Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
November 11, x791.
"You have to be careful, BiBi." Alfonzo said as he gently gripped Bianca's little hand. "Remember what I told you, you have to tuck your fingers in like a kitty's paw."
Early in the morning, before everyone in the Mansion on the Lake started their morning training, Alfonzo was in the kitchen with his daughter, Bianca, teaching her how to cook. Though, most people would find it strange that he was teaching a child who was only around three years old how to cook.
On top of that, Alfonzo was having Bianca use a real knife. Though, this knife was not an ordinary knife. Rather, it was a magic item Alfonzo created just for Bianca to use while learning how to cook.
This magic item, containing a sharp edge, was created in a way that even if Bianca were to cut herself, she would not receive any actual damage. Though, she would definitely feel the pain of the cut.
In fact, the only thing this knife was able to cut were things without any life force. To be specific, it could only cut inanimate objects. So, ingredients used for cooking fell under the umbrella of things it could actually cut.
"Oh yeah!" Bianca exclaimed in realization. She then put on a focused expression, something that was exceedingly cute on her young face. "Meow! Meow! Kitty paw! Kitty paw!"
As she chanted her cute phrase, Bianca curled her fingers just the way her father taught her. Then, with careful precision, she started cutting the piece of chicken on the cutting board in front of her.
In fact, in his love for his daughter and has a way to support her interest in cooking, Alfonzo had taken the time to create an entire set of cooking materials, pots, pans, knives, etc., just for Bianca. And just like the knife she was using at the moment, she would never be able to cause herself any physical harm while using them. Though, the pain she would feel from making a mistake would still be there.
*Click!* *Click!* *Click!* *Click!* *Click!*
Meanwhile, Mirajane, wearing a red tank top and a pair of light blue pajama shorts with white star patterns, who was standing a little off to the side, could not help snapping pictures of her daughter and husband with her lPhone.
"Oh! My! God!" Mirajane squealed as she continued taking pictures. "They're so~ cute!"
"Mommy! Please be quiet, I have to concentrate." Bianca said, trying her best to sound stern.
"Ahahahahaha!" Both Alfonzo and Mirajane burst into laughter after hearing Bianca try to imitate her mother's strict tone.
"Okay, Baby... hehehe... Mommy won't interrupt anymore." Mirajane said between bouts of giggles. "You go ahead and cook. Mommy will just watch and take pictures."
"You should shoot a video, too." Alfonzo added. "It will be fun to watch when BiBi is older."
Mirajane's eyes began to shine brightly after hearing Alfonzo's suggestion. She then started operating her lPhone, changing the camera function from photo to video mode before starting a recording.
Meanwhile, after her mother stopped squealing, all of Bianca's attention returned to the meat she was cutting.
"Why is it so slimy?" Bianca asked, not a fan of touching raw meat.
"That's just how meat is." Alfonzo said in a gentle tone. "You don't like how it feels?"
"Nuh uh." Bianca replied while carefully cutting the meat on the chopping board.
"Do you want me to take care of it?" Alfonso asked as his smile widened.
"No, I'll do it." Bianca said in a determined tone. "I'm gonna be a better cook than Daddy. So, I have to do this."
AT that moment, Alfonzo and Mirajane noticed something. Because of what they noticed, they both activated [Magic Power Detection]. And what that revealed was the well-spring of magic power that sprung to life inside of Bianca. Even more surprising than that was the way she subconsciously controlled it to make cutting the meat easier for a little girl of her size.
But that was not the most surprising thing …
"[Cutting Magic: Slice]." Bianca murmured subconsciously.
With Bianca's chant, her magic power flowed to her right hand before coating the knife. And when it did, Bianca's movements changed, becoming more precise, as each cut she made was exactly the same size.
On top of that, her cuts became even more effortless. Yet, she did not damage the cutting board in the slightest, despite how easily her knife was cutting through the meat.
Seeing this, Alfonzo and Mirajane exchanged surprised glances. A moment later, however, they both smiled widely. Then, Alfonzo gently took hold of Bianca's hand, stopping her from continuing to cut.
