Everyone must have been completely drained.
Though we were just playing sports for fun, the intensity made it feel like we were training.
The pack and I were sleeping together in our shared bedroom and thankfully, they bathed themselves and me before lying on the bed.
I was completely knocked out cold and they were too. Neither of us was wearing any clothes before we fell asleep.
Oh well, I was already used to it anyway and there weren't any bad intentions.
Anyway, I got up ahead of them and stretched my body before going to the bathroom.
I washed myself for a little while, relaxing in the warm water until I felt the minor aches and pains of yesterday's activities disappear.
After changing into a comfortable set of clothes, I decided to cook a huge meal for everyone.
I need to cook a delicious meal this time, as the meal we had at the fancy restaurant wasn't worth the price.
But we were starving at that time, so we didn't complain at all.
Hearing my stomach growling, I hurriedly went to the kitchen and was thinking of what to cook before peeping outside the window.
Oh... It's sunrise!
How lovely!
Ah! I know what to make! But to make it even more special, I want us to have a unique meal this time.
I hope Ten is not busy right now.
....
The hallway is too quiet except for my faint footsteps.
Everyone must still be sleeping at this time.
When I stopped in front of Ten's room, I heard a faint sound from inside, so I whispered his name, asking if he was busy.
His head suddenly popped out of the door, nearly making me scream, but I managed to cover my mouth before I woke everyone up.
With a bit of amusement on his face, he asked me if I needed his help.
I hesitantly told him that I needed his help but if he was busy, it was alright that...
No, he's not busy at all. He was just writing in his journal about what happened the other day.
The other day?
Seeing the confused look on my face, he informed me that except for Dad and him, we were knocked out cold for an entire day.
What the heck?!
That long??!!!
So I pulled Ten and we went to the kitchen, where I told him my plans to have a meal in the garden.
He told me that it was certainly wonderful and a change of pace.
Then he helped me prepare the breakfast meals I decided to make.
Thankfully, someone had the good sense to fill up the pantry with everything, so it wasn't hard to make the best breakfast ever, with all the works.
Yes, I made a lot of food inspired by breakfasts from different countries in my previous world.
Although some of the ingredients are different, I managed to improve the dish and replicate the original taste as closely as possible.
It's a good thing Ten was here and my kitchen equipment was made of magic, so I managed to make a lot of food in such a short amount of time.
There are eggs cooked in different ways, sausages, bacon, toast, bagels, pancakes, waffles, 'ham', 'chorizo', all sorts of sandwiches, 'corned beef', smoked 'salmon', muffins, all kinds of noodle soup, chapatis, pies, tarts, basically everything I can think of for the moment...
Ten had cut out all the sweet fruits and mixed them into a bowl, which I put some 'yogurt' on.
As for the drinks, I made smoothies, all sorts of juices, some tea and different varieties of coffees. The most bitter sort ended up being Ten's favorite.
Then, after drinking his coffee, he declared that he would make it a regular habit to drink coffee before doing intensive tasks.
Aha! A coffeeholic!
He seemed energized after drinking it and told me to go ahead to the garden and pick a spot, saying he would follow me afterwards.
Just before I left the kitchen, I saw him drinking two more cups of his favorite coffee.
Ah, I didn't know liches would enjoy drinking coffee, though it's not real coffee as it's not made out of coffee beans...
Not to mention that they shouldn't have any sense of taste.
Whatever..
....
After greeting and giving Pinky some attention, I explored the garden where I found the perfect spot near where Lion planted the prettiest flowers.
While I waited for Ten, I noticed that the seeds that I found in our previous adventure had already grown a bit taller.
Hmmm.. I wonder what kind of plant that is...
In a few moments, Ten appeared and made a long table according to my instructions.
I am introducing everyone to the wonders of a breakfast buffet, where they can get all the food they want!
I do hope that I made enough for them, as they all have extremely huge appetites, as if their stomachs are black holes.
After arranging everything, it looks lovely and well-organized.
