Chapter 1519: Being Sisters: Part-1

While Aether and Maelona were lost in a

deep and private

conversation, far away in the Pyra Empire, inside the palace...

Aqualina walked beside Nightfire through the corridor with a curious expression. She had come to see what exactly was happening with the girls.

When she reached the bedroom, her brows lifted immediately... the room was empty.

"Where are the girls?" Aqualina asked.

Nightfire blinked, tilting her head slowly as if replaying a memory in her mind. She could still picture them standing stiffly around the bed like statues, refusing to move even an inch.

"That’s strange," Nightfire muttered, her lips pursing slightly. "Maybe they went with Delphine?"

She stared at the empty bed for another second before closing her eyes briefly, reaching out through her connection.

"Oh... the kitchen?" Nightfire opened her eyes and nodded to herself. "Okay."

She turned toward Aqualina and gestured down the hallway. Aqualina nodded back, already intrigued, and the two of them headed toward the kitchen together.

As they walked, Aqualina’s expression slowly transformed, curiosity blending with amusement. The thought of seeing Selene’s broken expression made her lips curve upward.

Oh god... That face alone would stay burned into her memory forever!

The moment they reached the kitchen entrance, her steps halted.

The shock did not come from spotting Selene. It came from the scene itself... The entire kitchen had turned into something grotesque, warped into a horrifying spectacle that felt like it should not exist in this world at all.

Aqualina stepped inside slowly, her nose wrinkling as the overwhelming stench hit her all at once.

Her eyes swept the room, landing on the table where everyone sat stiffly, elbows pressed down, heads resting heavily against their knuckles like defeated prisoners awaiting judgment.

’What in the world is going on here?’ she thought, her unease growing with every step.

Her gaze shifted to the opposite end of the table, to the single figure sitting before them all.

There she was... Delphine.

She sat upright and relaxed, licking a spoon with open satisfaction, her eyes half-lidded as she stared at the girls like they were nothing more than insects beneath her notice.

Aqualina frowned, completely lost, while Nightfire moved forward without hesitation, her boots echoing lightly against the floor.

"What’s going on here?" Nightfire asked, "Why do they all look like someone sucked their souls out?"

She leaned slightly toward the nearest girl, Thalia. Her eyes were trembling, unfocused, her fingers shaking as they barely supported her head.

Nightfire straightened and turned to Delphine.

Delphine shrugged, a smug smile curling her lips as she spoke casually. "Well... how should I put this? I told them that none of their dishes were ever even close to mine. So they are defeated and unable to accept reality."

"..."

Every single girl’s lips twitched at the same time.

Nightfire blinked once.... Then twice.

"...That’s it?" she asked slowly. "They’re like this because their cooking isn’t as good as yours?"

Delphine nodded proudly, tapping the spoon against the bowl as if it were a medal of honour.

For a moment, Nightfire just stared. Then she burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.

"Hahaha... you’ve got to be kidding me," she said between laughs. "Oh my goodness... hahaha! This is what all of this is about?"

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still grinning in disbelief. The idea that all of them were acting like the world had ended over a dish was almost too absurd to accept.

Nightfire stepped closer and patted Thalia’s shoulder gently, her tone softening but still playful.

"Come on, guys," she said, shaking her head. "You cannot seriously be this crushed."

She straightened with a crooked smile, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"If you’re all going to act like this," she continued, "then how am I supposed to show off my own cooking skills? Hahaha."

The girls remained frozen, their heads still pressed into their knuckles, but their lips betrayed them again, twitching violently.

Thalia finally lifted her head, her movements slow and heavy. She locked eyes with Nightfire, her voice trembling as if she were standing before a nightmare.

"Y-You don’t understand," she said weakly.

"S-She is fine!!"

Nightfire’s laughter faded instantly. She blinked, "...Fine?"

She turned to Delphine, who looked just as puzzled.

Thalia’s shoulders shook as horror crawled across her face.

Their cooking was supposed to be the wickedest thing they had ever created, a dish meant to make stomachs scream in agony... A dish that was supposed to make sure Delphine understood what horror she caused... And yet Delphine sat there calmly and satisfied.

What the fuck was going on here?

Meanwhile, Aqualina’s attention had drifted back to Thalia. The sight of her hollowed cheeks and sunken, dark eyes sent a chill through her spine.

"What the fu..." Aqualina whispered under her breath, genuine shock flashing across her face.

Then, slowly, a wicked grin spread across her lips.

She turned and walked toward Selene, who sat silently at the far end of the table. Each step made Aqualina’s grin wider, sharper.

