Charlotte

I followed Mama to the kitchen, practically bouncing the entire way.

“Must you be so energetic?” Mikaela asked, kneading her forehead. “You’re drawing stares from the servants…”

“Pretty sure it’s the humans in our party pulling stares,” I pointed out, waving to a horned maid who was peeking at us from around a corner. She squeaked upon realizing she’d been spotted, and backed up in a hurry.

“Leave your sister be, Mikaela,” Mama scolded - gently, of course, with a smile on her lips. “She’s just excited to be home… though I do wish you wouldn’t tease the maids, Charlotte. They have a hard enough job working for me to begin with.”

“I bet they do,” Singh muttered, glaring at Mama. “They’re probably terrified of displeasing you.”

“Probably,” Mama confirmed, letting out a sad sigh. “Though, in truth, it’s Abigail whose displeasure they should fear. She can actually be quite critical of the maids, if she catches them slacking… Personally, I’d like it if they were a touch more comfortable with me… Alas, it seems my reputation as an unreasonable brat has yet to fade.”

“I think it’s perfectly normal for the help to be a little nervous around the literal queen of their entire species,” Mikaela remarked. Always quick to leap to Mama’s defense - though all it got her was a soft, sad smile.

“I suppose so… though, really, Abigail can be said to be the true Demon Queen these days. All I do is putter around making a mess of things…”

“That’s not true, Mama!” I protested. “You do lots of good stuff to support Mom and Dam in the background! Like prepping their lunches, and warming the bath for them before they get home, and making sure their favorite dishes are available when they’re in a bad mood, and all sorts of things!”

“Thank you, Charlotte,” Mama said, a faint smile on her face, “but we both know the servants could do all that and more without me. Of course, I know it makes a difference that it’s me - to them, at least - but I still can’t help but feel like I’m just getting in the way, sometimes…”

“Only because you’re way too hard on yourself,” Mikaela said, frowning.

“Yes, well… it seems we’ve arrived at the kitchen, haven’t we?” Saying so, she gestured to a door, hurrying on in without even waiting for an answer.

Mikaela and I shared a glance, before shaking our heads and following close behind.

“It’s pretty empty,” Singh remarked, glancing around. “I’m surprised you don’t have servants slaving away in here at all times of day.”

“Well, there’s usually someone here,” Mama admitted. “I suspect one of the maids heard we were coming, and got the room cleared for us. Hopefully out of thoughtfulness, and not fear, but…” She shrugged. “Well, regardless, I suppose it’s time I got cooking. Who wants fries?”

My hand shot up immediately. “With melted cheddar cheese and brown gravy please!”

“Honestly,” Mikaela murmured, clearly exasperated with me. “Can’t you just eat them with ketchup like a normal person?”

“Says the girl who salts her ketchup,” I teased back, sticking my tongue out at her.

“It’s the only way to ensure that every bite of fries has the right amount of salt!” she protested. “It’s not that weird… is it?”

“I’m not even sure what fries are,” Singh admitted. “Or ketchup. Still gonna go out on a limb and say it’s weird, though.”

“Not that weird,” Reckt of all people volunteered. “I’ve had fries at food festivals before - and ketchup. It’s a demon condiment made with tomatoes, right?”

“More or less,” Mama confirmed. “Though its true origin lies in another world altogether… but I wouldn’t want to dismiss Lenora’s struggle in recreating it here in Solla, either.”

“Other world?” Singh asked. “What do you mean other world?”

“A place called Earth,” she replied. “I have past life memories of living there…”

“Past life memories?” Singh pressed. “That’s possible?”

“Not usually…” Mama replied. “But with a goddess on your side and a brain built for eternity as an angel, I suppose anything is possible. Regardless, it seems we’ve set our first course - fries! To be followed by… Hmm… how about a protein? Burgers would likely suffice…”

“That sounds great, Mama!” I replied, backing up a few steps. Not because I didn’t wanna eat her cooking - Mama’s burgers were simple, but filling and good - but just because I sorta had an ulterior motive for agreeing to come back to the tower. “Um… I’m gonna go grab something from my room, okay?”

“If you’d like,” Mama replied, turning to me with a small smile on her lips. “Just be quick, if you don’t want the food to get cold.”

“Of course, Mama!” I replied, turning and practically sprinting out of the room. Not because I was afraid of the food getting cold, mind you - more like afraid of the food not having time to get cold before everyone else ate it!”

***

Mikaela

***

I watched Charlotte scuttle off with a frown - I could guess what she was going after, though as to why she hadn’t brought it with her in the first place I had no clue.

“Everything alright, honey?” Mama asked, turning her attention fully towards me.

“It’s fine,” I replied, forcing myself to smile at her. “Just mildly worried about Charlotte.”

“She isn’t getting herself into trouble out there, is she?” Mama asked, before shaking her head. “No - don’t tell me. I’m sure I’ll just end up wanting to interfere… this is meant to be your journey.”

“So does that mean you won’t help us if we mess it up?” I asked, hesitantly.

“Of course I will,” Mama replied, instantly. “But only if you ask. I think it’s important for you to take on the world yourself.”

“You think it’s important, or Dam does?” I all but accused her, narrowing my eyes.

