"Eggs?" the lazy idiot asked while standing in the kitchen.
"Check," Frederica answered back.
"Cream?" he asked.
"Check," Petra replied.
"Mission: Make Ram's birthday memorable! Commence!" he screamed.
"COMMENCE!" Frederica and Petra yelled in unison.
"Subaru-sama, you wish to keep this a secret, right?" Frederica asked.
"Yeah, and that's why I especially asked Roswaal to task Ram to visit the village and asked the village chief to help as well," the crazy idiot responded.
"And, thanks to Petra," he spoke while headpatting Petra, caressing her hair. "She helped me a lot to formulate this plan."
"Ram nee-san doesn't smile a lot, so this would be perfect for her," Petra chimed in about the idiot's plan.
"First, we add 2 eggs to the bowl. Petra, can you pass the eggs?" the idiot called out.
"Now that we have the eggs, we will add cup of sugar," the idiot said to them, while Frederica and Petra stared curiously.
"Hmm, but Subaru-sama? You mentioned you had something special?" Frederica asked curiously.
"Hehe…" The idiot chuckled with a smug look on his face.
Snap*
"Petra, go! Bring out the ultimate weapon!" he said, snapping his fingers with a strange pose.
Petra rushed in, holding a glass bottle with a murky, brownish liquid inside. It looked like it had some kind of tree branches dipped in it..
"Urk!" Frederica, confused, doubted the idiot's smugness. "Is it really edible, Subaru-sama?" she asked.
"Don't worry, this is a fruit called Vanilla," he said.
"Va-nee-lah?" Frederica stuttered.
"No, Vanilla. It's dried and then soaked in alcohol for 1 month, from which we can extract the flavor," he explained.
"Hmmmm." Frederica's expression turned worried, but she sighed when she noticed Petra and the idiot smiling as if cooking was a children's task.
"Then we add 1 spoon of this Vanilla essence," he said. "Petra, keep mixing it until it turns completely soft and smooth, okay?" he asked.
"Yes, Subaru-sama," Petra replied, whisking so fast that a few drops splattered over her face. Both the idiot and Frederica chuckled, seeing Petra's embarrassment at being clumsy.
"Alright, it should be done baking," the idiot said, walking up to the oven.
Poof*
A huge cloud of black smoke burst out of the oven, filling the kitchen.
Frederica rushed to open the window and took out the burned "Vanilla" cake, or whatever it was—black like charcoal. Barusu's expression changed to a frown. Petra looked at him. "Subaru-sama, I AM SO SORRY!" she screamed.
"I…I forgot to add oil to the baking tray," she confessed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I am so sorry. I ruined your hard work and Ram nee-sama's birthday. Sorry."
Barusu gave a slight smile, walked up to Petra, and held her in a gentle embrace. He caressed her hair. "Shh… It's alright. We can work on it again. Don't worry too much, Petra. It's my fault; I should have instructed you better."
The door flung open.
Thud*
Thud*
"El Fula!" With the chant of the marvelous spell, a huge gust of wind deliberately guided the smog out of the kitchen. The maiden stomped her way into the kitchen, her face filled with worry. "Are you trying to burn the manor down?!" she yelled. Petra, looking dejected, stared at the floor.
"Ram, let's calm down, alright? I forgot to add oil, so-" The idiot stopped as he saw the furious expression on the maiden's face.
Petra was shocked and felt guilty, noticing how the idiot took the blame for her. "Ram, I understand you are angry, but I was here to supervise them," Frederica replied.
"Surely, judging by the situation, you failed to supervise them," the maiden added. "Ram, I understand that you are furious, but it's my fault. Don't be so furious at them, come on! We all were trying our best," the idiot tried to defend them.
The maiden noticed the supposed cake, now looking like a slab of charcoal. "Huh! Is this your best?" Mocking their efforts, she said, "I am leaving for the village, and when I come back, I need this all cleaned up. If you are not good at something, maybe you should just give up, Barusu."
"Thank you for your patronage," the village chief said to the maiden.
"Is there something on my face?" the maiden asked.
"No, you just remind me of myself when I was young. You're such a lovely girl," she said with a soft expression.
The maiden felt a sudden warmth in her heart, but maintained a stoic expression and bowed. "Thank you for your kind words. I shall take my leave." With that, she continued her walk back towards the manor.
As she walked along the worn roads, where carriages had passed and footsteps had trod, she was enveloped by the forest's embrace, the trees alive with birdsong. The maiden slowed her pace, and a sense of wonder softened her gaze as she observed her surroundings. "I have never truly noticed the beauty that surrounds me," she mused, her eyes drawn to two butterflies fluttering above.