When she reached her, she gently placed a hand on Selene’s shoulder.

Selene flinched violently and turned around, only to meet Aqualina’s smirking face.... The grin on Aqualina’s lips widened even more when she truly saw Selene’s condition.

Wrinkled skin like an old woman’s, hollow cheeks, and lifeless eyes staring back at her.

"OH MY GOD! Hahahahaha!!!! WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO YOU, SELENE?! Hahahahaha!"

Aqualina doubled over laughing, tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she pointed shamelessly at Selene’s face, her voice echoing through the ruined kitchen.

"Tsk." Selene snapped her head away, her expression twisted in pure irritation. "Did you bring this bitch with you?"

She shot a silent glare at Nightfire. Nightfire immediately raised both hands in surrender.

"Hey, hey, don’t look at me like that. I swear I didn’t say anything except you guys doing weird things and... look weird"

Aqualina clutched her stomach even harder, laughing so violently she nearly lost her balance.

"Selene... hahaha... the fuck happened to you?" she wheezed. "You look like a dried fruit my mother eats when she’s bored! Hahahaha!"

She wiped her eyes, gasped for air, then leaned closer with exaggerated care.

"L-Let me...

gulp

... let me look at you properly, dear~"

Before Selene could react, Aqualina grabbed her chin and turned her face fully toward her. The second she got a clear look, the laughter exploded again.

"Hahahahaha! Oh my god! What in the world happened to you?! Hahahaha!"

Selene’s lips twitched violently. Her hand shot out, yanking Aqualina’s wrist away with surprising strength.

"Bitch," she muttered darkly, "We ate Delphine’s food."

"..."

Aqualina froze mid-laugh, her mouth still open. Then, after a heartbeat, she burst out laughing again.

"Hahaha... that’s a lame excuse," she said, slapping Selene’s shoulder. "Ahahaha... come on, tell me the truth, bitch!!"

Selene slowly turned her head back, her eyes dead serious,

"I am dead serious."

Aqualina blinked. The laughter finally died in her throat as she noticed the expression on Selene’s face.

It wasn’t annoyance or embarrassment.

It was serious!

Her eyes drifted to the others. One by one, the girls lifted their hollow faces and nodded silently.

"...What the..." Aqualina muttered as her gaze slid toward Delphine. "Care to explain?"

Delphine shrugged casually, resting her chin on her palm.

"It seems my food increased their cravings and caused an adverse reaction," she said calmly. "After all, they only took small bites. That’s probably why the craving didn’t stop."

She sighed softly, her expression turning faintly troubled.

"I was honestly freaked out when I woke up and saw them surrounding me like they were about to kill me or something," she added. "They asked me to taste their dishes and compare them to mine."

A slow, smug smile crept onto her lips.

"They wanted to match the dish my hubby loves so much, but..."

Her eyes flicked toward the girls,

"None of them reached my level. Except Emberlyn. She made it to about 50% of mine."

Emberlyn’s face instantly turned pale.

’I added the most sour ingredients,’ she thought nervously, swallowing hard. ’Even prideful dragons ran away from that dish...’

She wasn’t sure whether she should feel proud or terrified. Dragons ate almost anything without complaint, barely caring about taste. If something made even them flee, then only Emberlyn knew what kind of horror she had unleashed.

And yet... Delphine ate it.

Raven raised a trembling finger, her voice shaky.

"W-Who said... we were craving your dish?"

She glanced at her sisters. They shook their heads in unison. None of them had said that.

Did Aether say that?

After all, Delphine wouldn’t be that obvious... right?

She was a teacher, after all.

She should at least have some common sense, right?

Delphine smiled sweetly.

"Of course, my little sweaty Snowflake."

"Hissss~"

A small, adorable snake popped out from Delphine’s deep cleavage, lifting its tiny head and staring at the girls with curious eyes.

Honestly, if not for Snowflake’s warning, Delphine might have believed her food was truly the cause of their severe reaction.

The girls clicked their tongues in frustration. Thalia straightened, her expression turning grim.

"We should tell her directly," she said firmly.

Every girl turned toward her, faint hope flickering in their hollow eyes.

Thalia clenched her stomach, inhaled deeply, then shouted with all her strength.

"Your food is disgusting!! The filthiest thing I have ever eaten in my life! One of the most dangerous and disgusting things in the world!"

Everyone gasped. Emberlyn flinched. Even though she hated the food, Thalia’s words still stung.

Delphine’s eyes widened slightly. She flinched as Snowflake leaned closer, whispering into her ear.