“Both of us,” she replied, meeting my gaze. “Though I’ll admit, your dam would have me be a bit tougher about it… but in the end, we both agree - so long as nothing in this world can harm you, there’s no reason for me not to let you be.”

“What if we cause trouble?” I asked, unable to help myself. “Like big, diplomatic trouble?”

“Well, for one thing, I trust you not to do that,” Mama replied, a small smile on her lips. “And for another, I trust you to get it under control should the worst come to worst. But if needs must, know your Mom is always willing to help with diplomacy.”

“What about you?” I asked, the words again slipping out before I could stop them. I knew what Mama would say even before she said it. I could see it in the way her lips twisted, and her eyes moved down.

“I can’t see any way I could possibly help you,” she confessed. “It’s true that I have access to divine magic - for all that I’m loathe to use it - but if it’s a problem that can be resolved through sheer power, I suspect you’ll have more than enough to work with without me. Your Mom and Dam would be better for any situation I can imagine.”

“But what if I wanted your help in particular?” I asked, not quite knowing why. “What if I wanted you to be there for me?”

“I’ll always be there for you,” she replied, her voice soft. “Even once I’m no longer fit to remain on the mortal plane, I’ll make an avatar if I must. But what brings this on? You’re not doubting my love for you, are you?”

I shook my head quickly, wanting to dispose of that notion before it could take root. “No, I just… I know you’d call our other parents the more accomplished, but… you’re the one who’s always been there for us all our lives.”

“Only because I have less to do than your other parents. It’s not as if they love you less, or wished to spend less time with you.”

“I know,” I hurriedly confirmed. “I know they love us. And always made time for us. But… I guess, I’m something of a Mama’s girl in the end…”

“Is that so?” Mama asked, and I could see the warmth in her gaze as she looked at me. “You know, your friends might tease you for saying so.”

“I cast a privacy barrier,” I admitted, glancing over to Reckt and Singh. The latter was glaring at us, clearly trying to make out what we were saying, while the latter was looking around uncomfortably. “I suppose that doesn’t make me the best host…”

“No,” Mama confirmed, with a faint smile, “but I can forgive it just this once. But do take it down, won’t you? I want to enlist the aid of your friends.”

“Enlist their aid?” I parroted back at her. “What could they possibly do that you can’t?”

“Nothing. But what’s the point in us all being in the kitchen together if we’re not all going to contribute to it, hmm? It’ll make the food much tastier, too, I promise you.”

“Is that… some sort of metaphor?” I asked, frowning at Mama.

“If you want it to be. It’s also quite literal, though - I find that making one’s own burgers to their own specifications leads to a better meal in the end than leaving it to a chef to guess what you wish for. Especially since I learned that the maids and cooks don’t share my perfect memory. Did you know I used to give orders like ‘the exact same size as the steak you served last Tuesday, but at the doneness of the one served three months ago, and with the same amount of salt as the one you first made me’? And then I’d get all upset when the servants delivered me something ‘completely different.’ As if they could be expected to remember my orders well enough to convey it to the poor chef I asked to make it.”

“Dam told me,” I admitted. She’d also told me that Mama cried when she realized that not everyone had her perfect memory, and that the servants hadn’t been trying to sleight her all along… but I didn’t think Mama would appreciate me bringing that up right now.

“You know, I’m still not sure how long she actually served as a maid, before I noticed her,” Mama admitted. “I can look back through my memories, of course, but I never paid enough attention to anyone else back then…”

“You’ve changed a lot, Mama.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Mama murmured, before shaking her head. “But enough. For real. Drop the barrier, and we’ll go collect your friends for food.”

I nodded, letting the spell I’d surreptitiously cast drop and turning towards my… friends? “Who’s ready for burgers?”

“I’m more interested in that private conversation you were having,” Singh replied, narrowing her eyes. “Plotting to cook and eat us or something?”

“Hardly,” I said, glaring right back at her.

“For one thing,” Mama volunteered, “your meat would be much too stringy.”

Even Reckt flinched at that, and I had to fight the urge not to roll my eyes. “Not helping, Mama!”

“No, I imagine not,” she admitted. “But I don’t think yelling at your companion there will make me seem less a monster in her eyes.”

“Then… what do I do, instead?” I asked, pleadingly.

Mama blinked at me, likely not having expected me to take it so seriously. I hadn’t expected myself to take it so seriously, really. 

I just hated the way people treated her.

“Well…” Mama said, seeming to think for a long moment. “I suppose the best start is the one I already planned on - let’s get busy making dinner.”

I wanted to complain - to say that wasn’t enough, and that we needed to do more to change people’s minds, both amongst demons and humans, but… Well, it was at that moment that Reckt’s stomach let out a rumble.

“Fine,” I muttered. “Let’s.”

~~~

Author's Notes

Well, this one's been a long time coming... I had some serious writer's block, but in the end I decided that the best way through it was just to write and see what came out. Hope you like the end result?

Next up is more My Own Villainess - because of course it is - but after that.... Maybe some more My Oni Love? Get the buffer back up to two chapters, so that I can start releasing new ones to the public again? And then... Well, more MOV probably, but I guess we'll see when we get there.