"Huh? What's wrong, Daddy?" Bianca asked in a confused tone. "Did I do it wrong?"
Not answering immediately, Alfonzo gently took the knife from Bianca's hand, causing her confusion to start turning into fear. But when she finally realized what expression Alfonzo was making, her fear quickly turned back into confusion. Though, she knew it could not be anything bad based on how big Alfonzo's smile was.
After placing the knife on the cutting board, Alfonzo scooped up Bianca, lifting her above his head as he spun around happily. At the same time, Mirajane rushed over to the two and joined in the excitement. As for Bianca, she had no idea what made her parents so happy, but she smiled nonetheless because of the happy atmosphere.
"Congratulations, Baby." Mirajane said excitedly. "You unlocked your magic power all on your own."
Hearing that, Bianca's smile turned into a confused expression once again as she blinked, slowly trying to process what she just heard.
"Not only that, but you unlocked an innate magic, too." Alfonzo added before Bianca could finish processing. And because of that, we're gonna celebrate. Daddy's gonna cook all your favorites today. I'll even bake you a big cake."
At the mention of cake, Bianca's smile returned, thoughts of processing what her mother said thrown to the back of her mind. Meanwhile, Alfonzo lowered Bianca into a hug and Mirajane joined them in a group hug.
During this whole scene, there was one other person in the kitchen with Alfonzo, Mirajane, and Bianca. However, like a good maid… the best maid… she stayed silent, only making her presence known when it was needed.
Naturally, that maid was Grayfia, the Head Maid of the Marcus Estate.
Standing near the kitchen's entrance, Grayfia wore her usual maid uniform while smiling gently at the three members of the family she swore to serve. She then rubbed her belly over her uniform.
'Such a wonderful sight.' Grayfia thought to herself. 'Madam Mirajane, Madam Elicia, and Madam Shizuka are truly blessed for having children with the master. Perhaps… It is time I find a blessing of my own, as well.'
After having that thought, Grayfia's eyes widened slightly in surprise when she noticed a pair of eyes looking in her direction. However, when she realized those eyes belonged to her master/lover, Alfonzo, her smile returned. Though, it did not last long as the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps made her return to her usual, stoic expression.
"Fonzie! Mira!" Elicia, with Amar'e in her arms, shouted as she dashed into the kitchen. "I could hear you yelling from upstairs. What happened? What happened? You both sounded so happy!"
Not long after Elicia, Alfonzo's seven other wives, Cana, Ultear, Erza, Marin, Sun, Lucy, and Shizuka while carrying Calvin, his four lovers living in the mansion, Saeko, Rika, Brandish, and Retsu, and the other five maids, Ikaruga, Maria, Mey-Rin, Ai, and Miyuki, entered the kitchen as well. And just like Elicia, they were all curious to know about the event that made Alfonzo and Mirajane so happy.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo and Mirajane exchanged smiles, clearly communicating who should tell everyone the good news. And after a moment of silent communication, it was decided that Alfonzo would be the one to break it.
"Hold on a second, not everyone is here." Alfonzo said as he handed Bianca to Mirajane. "This is good news for the whole family."
*Zap!*
Then, before anyone could react, Alfonzo was covered in arcs of violet electricity before he vanished from where he stood. In fact, he was moving so fast that he left the island completely before anyone could even blink.
*Zap!*
About two minutes later, Alfonzo reappeared in the kitchen from another flash of violet light. However, he was not alone, as a tall, voluptuous woman with scarlet red hair wearing a white tank top and a pair of white pajama shorts was standing next to him with a slightly displeased expression on her face.
"Mother?" Erza asked in a curious tone. "So, it seems Alfonzo left to fetch you."
As Erza said, the woman who was accompanying Alfonzo was Irene, Erza's mother.
"Yes, it would seem so." Irene replied while crossing her arms under her massive chest. "And this had better be good. I was almost at the end of the latest volume of Slippery Girls. It turns out they are much more than just the smut I thought they were when I first caught Brandish reading one."
