Chapter 587: The Devil Tempted Us With Waffles!

With that settled, Isabelle guided them toward the stables at the side of the garden.

And as they walked, the group passed a large fenced area filled with animals.

Dogs of all sizes barking happily, cats lounging in sunbeams, iguanas basking on warm rocks, goats nibbling grass, pigs rolling in soft mud, a few curious cows, bright parrots chattering in trees, and even a couple of small, strange demonic creatures with fluffy tails and glowing eyes.

All living peacefully in spacious, well-kept enclosures.

And seeing all the fluffy animals, Aqua’s eyes lit up.

"Oh, how adorable!" She exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "There are so many animals here! What exactly is this for? I don’t remember seeing it last time I visited."

Joy glanced over, unimpressed.

"Probably for some kind of ritual." She said dryly. "Animal sacrifice, blood magic, fighting pits—something grim."

But Isabelle laughed softly and shook her head.

"No, no, not at all. It’s nothing like that."

She smiled fondly, her eyes softening.

"This is actually a small zoo and play area built for Vivi. She absolutely adores animals. The Young Master had it made just for her."

Maria blinked. "Vivi?"

"Yes." Isabelle nodded as she went on to fondly say, "She was quite ill in the past, you see. Her body was too weak to interact with animals or even leave her room."

"But now that she’s getting better, the Young Master personally imported rare and gentle creatures from all over the continent, so she could see them and play with them whenever she wished."

She looked toward the distant garden, where a few caretakers tended to the animals.

"You can often find Vivi here, along with Portia, our head maid. Portia may seem strict, but she’s incredibly soft-hearted when it comes to animals. The two of them spend hours here together."

Maria’s expression melted immediately.

"That’s...so heartwarming."

Aqua’s eyes sparkled.

"As expected of my brother." She said dramatically, placing a hand over her chest. "He truly knows how to melt a woman’s heart."

Isabelle chuckled lightly, but then as if remembering something, she reached into her satchel and pulled out a small glass vial filled with dark red liquid.

"Oh, speaking of which..." She said, turning to Carmela. "...this is your daily blood supply, Miss Carmela. Freshly prepared this morning."

Carmela blinked in surprise, taking the vial slowly.

Joy, however, narrowed her eyes immediately.

"Is that human blood?" She asked suspiciously.

Isabelle shook her head immediately.

"Not at all. It’s pig’s blood, drained fresh this morning."

She then looked at Carmela with a hopeful, earnest expression and said,

"I’ve added some extra seasoning and flavoring today. So, I’d really like to know what you think. Please try it."

Carmela stared at the bottle, then at Isabelle.

"I already told you." She said quietly. "There’s no need to add anything. Plain is fine."

Isabelle’s eyes widened pleadingly.

"Please? Just this once? If you don’t like it, I promise I’ll never make any changes again."

Carmela sighed but gave in. "...Fine."

She uncorked the vial and took a small sip—expecting the usual metallic tang.

But her eyes widened slightly in surprise as the warm, sweet flavor spread across her tongue. It was smooth, rich, almost comforting.

She lowered the bottle slowly, looking at it as if she couldn’t quite believe it.

Isabelle clasped her hands together.

"D-Do you like it?" She asked eagerly. "I really hope you do! I studied a lot about vampire diets and taste preferences to make this one special!"

Carmela hesitated—then nodded once.

"...It’s good." She admitted quietly. "Very good."

Isabelle’s face lit up like the sun.

"Thank the Goddess!" She breathed, clasping her hands in relief. "Thank you, thank you! If you like it, I can make it this way from now on too!"

Carmela cleared her throat, looking faintly embarrassed.

"...That would be acceptable."

"Oh, wow." Aqua said in awe. "Even someone like Carmela who looks like she doesn’t like change at all likes it! You’re amazing, Isabelle!"

Isabelle’s cheeks pinkened slightly.

"Ah—thank you. Cooking and preparing meals for others is one of my greatest joys. Even if it’s...unconventional, like this."

She smiled softly. "It’s my hobby, really. Making others happy through food."

"That’s a beautiful way to live." Maria looked at her fondly, admiring her passion.

"Totally!" Aqua nodded enthusiastically. "And you even managed to make blood taste good—that’s a miracle!"

