m afraid not. He’s away in another country, fighting for us.”

“Why does Father need to fight?”

“He fights so that we can have good food to eat and a nice house to live in.”

Isabelle frowned. “I don’t need good food or a nice house! I just want to see him.”

“Tell that to him when he returns home. It’ll make him very happy.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Isabelle smiled.

“Come on, let’s start eating before the food gets cold." Her mother placed a blood cube on her plate. "Try one of these."

"I don't want to!" Isabelle turned away from the plate and crossed her arms.

"You can always spit it out if you don’t like it."

Isabelle’s shoulders drooped. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, I think it'll be good for you to try new foods."

Isabelle let out a huge breath. "Fine, if you insist."

She took a bite of the blood cube. It was one of the most tender foods she’d ever eaten. There was a thin membrane around it, which gave way to a burst of creamy blood.

A subtle metallic taste lingered on her tongue. "It tasted much better than I thought."

"Told you so. Take some more."

"What about the servants? They must be hungry. We should let them try some too.”

"No."

Her mother's cold and curt response surprised Isabelle.

"What about the ribs? I bet they'll enjoy eating those."

"No."

"How come? We’re going to throw the leftovers away anyways."

"They wouldn't want to."

"How would you know? The ribs and blood cubes are both quite good."

There was a brief moment of silence, before her mother replied, "Most humans don't eat their own kind."