Omake Week 2022, Day 4: Nights of Azure gets featured in Omake Week not only because this story exists, but also as foreshadowing for something rather more meaningful in this fandom that I'll be posting later this year.
~X X X~
"Ta-dah! Here it is, Simon, my latest creation!"
Lilysse had a lot of good qualities. She was kind, compassionate, and dedicated. She had a fierce determination to do the right thing and would persevere through considerable hardship to accomplish it. She was intelligent and studious. And as a priestess of the Curia, she bravely pressed on with her job and used her considerable spiritual power to the best of her abilities.
Those good qualities did not extent to being a competent hotel maid.
Not wanting to sit around being pampered while Arnice ventured out again and again trying to stop the Red Moon (and find a way to thwart the prophecy of Lilysse's sacrifice, something she herself wasn't sure that Arnice should be risking), Lilysse had volunteered to help Simon, the manager, keep up with the many tasks needed around the Hotel Ende.
Unfortunately, while Lilysse looked very cute in her maid's uniform (and even fairly sexy, doing Arnice no favors in her ongoing battle to resist her vampiric urges), that was where her suitability for the task ended. Her cleaning and housekeeping skills were hampered by a clumsiness that might have been considered charming by people who didn't own the things being spilled on, mislaid, broken, or set on fire. And as for her cooking, well, not even Arnice could find that charming, though she did appreciate how it made the Battle Arena easier due to the Servans left ailing or, it was rumored, "mysteriously disappeared."
So, when Lilysse set the china plate down on the counter before Simon, it was only reasonable that Arnice, Lloyd, and Professor Alucard involuntarily shrank back, chills running down their spines.
"I see," the elegant blond manager remarked, then shamelessly hurled his guest under an omnibus. "Don't you usually prefer to share these first with Arnice?"
Betrayer! Arnice's glare could have peeled paint, but Simon did not so much as flinch. As a former agent, he had plenty of experience in life-or-death situations and was well-versed in identifying the most lethal hazard.
Lilysse, however, won Arnice's love all over again by coming to her rescue.
"That's true, but this doesn't have any chocolate in it, so it's not really for her. I thought it could be more of a general hotel menu item if you approved."
If she heard the nervous gulps this pronouncement drew from the throats of Lloyd and the Professor, she gave no indication of it. Frankly, to cook like Lilysse did, a person's brain had to edit out nearly every reaction to her efforts before it reached her consciousness, else she'd have vowed to confine herself to tea-brewing years ago.
"I see. Very well, then."
With the aplomb of a true professional, Simon did not so much as flinch. He picked up the silver fork, sliced a corner from the cake, and transferred the piece to his mouth without a single betraying tremor of fear.
Honestly, Arnice was kind of impressed. She had good reason to try and spare Lilysse's feelings, but Simon hadn't even known them for a month.
The manager's face was impassive as he chewed and swallowed. He then set the fork back onto the plate.
"I think that this is a very fine example of this type of dessert, Miss Lilysse. You should be proud."
"Thank you, Simon!" Lilysse beamed with happiness, nearly bouncing in her shoes. As for the onlookers, they were utterly bewildered. Professor Alucard checked his pocket diary to verify that it wasn't the first of April. The others got up from their seats, eager to get a better look at this wondrous (possibly miraculous) creation. Arnice...well, Arnice loved Lilysse in that way that would rather risk Eternal Night falling over the world than put Lilysse directly into danger, but that didn't mean she wouldn't use her half-demon nature as an excuse to duck Lilysse's cooking. Lloyd, though, was a well-traveled merchant, with experience of many countries and cultures, and his expression of bewilderment cleared into a knowing look when he saw the cake clearly.
"Ahhh," he said, understanding.
Then, he explained, but kept his voice low so that Lilysse couldn't hear. This was both because he didn't want to hurt her feelings of his own will and because Arnice could be really, really scary in Lilysse's defense.
Sotto voce, he murmured, "It's not like even her baking could make a fruitcake any worse."
~X X X~
A/N: I will never not find jokes at the expense of fruitcake funny. At least so long as my wife bewilderingly likes the stuff, that is!