Even Carmela’s usual sharp edges seemed to soften slightly—appreciation flickering in her crimson eyes, though she was too proud to say it aloud.

Joy, however, only narrowed her eyes further.

Even here, even now, Cassius’s influence grew.

His maid was thoughtful, devoted, skilled at caring for others, even a vampire.

His image only improved.

And she still had nothing concrete against him.

She exhaled slowly through her nose.

"Let’s move." She said curtly. "We’re wasting time."

"Right this way, everyone." Isabelle nodded brightly. "The horses are ready."

They all quickly mounted the beautiful, strong horses waiting for them in the stables.

Carmela took one for herself, sitting tall and regal in the saddle.

Aqua and Isabelle shared a single horse—Aqua in the rider’s position, reins in hand, while Isabelle sat in front of her.

Aqua also immediately took shameless advantage of the arrangement, pressing her plush chest firmly against Isabelle’s back like a living cushion, arms wrapped snugly around the maid’s waist.

Isabelle didn’t mind in the slightest.

She leaned back slightly, clearly enjoying the soft, warm pillow behind her.

Meanwhile, Maria and Joy rode together.

The group then started making their way out of the estate, hooves clopping rhythmically against the stone path.

But just as they approached the grand fountain in front of the mansion, Joy’s sharp eyes caught movement.

Several of her fellow sisters from the convent stood clustered in the garden, plates in hand, forks moving busily to their mouths, giggling and whispering excitedly as though sharing the juiciest gossip.

Even Stella—Joy’s ever-reliable right hand was among them.

Joy narrowed her eyes.

"Stella!" She called out, voice carrying clear authority. "Come here."

The laughter instantly died. All three women froze, eyes wide like startled animals.

Stella particularly jolted upright, nearly dropping her plate, and ran over with full speed, clutching the dish and fork in both hands like her life depended on it.

When she arrived, she stopped abruptly, panting, her mouth still completely full of food. She tried to speak through it—

"L-Lady Joy, wuff du yoo need—"

Joy’s expression turned into a deadpan glare.

"First." She said flatly. "Swallow whatever is in your mouth before attempting to talk to me."

Stella’s face turned crimson as she frantically chewed, swallowed, and stood at attention, looking mortified.

"A-Apologies, Lady Joy!" She said quickly. "What can I do for you?"

Joy crossed her arms.

"You can start by explaining why exactly you and the others are standing around the garden eating instead of working."

"I distinctly remember ordering everyone to investigate the mansion and estate thoroughly."

"We already received permission to inspect every corner, did we not? So why are you stuffing your mouths and gossiping like you’re at a picnic?"

Stella froze, guilt spreading across her face.

"W-Well, the thing is..." She began, fidgeting. "We were searching, my lady, I promise! We had already covered the west wing and were about to inspect the northern quarters when..."

She hesitated, her expression twisting awkwardly.

"When the Lord Cassius—no, Cassius came by and said he was making waffles for everyone and that we should come before they got cold."

Joy blinked. "...Waffles?"

"Yes, my lady." Stella nodded miserably.."We thought it was a trick at first, a temptation of the devil himself! We told ourselves we wouldn’t fall for it. We completely ignored him."

Isabelle was already giggling as she knew what would’ve happened.

"But..." Stella continued weakly. "As we were inspecting the hallways, a sweet smell came from the kitchen...and we couldn’t help it."

"We went to check. And there he was, making something called waffles—a dish that’s crunchy on the outside, soft inside, drizzled with syrup..."

She raised her plate a little.

"This is one of them...a half-eaten one."

Joy stared blankly at her.

Stella quickly bowed her head, nearly dropping her fork.

"I know it was wrong! We were tempted! But they were so good, my lady! We gave in to our weakness and feasted on his waffles and sweet dishes!"

"I beg your forgiveness!"

But before Joy could say anything, Aqua’s face lit up in a delightful surprise.

"Wait—my brother knows how to cook too?"

Isabelle smiled proudly.

"Of course. In fact...he’s even better at it than I am. And I don’t say that lightly—I take great pride in my cooking."

"But the Young Master’s skill is on another level entirel!"

Aqua stared in awe.

Maria blinked, visibly impressed.

