Big Family Meal.

It's what Varian wished for.

So, it happened.

In a quiet garden with beautiful greenery and rows of flowers, they sat around an exquisite dining table filled with carefully prepared food.

"No, no, brother! I can't eat this!"

Seated beside Varian, Primula kicked her short legs and pushed away the veggies.

"No, you should eat them. They are good for your health." Varian picked a few with her small spoon and brougth it to her little mouth.

Primula looked at him with teary eyes and bit the spoon with vengeance.

"Come on, swallow!" Varian pushed the spoon gently.

"No." Primula shook her head to and fro.

"If you don't eat veggies, you'll not get the pastry Hazel made." Varian threatened.

"…"

Primula swallowed the veggies and closed her mouth immediately.

"Don't use your powers or it'll be invalid."

Primula chewed the veggies while she glaring at him, as if she wanted to bite him.

After she ate a few more mouthfuls, Varian nodded in satisfaction.

Primula lowered her head and muttered. "Lies! Why would I need to eat anything to grow up? I know I'm very, very powerful."

"Ahem, ahem."

"Brother, you just want me to go through the suffering you went through in childhood, right?"

Varian coughed and gestured to Hazel. The maid picked up his signal and greeted the little girl with a tray of pretty pastries.

"Aaaah~" Primula's eyes lit up and she forgot about her bad brother. "Hazel, I love you!"

'Why is the little girl so clever at times like this?' Varian wondered as she watched her gobble up pastries.

Thinking back, his mother was very strict with his food when he was younger. As his younger sister, he felt that Primula should share a part of his suffering.

'Alas, kids these days are too spoiled.'

Varian sighed until a mix of familiar aromas reached his senses.

When he checked the dining table, there were a dozen or so familiar dishes from his childhood.

All of them his favorite. They smelled and looked exactly the same.

"Please eat well~ Master~" Hazel bowed with a smile.

Varian nodded lightly but his hand already reached for the soup.

Was it hunger? Was it nostalgia? Was it the taste?

He didn't know, but he couldn't stop eating.

If there's really a heaven, then the food served here must be like this.

"Look at him! Stuffing himself like a pig while you're malnourished! Daughter, why did you marry this heartless man?" On his opposite, Evander said in a tragic voice while pointing at Varian with a disgusted expression.

"Nom! Nom! Nom!"

Without even bothering with Evadner's words, Varian kept stuffing himself.

"See, he doesn't even care! You've gotten so thin!" The old father served his daughter her favorite dishes with a worried gaze.

"Dad, it's fine. I don't need to eat anything. And I haven't gotten thinner or fatter. This is how I've always looked." Sarah sighed with a helpless expression.

"No, no! You should eat more. If you're thin, how will your baby be healthy?" Evander kept filling her plate.

"…"

Sarah didn't want to argue anymore.

She was too tired after everything and was now just happy to have a relaxed meal with everyone.

She's truly happy and relieved.

Unlike a certain someone.

"58! 59! 60!"

Helena was sweating profusely as she finished the next set of sit ups. With all her powers restricted and a mysterious pressure that definitely didn't come from a certain someone, doing three such sets was already her limit.

"Q-Queen, this is it. I can't do it anymore."

Helena slumped to the ground and panted heavily.

"Why?" Sia had a vengeful smile on her face and her gaze shifted to the matriarch's chest. "Weren't you were very proud? Saying that I was jealous of you? Hm?"

"…"

Helena quietly turned to Varian for help.

"Why are you stopping? Do another set. It's good for your health, old lady~. Or do you want to do push ups? Your fat will be a bit of burden, but it's fine, old lady~"

Matriarch Helena wanted to slap herself. Why did she let her tongue slip that time?

Noticing the regret on the maid's face, Varian sighed and said. "Sia, are the servings of your special pie over already?"

Sia's vengeful expression vanished instantly and a sweet smile formed. "Ehh? You ate everything? Ehehe, I'll go make more for you."

It's been so long since they had a meal like this. Sia decided not to waste time on the maid.

"Come help me in the cooking." Instructing Helena, she hopped off to the kitchen in excitement.

Varian sighed in relief after settling the issue.

"Huh?"

Isadora, resting her chin on her palm was staring at him with a smile.

"What?"

The princess shook her head with a smile and looked at him intently.

"Want some?"

Varian pushed his plate forward.

Isadora shook her head.

"…Okay?"

He continued eating.

'He looks so happy! He was so mature back in Paradise and now he's so carefree. Even after facing so much pain, he remained strong. Yes, that's my man. No one else is worthy.'

Isadora enjoyed watching him eat.

'Something is definitely going on between the two.'

Miss Calamity looked between her senior sister and brother-in-law.

'Why is she smiling like a fool?'

In her memory, Isadora was the aloof princess, the genius who would look even a king in the eye and not bat an eyelid.

As she grew up and realized the brutality of this world, she rarely smiled like this.

'Do all people in love become idiots?' Miss Calamity decided to never step into that mine. 'Well, it's not like I have that luxury anyway. When the time comes, mother will…'

As she thought about her inevitable end, Varian's words flashed in her mind.

'Maybe he can really…'

"Nom, nom, nom."

It's hard to imagine the man who gave such a solemn promise was the same person who's behaving like a glutton.

Aurora's lips twitched.

'I better not have any hopes.'

"Enigma, why aren't you eating anything?" Varian wiped his mouth and asked in confusion.

"Well, I…don't know. Food still feels weird to me. I never had to eat, nutrition pills were enough. As a divine ranker, I..."

Varian's expression softened and he gestured her toward him.

Space fluctuated and she appeared on his lap.

"Ah?!" Enigma opened her mouth in surprise for the intimate posture in front of everyone.

"That's right." Varian fed her a sweet and sour soup. "Is it tasty?"

Enigma looked at him in a trance before nodding slowly. "Hmmm."

"Then say Aaa!"

Enigma felt embarassed the sudden stares she was attracting and her face turned red.

She tried to move away but Varian placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer.

"Say aaa~"

Biting her lip, Enigma opened her mouth. "Aaa~"

Next was a piece of tenderly cooked meat.

"Tasty?"

"I like it."

"Then let's try this next, say aaa~"

"Aaa~"

For the next ten minutes, Enigma opened her mouth like a child and was fed with utmost care.

Only then did she understand what it really felt like to be fed. And Varian still ate even though he no longer needed to.

Food stopped being about sustenance for him a long time ago.

But it remained important. It was a sweet reminder of the days that could no longer be lived. It was a form of affection showered on him by the person who made it.

"And this is our famous desert. Take one bite and then slowly savor its taste. Oops, some cream spilled out."

When she finished her last dish, Varian carefully rubbed her mouth with a napkin and patted her on the head.

"Good girl."

Enigma shook.

Was it because this was the same thing she dreamed of for many years when she saw him and Sia eating together?

No, this was even better than that!

This wasn't the affection meant for Sia that she's experiencing. This affection was solely meant for her.

He's showering her with love and care that she didn't even dare to dream of.

Enigma didn't know why but she had a strong urge to hug him at that moment. But she couldn't get the courage to do it. Not in front of everyone. Not in her emotional state.

So she was pleasantly surprised when Varian pulled her into a warm embrace. Rubbing her back gently, as if trying to soothe the bubbling emotions in her heart, he whispered.

"You should feed me next time, okay?"

Enigma nodded, rubbing her face against his chest and taking in his warmth.

A few seconds later, Varian realized there was a still silence in the air.

Looking around, he realized that everyone was looking at him with a burning look.