SCC Chapter 14 Party of Plots(4)

And right now, there was a figure seated upon it. A woman with long hair that cascaded down both sides of her shoulders. Her eyes were bright, though her expression darkened a few shades when they locked eyes. Lily inwardly sighed. She had understood right away the meaning of that gaze.

"Amelia! How long has it been?" asked a surprised Reed.

"15 years, give or take."

"What about your idol business? I hope you really managed to lose those stalker fans of yours." Reed looked around as if searching for said fans.

"l have already checked, brat. This time, no one followed her." Nikolai's sentence calmed him. Lily didn't really get what they were talking about, so it was best that she had decided to keep silent.

"Brother Reed, is this woman, your girlfriend?"

When the question came out of the woman's mouth, the atmosphere froze.

Within a few bounds, Reed was upon her in moments and roughly ruffled her hair. "Where the hell did you get that idea, young girl?"

"Come on! It was just a question! Hey! Hey! Have you forgotten your strength? My hair is about to be pulled out? Mom? Come help! Your daughter is about to lose all her shiny hair!"

Nikolai appeared by Amelia's side as if he had teleported, clamping a hand on her mouth.

"What are you doing? Don't you know what happens when your mom's cooking is interrupted?" sternly asked Nikolai, eliciting a collective shiver from the trio.

Lily felt left out. Since meeting with Nikolai, she had felt like these people, were all under some sort of connection, making her envy it all. Mawar was the only person she could click with.

"I am sorry if you feel left out, Ms. Toba. We have just been together longer, that's why there's the connection."

Nikolai's apology upon his appearance by her side, caused a flicker in Reed's expression that passed so fast that she would have thought it an illusion if she hadn't seen it for herself.

She was in disagreement with that expression of his though, as he hadn't abandoned her. He had simply been swept up in that woman, Amelia's plot.

After the commotion, she was invited into the cottage, instantly falling in love with the decor, which made the guest feel as if they were welcomed. From the fireplace, where an orange flame was leaping from an aromatic wood, to the comfortable looking chairs, to the vanished wooden brown walls. Even the fur carpet, which appeared to have been harvested from a dead demon.

"This place is cozy." she praised sincerely.

"Take a seat. You are our first guest in a long time." spoke Nikolai.

"Dad! What about my friends from last year?" Amelia protested.

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"Ah! I misspoke. You are our first normal guest since we moved here." That earned the man a glare from his daughter, also coaxing out a smile from Lily.

"Is aunt Cecilia holed up in the kitchen?" asked Reed. Lily was amazed to find out that Reed had such an intimate group of people as his found family.

"You know her. She even locked the door, warning the two of us about disturbing her."

"Then we had better heed her warning." Reed spoke seriously, taking a seat just beside Lily, who became somewhat flummoxed. She had thought that the man was going to sit by Amelia, after all, the other woman also occupied quite the spacious seat.

(I am the one who brought you here. I can't abandon you in front of people only I, am familiar with.) he transmitted.

The time after, was taken up by pleasant conversation, though, Lily found that the daughter, Amelia, always tried to cause friction with herself. And that made her all the more certain that the woman had feelings for Reed. Yet the man was oblivious to that, taking her as a sister.

Just before an hour elapsed since their arrival, a wooden door creaked open, bringing with it an aroma that tantalized her taste buds, eliciting an elevated production in saliva. Lily swallowed subconsciously, while her mind went to the imagery of the dish that gave off such a tantalizing aroma. This family actually had a spirit chef, and one of such a high caliber!

A woman walked out of the open door. Her hair was mostly black, ending in silver highlights, while cascading down her shoulders. Her face bore a strong resemblance to Amelia, leading to the immediate connection that they were related. And Lily was certain that she was the mother even though, she didn't look a day older than her daughter.

"I didn't know you were bringing a young lady." The woman spoke, before coming right towards Lily, where she proceeded to give her a hug, puzzling her immensely.

"Aunt Cecilia, that isn't my girlfriend. I am just acting as her protector." explained Reed.

"Ah! Sorry young lady. It's the first time that the boy has brought a woman home, so I thought you were his... Sorry about that."

There had been a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time. The hug had reminded her of her mother.

"It's okay, Madam."

"You can just call me Cecilia."

"Okay, now that I am done, I want you to start preparing everything. Let's have a meal. Not you dear. You can stay here with me." spoke the woman, as she took the seat Reed had vacated.

"I have a vague feeling that you must be a farmer." spoke Cecilia.

"My clan are farmers, we grow rice."

"Do you have any tier three rice? As you must have deduced, I am a spirit chef, specifically a tier three chef."

Lily was inwardly elated at the reveal. Getting into the good graces of a tier three chef would go a long way to elevating the products of her clan on the market.

"We have it. If you want some, it can be traded. And it's all good quality. I am not tooting my own horn, when I say that."

Cecilia chuckled at that.

"Reed, that boy has filled me in with your predicament. It's a good thing you turned to him. He will absolutely do everything in his power to keep you from that man."

"Really?" Was the woman under a blind faith spell? Wondered Lily.

"That gaze means that you don't believe me. But don't ever underestimate him. He has made many preparations for his eventual altercation with Zeus..."

(He might be powerful now, but the sacrifices he has made to reach this level of power are huge. You can trust him. If he ever slights you in any way, you can come to me, I will straighten him out.)

"We aren't going to have any deep connection."

"Trust me on this, all relationships have different ways of starting. And you two, will eventually..." Cecilia didn't finish that trail of conversation, but Lily understood the rest.

Though the man was admirable, plus handsome, with that pair of emerald orbs, she was certain that they were people of two different worlds. Only someone who wouldn't get ruffled upon experiencing his wealth, would be capable of standing by him. Lily wasn't that woman. She was ambitious. And that ambition didn't lie with relying on a man.

Though it was ironic that she was now relying on him. This was a transaction.

The woman, Cecilia, stood up and held out her hand, which Lily took, and together, they headed towards the dining room, which was also only reached from another brown wooden door. It seemed that the living room was the fulcrum of the entire house.

The moment they reached the dining room, every other thought was banished from her mind as she beheld the spread on the large table. Every single kind of food on the table was enough to bring about a watering in her mouth. It was simply that tantalizing! And that was even before the aroma entered her nostrils!

A burst of envy for those that got to enjoy this kind of meal every single day, was born within her mind, which she swiftly banished.

"It has been such a long time since someone has had such an intense reaction for my food." commented Cecilia, with Lily feeling a burning in her cheeks as she swiftly regathered herself.

"That's only because you didn't cook for my friends." grumbled Amelia.

"Those aren't friends. The moment your fame, or your family background is lost, they will run for the hills, leaving you behind." Cecilia switched to a stern expression.

"Come on, Let's eat. The brat will ultimately learn of the true face of the world by herself." Nikolai interjected, before taking a seat at the head of the table. On his right, sat Cecilia, with the seat down occupied by Reed. Amelia tried to take the seat directly opposite Reed only for her mother's glare to dissuade her, upon which she took the left hand seat from her father, with Lily, taking the seat directly opposite Reed.

Everyone started digging in the moment she sat down, as if by prior agreement. There were no words flying, instead it was the cutlery making noise in the otherwise quiet room.

Lily's taste buds exploded with sensation from the moment she took the first bite to the moment she took her last bite. She had visited restaurants with spirit chefs. Though that luxury had only afforded her a single plate. She had never had the privilege of eating an entire full-course.