Thanks to all those who read these, this chapter was a really fun one for me to make, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it...

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Rem continued to turn over the rabbit meat, making sure each piece was nicely browned on all sides, her focus entirely on the task at hand. She would occasionally add a sprinkle of herbs or seasonings to enhance the flavour, her actions becoming almost mechanical in their repetition, but there was a certain beauty to the way Rem moved through each step of the cooking process.

"You're really good at this, Rem-nee-sama," Petra said, her eyes wide with admiration. "It's like you've done this a thousand times before."

"Thank you, Petra-chan," she replied, her tone warm. "I've had a lot of practice, so it feels almost second nature now."

With the rabbit meat cooked to perfection, Rem deemed it time for the final step: adding it all back up.

Carefully, she lifted the bowl of cooked vegetables with one hand and gently poured them back into the sizzling wok, mixing them, stirring them in with the cooked rabbit meat.

"That smells amazing," Petra commented, unable to resist a smile. The mixture in the wok began to look more like a proper dish, one that would surely satisfy everyone's hunger.

The aroma that filled the kitchen heightened as Rem poured the leftover marinade into the wok. The mix of the rabbit meat and vegetables with the marinade intensified the mouthwatering scent, making it impossible to resist.

Rem smiled as she took in the smell, knowing that the stir-fry was close to completion.

As the final bit of marinade was poured into the wok, Petra could hardly contain her excitement. The combination of flavours and scents was making her salivate.

"It's almost done," she said, her eyes sparkling. "Can I have a taste? Please, please, please?"

Rem chuckled at Petra's enthusiasm, finding her eagerness endearing.

"Patience, Petra-chan," she replied, a hint of teasing in her tone. "It isn't quite ready yet. But I suppose I can give you a little taste."

Rem took a small portion of the stir-fry onto a clean spoon and held it out for Petra to taste.

Petra practically bounced in anticipation as Rem prepared a small taste for her. The moment the spoon was filled with the still sizzling stir-fry, she leaned in eagerly.

As soon as Petra tasted the food, her eyes widened in surprise and delight.

"Oh my gosh, Rem-nee-sama, this tastes amazing!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up. "Subaru and the others are going to LOVE this!"

Rem couldn't help but smile at Petra's reaction. The younger girl's excitement was contagious, and Rem felt a sense of pride in their cooking.

"I'm glad you like it, Petra-chan," she replied, her smile bright. "And I hope you're right, I bet Subaru-kun and the others will be glad to have a warm meal after their hard work."

As the final touch, Rem added the roasted and sliced almonds to the sizzling stir-fry, mixing it all in and completing the dish. But as she glanced at the size of the wok, a realisation dawned on them: they might have made a little too much.

Rem couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food they had cooked up. "We might have overdone it a bit," she said, a touch of amusement in her tone.

Petra's eyes widened as she looked at the enormous wok, filled to the brim with the mouth-watering stir-fry. The amount of food they had made was surely more than enough for their entire group, and maybe even more.

"Yeah..we made quite a bit," she agreed, a hint of trepidation mixed with excitement." But don't worry! I'm sure everyone will be more than happy to eat it all. They've all been working so hard, and they're probably starving!"

As Emilia entered the kitchen, her senses were assaulted by the appetising aroma of the food cooking in the wok. The sight of Rem expertly stirring the mixture of ingredients intensified her hunger, and her stomach growled in anticipation. She walked over to Rem and Petra, her eyes fixed on the sizzling food.

"Everything smells amazing," she commented, her mouth practically watering.

As Emilia approached, Rem looked up from the stir-fry and addressed her with a request.

"Ah, Emilia-sama," she began. "Frufoo and Patrasche are likely tired and hot. Would you mind setting out some fresh water and fruit for them? Perhaps some 'appas' or 'orages'"

Emilia nodded, understanding the needs of the hard-working creatures. "Of course!" she replied. "I'll go and do that right away."

With that, she turned and headed outside to the stables where Frufoo and Patrasche would rest. Whilst Rem waited for the food to cook through, tossing it around every-so-often. Petra got up to more monotonous tasks such as removing the ice from the sink, washing up, cleaning the surface area, preparing the bowls for everyone to use, etcetera. But the trend of Rem's assigned tasks continued, on her every return.

"Ah, Emilia-sama, please can you remove the waste ingredients and place them in the rubbish outside,"

"Sure Rem, I can do that for you!"

"Ah, Emilia-Sama, please can you re ice the water, it's nearly Lukewarm due to the heat and our cooking,"

"Of course, Rem, you can count on me!"

"Ah, Emilia-Sama, please could you get David's Shatranj(chess) board from his room, So that they could play with each other if they get bored,"

"Right, I'll get it now!"

"Ah, Emilia-Sama, please can you bring in some flowers from the Garden, they can be used for decoration."

"Of course!"

"Ah, Emilia-Sama, please,could you complete the Simon Says task in the Reactor,"

"OK, sure!"

"Ah, Emilia-sama, could you collect the 13 power moons scattered around the mansion,"

"Yes."

Despite her growing exhaustion, Emilia kept a smile on her face and replied to each request with an affirmative response. She felt like she was being used as Rem's personal errand girl, yet she couldn't find it in herself to refuse. This only seemed to heighten Rem's frustrations, her angst growing and growing until suddenly, it all disappeared, as she realised that Emilia is indeed feeling the workload, but just isn't complaining about it. Despite being ordered around by someone lower in the hierarchy than her... doesn't that make her an amazing person... Which means even if Subaru... goes with Emilia and Emilia alone... He'll still be with an amazing person, a person she deemed far more righteous than herself, which despite herself, filled her with immense happiness.

