Reject Elora's demand?
This was a task?
Mira blinked. For a moment she thought Stella was joking.
This was too easy.
Too simple.
This was something she would've done without being told twice. In fact, she had already planned to refuse Elora even before the task appeared. Now she would get rewarded for it?
Beautiful.
Truly beautiful.
She turned slowly, lips curling up as she faced Elora.
"And why do you think I'd do that?"
Elora's temper snapped instantly. Her fake sweet expression shattered like thin glass.
"You—! It's because I said so!! How dare you question me—"
Then she noticed the rest of the hunting team watching.
She froze, schooled her face, and quickly replaced her anger with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Sister, what I mean is… we barely got anything. This won't even be enough feast for us and those at home. While yours is more than enough for you. So it wouldn't be bad to share. Am I right, everyone?"
She turned to the others.
They nodded like scared chickens.
"Yes."
"She's right."
"Mira, don't be a greedy bitch."
Elora felt satisfaction bloom in her chest.
Cornered. Mira was cornered.
She had no choice but to obey.
But instead of surrendering, Mira laughed.
A cold, sharp, mocking laugh that made Elora freeze on the spot.
"Well," Mira said calmly, "you all must be fools to think I'd give Elora my hard-earned fishes because of your little stupid statements."
"You—!!" Elora's fists tightened so hard her knuckles whitened.
She couldn't believe this was the same Mira she used to bully.
What happened? Ever since Mira woke from coma, she'd been challenging her at every turn.
"M-Mira, don't be like this…"
"Don't be like this?" Mira raised a brow. "If the situation was reversed, would you give your fishes to me? No! Never. So you have no right to demand mine. Don't forget— I barely had anything to eat because you all were too greedy to share with me. So what's the issue now?"
Elora bit her lip. "What you're saying isn't true! And you know you're actually refusing the demand of the chef. If I were you, I'd give it to her. Unless you want your food uncooked."
Right then, one of the chefs overheard and jumped in eagerly.
"Come to think of it, yes. If you don't obey Elora, don't expect us to cook anything for you."
The second one nodded.
They all expected Mira to crumble now.
But she didn't.
She smiled.
"Well, I wasn't going to let you cook it anyway. First of all, your cooking skills are poor. Second, how am I sure you won't poison me?"
Without waiting for their reactions, Mira turned around and walked away, leaving behind shocked and furious faces.
---
By the time she got home, she was starving.
She had to wait for the others to arrive and finish cooking first, since she refused to let the chefs touch her food.
By the time it was her turn… if she didn't eat in the next few minutes, she would genuinely faint.
She entered the kitchen and took a look around.
In this beast world, there wasn't much to cooking.
It was basically roast-and-eat or boil-and-eat.
"Arghhh… so this is it? No seasoning, no spices, nothing?" She sighed. "The food in my real world was so good…"
But she shook the thought off quickly.
She wouldn't be here forever.
She would definitely return home.
So for now, she had to endure.
Still… there was a problem.
A very big one.
She didn't actually know how to cook.
Everything she said earlier was just her bragging.
"Stella… this can't be that hard, right? It's just fish."
[Host, it's not hard for people with basic cooking skills. But for you… I'm not sure.]
"Are you here to help me or insult me? Either teach me or stay quiet."
[…Fine. I'll help, Host.]
"Good. Hurry up before I faint."
Stella started explaining patiently.
[It's simple. You can roast the fish directly, or boil it slightly first then roast it so it softens. Start by cleaning the fish. Remove the scales. Open the belly. Rinse it. Then put it over the fire and turn it slowly until the colour changes. That's all.]
Mira followed step by step.
She washed the fishes, cleaned them out, sliced their bellies open the way Stella instructed, then set them over the fire. She roasted them one after another, turning them until they looked golden and well-cooked.
By the time she was done, twelve perfectly roasted fishes sat on her plate, steaming and fresh.
Mira placed her hands on her hips proudly.
"Wow, Mira… who said you're not a pro chef? Look at this. This looks so yummy!"
[Host, don't rejoice yet. How are you sure they taste as good as they look?]
"You bitch— let me have my glory!"
Stella snorted in her mind but kept quiet.
Mira gathered her entire feast and headed for her room. She took a few steps… then paused.
There were two routes to her room:
One – the quiet, short passage from the kitchen straight to her door.
Two – the longer route… passing right through the dining area, where her entire family was currently eating their tiny portions of food.
She didn't need to think twice.
Who said a little show-off was bad?