"So good!!!"
Hestia sat at the dining table of Alice's restaurant, devouring her meal with gusto.
Shanghai and Hourai kept bringing dish after dish for the two of them.
Alice sat across from Hestia, holding a teacup and sipping slowly on her black tea. Watching Hestia wolf down her food and the two dolls scurry back and forth with more dishes, she felt a sense of relief.
'Good thing you're here, Hestia. Otherwise, I'd have never realized just how much Shanghai and Hourai cooked. I can't eat much by myself, and all this would've gone to waste.'
As she spoke, Alice shot a slightly reproachful glance toward Shanghai and Hourai.
"Next time you cook, make sure not to prepare so much, alright?"
Hearing Alice's gentle scolding, the two dolls nodded while still holding their trays, then flew off looking a little dejected.
It was their first time cooking and they'd been so excited by Alice's praise that they went a bit overboard—using up all the ingredients she'd bought just the day before.
And those ingredients were supposed to last Alice a whole week.
Alice didn't eat much. A week's worth of food for her was roughly enough for an average adventurer with a healthy appetite for about three days. So Hestia's timing was perfect.
Plus, Hestia had asked for enough for two.
That worked out well—Alice could offer all the delicious food Shanghai and Hourai had made to Hestia. A friendly gesture, really.
Most importantly, she didn't want the food to go to waste, especially since Hestia had a young boy at home—a new adventurer still growing into his body.
What would last Alice a week would probably be finished in a single day by Hestia and her child. And that was a very good thing.
Besides, Hestia hadn't tried to recruit her into her Familia.
So Alice was feeling pretty relaxed.
"Dolls…?" Only now, between bites driven by hunger, did Hestia finally notice—the ones serving them were dolls.
And from how Alice had just scolded them… these two dolls…
Could they be… alive?
Hestia slurped up noodles noisily, eyes wide, staring intently as Hourai and Shanghai came in with yet another round of dishes.
This time, after setting down the food, they had finally served everything Shanghai and Hourai had made.
With nothing left to do, the two dolls headed back to the kitchen to direct the other dolls in cleaning up.
"Alice… don't tell me you're that doll-maker who took Orario by storm not long ago?" Hestia gazed at Alice, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"Hm?" Alice paused for a moment at the question, then replied calmly, "Well, yes, I am a doll-maker. Shanghai and Hourai are dolls, but they're also my family. And… I don't plan on selling any more dolls in the future."
"Really?!" Hestia's face lit up with excitement. "So that means… you haven't joined a Familia yet, right? How about joining mine? There's only one boy right now, but I promise—he's a really good kid!"
"So? What do you say?"
Alice sighed softly. "Lady Hestia, I've already received invitations from both the Loki and Hephaestus Familias."
Hearing that, Hestia's excitement deflated. She went back to eating, though the gourmet food still tasted wonderful.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense… A few days ago, Hephaestus kicked me out, really mad. I think the whole thing started because she couldn't find you."
Hestia blinked.
"Wait! If Hephaestus was angry because she couldn't find you, and she's still looking, that means you turned down Loki's offer and didn't join Hephaestus either. So… you're still without a Familia?"
Hope returned to Hestia's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Hestia, but I won't be joining any Familia," Alice said with a gentle smile.
"Why not?" Hestia tilted her head, puzzled.
"No particular reason. I just don't want to," Alice shook her head.
"I see…" Hestia nodded, then smiled. "Well, even if you did join one, it probably wouldn't be mine anyway. Hephaestus mentioned that a lot of Familias have their eyes on you."
"You could have your pick of any Familia in Orario."
"Any one of them would be better than what I have to offer."
"Still, if you joined mine, I'd get to eat food this delicious every day. What a shame…"
Hestia stayed in good spirits, picking up a slice of pizza and taking a big bite.
Alice couldn't help but laugh softly.
"If you promise not to tell anyone I live here, and maybe help cover for me now and then, I could cook for you."
"Really?!" Hestia's eyes shone. The thought of eating such delicious meals every day was almost too good to be true.
"Yes, really. But you'll have to bring the ingredients. I'll cook them for you," Alice said with a smile.
After all, it was just one meal a day. With the dolls helping out and not having to pay for groceries herself, it sounded like a pretty good deal.
"Ingredients, huh…" Hestia frowned, looking a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, but my Familia's brand new. Bell's my only member, and he's still a rookie—not strong enough to earn much money. We probably can't afford ingredients."
"But Bell has a lot of potential!"
"If you're willing… could I trouble you for now?"
Hestia looked at Alice with hopeful eyes.
"No problem. Anytime," Alice smiled. Then something occurred to her. "Speaking of which, Hestia, since you're a goddess, you can read Divine Script, right?"
"Hm? Divine Script?" Hestia replied between bites, "Of course. Divine Script is the language of the gods. No one in this world understands it better than we do."
"Mhmm." Hestia picked up her glass, drained the water, and looked at Alice. "Do you want to learn it?"
"Yes. If you teach me, you and that child of yours can eat here for free until I've learned."
"And if you ever need help with anything, I'll do what I can. I may not be an adventurer or in a Familia, but I'm fairly confident in my abilities."
"Really?!" Hestia's face brightened with joy, but then she frowned. "But Divine Script is really difficult. It'll take a long time for you to learn."
"That's my concern," Alice replied calmly.
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T/N: Lowkey Hestia in this fanfic is lowkey chill asf. I approve!(not that it does jack)
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
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If you guys wanna check it out.