Still in the self-service teppanyaki restaurant filled with the aroma of meat, a subtle discordant scent suddenly mingled with the harmonious fragrances of various meats.
"So... how exactly did this come about?"
At a table where all three besides Vivian were looking at the Queen with awe-struck eyes, who was happily using a spatula to flip the delicate substance on the teppanyaki grill.
"Assorted pancakes," the Queen had said before embarking on this endeavor.
Since they had been eating only meat so far, without any staple food or other dishes, the reason to make something else seemed plausible with no loopholes.
Although in reality, the restaurant also offered a wide variety of desserts, fruits, drinks, as well as common dishes and staples like tomato stewed beef, vegetable salads, and assorted fried rice, it was perfectly fine to order a small cake, pastry, or even make a sandwich with sliced bread oneself.
But how could our dear Vivian settle for just that?
Of course, from Aya's perspective, simple things were good too. At least better than the vacant spot on the teppanyaki grill where the meat used to be, now replaced by what was dubbed a "pancake."
Apologies, Aya simply couldn't bring herself to call that thing anything related to food.
Even though they were all proper ingredients, why did they end up like this in Vivian's hands after processing?
Seeing Vivian confidently flipping her "pancake" once again, Aya couldn't help but cover her face. In all objectivity, whether it was controlling the heat or handling the knife, the Queen's skills were precise, as evident from the earlier grilled meat session.
But her taste judgment was disastrously off.
Aya had watched Vivian put together several completely unexpected ingredients on the grill, frying and blending them until they gradually took on the appearance of some biological experiment's creation from a secret laboratory.
No, no, no. Why did she think those things could work together for consumption?
"It's done!"
After placing the pancake on a plate with tongs, Vivian skillfully divided the round pancake into four parts and happily pushed three portions in front of the three guests.
Even Miss Tiran hesitated, as if she saw the resentful spirits of ingredients hovering over the pancake, ready to haunt her.
"Um... I'm actually quite full already..." Aya swallowed nervously, subconsciously leaning back against the seat.
"Huh? But I worked so hard on making this." Vivian sniffled a bit while covering her mouth and nose, "Even my husband and Brad praised my cooking skills. Aya doesn't like it? I see, looks like we're not meant to be family after all..."
"What? No, that's not what I meant!"
Aya quickly denied, waving her hands.
And cooking skills talent?
Miss Tiran took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and took a closer look at the "pancake" in front of her, or rather, the substance called a pancake.
No, she just couldn't accept that this thing could be called food. Were her father and brother mistakenly boosting her mother's confidence?
It wasn't like a dark dish, unappetizing due to cooking or flavors, but quite the opposite. On close inspection, the individual ingredients retained their original flavors perfectly.
But when mixed together, it turned into a nightmarish experience, not to mention the fresh and unique appearance reminiscent of a marsh monster or a slime.
"Ah~ Aya is the best," Vivian clasped her hands together over her chest, a contented smile on her face. "So, you'll definitely eat this, right?"
"Yes, yes! Aya will definitely eat it! And I'll take the one for me and Moros too, to cheer him on. It's all part of mom's love, right?"
Tiran's eyes lit up, swiftly picking up her and Miss Moros' pieces of pancake and placing them in front of Aya, before dragging Moros away before Aya could react.
"Tuna is now being served! Moros and I are queueing up first! Don't worry, I'll bring back your share!"
"Aww, such a considerate child. I'll allow you to eat them all, Aya~"
"Thank you very much..."
Aya knew that her smile right now was probably worse than crying.
But what could she do? Vivian didn't appear to be intentionally making it taste bad to test her—after all, making something this impressively awful required a certain talent.
And what was even more troublesome, how could she potentially shatter her mother-in-law's self-image by telling her bluntly that her cooking was terrible, especially after each time smiling and encouragingly eating her creations so far without fail, perpetuating the lie her husband and Brad had told her about her excellent cooking skills?
...It seemed as if she was still scoring herself right now.
The simplest and most brutal method would be to rely on Dragon's powerful digestive system and all-encompassing resistance and finish it in one go. However, unlike clearly harmful substances, Vivian's pancake belonged to the "unknown" category.
So, to eat or not to eat?
The hesitant dragon sank into deep contemplation.
"Aya, come on, eat up before it gets cold," Vivian urged, still looking expectantly, her delicate features and youthful gaze untouched by time despite being Tiran's mother.
Suddenly, Aya understood why the king, though capable of marrying several wives, chose to forgo it.
"Wait, are you implying I should feed you? Aya seems a bit greedy; I've only done that for my husband and the children."
"No, no, that's not what I meant!"
Aya picked up a fork, cut a small piece, hesitated after spearing it.
Oh, still hesitating.
"Such a troubled expression... Ah!"
Vivian chuckled knowingly.
Had she seen through it? Aya's reluctance to eat? Aya's heart plummeted again before being raised up once more by Vivian's words. Mimi had said that her emotions were always written on her face and easily deciphered, attributing it to their strong psychological intuition, but what if it was true?
"Aya must be struggling to decide what gift to give little Tiran. Haha, I've had a tough time with that too."
Gift? What gift?
"Okay, how about this, Aya? Why don't you help me prepare for Tiran's birthday party as a birthday gift?"