Then, with a huge round table and chairs for everyone, finally everything was ready...
Oops! I forgot the centerpiece!
So I took a bunch of my favorite flowers and, with Ten handing me a vase to put them in, placed the vase at the center of the table.
Now, everything looks lovely!
While Ten sat on a seat he had chosen, drinking coffee and leisurely reading a tome, I don't know what came over me, but I decided to sit on one of Pinky's branches.
Ten glanced towards me and, seeing that I was still in the garden, returned to reading his tome while sipping his coffee.
Pinky lowered one of his branches and as I sat on it, I felt him lift me up high.
Ooohh... this is nice! It's so cozy!
He made a soft sound as I caressed his branch and positioned myself properly, my back against his trunk.
Suddenly, my harp appeared in front of me. From his seat, Ten looked up and gave me a thumbs up.
Ah! He wants me to sing!
So I sang.
Pinky seems to enjoy hearing me sing so much that his petals are falling down to the ground, making it a wonderful sight to look at.
As for Ten, he leaned his head back in his chair while looking at the sky.
I sang several songs before hearing the rest of the group enter the garden.
I could hear all sorts of gasps of delight and excitement as they talked to each other, examining the food with interest.
Everyone, especially Lion, asked Ten where I was and he simply pointed towards me.
Hehe..
Hi everyone!
I gave them a smile before resuming playing on my harp.
Upon seeing me, Lion, Sly and Orm flew towards me. Alpha climbed up the tree, while Ghost gave a big jump and sat beside me.
Lion sat on the branch, placed me on his lap and embraced me tightly. He nuzzled my neck, gave me a tender kiss and whispered in my ear that everything looked good and we should eat together.
After nuzzles and kisses from the rest of the pack, he carried me down, sat in a chair and placed me on his lap, insisting that he would feed me.
Sly sat on one side of him and Alpha sat on the other.
Lion used his magic to get a bit of everything that I cooked, while Sly filled up his plate with all sorts of meat. Another plate of towering sandwiches was beside it, along with tea...
Tea?
That's surprising.
Not to mention that it's a weird combination.
Now, I'm curiously watching Alpha get some food and when he sat down at the table and placed several plates filled with food, I was surprised at the combination too.
Aside from the usual plate full of meats, as he is a predator, after all, he has a plate full of all varieties of eggs, some noodle soups...
That's so weird!
What made it even weirder is that he had a plate full of fruit with yogurt, another plate full of muffins and some smoothies.
Oh my gosh.
I really can't understand their food combination.
Hmm.. as for Orm...
He had two plates full of all kinds of eggs...
Is he an egg fanatic?
A plate full of waffles, chapatis and pies, another of fruit with yogurt and...
Coffee.
Not bad...
Except he had two glasses of smoothies beside it all.
Won't he have a stomachache afterwards?
Whatever...
It's his stomach anyway.
As for Ghost...
Oh my gosh! His plate looks like the Eiffel Tower!
He stacked everything onto one plate!
Is he insane??!!!
Everything is there, except for the meat.
And thankfully, the noodles are in a separate bowl.
As expected, he has juices, but he also took tea.
Khamsin's plates are filled with food similar to Ghost's, except he has an additional two plates full of chapatis and fruit with yogurt.
Unlike Ghost, instead of juices, he took tea and some sweet coffee.
While Lion tried to feed me pancakes, which I insisted on eating first, I noticed that he enjoyed drinking the sweetest coffee and pairing it with smoked salmon...
It's such a weird combination...
He also ate a bit of everything before taking several more helpings of the smoked salmon.
And he drank more sweet coffee as well.
He was also curious about my food choice, as I insisted on eating only pancakes.
With lots of butter and a bit of syrup on them.
I confessed that I was crazy about pancakes and had enjoyed eating them a lot in my previous world.
He pondered for a while before murmuring that he would always cook them for me in the future.
As he continued consuming the rest of the meats he had taken, I noticed that..
Oh my goodness!
It was a bread and pastry mania!