"They’re trying to trick you. You know it, and I know it. Our food reached Master’s heart, and these little bitches couldn’t compete with you," Snowflake hissed softly. "So they’re trying to sabotage your confidence. Didn’t you see? They failed to cook like you, so now they want you to doubt yourself~ Hiss~ Don’t fall for their trick!!!"

Delphine’s smile slowly returned.

Delphine nodded slowly before a confident smirk curved her lips.

"That will not work, Thalia," she said calmly, "I am not falling for that trick."

Thalia blinked, her gaze drifting downward toward Delphine’s cleavage. The tiny snake peeked out once more, its eyes glinting with unmistakable mockery.

"Hss~ Hss~ Hss~"

The soft, sinister laughter slithered through the air before the creature smoothly retreated back into Delphine’s cleavage as if nothing had happened.

Thalia stared blankly for a second, then stiffened.

"D-Did that thing just laugh at us?" she asked slowly, her voice tight with disbelief as she turned toward her sisters.

They looked just as horrified as she felt, their faces pale and frozen.

What the fuck was going on here?

Why was Snowflake acting like that?

"Wait a damn second!" Aqualina suddenly shouted as she looked back and forth between the girls and Delphine, her expression tangled in confusion.

"So you’re saying her cooking caused you all this?"

The girls nodded in unison.

"And you’re saying..." Aqualina continued carefully, her eyes narrowing, "...Aether loved it?"

Delphine nodded with a soft, almost fond smile.

"He ate every single piece," she said proudly. "Not even a drop of soup spilled. He drank everything and finished the meat in single sweeps."

Her eyes softened as she remembered it.

"He was so happy he even cried."

Aqualina frowned slightly.

’He liked it?’ she thought. Looked at Selene and others, as much as she wanted to laugh, something didn’t add up here... Were they really trying to sabotage Delphine?

’Hmm... I need to know.’

Her curiosity ignited fully now, and she straightened with interest, asking for a sample without hesitation.

"N-No, that’s not goo—" Emberlyn shouted instinctively.

Before she could finish, Selene’s hand shot out, gripping Emberlyn’s thigh tightly. A dark, wicked grin spread across Selene’s face as she leaned closer, silently ordering her to shut up.

Emberlyn swallowed hard and nodded.

Delphine, however, shook her head firmly.

"No, I cannot," she said with pride. "I promised Aether that my food would be exclusive to him."

Selene clicked her tongue, parting her lips to support Aqualina’s request, but before she could speak, Aqualina beat her to it.

"Oh, come on," Aqualina said with a smooth smile. "These girls already eaten yours. What about me? And the others? My mom, Helena, Aria and others?"

"Wouldn’t they love to know your food too? How you cook?"

Delphine blinked, "But Aether said—"

Aqualina stepped closer and gently patted Delphine’s shoulder.

"Come on... Sis Del."

Delphine froze at the nickname and blinked again.

"Can I?" Aqualina asked softly, her tone warm and coaxing.

"Well..." Delphine hesitated, then shrugged. "Yes."

Aqualina smiled brightly.

"So, Sis Del, please," she said earnestly. "I just need to know what miracle you made. I promise not a single word will leak out."

She leaned closer, her gaze sincere.

"See? You’re not breaking a promise. But if the other sisters find out you’re hiding this, they might think you’re forming a group with your food."

She tilted her head slightly.

"A group just for some of you. And that could make others feel left out. They might stop talking to you, start forming their own little groups here and there."

Aqualina sighed lightly.

"And honestly? That kind of mess would only become a headache for Aether in the end."

She glanced at Nightfire.

"Isn’t that right, Nightfire?"

Nightfire nodded after a moment of thought.

"Well, from an outside view... it might look exactly like that," she answered honestly.

Delphine stood still, absorbing every word.

Everything made sense.

Didn’t it?

She clenched her fist slowly.

"Okay..." she said at last. "I guess it does make sense."

She exhaled softly.

"Since they ate it once, I should give everyone the same treatment. Make it equal, right?"

Aqualina nodded with a satisfied smirk.

"Yup. Now please... prepare one for me."

Delphine sighed inwardly.

’I needed to be somewhere else... but oh well,’ she thought as she shrugged internally.

She nodded, her expression turning serious.

The girls seated before her began to tremble the moment they saw that face.

That expression!

That fucking Serious Expression!

The one that dragged them straight back into hell!!

Selene, despite the pain coursing through her body, smirked as she stared at Aqualina’s confident, haughty expression and said,

"It’s not going to be that bad, right?~"

’Let’s see how long you can keep that smirk, bitch,’ she thought darkly.