By the time Kaguya returned to the capital, it was already evening.
If Kaguya remembered correctly, these two were the first to meet their demise in "Akame ga Kill," and both deaths were quite tragic.
"Come, join us," the male host said kindly to Kaguya. "You must be hungry by now."
"Let's eat first. But why are you wearing a hood?" the female host asked curiously.
"Please make yourself at home," Aria said with a smile. "There's no need to be shy, and wearing that must be uncomfortable."
Kaguya smiled and said nothing, removing the hood from her head.
The room suddenly fell silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Aria's smile froze instantly.
Everyone else in the room was also staring at Kaguya, their faces showing expressions of shock, and Ieyasu gazed at Kaguya with a blank stare.
Her silver hair fell to her waist like mist and a waterfall, and her skin was like fine jade. Her eyebrows were curved, her lashes fluttered slightly, and her eyes were as clear as water. Her neck was snowy and smooth, exuding an enchanting aura—she was an exceptionally beautiful woman.
None of them had expected such a stunning appearance beneath the hood, and for a moment, they were all entranced.
Aria's pretty face twisted with jealousy, which she quickly hid, though her gaze toward Kaguya was unfriendly, and seeing everyone else staring dazedly made her expression even darker.
However, that expression didn't last long. Like a quick-change artist, Aria's face returned to its adorable appearance, and she slightly raised her voice, saying, "Let's all eat."
Everyone snapped back to reality, and the atmosphere gradually became lively again, although Kaguya had noticed all their expressions earlier.
The male host's eyes briefly flashed with lust, quickly hidden behind his smile. The female host watched Kaguya with interest, as if eyeing an amusing prey.
Sayo glanced at Kaguya, then down at herself, seemingly envious. Meanwhile, Ieyasu blushed, looking uneasy and too shy to even look at Kaguya, like a boy experiencing his first crush.
"Let's eat," the female host said with a smile, placing a fruit salad in front of Kaguya. "Eat as much as you like."
"Thank you." Kaguya nodded with a smile, her expression clear and bright. "I'll eat a lot."
"Yes, eat more, eat more," the male host said, his face full of a forced smile.
Only later did they understand what Kaguya meant by "I'll eat a lot." They watched as Kaguya deftly used her knife and fork, continuously taking food from the plates and putting it into her mouth. In no time, she had eaten more than half of the food in front of her.
She mostly ate meat—steak, lamb chops, pork chops, and so on—especially filling her mouth with roast meat. As for the fruit salad the female host placed in front of her, she only took one forkful and didn't touch it again.
Everyone watched, stunned. They hadn't expected this beautiful woman to eat with such gusto. In their eyes, Kaguya should have been a gentle, elegant lady. They hadn't imagined she would eat in such an unladylike manner.
What surprised them was that although Kaguya's eating style wasn't particularly refined, they didn't find it off-putting. On the contrary, they found it endearing; her every movement was pleasing, and it even increased their appetite, despite not being hungry initially.
Everyone's attention was drawn to Kaguya, and no one noticed the terrible expression on Aria's face. Her face was contorted, her eyes flashed with malice, and the knife and fork in her hand were slightly deformed from her grip.
"Would you like a drink?" At that moment, the female host approached with a bottle of opened red wine.
"Yes, have a drink." Aria quickly brought out several glasses, pouring wine into each.
"Sorry," Ieyasu said, waving his hand apologetically. "We can't drink alcohol."
"Yes, our family doesn't allow us to drink alcohol," Sayo agreed.
"It's fine," Aria said with a smile, forcing the glasses into their hands. "Just a little."
Seeing no way to refuse, Sayo and Ieyasu reluctantly accepted. After all, they were invited guests, and refusing outright seemed impolite.
"Would you like some, Kaguya?" Aria approached with a glass of red wine, her face glowing with a bright smile.
"Huh?" Kaguya looked up, still chewing a piece of steak, and stared at Aria in confusion. "Is wine necessary?"
"No," Aria replied with a smile, "but having a little would—"
"Then I won't drink." Before Aria could finish, Kaguya declined outright and continued eating her steak.
Aria's words caught in her throat, and she felt her anger rising, her eyes flashing coldly. But she quickly regained her smile, continuing, "Just try a little."
However, Kaguya seemed not to hear her, entirely focused on the food in front of her. A third of the food had already gone into her stomach, and people wondered where she was putting it all. Her slender waist didn't seem to have changed at all, still flat and smooth.
Veins bulged on Aria's forehead, her eyes blazing with anger. She resisted the urge to call the guards to kill Kaguya, calming herself down and saying with a smile, "Drinking a little is good for you, you know. Especially for beauty. This wine is a palace specialty."
After calling out several times, and as Aria was about to explode, Kaguya seemed to hear her and looked up, asking, "Really?"
"Yes, try it," Aria replied with a sweet smile.
"Oh, is that so?" Kaguya put down the chicken wing in her hand, biting her white finger as if in thought. After a few seconds, she smiled and said, "Then I'll have a little."
"Great." Aria paused, her face lighting up with a hint of joy before quickly concealing it.
"It's delicious," Ieyasu exclaimed, looking pleasantly surprised.
"Yes, yes," Sayo nodded, looking delighted.
"This is a rare fruit wine from the far north, with very limited production. You can only drink it in the palace," Aria explained with a smile. "This bottle took a lot of effort for my father to get."
When Aria turned back, she was stunned to see that Kaguya's glass was still full. Kaguya had been eating the whole time and hadn't touched the wine.
"Why aren't you drinking?" Aria approached Kaguya, smiling warmly. "Just try it."
"No, I prefer the food. I'll drink later." Kaguya mumbled as she ate.
"Is that so?" Aria's once-sweet face twisted with a smirk as she whispered, "Alright, if you don't want to drink it now, you won't have to worry about drinking again."
As soon as she said this, Ieyasu and Sayo felt dizzy, overwhelmed by sleepiness. They swayed for a moment before collapsing to the ground.