Leon looked obsessed with the breads and pastries, but to his defense, he also had an overflowing plate of smoked salmon beside them.
Like father, like son.
And some corned beef, too.
But I'm a bit concerned that he took a lot of coffee, tea and smoothies...
It's not my stomach anyway.
And as for Aagon...
He took several helpings of EVERYTHING.
Yes, EVERYTHING!
Does he have a black hole for a stomach?!
Oh.. I forgot that he's a dragon..
But.. he took several helpings of all the drinks, too...
Not my stomach, not my problem.
Now I'm curious about Dad... Uh...
He is just chilling while drinking tea.
I thought he would prefer coffee.
That's a surprise.
.....
After several helpings, nothing was left and everyone was satisfied with what they had eaten, as they stretched their bodies and lazily sat in their chairs in all sorts of positions while having a random conversation.
It won't be long though...
True to my concern, they excused themselves one by one before rushing inside the castle.
Hahahahaha!
It was just Dad, Ten and me having a relaxing conversation.
Dad and Ten were curious why the others were in such a rush, so, in between my laughs, I told them about the unfortunate choices the others had made.
Of course they laughed sadistically while listening to my explanation of why there are food combinations that should not be eaten together if you are planning to have several helpings of them.
We had a good laugh, but then I felt a slight pain in my head.
Uh-oh.
Another headache again.
Dad and Ten instantly became silent when they noticed me. Dad hurriedly pulled me towards a quieter part of the garden, sat down on the grass and told me to lie down.
I started to hear a voice in my head talking to me, so I glanced at Dad. He nodded while signalling me to close my eyes.
Then, slowly, I closed them as I felt his hand on my forehead.
...
It's been so long since I heard from you, Asmodeus!
I thought he died for a noble cause.
Asmodeus genuinely laughed, telling me that it was funny yet mean of me at the same time.
He asked me how I was and just as I was about to answer, he shushed me. After talking to someone else, he resumed our conversation and repeated his question.
Who the heck is he talking to? His mate?
Asmodeus boisterously laughed, exclaiming that there was no way he was going to take a mate, as he is the ultimate lover of all females.
Unless it's my monster form, of course.
EW!
What's so fascinating about it?!!
Asmodeus chuckled, telling me that I wouldn't understand but if I could visit the Netherworld and see their true forms, especially the Dark Lord himself, I'd know my monster form is a beauty and one of its kind... a masterpiece...
Then suddenly, Asmodeus stopped talking before snarling.
I asked him what made him furious and he told me that the situation in the Netherworld hasn't yet been resolved and is now getting worse, as ancient entities have awakened along with the abominable demons that some experiments have given birth to..
Say what?
Ancient entities?!
Asmodeus assured me that the Dark Lord is trying to keep things under control in the Netherworld, but those things are getting really annoying...
WHAT KIND OF ANCIENT ENTITIES?!!
LIKE THOSE THAT EXISTED BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD?
IS HE KIDDING ME?!!
Asmodeus tried to calm me down, telling me that the Dark Lord had placed a strong barrier around the entire Netherworld. He explained that was why he hadn't contacted me for so long since he was too busy getting rid of those pests.
Speaking of the barrier, no one can enter or exit the Netherworld right now. He warned me to be careful, as the Dark Lord has no allies in my location and the demons trapped there might come after me, since there is no one to control them.
Wonderful... Simply wonderful...
To make things brighter, he told me that the culprit who copied the way Maelsa tortured me with my neck cuff is still there. He said if I could somehow find them, I am welcome to destroy them.
Ha...
Oh, right! Speaking of Maelsa..
I asked Asmodeus if Maelsa is still alive, as there's no sign of him here.
Asmodeus?
Are you still there?
Hey...
Um.. Can I go if we're done here?
Yo..
After several moments of silence, Asmodeus told me in a grave voice that Subus was being eaten by a...
Ha?!
Sorry, what?
Did he just mention that Subus was being eaten?!!
BY WHAT??!!!
