Chapter 398: Morning
"Mei, Mei—look! Hurry!"
In the kitchen, the fried egg in the pan sizzled loudly. Raiden Mei, wearing a pink apron, turned her head toward the cheerful voice at the door.
And there she saw Kiana—dressed in a short red cheongsam and pure-white stockings—standing there with pride sparkling in her eyes. The moment Mei looked over, Kiana flashed a brilliant smile and spun in a full circle.
Ding-a-ling!
The two tiny gold bells on the thigh ring jingled sweetly as she twirled.
"Well? Mei? How is it? Do I look good?"
Kiana beamed at her expectantly.
Mei took a good look.
The cheongsam was a pure, vivid red—bright and festive—with delicate embroidery tracing across the fabric. Its size was absolutely perfect, hugging Kiana's figure and displaying her breathtaking curves without reservation.
Paired with white stockings, heels, a short fluffy cape… the whole ensemble was elegant yet modern, and matched Kiana's playful, youthful charm flawlessly.
One glance told Mei everything:
This outfit had been carefully prepared, full of thought—and made by someone with skill.
Mei's first reaction: astonishment.
Second: genuine admiration.
And finally… a faint, quiet envy.
As expected of Mr. Sigurd…
"It's adorable. It suits you so well, Kiana," Mei said with her gentle, graceful smile—the kind of softness that made her look every bit the ideal wife.
Ssszzz!
A dangerous sound came from the pan. Mei's smile vanished instantly and she whirled back around with her spatula.
"Ah! It almost burned! Kiana, go wait outside, okay? I'm cooking—let's talk after!"
"Oooh… fine…"
Kiana puffed up her cheeks.
She was complimented, but only a tiny bit—totally not enough to satisfy her!
But Mei's cooking was important too. Otherwise… what would she eat later?
Kiana slapped her cheeks, pumped herself up, and left the kitchen.
Mei lifted the fried egg, wiped her forehead, and sighed in relief.
"Whew! Thank goodness… Kiana, that little dummy, seriously can't read the timing…"
Muttering to herself, she continued working—but her eyes curved into happy crescents.
No matter what she said, the fact Kiana rushed to show her the new outfit first meant Kiana valued her deeply.
The thought warmed Mei's heart.
Looks like all the years she'd doted on Kiana hadn't been in vain.
…
In the living room, everyone was gathered around the sofa.
Since they had all agreed that Mei alone would take charge of breakfast, the others were waiting here—chatting lazily while anticipating "Mom"—cough—Mei's morning meal.
Then Kiana strutted proudly into the room, did a little spin, raised her arms, and grinned:
"Well? Isn't this outfit Sig gave me super cute?"
"You were storming into the kitchen at the crack of dawn. Bronya thought you were trying to steal food, but turns out you just changed clothes," Bronya said flatly.
"Hmph! I'm dressed this cute—it's only natural to show Mei first! Anyway, just say if it looks good or not!"
"Bronya refuses to comment. If Bronya compliments you, you'll become impossibly smug."
Bronya crossed her arms in an X.
Kiana instantly puffed her cheeks again.
Seele quickly intervened:
"It's very cute! Really pretty—really, Seele thinks so, Kiana onee-chan!"
Kiana's eyes curved like crescent moons.
"Aaah! Our Seele is the most honest, the sweetest! Come here, let onee-chan hug you!"
She trotted up, spread her arms, and scooped Seele—who was sitting obediently on the couch—into a tight hug. Then she started stroking her hair and cheeks like petting an adorable fluffy creature.
"K-Kiana onee-chan…"
"Don't be shy! Aah, my Seele is just too cute! Totally unlike a certain tiny gremlin who never behaves! Nyeh~~"
Kiana wasn't hinting at anything—she was outright making a face at Bronya just an arm's length away.
Bronya remained expressionless.
One could easily guess how much this idiot had suffered last night… and as the one who absorbed part of that incoming fire on Bronya's behalf, Bronya was willing to tolerate her—for today, at least.
Not long after, just as Bronya had predicted, Kiana's excitement about her new outfit quickly burned out. She collapsed bonelessly onto the sofa—like a soft, lifeless noodle—eyes empty.
"Uuugh… I'm so tired…"
Never mind physical exhaustion; even her mind was mush. She couldn't muster an ounce of energy.
"Heh."
Bronya let out a perfectly expressionless laugh.
Then, a hand rested on her shoulder—light, but deliberate.
Bronya turned her head… and met a pair of sky-blue eyes.
"…Morning," she greeted, her voice dry when she caught the meaning in Sigurd's gaze and gesture.
Sigurd nodded, face unreadable.
"Morning. Do you have anything scheduled for tonight?"
"…No."
"Good."
Sigurd patted her shoulder.
Bronya jolted.
Brief words, minimal interaction—but full of implications.
Bronya glanced sideways at Kiana, whose vacant stare and dark circles spoke of another kind of exhaustion entirely. Quietly, Bronya swallowed.
Suddenly she understood:
Helping Seele… might actually be helping herself as well.
After all, Seele was a Herrscher too. Not as durable as Kiana… but still capable of sharing a good portion of the "pressure."
Bronya's shrinking reaction did not go unnoticed. Most of the girls picked up on the atmosphere instantly.
Kiana, still slumped, rolled her eyes with a gleefully malicious smile.
Fu Hua remained serene, unfazed by the subtle glances from both the Book of Fuxi and Elysia.
Wendy tried to keep a serious expression… but the blush blooming on her cheeks betrayed her thoughts entirely.
Even Seele, normally guided by Bronya's lead, couldn't help thinking about last night's gossip—and her face, too, flushed red.
In the midst of this strange silence, Senti suddenly marched right up to Sigurd, glaring at him with the grievance of a thousand wronged souls.
"No candy. Go away," Sigurd said flatly.
"I don't want candy."
"No other snacks either."
"You ruined my life, you bastard!!!"
Senti shook with fury, a vein pulsing on her forehead. Sigurd's casual dismissal—as if shooing away a misbehaving child—only made it worse.
She didn't want lessons. She didn't want homework. And she especially hated those bizarre etiquette classes.
And all of this—ALL OF IT—was Sigurd's fault!
Sigurd thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket, pulled out the sweets he usually saved for Kiana—today's was dark chocolate—and placed it into Senti's hand.
Senti: "???"
She froze, holding the chocolate like it was an alien object.
Sigurd walked past Fu Hua, plucked the Book of Fuxi into his palm, set it down, and took a seat beside Kiana.
"Education can't rely on punishments alone. You need carrots as well. Positive reinforcement. Pure pressure doesn't sustain long-term motivation."
"…That actually makes some sense. Go on, Sigurd."
"For carrots, you match them to the individual. For Kiana, she's simple—food works. For your girl, who likes moving and fighting, you can reward her with free-play time or chances to spar with Fu Hua."
"I see…"
Book of Fuxi touched its tiny chin thoughtfully, as if having an enlightenment moment.
Senti, clutching the chocolate, listened to them openly discussing strategies to "handle" her. Her teeth ground in fury—but she didn't dare pick a fight with the ultimate threat combo: Sigurd + Book of Fuxi.
In the end, she threw herself into Fu Hua's lap—the only source of comfort available—gnawing the chocolate with vindictive crunching noises.
"Hmph!"
She shot a hateful glare in their direction—mostly at Sigurd, though she couldn't bring herself to blame the Book of Fuxi.
As for whether her glare worked…
Well, as long as she was happy, that was enough.
<+>
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