Chapter 06

Rosalind's POV

"Miss?"

Pearl rolled into the kitchen behind me, its blue eyes blinking.

"Beef Wellington," I said, counting on my fingers. "Pan-seared lemon cod. Black truffle soup. Garlic butter grilled prawns."

The robot's eyes flickered. A small error sound beeped from its chest.

"Pearl's database doesn't have these codes. Pearl really can't do it."

I sighed and pushed up my sleeves. "Fine. I'll do it myself."

I opened the Fortune Shop and searched for clean ingredients. Real beef. Real fish. Fresh herbs grown without a drop of radiation.

Then I saw the prices.

Total robbery.

This afternoon, I had poured most of my fortune points into a mental power upgrade. