Chapter 799: Masterchef Julie
Meanwhile, Carmela’s attention was caught by the sight of Vivi at a shooting stall.
Despite her petite figure, the little therapist was holding a rifle with the ease of a seasoned marksman.
A crowd of little children surrounded her, their eyes wide with anticipation.
"Which one do you want, Emma?" Vivi asked, her voice patient.
A little girl pointed at a large teddy bear. "I want that one! I want that teddy bear!"
Vivi nodded, raised the rifle, and fired.
BANG!
The shot hit the bullseye perfectly!
She turned to another child.
"What about you, Cassie? Which one do you want?"
A little boy pointed at a toy robot. "I want that, big sis! I want that!"
BANG! Another perfect shot!
"The lion doll!"
BANG!
"The tea-set!"
BANG!
"That magic set!"
BANG!
"The toy sword!"
BANG!
"The big elephant!"
BANG!
One by one, Vivi shot each target with flawless precision. The children cheered with every hit, their little faces filled with wonder and adoration.
DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!
The shopkeeper stared at the bells ringing above his stall, utterly stunned. He slowly turned to Vivi, his mouth agape.
"You...You did it, my lady." He stammered. "You won everything. A flawless shooting!"
Immediately, all the toys and dolls hanging above the stall came raining down. The children squealed with delight, rushing forward to grab their prizes.
"Thank you, big sis!"
"Thank you so much!"
"We love you!"
Vivi’s small chest swelled with pride.
The entire night, she’d been showing off her competitive spirit, mastering every single stall she encountered.
No matter how difficult the game, she’d tackle it again and again until she won.
She’d become a one-woman demolition crew, determined to conquer the carnival games and prove herself queen of the festival.
And now, with her prizes distributed and her adoring fan base secured, she moved on to the next stall.
A stampede of little children followed right behind her, their laughter echoing through the night.
Carmela shook her head, a fond smile on her face.
"With that sort of charisma...she might as well raise an army in the future."
—
Nala had become a living attraction.
Her massive snake tail slithered through the festival grounds, but it wasn’t empty.
Dozens of children were riding on it like it was the most natural thing in the world. T
hey giggled and squealed with delight as Nala moved through the crowd.
"Choo choo!" Nala called out in a singsong voice. "Chugga chugga chugga chugga choo choo!"
"All aboard the Nala Express!"
The children echoed her, making train noises with joyful abandon.
When Nala noticed a little girl watching with obvious longing, she parked right beside her.
"Little one, do you want to ride the Nala Express?"
The girl nodded frantically. "I do, big sis! I really do!"
Nala’s expression turned mock-serious.
"But you know, you can’t ride for free. The Nala Express requires payment."
The girl’s face fell. "But I don’t have any money!"
She tugged at her mother’s skirt. "Mama, please give me coins! I don’t want my birthday gift next month—I just want to ride!"
Nala flicked the girl’s forehead gently.
"Silly little girl. The Nala Express doesn’t accept coins. It accepts kisses from cute little girls!"
The girl’s eyes burned brightly.
"So what do you say?" Nala leaned down. "Are you willing to give your big sis some kisses?"
The girl’s face lit up. "Yes!" She launched forward, peppering Nala’s cheeks with enthusiastic kisses.
Nala giggled. "Alright, you’re on! Make room, everyone—our next passenger is boarding!"
The children shifted, creating space for the new arrival. The girl settled onto Nala’s cool, scaly tail, and soon the Nala Express was off again.
"Next stop, the castle!" Nala called out. "Chugga chugga chugga chugga!"
The children echoed the train sounds, though none of them understood what a train actually was. They just knew it was fun.
Joy watched the spectacle and felt an unexpected pang of jealousy.
Nala had offered her rides before, and she’d always refused with contempt.
But seeing the children having so much fun...maybe she’d accept next time.
’Maybe.’ She thought begrudgingly. ’Just maybe.’
—
Portia was at the bull-riding machine.
But she wasn’t riding it the normal way—no, that was apparently too easy for her.
She was standing on top of the bull!
The machine thrashed wildly, bucking and spinning with all its mechanical might.
But Portia remained perfectly balanced, her arms crossed, her expression calm and composed. Not a single hair on her head was out of place.
The crowd cheered wildly, completely awestruck by her display of skill and grace.
Even the men in the audience, who should have been distracted by the way her massive breasts jiggled and spilled against her dress were instead just staring at her like she was some kind of idol.
She was just too cool, too impressive to objectify.
One man shouted. "Is she even human?!"
Another called out. "She’s incredible!"
Portia simply smiled serenely, feeling quite proud that she was keeping up her young master’s name.
—
Aqua was also there, but she wasn’t participating in any of the festival activities.
No, she was creating activities!
She’d stationed herself in an open area and was launching spells into the sky, creating her own artificial fireworks display.
The sky above the festival was lit up with brilliant colors—crimson and gold, sapphire and emerald.
"Blue flower fireworks!" She shouted happily as a massive blue bloom burst overhead.
"Green dragon fireworks!"
Another explosion, this one shaped like a serpent.
"Yellow...um...yellow something fireworks!"
She shrugged, not bothering to finish the naming, and continued launching spell after spell.
The sky had never looked so beautiful, and the crowd was absolutely captivated.
"Cassius!" Aqua called out when she spotted him. "Look! I made your face in the sky!"
She shot off a spell that exploded into a massive, grinning visage of Cassius, complete with his trademark smirk.
"It looks like a potato!" Nala shouted from across the grounds.
"It does not!" Aqua protested, pouting. "It’s a perfect likeness to my brother!"
The children riding Nala just laughed, enjoying the show.
—
Maria was enjoying the festival too—though she was taking a much more relaxed approach.
The older woman sat atop one of the carousel animals, a gentle smile on her face as the ride slowly spun in circles.
It was a far cry from the terrifying rides that Diana was enjoying. But Maria had always preferred the gentle, soft-hearted activities.
The scarier rides terrified her, and she’d already proven her clumsiness at the games—she’d accidentally knocked over three stalls and almost set one on fire.
The carousel was safe. The carousel was peaceful.
And she wasn’t alone.
All the sisters from the church had joined her, riding the carousel alongside her. They laughed and chatted, their faces filled with joy.
The sight was so wholesome, so peaceful, that Joy couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing the nuns, who were normally so serious and dignified laughing like children was heartwarming.
—
Just then, Lucius’s voice rang out across the festival grounds.
"Come along now! Bring those packages! They need to be near the stall over there!"
Joy turned to see the tiny butler, still in his adorable outfit, marching through the crowd with purpose.
Behind him, a group of knights were carrying boxes, their expressions thoroughly put-upon.
"Lucius, this is too much!" Avery, complained loudly.
"We’re supposed to be enjoying the festival, and here you are making us work! It’s so unfair!"
Lucius spun around to face her, his glare sharp enough to make grown men tremble.
"You had plenty of fun yesterday. So much fun, in fact, that you started fighting with each other and broke several tables."
The female knights all looked down in shame.
"As punishment." Lucius continued. "You’re following me around to make sure everything runs smoothly."
His expression softened into one of pure devotion.
"After all, this is the paradise that the Young Master has built. As his beloved butler, it’s my duty to ensure everything operates perfectly!"
He turned back and marched forward.
"Now come along! We still have work to do!"
The knights groaned and moaned, but none of them dared to defy the butler.
Even though he looked cute and harmless, everyone knew that when Lucius got serious, he was downright terrifying.
Even Carmela who watched the exchange made a mental note: Never cross that butler. Ever.
—
And then Joy spotted the most shocking sight of all.
Julie, the woman who had once been banned from every kitchen in the capital was standing behind a food stall, wearing a chef’s apron and hat.
A massive skillet sat in front of her, and she was expertly tossing vegetables, meat, and noodles in the air.
And shockingly, the stall had a massive crowd in front of it, with people waiting in a long, winding line!
Julie was sweating slightly, but she looked utterly content as she moved with practiced efficiency.
Isabelle was by her side, helping with prep work and assisting where she could.
"Sorry about this, Isabelle." Julie said, wiping sweat from her brow. "You should be out enjoying the festival, but instead you’re stuck here helping me."
Isabelle shook her head gently. "It’s quite alright, Julie. I’m just glad to see how much your cooking has improved." She gestured at the crowd. "Look at all these people waiting for your food."
Julie’s eyes shimmered with emotion.
"I honestly didn’t expect this. I just wanted to prove I could cook—to show everyone my skills had improved. I would have been satisfied with even one customer." She laughed softly. "But this..."
Her expression softened. "It’s all because of Cassius. Without him, I’d still be the helpless girl who could burn water and turn toast into charcoal."
The moment Cassius’s name was mentioned, Isabelle’s entire demeanor changed.
She puffed out her chest, her magnificent breasts straining against her apron, and declared proudly,
"My Young Master is capable of anything! With him by your side, nothing is impossible!"
Her devotion to Cassius could only he rivalled by Lucious himself.
Julie just shook her head with a fond smile before calling out.
"Order number 242! Spicy pork noodles, ready!"
"Order 242, come get your noodles!"
"Order 31! Chicken fried rice, ready!"
"Order 31, come get your rice!"
—
Seeing this sight, Joy was completely stunned.
"I...I once saw Julie almost poison a royal banquet when she invited everyone to taste a dish in the past"
She said slowly.
"The Empress almost died."
Carmela nodded. "I heard about that. The whole capital knows Julie’s reputation as a terrible cook."
"The Alchemist Guild even contacted her since their poisons weren’t as affecting as her cooking."
"And now..." Joy stared at the crowd. "She’s...She’s actually good."
Cassius chuckled. "People can change, Joy. They can grow. They can become better versions of themselves."
He pulled both women closer. "Isn’t that what tonight is all about?"
Joy and Carmela looked at each other.
Then they looked at the festival around them—their family, their happiness, their future.
"Yeah." Joy said softly. "I suppose it is."
And for the first time in years, the lingering darkness in her heart felt completely swept away, replaced by something warm and wonderful.
Hope...
Hope for a beautiful, wonderful future.
