...
Third Person POV
Roswaal gazed at the food laid out before him. The dish was an artistic monstrosity, and its stench singed his nostrils. He could do nothing but stare in stunned silence.
Emilia hesitated, eyeing the food with uncertainty. Puck floated beside her and warned, "Lia, I don't think it's a good idea—"
He abruptly paused, noticing his daughter had already taken a bite. Her face grew pale as she struggled to swallow the food—and promptly collapsed to the floor.
"Lia! Stay with me! Please!!" Puck cried, frantically shaking her unresponsive form.
"You wretched Oni! What kind of poison did you put in this food?!" he screamed at Ram, who merely huffed in response.
"I have prepared only the best food, of course. Miss Emilia must be unwell for some other reason," she replied coolly, then turned her gaze to Roswaal.
"Roswaal-sama, please eat the food," she said, eyes gleaming with anticipation, while the clown could only weep internally.
Ram wasn't just lazy—her culinary skills were in the negative.
She had likely tossed in random ingredients without rhyme or reason and—voilà!—an unspeakable dish had been born.
'I can do this! I must revive Lady Echidna—I cannot falter now!' Roswaal thought, eyes blazing with resolve as he lifted a spoonful of the so-called soup to his lips. His face went completely blank.
Without hesitation, he set the spoon down, reached into the void, and produced a paper bag from gods knew where—before vomiting directly into it.
Ram looked on with concern and asked, "Lord Roswaal, are you unwell too?"
Finishing his bout of nausea, Roswaal stared blankly at the ceiling, lifeless.
'It's over. I won't be able to revive you, Sensei…'
(A/N: My boy's already dead inside.)
Suddenly, a delightful aroma wafted through the room. Emilia, who had been half-dead on the floor, abruptly sprang up, shocking Puck with her miraculous recovery.
She inhaled deeply, visibly drooling at the smell. Even Roswaal seemed to regain the will to live.
To their astonishment, Zero entered the room, followed by Rem, who carried a tray filled with covered dishes.
"Good morning, Emilia—and to you as well, Lord Roswaal," he greeted as he sat down. Rem placed the tray on the table and lifted the cloches with grace.
A heavenly aroma spread throughout the room, and both Emilia and Roswaal stared, captivated and salivating.
An assortment of side dishes surrounded the centerpiece—roasted chicken, golden and crispy. Rem sliced a lemon and squeezed the juice onto the chicken, the sizzle only enhancing its appeal.
Emilia stared at Zero's dish, then glanced at her own. The difference was like night and day—an unbridgeable gulf.
"Ah, Emilia, would you like to eat with me?" Subaru offered kindly.
"Can I? Isn't that your food?" she asked hesitantly.
"You're my friend, right?" he replied, and she nodded sweetly. "And friends share good things with each other, don't they? Of course you can eat with me!"
Tears welled up in her eyes. "Zero! You're not just my friend—you're my best friend!" she declared.
Puck looked on in betrayal. His daughter had forsaken him—for food.
Emilia wasted no time in dragging her chair beside Zero and happily began to eat with him.
Suddenly, Roswaal piped up. "Sir Zerooo, am I nooot your frieeend toooo? Why don't you share your fooood with meee?"
Zero shook his head with a polite smile. "Lord Roswaal, you are a nobleman. I'm just a humble commoner. How could I be worthy of such friendship?"
Roswaal's eyebrow twitched, while Ram nodded approvingly. "Indeed, Roswaal-sama, he speaks the truth. Besides, I prepared these lavish dishes especially for you."
'Lavish? More like ravaging! They're going to ravage my insides!' he thought bitterly.
"Ahem It seems I am unwell, Ram. I don't feel like eating today," he said, glancing enviously at Emilia and Zero.
"Is that so? I've made boiled tatoes for myself—perhaps something lighter would suit you better?" she offered, eyes filled with worry.
Roswaal's face lit up. "Yeeessss, I would love boiled tatoes!" he declared enthusiastically.
Soon, Rem returned with a bowl of boiled potatoes from the kitchen. The sight of them nearly brought tears to Roswaal's eyes.
'I love tatoes… They are the best thing in the world… All hail tatoes!' he thought ecstatically.
That day, Roswaal discovered his new favorite dish.
Just as planned.
(A/N: ALL HAIL TATOES!)
To be continued…
(A/N: I have decided to keep using AI, atleast with my this fic as it isn't messing with my plot. Ofcourse after editing with AI I will do a short proofreading fixing any mistake that might exist, or paragraphs that might need to be lengthen.
By the way, thanks for reminding me about the mistake I made in my previous chap, apparently originally the line was 'I am Sin Archbishop, representing pride, zero' however Ai messed up the line and by mistake I wrote Subaru's real name, I have fixed it on both the chaps, I have also fixed up the earlier chaps were characters spoke Subaru's real name by mistake.
Another bonus chap is coming! Peace out!)