Another failure.
Raiden Mei stared at the charcoal-like object on the plate and let out a soft sigh.
She took a bite, her brow furrowed, and then scraped the entire contents of the plate into the trash can.
She couldn't let Otto eat something like this.
Still, Mei felt she was making progress. At the very least, she could now identify what ingredient the charcoal had been originally.
In any case, Kiana should be awake by now.
Washing her hands, Mei removed her apron and pulled open the kitchen door. Dressed in a simple white dress, she stepped out.
But she froze for a moment.
Otto was still sitting on the sofa, but Kiana was on the bed, her cheeks puffed out, looking like a sulking child who had been bullied.
If one looked closely, the tips of Kiana's ears were still flushed red.
It couldn't be helped. Kiana's Rider Kick had been effortlessly intercepted by Otto. Without her White Comet battlesuit and lacking any formal training, she was no match for him.
Even with the blood of the Kaslana and Schariac families flowing through her veins, making her physically superior to ordinary people... Otto was, after all, no ordinary man.
His Soul Steel body and Cecilia Stigmata were not just for show.
If he wanted to, he could play the Paramecium like a drum.
And so, in a single exchange, the rampaging Paramecium was instantly suppressed by Otto.
It was as easy as an adult overpowering an infant.
Kiana, on the other hand, could do nothing but sit there and stew in her anger.
So frustrating.
Doesn't this guy know how to be gentle with a lady?
Couldn't he have just let this young lady win?
She decided she was going to ignore Otto. At least for today.
Hmph, that'll show him the consequences of annoying her!
Otto, however, wasn't worried. Kiana was currently like a bullied kitten; once her anger subsided, she would come trotting right back to her owner's side.
This type of girl, the kind you raise like a pet, was the easiest to understand.
---o---
"Alright. Let's go downstairs and eat."
Seeing Mei emerge, Otto clapped his hands to get their attention. Kiana looked a little confused. Hadn't Otto just said that Mei was cooking in the kitchen? Why were they going downstairs to eat?
She wanted to ask, but then she remembered her decision to give him the silent treatment and kept her mouth shut.
"I'll introduce you to a friend," Otto said. "An... old friend of mine."
Otto pushed open the door to their suite. Fu Hua was already standing outside, waiting. She had now moved from covert to overt protection.
This was on Otto's orders. After all, it was becoming difficult to hide Schicksal's movements.
Two of Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries were scheduled to arrive in Nagazora City in the coming days.
"This is my subordinate and friend, Fu Hua. She is an A-rank Valkyrie from Schicksal, and I've assigned her to protect you."
What a handsome person.
Upon seeing Fu Hua with her red-framed glasses, Kiana and Mei's mouths fell open in unison.
Her heroic and androgynous appearance was certainly attractive to other young women, and her ethereal, immortal aura was an irresistible poison. If she were at an all-girls school, Fu Hua would be the type to be incredibly popular.
But after marveling at the Immortal Celestial's handsome features, their gazes simultaneously shifted to a more obvious physical trait.
It wasn't her flat chest.
It was her bulging stomach.
A specially made waist pack pushed the fabric of Fu Hua's clothes outward, making it look as though she were pregnant.
Is that... a pregnant woman!?
The same thought flashed through Kiana and Mei's minds.
They both turned to look at Otto.
Otto had just said that this handsome, pregnant girl was his subordinate, assigned to protect them.
Forcing someone to work even when they're pregnant...
The Schicksal I'm joining... it couldn't be an unscrupulous organization that makes pregnant women work, could it?
What if something happened to the baby?
And where was the father of this child? How could he let his wife run around in her condition?
Kiana and Mei were in shock.
If it were more worldly and mature women like Cecilia or Cocolia, they would have immediately noticed that something was off.
But Kiana and Mei were just innocent and inexperienced girls—one a clone, the other an only child. They knew nothing of such matters.
They genuinely believed Fu Hua's belly was big with a child.
"Hello, I'm Raiden Mei."
"Hi, I'm Kiana Kaslana."
Both of them spoke in soft tones, afraid that a loud voice might affect the baby in her womb. If anything were to happen, they would be accessories to the crime!
Kiana shot a reproachful glance at Otto. The father of the child is irresponsible, but as her superior, how can you be so inconsiderate as to make her work?
If I get pregnant in the future, will Otto order me around just like this?
No, Otto dotes on me.
Remembering how well Otto had treated her these past few days, Kiana let out a sigh of relief.
Fu Hua simply nodded at the two of them, and with that, they were acquainted.
Otto turned and walked towards the elevator. Fu Hua was about to follow him when Kiana and Mei exchanged a look, then moved to support her by her left and right arms.
"Let me help you," Mei offered.
Fu Hua frowned slightly and pulled her arms free from their grasp.
Are you kidding me?
One of you is the Herrscher of the Void, the other is the Herrscher of Thunder. If you restrain my arms and suddenly decide to attack, I won't have time to react.
Seeing Fu Hua refuse their kindness, Kiana and Mei weren't too bothered. They had just met, after all. If someone had ill intentions, the baby in her belly would be at risk. It was always wise to be cautious when out and about.
However, Mei leaned in and whispered to Fu Hua.
"Miss Fu Hua, where's your man?"
Why isn't he here taking care of you?
Kiana pricked up her ears to listen.
Fu Hua was a little confused. Man?
"I don't have a man in my family."
She had been an orphan for a very long time.
A father was something she hadn't had for ages.
Hearing Fu Hua's answer, Kiana and Mei once again gasped in unison. Kiana's overactive imagination immediately began weaving a tear-jerking, inspirational drama in her mind.
A young woman, deceived and knocked up by a scumbag, is then kicked out of her home by her traditional parents. To support herself and her unborn child, she has no choice but to work, even with a large baby bump.
Is this what it means to be a mother?
How truly great.
Kiana and Mei, both of whom had lacked a mother's love since childhood, were deeply moved.
As Fu Hua followed behind Otto, she felt a prickling on her back, as if she were being stared at. But when she turned around, she only saw Kiana and Mei gazing at her with incredibly gentle eyes.
What is this about?
"What is it? Is something wrong?" the straightforward Fu Hua asked directly.
Kiana just shook her head, then gave Fu Hua a firm, determined nod. "You've worked hard."
Mei nodded in agreement, and both girls gave Fu Hua a look of encouragement and affirmation.
How bizarre.
Is there something wrong with these two's heads?
Utterly baffled, Fu Hua couldn't follow their train of thought. She decided she should probably remind Otto to pay more attention to the mental state of his Herrschers.
Hopefully, they weren't all fools.