Rem looked at the food cooking in the wok, testing the vegetables for softness. It seemed like it was about ready. She turned to Petra, saying:

"Rem believes the stir fry is just about done," her voice more light and cheerful now. "Let's start portioning it out into bowls for everyone."

As Rem announced that the stir-fry was nearing completion, Petra's excitement grew. The thought of finally getting to taste the dish they had all worked so hard to prepare was making her stomach rumble.

"Okay!" She nodded eagerly. "I'll grab the bowls."

Petra went to the cabinets and began taking out the bowls, setting them out next to where Rem would ladle out the stir-fry. As Rem began to divide the stir-fry into the bowls, Petra watched with wide eyes. The sizzling meat and vegetables were scooped up and ladled into each bowl, the sound and smell continuing to make Petra's mouth water. She couldn't wait to see the expressions on everyone's faces when they tasted the food they had prepared.

Once all the bowls were filled, Petra couldn't help but admire the colourful array of food before her. After the last bowl was filled, Rem stood back and admired the colourful feast before her. The bowls filled with the stir-fry looked vibrant and appetising, the various vegetables and meat combining to create a mouthwatering display.

"We've done a good job," she said, her voice filled with pride. "Everyone is going to love this." Once the fire stones died down, Rem turned her attention to the steaming rack. There she found the steamed yams, perfectly cooked. She carefully removed each one from the rack and placed them on a cutting board, cutting each one in half, revealing a light golden brown hue laying underneath the maroon skins.

As she worked, Rem noticed that there was still a significant amount of stir-fry left in the wok. They had definitely made quite a generous amount of food. As her eyes roamed over the remaining stir-fry in the wok, Petra couldn't help but feel a little giddy. They had definitely made more food than they needed, but that was okay. They could always save the leftovers for later or even have it for lunch tomorrow. The important thing was that they had made a delicious meal that everyone would surely enjoy.

As Emilia made her way back to the kitchen once more, she couldn't help but feel a little drained. The numerous tasks that Rem had assigned her were beginning to take a toll, and she could feel the tiredness settling in her bones. Nevertheless, she took a deep breath and pushed those thoughts aside as she entered the kitchen with a smile on her face, ready to face whatever new request Rem had for her.

"Hey Rem, I've found all the pow-woah!"

Suddenly, to the great surprise of Emilia, Petra, and even Rem herself, Rem leapt onto Emilia wrapping her in a warm embrace.

"Emilia-tan!" She greeted warmly, imitating Subaru with that pet name. She couldn't help but admire Emilia's determination and positive attitude, even in the face of fatigue. She pushed Emilia away from herself slightly so they could see each other face to face.

"Great work, You pass!" She declared in praise, with a beaming smile, giving Emilia a double thumbs up. Petra's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Rem's enthusiastic greeting and the use of Subaru's pet name.

But what caught Petra's attention the most was the praise that Rem gave to Emilia, proclaiming that she had passed. Petra could see the surprise and confusion on Emilia's face, mirroring her own feelings.

Emilia's eyes widened in surprise as Rem suddenly embraced her. The warmth and unexpectedness of the hug left her momentarily flustered, especially since Rem had referred to her with Subaru's unique pet name.

As Rem pushed her away to look at her face, a mixture of relief and happiness washed over Emilia. Rem's praise and double thumbs up made her heart skip a beat. She couldn't help but grin back, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten in the wake of Rem's compliment. Though as she took in Rem's words, she looked at Rem quizzically.

"Thanks...but what do you mean by 'you pass'?"

"Never mind that," Rem responded, waving off Emilia's question with a casual gesture. Rem then let go of Emilia and clapped her hands together, turning her attention to the task at hand.

"Anyways, Let's go tell Subaru-kun that we've finished!"

Rem smiled, gesturing to the counter where the bowls of food were waiting.

And so, with linked arms, lifting Petra onto their shoulders, Rem and Emilia, pranced down the manor halls, humming and laughing along jovially, cheerful smiles plastered on their faces, before calling out to him

"Subaru!"

"Subaru-kun!"

"Subaru-sama!"

Before a collective

"We're done!"

Subaru's head whipped up whom his crouched position at the sound of his name being called in near unison. As he saw Rem and Emilia, carrying a giggling Petra on their shoulders, he couldn't help but break into a hearty smile at their jolly, spirited, celebratory demeanour. It reminded him… that there are those who value him, and it was those people, these precious moments he needed to protect, even if it cost him his life.

"You're done, huh?" he replied, unable to suppress a chortle at their enthusiastic announcement. "Did everything go smoothly in the kitchen?"

Emilia nodded, a playful glint in her eyes. "Everything was 'smooth as butter'," she said, her tone a mix of amusement and triumph. "All thanks to our master chef over here," she added, patting Rem on the back.

Rem chuckled, a hint of pride in her eyes.

"Rem couldn't have done it without Emilia-sama and Petra-chan's help," she admitted. "We make a great team."

Subaru chuckled, genuinely impressed at the trio's successful accomplishment. "Well, it's to be expected from the best," he said, crossing his arms with an impressed smile on his face. "After all, when a team is led by the 'Beako-approved-Best-Chef!' you can only expect the finest culinary masterpieces."

He glanced around the room, noticing that it was still empty besides himself and the three women.

"Aren't Frederica and the gang back here yet. Id at least hope the boys would be… I was hoping they could be here to help us out by now..." He asked curiously.

"Ohoho...? So that's how it is huh? Hmmm... I see...I see...I get it, I understand…..Fascinating."

Subaru turned to look up, and found David standing looming over him, his expression darkened staring down at him, daggers in his smile, His eyes painted emerald green with envy.