Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1347: Is it followed by defeat?

Warm light from the kitchen streamed through the glass windows, illuminating the dining table covered with a thick, off-white linen tablecloth. A mouthwatering, comforting aroma filled the air—another ordinary night at the Fairy Sleep Inn.

Tonight's dinner main course is an extra-large roast beef, served in a dark ceramic baking dish. The skin is roasted to a golden-brown, crispy perfection, with an enticing caramelized edge. It's been carefully sliced ​​open to reveal a perfectly appealing pink interior, with honey-colored juices slowly seeping out and soaking the bottom of the dish. Next to the roast beef are several plump Shackshire puddings, standing proudly like little bowls, their crispy exteriors and fluffy, soft interiors eagerly awaiting the sweet meat juices.

In addition, there is a whole roasted potato, braised pork knuckle with a secret sauce made by the traveler fairy, stew made with carrots, turnips, nutmeg and black pepper powder, steaming cream soup, and white bread and jam to accompany the main course.

Thanks to the proprietress's superb culinary skills, this sumptuous meal would be no less impressive even if it were served on the table of a noble family in the Kingdom of Britta. Unfortunately, if the person enjoying the food is not focused on it, then no matter how delicious the food is, it will just taste like chewing wax.
Alice propped her cheek with one hand, resting her chin on her palm, a few strands of golden hair falling onto the tablecloth. With the other hand, she held a fork, listlessly picking at the roast beef on her plate, seemingly refusing to eat properly. Ietta stared at her stew for a long time, the spoon hovering above it, seemingly struggling with where to begin. Lorena elegantly spread jam on white bread, her slender fingers holding a small silver spoon, layering the deep purple jam onto the soft bread slices—a potentially lethal amount that would deter even a sweet tooth. Leticia did eat, but when you saw her unhesitatingly devour the carrots and turnips she usually disliked, you realized her mind was no longer on the table.

The only person—or rather, creature—unaffected was probably the little lamb. After being brought back by Ling Ge, it suddenly smelled the aroma of food wafting from the table and seemed to belatedly realize that it hadn't eaten for three days and three nights. However, as long as it still had an appetite, it wasn't too late to eat, so it began to devour its food without a care in the world, its gluttonous appearance no different from usual. When the landlady, Siesta, went over to offer it its favorite apple, the little lamb warily dodged it.

It hasn't forgotten what happened last time.

The same woman, again offering it an apple, told it that if it ate the apple obediently, its owner would praise it when they returned. The lamb believed her and did as she said. But its owner never returned, and naturally, there was no praise. The clever lamb quickly realized that the woman was lying!
She'd even cheat a sheep! What a despicable creature! Even though she's my master's good friend, I will never forgive her!
Yes, I won't forgive her for at least this week!
Meeting the lamb's wary yet accusing gaze, Siesta smiled helplessly, gently placed the apple beside it, and turned to leave without offering any explanation. Because in a moment like this, explaining would be tantamount to covering it up, wouldn't it?

Having driven away the despicable liar, the lamb, thinking itself victorious, smugly enjoyed its dinner.

Unlike the innocent and carefree little lamb, Ovira found it difficult to adapt to the current atmosphere. Perhaps it was because she had spent too long in the dark and deserted ancient castle deep in the mountains, and her soul had gradually become accustomed to solitude, that Princess Beman always longed for lively occasions, and was more sensitive than ordinary people to repressed emotions. In her memory, the Fairy Deep Sleep Inn was always so warm and cozy, full of laughter and fun. Even if they encountered some difficult situations or something bad happened, the sadness would not last long, and everyone would quickly cheer up and work together towards a common goal.

She really liked that atmosphere.

But as soon as one person was gone, everything changed dramatically, faster than anyone could have imagined. Before Ovira could even react, the hotel had become what it is today.

If that person were still alive, things wouldn't be like this, right?

To her, this was just a very, very small problem, and there were many ways to solve it. She would cast a gentle yet stern look at Alice, warning her not to treat food like a toy. The blonde maid, who was always terrified of such a thing, would surely be startled, then sit up straight and try her best to appear obedient. She would gently tap on the rim of Ietta's bowl, using her experience to tell her which soft turnip was the best place to start, or simply cut a small piece for her with a fork, making the angel blush while also feeling a sense of dependence. While everyone was scrambling for the most delicious roast meat, she would silently spread jam on their soft white bread, the different portions often catering to each person's preference for sweetness. She would take the place of the Countess, teaching Leticia not to be picky eaters and to eat properly, but she wouldn't force her to finish it all. Even if the little bat only reluctantly took a small bite out of desperation, she would never be stingy with her praise and approval…

She possesses a magical power that can unconsciously bring the diverse, sometimes eccentric, and often lost-in-the-world girls in the hotel back on track. No one demands that she do this, but she simply has that sense of responsibility and mission, regarding the identity of "older sister" as her most precious treasure. Her very existence is like a warm ray of light, not blazing or dazzling, but enough to dispel the gloom in the corners, restore order to chaos, and gently relax the tense atmosphere.

pity……

Ovira sighed silently, her fingertips unconsciously twirling the fork, the silver handle leaving a cool touch on her fingers. She looked at the lavish yet subtly distant table before her, at her companions' absent-mindedness, at the little lamb's satisfied feast, and then at the window—Siesta stood quietly there, her back to everyone, wiping the already gleaming counter, her slender figure casting a slightly lonely arc in the lamplight.

