Alice chewed once. Twice. Then looked up at him, eyes shining with complete contentment. "How is it?"

Kaiden swallowed and, to his shock, felt emotion tightening his throat.

"… Perfect."

Alice's face lit up.

It was the biggest smile of her life.

Then she started bobbing back and forth on Kaiden's leg with her entire upper body swaying as if she physically couldn't contain the joy anymore. Her hands balled into tiny fists near her chest as she began softly singing under her breath, voice lilting and wobbly with happiness.

"He liked it~ he said it was perfect~"

Her shoulders bounced. "Perfect, perfect, perfect~!"

It was absurdly cute. Completely unrestrained. The kind of joy that didn't bother pretending to be dignified.

Then, she gasped.

"Ah!"

Alice abruptly leaned back and looked up at Kaiden with her eyes narrowing into sharp, suspicious slits as she studied his face with intense scrutiny.

"Did you truly mean it? Or did you just say that to make me happy?"

The room went quiet.

Kaiden didn't answer right away.

He didn't need to because that was when Alice actually looked at him.

Really looked.

Not at his smile, not at his words, but at his eyes, the way they were a little too bright, the way his jaw was set like he was holding something steady inside his chest. The nostalgia had hit him hard. The memory of a bench, a cheap waffle, a small hand clutching it like treasure. And layered on top of that was something else entirely.

His eccentric and arguably completely unhinged little sister had learned to cook. She had planned breakfast. And the best of it all?

She did it not just for him but for the women he loved. Women she had once treated like intruders, pests to be chased away.

He wasn't pretending.

He was… genuinely happy.

Alice didn't say another word.

She just hummed again, softer this time, somehow even happier, and let out a small, delighted giggle as she leaned back into him, utterly satisfied.

Off to the side, Alexandra lifted a hand to her face and quickly wiped at the corner of her eye, blinking a few times as she smiled. She looked truly happy for Alice's joy.

She was battling with a lot of emotions and repressed thoughts, making it very easy for the blonde to enter an emotional state.

Nyx noticed immediately.

*Thud. Thud.*

She patted her own thighs twice while lifting her eyebrows in invitation. "Why are you just standing there?"

Alexandra glanced over, surprised. "I'm overseeing the cooking process."

Nyx snorted softly. "The little sister seems to be on top of it. I've seen Kai eat a lot of tasty stuff, but he never seemed this satisfied with his meal."

"Speaking of," Luna added with a perpetual grin while peeking toward Alice. "When is our portion coming?"

Alice blinked.

She looked down at the empty plate in her hands. She'd already eaten her half of the waffle Kaiden had shared with her, and at some point she'd apparently decided that sitting on his leg was far more important than continuing her duties as chef.

She turned to Luna, and for a split second, her expression very clearly hovered on the edge of something sharp and rude.

Then she caught herself.

There was a brief, visible struggle. Her lips pressed together. Her brows knit. And then, slowly, she smiled.

"Coming right up."

She hopped off Kaiden's leg and padded back to the kitchen with her apron swaying as she returned to the waffle-making artifact with renewed purpose.

Nyx slapped her thighs again, this time more insistently. The soft sound cut through the warm kitchen chatter as she tilted her head toward Alexandra with a knowing grin.

"Come, Blondie Bestie. Enjoy the fruits of your student's work with us."

Alexandra stiffened immediately, and her hands flew to the front of her apron as if she'd been caught doing something terribly improper. "B–but I'm a maid…" she protested, voice small and uncertain, already half retreating on instinct alone.

"Maids need to eat too," Nyx purred smoothly as she leaned back just enough to look perfectly relaxed.

"Not with her boss' family!" Alexandra blurted out, mortified. "That's not proper."

"Boss? Come on… You are part of the family," Nyx replied without hesitation, her tone leaving absolutely no room for debate.

Alexandra faltered. Slowly, she turned her head and looked toward Kaiden. Her posture was tight with shoulders drawn in. Despite everything she'd been through, despite how far she'd come, men were still… difficult. Especially one as powerful as him.

Kaiden met her gaze and smiled, gentle, unguarded, and utterly sincere. "Do you even have to ask?" he said warmly. "I'd love to share the breakfast my little sister made with you."

Her eyes widened, breath catching for just a moment before she hurriedly looked away, cheeks already burning.

That was when Aria spoke up with genuine curiosity lighting her expression. "You did something amazing, Alexandra. The little sister who kept treating us like annoying nuisances is cooking breakfast for us without Kaiden ordering her to. She's doing it of her own volition! You might not truly get it, but this is simply amazing!" She smiled brightly. "How did you do this? Will you tell us?"

The others nodded along, their attention settling on the flustered maid with open warmth.

All of them.

Even Calypso. The demoness hadn't spoken much with Alexandra before, but her gaze was approving, thoughtful. Loyalty was a language she understood well, and this girl radiated it: steadfast, diligent, trustworthy. Any demon queen knew how dangerous an unfaithful servant could be, and how precious a loyal one truly was.

Having a proper household to return to after brutal battle was important for the soul, and Alexandra was the person who made it possible for the demoness and her family.

To Calypso, Alexandra's value was so high that she'd be happy to enter a dangerous battle should she be in danger.

"It's like magic," Bastet added with a soft smile. Her feline eyes were warm. "You don't have a class, let alone a magical one, but you made the sort of magic happen none of us could've."

"Tell us the secret!" Luna chimed in with a grin, clearly enjoying every second of what was going on. It made her heart feel warm.

Nyx patted her thighs for the third time. "Come, Blondie."

Alexandra looked back and forth between them, overwhelmed, her voice breaking into a tiny whimper. "T–there's not even a seat for me… I'll just wait until Alice is done and eat the leftovers."

""Denied,"" they all said together, perfectly synchronized.

Nyx hummed in satisfaction, then added lazily, "And why do you think I keep slapping my own thighs, Blondie? It's not to show them off…" she mused while looking at Alexandra's legs. "You can compete with me; I have nothing to feel superior about."

"H–hey!" Alexandra hissed, instantly mortified.

Several pairs of eyes turned, including one very male pair.

It was not lecherous one bit; no licking of the lips, not even a sign of desire.

The blonde woman made a small, distressed noise and, in a burst of panic clearly fueled by survival instinct, darted forward and sat down on Nyx's thighs. She tugged her abyssal maid skirt into place with lightning speed, hiding her legs beneath the table like contraband, then crossed her arms and pouted fiercely.

"I hate you," she muttered at Nyx with her cheeks blazing.

Nyx blinked once.

Then she grinned like a devil who'd just won the lottery.

"Aww," she cooed, wrapping her arms around Alexandra from behind. "Let me give you an apology kiss."

Her lips formed to do just as she said she would.

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