8
Dinner preparations were well underway, and a few hours later, Emilia and Beatrice were summoned to the dining hall.
In the meanwhile, Ram handled all the household chores by herself. That was primarily because Rem’s desire to see the unparalleled chef Dias Lepunzo Elemanso Oplane Fatsbalm VI at work had compelled her to ask Ram for a rare favor.
And whenever Rem pleaded with such adorable eyes, there was no way Ram could refuse. That was why today she completed all the remaining chores with more effort than was normal for her.
“Damn you, Barusu…”
Naturally, that didn’t change the fact that she found all this labor unagreeable in the extreme, so she decided to focus her resentment on the bedridden Subaru. All the same, when Subaru’s health did not improve by dinnertime…
“Oh, Subaru was looking forward to this dinner,” Emilia said, feeling bad for him. “He’s got really bad timing. Maybe I can save him a little something… Should I go ask him?”
“I believe Master Roswaal can help you there,” Ram replied. “Don’t worry yourself over such trivialities, Lady Emilia, just enjoy dinner.”
“Mmm, okay. I’ll do that, thanks.” And with Ram’s kind words, Emilia’s disappointment over Subaru’s absence faded into a smile. It wasn’t Subaru that Emilia should have worried about, but herself.
Emilia had not realized that Dias Lepunzo Elemanso Oplane Fatsbalm VI’s dinners bore a certain significance for people in high society.
“Speaking of disappointing things, Puck won’t come out today. I think he’s somewhere in the mansion, but he just won’t return to his crystal. Have you seen him, Ram?”
“Sorry, I have not. Besides, I assume it would be difficult for a great spirit to attend a formal dinner.”
“Aw, so there is a problem? But he always keeps his fur so nicely groomed…”
Even though he was a spirit, most people would consider it improper for a cat to sit at the table. And if he were simply a demi-human, that would add another layer of complications here in Lugunica, but since he simply looked like a cat, Emilia accepted that his physical form meant he couldn’t join them.
“Hmph. What a pitiful boy he is, I suppose. His daily antics have caught up with him, I see.”
Beatrice entered the dining hall next, commenting on Subaru’s absence. Unlike Emilia, there wasn’t a shard of empathy in her statement, but since it was plain to Ram that she did care about Subaru, her behavior was touching.
“Yes, indeed they have. I hope you aren’t lonely, Lady Beatrice.”
“Wait just a moment…why must I—Betty—feel at all lonely? Answer me that, elder twin. You hear me?!”
“Yes, yes, I hear you, Lady Beatrice. Now please be good and sit quietly—the appetizers will arrive shortly.” Ram coaxed the red-faced, squawking girl into her chair to calm her down.
That was when Roswaal and Rem entered the dining hall. Noticing that Ram was putting on the finishing touches, Rem immediately ran over to her.
“Sister! I’m sorry I dumped all the work on you. Were you all right?”
“It was just more of the usual, and you deserve to be selfish now and then. Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Oh, yes, Sister! Do look forward to the new and improved Rem starting tomorrow!”
Rem really must have gleaned a lot from her observations, as the usually reserved girl was loud and proud. Seeing that warmed Ram’s heart. She reached out and patted her sister’s head, and Rem giggled from the ticklish sensation.
“Since you’ve returned from the kitchen, does that mean dinner is almost ready?” Ram asked.
“Yes, and since they don’t need us to serve the food, we’ve been instructed to take our seats at the table. Sister, let’s sit together.”
Ram smiled and said, “Don’t get too excited now. It’s indecent.”
Rem impatiently tugged on her sister’s hand, and they quickly found their seats. She nervously glanced at the dining hall entrance and idly said, “Poor Subaru, I wish he could enjoy this dinner with us.”
After a pause, Ram suggested, “You should give him a heartfelt account of the meal afterward to make up for it.”
Rem’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea, Sister. Do you think Subaru will like that?”
“He’ll burst into tears, trust me.”
Naturally, Ram conveniently didn’t mention whether those would be tears of joy or bitterness.