The proprietress's superb culinary skills can conquer even the most discerning palate, but they cannot bridge the gap that has quietly widened due to one person's absence.

Unfortunately, that was something only she could do.

On this cloud whale island, travelers with diverse personalities gather together, moving towards a common goal. Each person has their own unique and irreplaceable qualities. Just like the little lamb stubbornly waiting for its owner who will never return, refusing to eat or drink for three days and three nights, when everyone's repeated attempts to persuade it failed, they naturally turned their hopeful gaze to the young man, believing that he could surely convince the lamb to return to the inn, because "only Linger can do this."

Therefore, when faced with insurmountable dangers or invincible enemies, everyone naturally expects the genius player to step forward and use the magical game console and cartridges to help them overcome the difficulties, because "only Alice can do this"; when faced with problems that cannot be solved by force, or when imagination is required, everyone naturally expects Rorona to perform and bring them surprises with alchemy, because "only Rorona can do this".

That's how the world works; everyone agrees on what's best for them, working together seamlessly and using their strengths to help the team move forward. Ovira certainly possessed this strength. Whenever the team needed to uncover ancient secrets or search for valuable information, she was the first person they thought of, because "only Ovira can do this." Princess Beman often basked in this feeling of being needed, deeply proud of her unique contribution to the team, but she never considered what would happen if this "needed person" suddenly left one day. Who could replace her?
If no one can replace them, isn't this seemingly indestructible team quite fragile?
The closer the bond, the more painful it must be when it's torn apart, right?
Humans cannot see the future; even wizards and astrologers who attempt to grasp fate can only offer vague prophecies. And how could mortals, unable to see the future, have contemplated such cruel questions?
Questions that I had never considered before are now before me.

How can we mitigate the impact of that person's departure?

Ovira slowly tightened her grip on the fork in her hand, her lips slightly pursed, as if she had made an important decision.

She no longer wanted to do "things only Ovira could do," and she also wanted to do things "things Ovira couldn't do before." She couldn't do them before, but now she could, right? Or rather, she had no choice but to do them. Because after Xia-jie left, she was everyone's older sister. As an older sister, how could she appear so dejected and make everyone feel even worse? If Xia-jie saw her like that, she would definitely shake her head and say to herself: This isn't a proper older sister.

Driven by this thought, over the past three days, Ovira didn't become depressed and dejected like the others. Instead, she tried to help everyone cheer up through her actions. But encouragement alone wasn't enough. For this team, Xia's role was much more than that. Like Lin Ge, she was the backbone of the team, in other words, the one who led everyone from the front.

I need to become that kind of person myself!

Princess Beman made up her mind at this moment.

She took a deep breath, then suddenly slammed her hand on the table and stood up. Perhaps because she was too emotional, she didn't control her strength, and it made a loud bang, causing the tableware on the table to shake twice. The cups and plates clattered, and the soup in the bowls rippled, startling everyone. Alice, who was playing with her fork, shuddered, her hand trembling so much that she almost stabbed her own arm. She couldn't help but look up and glare angrily at the culprit.

Ovira ignored her, not even glancing at Alice. Her heart was pounding, and her cheeks were slightly flushed from her earlier actions. She looked around, her gaze lingering on everyone for a moment: on Ieta's bewildered eyes, on Rorona's jam-stained lips, on Leticia's lips still stained with carrot bits, on Siesta's slightly turned back at the sound of her voice… Finally, her gaze settled on the young man, and she asked bluntly, "Linger, what should we do next?"

The young man had been quietly eating his dinner, his expression unchanged, as if everything around him was irrelevant. Suddenly hearing Ovira call his name, he paused, seemingly a beat slow to react, and looked up to ask, "What's next?"

“Yes, now that the war is over, shouldn’t we decide on our next destination?” Ovira spoke faster, trying to use logic to mask her nervousness. “We can’t just stay here forever, can we? Although it’s not all bad, I think it’s safer to leave as soon as possible. After all, the Witch Society will definitely receive the news soon after the Dark Witch and Sister Xia died together. If they mobilize their army to block our way, it will be too late to leave then… Ah…”

Unbeknownst to her, an eerie silence fell over the surroundings. Ovira, who had been speaking fluently, suddenly stopped abruptly, as if she had choked on something. The words she hadn't yet uttered stuck in her throat, unable to come out. A few beads of cold sweat quietly appeared on her forehead, because she suddenly realized that she seemed to have used a word that absolutely should not have been mentioned in her speech.

Bringing up that incident at this time is like reopening old wounds and rubbing salt into them.
Even the little lamb, who was engrossed in its meal, raised its head and stared at Princess Bemang with hostile eyes. It looked as angry as a hedgehog. If its cheeks weren't bulging with food, it would have definitely breathed out a flame to teach Ovira a lesson.

But it doesn't actually breathe fire, and Ovira realized how foolish she had been.

Oh no, oh no, why did I say those things without thinking?

This is going to be a disaster before it even starts!

Can I really... really be like Sister Xia, becoming everyone's backbone and the leader of the team?

At this moment, Her Highness was filled with deep regret and frustration.

Give me some cats