"To see a nobleman actually know how to cook...that’s beyond surprising." She murmured. "And now even I’m tempted. That half-eaten waffle Stella’s holding looks absolutely delicious."

Even Carmela glanced sideways, intrigued despite herself.

The faint smell of syrup still lingered in the air, sweet and buttery.

It was almost enough to make her curious.

But before anyone could say more, Joy snapped.

"Enough of that. No one here is giving in to the temptations of the devil again!"

She looked directly at Stella.

"It’s fine this time. The devil’s temptations are powerful, especially when they come from someone regarded by the Goddess herself."

"But be more careful in the future, understood?"

But just as Stella was about to nod her head, Nala and Vivi popped their heads out of one of the windows with a plate of waffles in their hands.

"You guys!" Nala shouted at the sisters. "Cassius made another batch of waffles that have berries mixed into them!"

"Come get them while they’re hot!" Vivi added.

And the moment the sisters behind heard this, they actually paced away like hungry dogs which made Joy narrow her eyes and say,

"With the way they’re acting, it seems as if the Church is starving them of any food. Is that’s what’s going on?"

"N-Not at all, my lady! We’re definitely satisfied!" Stella shouted in a fluster. "I’ll go over and reprimand them now!"

She then quickly scurried off, clutching her plate but it didn’t look like she was going to scold them.

Rather it was to get ahead of them before the waffles ran out.

"You’re such a buzzkill, Joy!" Aqua pouted, leaning against Isabelle again. "Can’t you ever enjoy anything?"

Joy ignored her completely, clicking her tongue and tugging the reins.

"Let’s move."

And with that, the group finally departed the mansion grounds

It also didn’t take long for the scenery to change.

Rolling fields stretched endlessly on both sides, golden with ripened crops. Farmers worked under the sun, the distant sound of laughter and wagons blending into the peaceful hum of rural life.

Aqua’s eyes softened with nostalgia as she looked around.

"It’s so beautiful." She murmured. "I really missed this sight. In the capital, everything is crowded and noisy."

"But here, it’s peaceful, it feels alive. This is the kind of life I’d rather live even more than staying in the palace."

Maria nodded beside Joy, inhaling deeply.

"You can feel the Goddess’s blessing here." She said warmly. "Just breathing this air makes me feel healed."

But Joy, of course, couldn’t leave the moment undisturbed. She scoffed lightly, her voice carrying that familiar edge.

"It may look peaceful, but don’t let it fool you. Every inch of this land belongs to Holyfields. The farmers you see—they own nothing. They’re laborers."

"When the harvest comes, they’ll hand over the majority of their yield to Cassius. And he’ll sit comfortably in his mansion counting his coins, while they sweat under the sun."

"It’s disgraceful."

Carmela’s lips curved faintly.

"I agree with you." She said coolly. "The nobles always take credit for what the people build. They drink wine in gold cups while the ones who made it starve."

The two women glanced at each other briefly—different people, same disdain and there was a quiet flicker of mutual respect between them.

Maria sighed softly, then glanced at Aqua who had a embarrassed look on her face.

"You two really shouldn’t say things like that. You’re basically insulting Aqua to her face." She said. "She’s a Holyfied. One of the people who owns this land, after all."

Carmela stiffened slightly, looking down.

For some reason, when Maria scolded her, she actually felt bad.

But Joy didn’t flinch.

"I’m simply telling the truth." She said calmly. "Even if she’s my best friend, that doesn’t mean I’ll ignore what’s right in front of me."

Maria opened her mouth to argue again, but Aqua raised a hand gently.

"It’s fine." She said softly, a faint guilt in her eyes. "They’re right, honestly. I’ve thought about it too...If it were up to me, I’d give a lot of the land back to the people. I’d prefer that."

"But Father, he wouldn’t allow it. He believes nobles must always expand their holdings, not shrink them."

Before anyone could reply, Isabelle—who had been quiet until then suddenly smiled.

"You don’t need to worry about that, Aqua." She said, her voice carrying quiet pride.

Aqua blinked. "Hm?"

"Because..."

Isabelle said excitedly like she has been waiting to tell his piece of information.

"The Young Master has already started changing that. You may not know yet, but he recently returned twenty percent of the farming lands to the farmers themselves."

"They now own part of what they cultivate and are established landowners, instead of simple labourers!"