"Master, we have arrived," Belfast announced, offering a slight bow to Jun Hao.
Her smile remained gentle and perfectly poised as always.
"To ensure you enjoy the most perfect dinner, I will personally prepare today's dishes. Sirius, I'll entrust Master's service to you for the time being."
The moment Belfast finished speaking, Sirius's expression brightened with clear delight, and she gave Jun Hao a respectful salute.
"My honourable Master, I will certainly do my utmost to provide you with the most attentive service," she declared, a faint tremor lingering at the end of her words.
Jun Hao nodded with a smile and said, "Aw, don't be so nervous. I'll enjoy whatever you make."
Belfast simply smiled at his response, her purple eyes filled with sincerity.
"That won't do, Master. The first meal to welcome you must be perfect. I shall take my leave now."
With that, Belfast turned and pushed open the dining room doors before heading toward the kitchen.
Faced with Belfast's persistence, Jun Hao couldn't argue further and instead took in the atmosphere of the Royal dining room.
Truthfully, the environment here was enough to make anyone feel refreshed and at ease.
Yet, despite such a pleasant space, the dining room felt somewhat devoid of life.
As for why, Jun Hao had a fairly good idea, though wasn't his presence here now precisely to remedy that issue?
This could be considered his first time personally stepping in to help resolve matters for the girls of the Port.
With that thought, Jun Hao straightened his posture and moved to find a seat.
"Master, please allow me to pull out the chair for you."
Sirius elegantly drew back the heavy, exquisitely carved chair.
"Mhm."
Jun Hao offered her a grateful smile before settling into his seat.
The height and softness of the chair were just right, making it very comfortable.
Sirius quickly moved to the other side of the dining table and poured warm water with a faint lemon scent into the empty glass in front of him.
"Master, please enjoy."
Her movements carried a certain carefulness, something that bordered on reverent devotion.
Seeing this scene, Jun Hao felt like he was about to lose his composure.
"Sirius," he called gently.
"Present! My honourable Master! Please give your orders!" Sirius responded almost instantly, her body subconsciously growing even more rigid.
"Don't be so tense. Actually, there's no need for such formalities between us. After all, Sirius, you're also my wife, aren't you? So what kind of wife gets this nervous around her husband?" Jun Hao said with a hint of playful teasing.
"My honourable Master, if you say it like that, I will..."
Sirius's cheeks flushed at a visible rate, turning a bright red.
"S-Sorry, Master! I really couldn't control my emotions... If the Head Maid hadn't gone to the kitchen to prepare ingredients, I wouldn't even have had the opportunity to hand you the menu... Please... please punish me, Master!"
Sirius looked up, and though there was still some panic in her eyes, there was something else far stronger—a gaze filled with desire in every sense of the word.
This burning and direct look practically screamed, "Please use me to your heart's content," in every possible way.
Seeing her like this, Jun Hao couldn't help but complain in his mind. This so-called punishment would probably feel more like a reward to her.
Besides, she hadn't done anything wrong in the first place.
"Alright then, I shall now pass judgment."
"Yes! Master!"
Although Sirius tried to control her expectations, her expression clearly revealed what was on her mind.
'Is it coming? The rewa—ah, I mean the punishment!'
While she was still lost in those thoughts, Jun Hao suddenly reached out his hand and said, "Now, give me the menu."
"Ah... yes!"
A hint of disappointment flashed through Sirius's eyes, but she still handed the menu over obediently.
Jun Hao opened the menu made of elegant art paper. The pages displayed tempting pictures of various dishes, each paired with detailed descriptions beneath them.
There were meals from the Eagle Union, Iron Blood, Sakura Empire, Iris Libre, and even the Dragon Empery.
Though the menu showcased the specialty delicacies of nearly all factions, he couldn't spot any trace of the dish he wanted to try, no matter how hard he looked.
"What's wrong, Master? Do these dishes not suit your taste?"
"No, no, no."
Jun Hao waved his hand lightly, showing that Sirius had misunderstood.
"The dishes all look excellent, but..." He glanced at Sirius before finishing his sentence. "Where are the traditional dishes of your Royal Navy?"
"Traditional dishes?"
Sirius's expression went somewhat blank, as though she didn't quite grasp what Jun Hao meant.
He looked at her, his expression turning serious, even laced with a hint of anticipation.
"Yes, the kind of dish that best represents the flavor of your faction, like that one... I think it's called stargazy pie. Why didn't I see it listed? I've been wanting to try it for a long time."
The moment he finished speaking, the color instantly drained from Sirius's face. To put it bluntly, it was as if she had just seen a ghost.
"Ma... Master?"
"What's wrong? Is there an issue with this dish?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head.
"No, no, there's no problem making it, it's just..." Sirius still couldn't quite process what she'd heard.
After all, even she, a Royal Navy shipgirl, found this particular dish rather difficult to stomach, and it wasn't because the Maid Corps lacked skill or couldn't prepare delicious food.
The real issue was that all the delicious food they created consisted of dishes from other factions.
This was also the core reason why the Royal Navy dining room had never managed to hold its head high among the various factions.
"It's fine, I know what you're worried about. Just go ahead and make it. I promise I'll finish every bite no matter what," he reassured her with a grin.
"This..."
"Go on, Sirius, bring me what I want to eat."
With that, Jun Hao handed the menu back to Sirius, unmoved, no matter how desperately she wanted to convince him otherwise.
Realizing that her honourable Master's mind was set, Sirius didn't dare protest further and could only relay Jun Hao's request to Belfast in the kitchen.
Upon hearing Sirius's explanation, Belfast gracefully raised her hand.
"Is this what the Master truly desires? I understand. I'll begin preparing it now."
"Head Maid, wouldn't this be a bit..."
At that moment, another shipgirl with pearl-colored hair named Dido emerged, carrying the spare ingredients, doubt evident on her face.
-DIDO-[1]
She really didn't want to see her Master look disappointed.
"Carrying out the master's orders is our duty as maids. The only thing we can do is fulfill Master's requests as flawlessly as possible."
With that, Belfast began selecting the ingredients with remarkable speed. She prepared them, shaped the pie, and placed it into the oven.
Every movement flowed smoothly, as if practiced countless times.
As she admired the finished product, a new thought crossed Belfast's mind.
'What if I tried playing a "clumsy maid" instead?'
Still, she couldn't afford to keep Master waiting for his meal. Belfast double-checked her supplies. There appeared to be just enough to prepare a second pie.
"Dido, you and Sirius should start baking the next one right away. That way... wait, what?"
Belfast had turned to give instructions to Dido and Sirius, only to discover that Sirius had already disappeared.
'So you've both run off already, have you?'
Facing the Dido-class sisters who clearly "lacked sportsmanship," Belfast could only give a helpless, wry smile before immediately setting off to chase after them.
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Novels Available:
-> Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street. (Translation)
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[1] IMAGE