Immediately, Brandish's face turned as red as Irene's and Erza's hair. At the same time, Erza's and Marin's eyes lit up, happy to find someone else who was interested in the same kinds of books as they were.
"I assure you it is." Alfonzo said, completely unbothered by Irene's glare. "It's happy news. It's just too bad Yoruichi isn't in town right now. Otherwise, I would have dragged her here, too."
"Out with it." Irene said, not caring for Alfonzo's extra commentary.
"*sigh* You're so impatient." Alfonzo said in a tone filled with fond exasperation. "But I won't keep everyone waiting."
With that, Alfonzo let his gaze pass over everyone in the room before it landed on Mirajane and Bianca, or rather Bianca in Mirajane's arms.
"My little princess did something amazing this morning." Alfonzo said with the smile of a proud father on his face. "She awakened her magic power, all on her own. On top of that, she awakened an innate magic, too."
*Gasp!* x 17
*Gasp!*
*Gasp!*
Hearing Alfonzo's breaking news, the seventeen adults in the room who were not present when Bianca awakened her magic power and used a spell gasped in pleasant surprise. A beat after the adults, Amar'e also gasped like the adults. Though, he was just doing it to fit in. Then, after another second, Calvin also gasped. However, he was only doing so to be like his big brother.
"Yay!" Amar'e, after finally recognizing what his father said, cheered happily from Elicia's arms. "BiBi, you did it! You're awesome!"
"BiBi! Awesome!" Calvin joined the cheering.
Hearing her brothers cheering for her, Bianca did not show a proud expression like everyone expected. Instead, her face turned red before she turned to hide in her mother's embrace, causing everyone present, other than Amar'e and Calvin, to laugh.
"And to celebrate, I'll be cooking a feast tonight." Alfonzo continued happily. "And for Bianca, I'll be baking a huge cake, too."
Though still hiding her face in her mother's bosom, Bianca smiled brightly at the mention of cake. Meanwhile, Alfonzo turned towards the six maids before continuing.
"I'll need all of your help for this." Alfonzo said with a smile. "But I'll say this now. After all the cooking is done and the food is served, you will all be off duty. And that's an order. You're going to join us for the celebration, understood?"
In response, the five maids by profession, Grayfia, maria, Mey-Rin, Ai, and Miyuki, all widened their eyes in unison, surprised at Alfonzo's order. However, it did not take long before smiles graced their lips.
As for Ikaruga, she smiled immediately after hearing Alfonzo's order. Because unlike the other maids, she was not a maid by profession, rather she was an assassin turned maid. So, she was not nearly as rigid when it came to her duties as the others.
"Nice!" Cana shouted as she rushed over to Mirajane and snatched Bianca out of her arms. "You're the best, BiBi! You picked a perfect time to open up your magic power. If it had been three days earlier, I would have still been on punishment and wouldn't have been able to drink during the party! Ahahahahaha! I love you, BiBi *Mwah* *Mwah* *Mwah*"
"Eww! Stop it, Aunt Cana." Bianca replied while trying to push Cana's face away. "Your breath smells funny like it used to."
"*Sigh* It's only half past six in the morning, Cana." Mirajane said as she took Bianca back from Cana. "Do you really have to start so early?"
"What are you talking about, Mira?" Cana asked as she pulled her [Storage Card] out of her card container. "I never stopped. I've been drinking since the second my punishment was over on the ninth."
"Are you saying that you've been drinking non-stop for more than a day?" Lucy asked in horror.
*Poof!*
"Yup!" Cana replied as a bottle of gin appeared in her hand. "gotta make up for lost time, after all."
From there, the rest of the day in the Mansion on the Lake was abuzz with energy. Many members of the guild were invited over for the party, filling up all the recreational areas of the house. Meanwhile, Alfonzo and the six maids were busy in the kitchen, preparing the feast for the evening. And when the food was finally ready, everyone enjoyed a night of wining, dining, and merry making the way Fairy Tail wizards often do. However, the destruction of property was kept to a minimum, as everyone knew what would happen if they did any damage to Alfonzo's house.