Just as their conversation was winding down, the double doors to the dining hall flew open. It was time for the grand entrance of the star of the night—the chef supreme.
“So sorry to keep you in anticipation. Is everyone here?”
The man looked around the dining hall, his fat jiggling as he turned. What greeted him was a table filled with young ladies, each more beautiful than the last. With a few savage snorts of the nose, he nodded in satisfaction.
“Yes, yes, how delicious. It’s just as you said, Marquis, mm-hmm. Now then, everything is ready, so let us lay out the feast, shall we?”
The chef shamelessly licked Emilia’s entire body with his eyes, but she smiled cheerfully, completely oblivious to this.
“Yes, thank you, Chef.”
She was eagerly awaiting her dinner with innocent impatience. Ram glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, worried how this dinner party would turn out.
However—
“Excuse me, is there room for another lady at the table?”
The sudden development was so wildly unexpected that not even Ram could have seen it coming.
“………”
It was a collected, slightly raspy voice that sounded distinctly familiar.
An outsider had shown up. Everyone was so startled by the sudden appearance of an uninvited guest that their eyes darted over to the dining hall entrance without meaning to. And there stood the newcomer in a brilliant black dress.
Long lustrous brunette hair cascaded down the jet-black dress that hugged the new guest’s somewhat tall frame. Her lips had been painted darkly with rouge, and dark eyeliner and long lashes accentuated the allure of her eyes. A sheer shawl was draped over the shoulders, and the way the dinner guest’s high heels clacked against the floor exuded elegance.
As they beheld the sudden addition to their dinner party, everyone held their breaths and doubted their eyes.
But the guest in the black dress stood boldly before them all, and with a coy tilt of the head and a sweet smile, said, “What in heavens is the matter? Surely you all remember your good friend—Natsumi Schwartz.”
Their silent stares were met with a brazen introduction. Natsumi Schwartz’s each and every gesture was executed with shocking perfection.
“…!”
Once she recovered from the initial shock, Ram struggled to decide what she should do. This moment of hesitation—quite unusual for Ram, who was otherwise decidedly decisive—was because the situation had simply exceeded the bounds of her imagination.
Though it was a challenge to tear her eyes away from this interloper, Ram somehow managed to glance at Roswaal. How would the master of the house and host of the party handle the situation?
“……………………………Weeeell, apologies about the mix-up, Lady Natsumi. Come, come, have a seat. I’m so sorry, Chef, but would you mind if we added just one more guest to the table?”
The dinner party shall resume!!!
Roswaal’s words of welcome were essentially a declaration that the show must go on.
The mysterious woman smiled beautifully and sauntered seductively beside the chef’s fat frame. The way she ran a slinky hand along his jaw and neck was the epitome of voluptuousness.
The man dumbly nodded his head up and down, then frantically dashed out of the room to fetch another serving of food. In a pitiful turn of events, the chef had been dethroned by the dame as the dinner party’s star.
After she was certain the chef was gone, the mysterious lady elegantly made her way to the seat beside Emilia and asked, “Pardon me—is this seat taken?”
“Sooo pretty… Oh! Y-yes, go ahead. I’m sorry, silly Roswaal didn’t inform me we had another guest.”
Unable to hide her surprise, Emilia spoke as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
Ram chanced a glance at everyone else at the table. Rem and Beatrice reacted in different ways—Beatrice wore a knowing grin. Meanwhile, judging from the faint flush on her cheeks, Rem was struggling with unknown impulses surging inside her.
And Roswaal, the ever-steady anchor, lowered himself into his seat and hunched over the table, saying, “I……I never…s-saw that coming…!”
While her master fought the urge to burst out laughing with every fiber in his being, Ram finally resigned herself to confront the insanity head-on.
“I wondered what stunt you’d try to pull… Barusu, a force to be feared.”
The lady Natsumi Schwartz was none other than Subaru Natsuki in drag. While traces of his original features peeked through the disguise, he had successfully duped Emilia into believing he was a woman. That’s just how terrifyingly flawless his transformation was.
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