Asmodeus murmured something about how it was a shame, as Subus was quite helpful to him, before mentioning brightly that he still has plenty of workers similar to her that can be trained.
Then before I could ask any more questions, he told me that he had to go and would contact me soon after he got a break.
After that, silence.
.....
When I opened my eyes, Lion was cradling me while Dad removed his hand from my forehead.
He mumbled something before telling everyone to settle down, as things were about to get serious.
Uh.. Where are we?
Seeing that I was a bit confused by my surroundings, Lion told me, while nuzzling my face, that we are inside Dad's room.
Dad had placed a strong spell that prevented Asmodeus from detecting him, but the garden was a bit noisy and he couldn't concentrate when Lion returned...
I interrupted him, telling him that Asmodeus said that Subus was eaten by something that wasn't mentioned in our conversation.
He held me closer to his chest while trying to calm me down, reassuring me that I'm safe here and we are not in the Netherworld.
After listening to him, I realized that I had been trembling unconsciously.
Oh.
Oh right.
I snuggled into him as he tightened his hold around me, listening to Dad's voice talking about something to the rest of our group.
I have a feeling that he was sharing with everyone what Asmodeus and I were talking about...
At this moment, I gave a huge yawn and fell asleep.
....
When I woke up, everyone was in the shared bedroom.
The rest of them surrounded Dad, who seemed to be showing them something. Meanwhile, I could feel Alpha lying behind me, holding me and giving me constant, gentle licks on my back as if trying to comfort me.
He noticed me being awake but didn't tell everyone, as he kept giving me licks and kisses.
He wasn't distracted, though, I could see his ears twitching as he listened to whatever Dad was talking about with the rest of the group.
Though I couldn't hear everything, I caught bits and pieces of what Dad was telling the others.
He was explaining to Lion why he couldn't prevent me from communicating with Asmodeus and...
Blah, blah, blah...
Now Alpha is licking my neck, making me feel a bit ticklish...
I chuckle silently, trying not to disturb the rest of the group while he smiles mischievously at me.
What is he planning to do?
Now, he is gently caressing me...
I can hear the rest of the pack protesting. Dad calmly tells them he knows it is risky, but they no longer have a choice. I am the only one who can detect the demons in disguise and...
Ah! It tickles!
Upon seeing my reaction, Alpha nibbled my ear as he covered us with a blanket.
I could feel his hand touching my che...
I nearly jumped with fright as the others started growling fiercely when Dad told them that some demons were created as a result of the cultists' experiments, but they were under the orders of other demons, not the Demon King.
Alpha nuzzled my neck as he tried to calm me down, placing small kisses on my shoulder as his hand teased my bre...
It feels.. so good...
I closed my eyes, lost in the wonderful sensation as he continued..
Now his other hand is moving down towards my..
After glancing towards others who were discussing something intensely, he carried me and silently left the room.
...
He hadn't placed me on his bed yet when he passionately kissed me, moving one of his hands upward toward my...
Ahhh...
I can feel his fingers ins...
He murmured into my ear, telling me that I'm too we...
Don't say it!
I know!!!
He chuckled as he licked my ear while his fingers moved slowly, maintaining a constant rhythm.
Everything that happened next is a blur that ended with us panting, naked and sweating, but with satisfied smiles.
But I have to clarify again that no intercourse occurred.
I don't think Alpha minded that, though.
He covered us with a blanket and snuggled closer while embracing me. Nuzzling my ear, he murmured that we could nap for a while since the discussion would take a long time.
Heh..
Thank goodness for that, as I'm not in the mood to talk about serious topics.
Also, I don't know how to feel about Subus's gruesome death.
Should I feel sad? Happy?
I felt nothing, honestly. I'm not sure if it's a good thing.
Oh well. I hope her death was a quick one, though.
Alpha tenderly turned me towards him, stared into my eyes and told me that he would do whatever it takes to keep me safe and would always be by my side wherever I go.
Then he held my face and kissed me deeply as he moved on top of me.