One, a vibrant blue, the other, a delicate pink, danced in the air with an ethereal grace, their paths intertwining in a silent, mystical ballet. A strange emptiness tugged at Ram's heart, a faint echo of a cherished presence, someone to whom her very being felt connected. "But who is this person, this elusive soul?" The answer remained just beyond her grasp.
As she finally reached the manor, she sighed with exhaustion, gripped the door, and slowly opened it.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RAM!/Ram-nee-san!" Emilia-sama, Roswaal-sama, Petra, and Frederica erupted into cheers.
"Huh!" The maiden's eyes widened in shock, her mind blank. She hadn't been expecting this. Still maintaining her stoic expression, she walked up to Roswaal-sama and bowed. "Thank you, Roswaal-sama."
"No, my dear Ram, you should thank Subaru-kun for this," Roswaal-sama said.
"Eh?" The maiden looked confused. "What do you mean, my lord?" she inquired.
"It was Subaru-sama who organized this. He used all his might to finish the decorations on time and asked Roswaal-sama to task you with visiting the village," Frederica explained.
"Ram nee-san, I'm sorry," Petra suddenly came forward, bowing.
The maiden was perplexed by all these events happening so suddenly and all at once.
BAM*
"RAM!" Barusu burst in, flinging the door open. He was huffing for breath, soaked in sweat. Beside him entered Beatrice-sama and a certain yellow-haired lady with brown skin and golden eyes.
"Baru-"
"Ram, sorry for ruining the surprise, but here, I did my best," the idiot said, holding a cake in his hands. The maiden's heart fluttered, and her cheeks glowed a bright crimson. Her heartbeat quickened, and with his eyes sparkling with expectation, she felt at a loss. What if her reaction didn't meet his expectations?
"You better be grateful, Maid," Beatrice-sama said. "Betty's Contractor used up all his savings just to acquire the highly expensive and rare magic crystal."
"Why would you do that, Subaru? You could have asked me for help," Emilia-sama said, trying to reason with him.
But he just smiled and scratched the back of his head. "I needed it immediately; it helped speed up the aging process for the vanilla so we could prepare the cake in time."
"Va-nee-lah," everyone said, again stumbling over the name.
The maiden took the cake from Barusu's hand, placed it on the table among the many other dishes and drinks, quickly cut a piece, and turned to walk back to her room.
"Ram!" Frederica whispered. "Did Petra do something wrong?" Petra, still worried, felt even more guilty.
"Don't worry, Petra, she's just shy, hehe," Frederica said, patting Petra's head to reassure her.
"Oi! Maid, where are you going? Betty's contractor deserves at least a thank you, SHAAAAA!" Beatrice-sama screeched, glaring at the maiden and hissing like a cat, while Barusu held her back.
"Awawawa…" The golden-haired girl, faced with this suddenly heavy atmosphere, panicked. "AHA!" she exclaimed, as if struck by divine inspiration. Jumping in between everyone at the dinner table, she struck the chords of her guitar-like instrument.
"Dear lords and nobles, I present my new revelation: 'Capsule' by Liliana Masquerade!" she announced.
"When I met you
Every day became so short
I removed my makeup properly
I laughed even when I looked down
Don't say it was everything
I laughed but
It was everything for me
Strong, dangerous and fleeting"
Everyone smiled as the melody graced their ears. Barusu and Petra danced together, trying to cheer up the still teary-eyed Petra. Holding Subaru's hands, Petra twirled, her skirt spinning and her red bow swaying. She looked like a beautiful marionette.
Roswaal-sama silently enjoyed the sip of alcohol from his glass, "Teacher…" A faint thought crossed his mind.
"Maybe I forgot about me
The flowers withered and left fruit
A heart was born
Where did you go?
I want to meet you more than I'm lonely
I'm about to die"
Emilia-sama swayed gracefully in her chair, enjoying the melody.
Sneak*
Sneak*
Beatrice-sama looked to both sides before sneaking some sweets for dessert.
"The sun is set waiting for you
In the meantime, I was born again
What do you say about these feelings
I don't understand
I still want to meet you"
Drip*
Drip*
Tears fell onto the rich vanilla cream as the maiden sat on her bed, her face bright crimson and eyes swollen from crying. Her plump lips had traces of cream on them. She gently wiped her tears, but they kept flowing. She smiled and cried at the same time. "This is...too sweet, stupid Barusu," she said, smiling with tears still tracing her cheeks.
"Find it, I'm living as red berries
I can't say it
Someone will continue to step on me and disappear
What to say about breaking up
I want to forget about you
The past and now will disappear
It was overflowing with gaps in the days
Joy and happiness"
The manor felt warm and more lively as the residents shared smiles and enjoyed each other's company. The pink butterfly flew once again,but alone this time. rising towards the sun, its wings glowing in the sunlight—a representation of unwavering determination. Then, the beautiful little creature disappeared in the blink of an eye.