Chapter 28: Are You Free Now?
Fortunately, I’m not starving.
Hey, since the kitchen isn’t left with a single crumb after cooking, Princess Xue Fei’s miraculous Healing Magic has a place to shine!
However, this extremely magic-consuming super-class spell is always used to fix furniture… even Xue Fei wonders if something is off.
Maybe there’s a mistake, but the outcome is definitely worth it!
“How about it, Belis? Isn’t Xiya’s cooking delicious?”
“Well… it’s okay…? Um… this is pretty good… No! This piece of fried mushroom is clearly overcooked a bit!”
“Stop nitpicking! Hey, Xiya, Belis’s cake roll is good, right? I’ve always liked that.”
“Yeah, little sister Belis really has a talent for cooking.”
Look at that, Xiya is so calm. Belis, you should learn from her; you need to be a little more generous and not so petty.
“But there are some issues, like this cake roll’s edges weren’t baked to the right color, not crispy enough, so the texture is… no, it will greatly affect the taste.”
“……”
Well, it seems Xiya can’t help but praise too.
The dining experience at the Royal Family’s dining table on the second floor of the Demon King’s Castle isn’t very pleasant.
To control the situation, Princess Xue Fei can only suggest that Xiya and Belis each cook their own meals; the kitchen in the Demon King’s Castle is spacious enough for everyone to avoid disturbing each other. If there’s too much leftover, they can always send it to Father King and Mother Queen. It not only prevents waste but also expresses filial piety, how wonderful.
The cooking process goes quite smoothly.
But when it’s time to eat, things aren’t so harmonious.
Xiya and Belis sit at the farthest diagonal ends of the square dining table, forming a tug-of-war hostile stance.
Clearly, the dishes are all exceptionally delicious, but the two of them nitpick and bicker about every bite.
“This piece of meat was poorly chosen for the roast; at least it needs…”
“Belis… that piece of roast meat was made by you, you know?”
“!”
Ah, people can be so blindly critical that they even reproach themselves.
Livra looks left and right; facing this extremely low atmosphere, she can only lament the complexity of human nature.
Timani doesn’t have so much to think about; she’s focused on enjoying the delicious food!
In fact, it’s Xue Fei who sees through it all.
Both of them clearly acknowledge each other’s cooking skills, but due to pride, they just don’t want to admit it.
If they didn’t acknowledge it, they wouldn’t even try each other’s dishes, let alone nitpick, and since they needed to “nitpick,” it shows that there aren’t many issues worth denying.
It is this point that gives Xue Fei the courage to break the deadlock.
She suddenly shovels a few mouthfuls of rice mixed with meat into her mouth, cheeks bulging, swallowing to half fullness. Then, she brings her hands together and claps, intending to end this meaningless argument.
Clap!
“Alright! Can you two shake hands and make peace? Arguing is not good, life is beautiful. Belis, you go first!”
“But Queen Sister…! Uh…”
After Xue Fei speaks, she deliberately pretends to not hold her spoon steady.
The spoon falls under the table, and she crawls under to retrieve it.
Once she’s under, she doesn’t rush to come out.
Belis isn’t inconsiderate either… she knows it’s too tense with the Hero, and it’s the Queen Sister who’s caught in between.
Forget it, love is a long race; there’s no need to contest so much over trivial matters.
A little face-saving wouldn’t hurt…
Who would’ve thought, just as Belis was about to say something soft, she looks up and sees Xialet standing up first.
And walking up to her.
Xiya’s steps are a little hesitant, and her expression is rather contorted as she stands beside Belis’s seat.
But she still insists on extending her hand, using a smile that’s hard to describe as cheerful to mask the anger in her brow.
“Bel… Belis, little sister, I actually fully acknowledge your cooking skills! I think… we should try to argue less in the future. If there’s something, we can discuss it calmly, what do you think?”
Tsk.
How annoying.
If it weren’t for the Queen Sister peering over the dining table with her little head, I wouldn’t have given you this face.
Belis doesn’t take Xiya’s hand, but she opens her palm and lightly pats the back of Xiya’s hand as a response to her attempt to ease the situation.
With that clap, the tension at the dining table finally eased a lot.
Of course, Belis still conveyed a basic principle to Xue Fei.
“Queen Sister, even though I’ve said this, I still won’t back down when it’s not proper, because the kitchen is a vital territory for girls. Cooking for the Queen Sister is the privilege of the little sister. So, this is about a woman’s dignity and cannot be conceded.”
Is this really dignity…? I’ve never heard of it!
Turning to seek Xiya’s opinion, she nods seriously, fully agreeing with Belis’s statement.
Seeing this, Belis is very satisfied.
“Oh…! Hero, you actually understand this point!”
“Of course, this is absolutely a woman’s dignity. I completely understand, seeing Xue Fei’s happy smile while eating… that feeling is happier than any moment in life.”
“You really get it! Yes, yes! When Queen Sister eats, if she enjoys it, she laughs while eating.”
“Exactly! But the most important thing is…! There needs to be enough sugar for cooking for Xue Fei!”
“I fully agree, good job!”
What a laugh.
In the end, the two resolved their differences through sharing experiences related to Xue Fei’s meals!
However… you say cooking is a woman’s dignity, then Xue Fei thinks, as a woman myself, to prevent you from fighting over the kitchen in the future, shouldn’t I learn to cook and take on this dignity?
“Um… How about I cook for myself from now on…?”
“Impossible!” “Xue Fei, what kind of terrifying suggestion is that! Hurry and take that back!”
“……”
What happened to the dignity we just talked about! Am I not worthy of dignity?!
Livra forks a piece of roasted meat onto her plate and tilts her head to ask Xue Fei, who just crawled back to her seat.
“It seems… those two have reconciled?”
“Seems so for now, thankfully.”
“Reconciliation is nice… but Miss Shaya, may I ask you something impertinent?”
“Ask away, but I might not answer.”
“So what were they originally arguing about?”
“……”
Livra, you don’t have to bear the troubles of this world in your mind; you are truly a carefree person.
Xue Fei gives a bitter smile, responding to her silly question.
“You’re still young; when you grow up, you might understand. This is a question only adults comprehend.”
“Um… is that so…? Indeed, I am two years younger than little Miss Shaya, my tiny heart can’t yet grasp many complex logical issues.”
“Why do you keep saying ‘tiny’… are you intentionally provoking me with that?!”
“No, no! I just felt that little Miss Shaya calling me young made me quite unhappy!”
“Isn’t that just provoking me?!”
What a ruckus, how chaotic.
Timani continues to eat without pause; she really can’t understand why such delicious food prompts these people to be on edge.
Oh right.
“Xue Fei, use your Healing Magic to heal me. My arm hurts; it’s inconvenient to eat. You have to take responsibility.”
“Why?”
“Because I was hit by your sister and your caretaker.”
“Caregiver?!”
You think Xiya cooking for me, taking care of my sleep, and managing my life makes her my caregiver?!
Uh… it seems that what I said isn’t entirely unreasonable… Yuck!!
“Fire Lizard! Isn’t your arm broken? Why didn’t you say so sooner!”
“What’s there to say, the Fire Dragon Clan can recover on its own, and I can manage seeing you all arguing fiercely. Can I even get a word in? But now it’s affecting my meal, you need to heal me, otherwise I’ll make you responsible.”
“Just stop talking!”
This fire lizard is quite a tough one. Even though her arm clearly can’t be lifted at all, which looks like a fracture, she’s still insisting on eating with her other arm! Were you a dragon that starved to death in your last life or what!
The gentle glow of the Healing Magic flickers, and Timani’s arm gradually regains sensation.
She casts a subtle look of gratitude toward Xue Fei, making her meal process much simpler.
In the gaps between tasting delicious food, Livra notices the Holy Sword laid flat in the center of the dining table.
“Miss Xial didn’t come out today… is she still sleeping?”
Usually, at this time, Miss Xial would have already jumped out and plopped on Miss Shaya’s lap, which is enviable… no, it’s just very proactive about coming to eat, why hasn’t she made her timely appearance today?
“She should be tired; let’s let her sleep a while longer.” Xue Fei stretches her little arm to fork a donut from the plate.
“Is that so…? Has Miss Xial been staying up late recently?”
“Who knows~”
The handwritten ancient script translation by Xial is still quietly lying in Xue Fei’s pocket.
The donut that Xue Fei just forked doesn’t go into her mouth.
Instead, she discreetly places it into a small dish and pushes it next to the Holy Sword.
When you wake up, I have some words to say to you.
But before that, you need to fill your stomach first; even a pervert needs to eat!
Many people care about Xial.
This little girl, who is always bouncing around but with delicate thoughts, everyone finds her charming.
Rather, without her making a fuss at the dining table, it feels a bit unusual.
Maintaining the conversation and laughter, with Xue Fei pushing the plate of donuts as the starting point, one after another, the Holy Sword is surrounded by the food everyone has reserved for her, ensuring she doesn’t wake up to find there’s no food.
Belis hasn’t spoken much with Xial, but the Queen Sister often says that Xial has helped her immensely (referring to fishing nets), so Belis doesn’t hesitate to save some lunch for her.
Among those recognized by the Queen Sister, there are no bad kids.
However, this scene of being filled with plates…
Xue Fei sees it as a memorial ceremony from her past life!
Oh dear, Xial, hurry and wake up to take a bite!
Cough.
But for now, there are things to be done.
Clearing the remaining donuts, Xue Fei plants her hands on the table and stands up.
With a slightly sharp gaze, she focuses directly on Timani across the table.
“Fire Lizard, are you free now?”
“Not free, I’m eating.”
“Then eat quickly! And say you’re free!”
