“I think I’m dying,” Gregory said and gasped for breath. He clutched at his neck and coughed a few times, the golden grains of rice shooting out of his mouth like blunderbuss pellets. He looked up at Alice with tears streaming down the corners of his eyes, his face turning deep red. A vein bulged on his forehead, and red veins appeared in the whites of his eyes.

Alice blinked and took a step back. Sure, she had told Helden to make the meals taste mediocre, but she didn’t tell him to turn them into biological weapons. “Did you eat too fast?” Alice asked, circling around her uncle. If he was choking, she’d grab him from behind and make him cough out whatever was lodged in there.

“N-no,” Gregory said and wheezed as he breathed in. “Spicy! It’s so … spicy!” He panted while sniffling before wiping at his nose with his sleeve, not caring about how expensive his suit was. He took in a deep breath and looked around. “Water?” he asked and raised his hand at a well-dressed skeleton. “Do you have any water?”

Alice rubbed her chin before wrapping her arm around Mr. Skelly’s. She pulled him away, heading towards the side where the dragons were feasting. It also happened to be around the area where Helden was cooking with three stoves firing. Upon seeing the dragons engrossed in their meal, Alice decided it’d be best not to disturb them. She merely waved at Vur before walking around towards Helden. The chef raised his head, meeting Alice’s gaze but only for a brief moment. He nodded at her before turning his attention back onto the stoves.

“Didn’t I tell you to make the meals mediocre?” Alice asked. “Why did you make them spicy?”

“I didn’t make them spicy,” Helden said and exhaled. He waved his spatula, gesturing vaguely at one of the skeletons plating the food to make it look presentable. The skeleton grabbed a handful of red powder and tossed it onto the plate of rice. Most of the powder fell through the gaps in the skeleton’s bones before reaching the plate, but Alice was sure enough spice was used to make the meal taste like fire.

“Oh,” Alice said and picked up an empty plate from nearby. “Make me a dish of mediocre, non-spicy food. I didn’t get the reaction I wanted from my uncle.”

Helden grunted and slapped a glob of rice onto the plate Alice was holding. He wiggled the spatula with his wrist, smoothing the glob out. Somehow, despite his lazy actions, it looked presentable. Alice nodded at the sight and headed back towards her uncle. As Alice passed the dragons, Gloria raised her head, her pupils dilating upon seeing the plate of rice. The cursed dragon’s nostrils twitched, and she crept towards Alice, staring at her with an expectant expression.

Alice raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t for you,” she said to Gloria. “There’s … problems … with it, and I’m feeding it to my uncle because I don’t like him.”

Gloria gulped down her saliva and continued staring. The moon wasn’t out, and although there were fruits, they didn’t smell as appealing as whatever it was Alice was holding. “Is that meat?”

“There’s no meat,” Alice said. “It’s just eggs and rice. But, like I said before, it doesn’t taste good. You can go over there and ask the chef to make you a normal one. If he doesn’t listen to you, just beat him or something.”

Mr. Skelly scratched his skull as Gloria made her way to the kitchen, taking slow steps to avoid stepping on people as she went. He followed Alice back through the crowd towards her uncle. “Are you enjoying the wedding so far?”

“It’s great,” Alice said, nodding her head. “Did you see how terrified my relatives looked when the skeletons first starting filling in the gaps between them? The faces they made when the dragons started eating too.” A smile appeared on Alice’s lips as she hummed to herself. She glanced up at Mr. Skelly before playfully punching his side, causing a rib to crack. “Of course, the best part of the wedding was getting married to you.” She raised the plate up and gestured around the venue with it. “All of this is just a bonus.”

Mr. Skelly let out a laugh and wrapped his arms around Alice’s shoulder. “How long has it been since I’ve heard you say something cheesy like that to me?” He wiggled his brow and lifted his hat, revealing a head full of hair. “It must be the new haircut, no?”

“If I wasn’t afraid of your skull getting lost in this sea of skeletons, I’d punch it off,” Alice said and rolled her eyes. After a bit more walking, she arrived at her uncle’s side. “There was a skeleton messing around with the meals; it was probably some jealousy thing because skeletons can’t eat or taste food.” She handed the plate to her uncle, who stared at her with a wary expression. “I brought this to you straight from the chef. Enjoy.”

Gregory picked up the spoon that was on the plate and scooped up a few grains of rice. He slowly put it in his mouth and rolled the grains around with his tongue before chewing. Unlike before, there wasn’t an intense spiciness stabbing at his tongue. His brow furrowed, and he lowered the spoon. He scooped a larger portion of rice this time and shoved the grains into his mouth. After chewing for a bit, the furrow on his brow deepened even further.

“How is it?” Alice asked. “Delicious?”

“It’s … interesting?” Gregory tilted his head. The meal’s outer appearance made it seem like it was going to taste absolutely amazing, but the taste itself was just alright. Was it a problem with his taste buds? He ate another spoonful of rice, and for a brief moment, there were the faintest hints of deliciousness—just enough to tempt him into trying another spoonful of rice to see if the meal would get any better. He took another bite and frowned as he swallowed. He really wasn’t sure if the meal was good or bad. “Give my comments to the chef.”

“I believe you mean your compliments to the chef,” Gregory’s wife said from the side.

“No, no,” Gregory said and shook his head. “Just my comments. I’m not quite sure what to make of this meal, but he deserves some form of recognition for creating something as puzzling as this.”