Feliciano woke up to the scent of fish and spices. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. The male decided to lie on the bed for a few more minutes before opting to get up. He saw a beautiful, seemingly painted view of the ocean from the window. The waves clashed against the coast and pelicans flew over the sea. The sun rose from the East, giving the view a golden hue.

Feliciano grinned at the beautiful view, noting to draw or paint it down later. His amazement was shattered when he smelled something foul. He raised his arm and smelled under his arm. He gagged and thought, "I should really get a bath... I really smell stinky."

He stood and walked a bit to test his legs a bit. Feliciano found that some of his legs' strength was restored, yet he still had difficulties here and there. The Heart Prince walked out into the hallway. He leaned on the doorframe to catch his breath as the scent of food entered his nostrils.

Michelle was in front of the stove. She wore an orange shirt and khaki knee length shorts, and her hair was up in a high ponytail.

"Buongiruno, Michelle," Feliciano greeted, walking to the small dining table and pulling out a chair. Michelle dished the spiced fish and eggs onto two plates. She turned around and asked him. "Why aren't you sitting down?"

"I've been taught to always let the ladies sit first," Feliciano replied. Michelle smiled, "That's so gentlemanly of you!"

"Grazie," Feliciano said. Michelle sat down at the chair that he pulled out after putting down the plates. "The spoons and forks are at the drawer just beside the stove."

Feliciano got two pairs of utensils just before sitting down himself. He got a whiff of the fish and was immediately reminded of how he hasn't really eaten anything for the past four days, save for the sandwich Michelle gave him.

"This smells delizioso!" Feliciano exclaimed, just before digging into his meal. Michelle chuckled before opening the pack of loaf bread she had on the table. "Here; don't forget to eat your carbohydrates!"

After breakfast, Feliciano was left in the small cottage. Michelle had gone to fish some of the rare breed of fish called Moonfish.

So far, the clock on the far end of the living room showed that it was fifteen minutes after ten in the morning. Feliciano had seen the kitchen/dining room, living room, two bedrooms which had some other things that didn't quite fit in a guest room (one of which he had slept in the previous night), a locked room ("...probably her bedroom," he thought after a minute of trying to figure out what was behind it), bathroom (he had already bathed and washed his saltwater soaked clothes) and a small dusty library.

Feliciano saw the pictures of Michelle and her family on the walls. Although she posed with two blonde boys, both of which were older than her by several years, the picture gave a off the vibe of a family. He felt his own heart ache.

He had no idea where his younger and older brothers had gone. His grandfather was dead, so was his parents, the King and Queen of the Hearts. Although he knew that Marcello had gone for refuge in the Spades, a few days before the coup started, he stopped getting word from him as well as the Spade Royals. It might have been the coup which devastated every business in the Heart Royal City, but Feliciano dreaded that it could mean something worse. As for Lovino, he had stayed to fend off the leaders of the coup while Feliciano rode on a horse to get to the docks. He had absolutely no idea what happened to the elder, as he had not gotten a messenger bird from him or his subordinates.

Feliciano shook his head. It wasn't really helping to think of depressing thoughts. He walked back to the library and searched for a paper and pencil. He found some lying on the surprisingly dustless desk at the middle of the room.

Feliciano took the supplies and walked down to the porch. Michelle's cottage was positioned near the sea, but it had a seawall made of limestone and rock in front of it so as to prevent seawater to go into the house. He saw the beautiful blue sea with the sun a few angles from being perfectly positioned in the sky. The brunette took a seat on the wooden porch and started to sketch, rubbing some of the lead to create a fading effect.

Michelle came back around three in the afternoon, her hand-me down fishing rod in two pieces. She found Feliciano in the library, reading a book entitled, "The Atmosphere."

"Ve, what happened to your rod?" Feliciano asked, looking up from his book. Michelle frowned, "It broke when I was getting a really big one at the reefs."

She sighed, "It was about time I get one anyway. It looks like I'll have to hold it off for a few more weeks because the inflation is literally emptying pockets dry."

Feliciano frowned himself, hearing the gloom in her voice. She straightened up before giving a small smile, "I'll be preparing dinner for you, I hope you like pasta."

Amber eyes sparkled as he stood up from his chair, knocking it over. "There's pasta?!" He exclaimed, eyes wide as saucers.

Michelle chuckled, "Yes, it's by the kitc-"

She didn't finish her statement as Feliciano zoomed past her and downstairs. Michelle followed, her steps more calm. By the time she got there, Feliciano was practically flying all over the kitchen, the old pots being used to boil the noodles and to make sauce.

She sat down and watched as Feliciano turned the simple ingredients into something the Card Royals could think of eating every day. She almost drooled from the scent alone. He finished a few minutes later.

Feliciano served the main course, Fettuccine Alfredo, made with simple market ingredients. For dessert, the brunette made Cannoli with chocolate Michelle didn't even know she had in her kitchen.

"This smells like heaven!" she exclaimed. Feliciano smiled brightly, "You think so?"

Michelle took a bite of the dish and was immediately convinced she had gone to heaven. She was practically crying from how delicious the food was! Feliciano noticed this and immediately spoke, "I'm sorry! Did I put the wrong spice-"

"Where have you been all my life?!" she cried, standing up to tackle hug Feliciano. He stumbled and lost his balance, sending both of them to the floor. "It's practically heaven in a bowl!"

"Grazie! I'm glad you like it!" he chuckled. The two soon finished dinner, Michelle praising Feliciano's cooking skills. Now as they conversed as the two washed dishes together. Feliciano wiped a plate and put it onto a neat stack, "Oh, what room was I staying in last night?"

"You're in Alfred's room. Which reminds me," She said.

"What is it?"

"You and Alfred are really alike! Even how you face food is the same!" she giggled.

Wew, this story's still going strong guys! Yay for the plot of the story going forward! I hope you guys like this chapter because it has food. Or maybe that's just my grumbling stomach typing!

A bit of explanation for you guys who're confused on why Michelle's so happy in tasting Feli's food. Keep in mind that there's inflation in the Diamonds, meaning she can't really afford good food or ingredients.

Vocabulary Time/Chapter Notes:

Buongiruno (It.) - Good morning

Grazie (It.) - Thank you

Delizioso (It.) - Delicious

Moonfish - I actually don't know if a fish like this exists, but Sunfishes exist so why not? I pretty much gave up on creative naming.

Fettuccine Alfredo (It.) - A type of pasta dish that has parmesan cheese and butter as its ingredients.

Cannoli (It.) - An Italian pastry from Sicily.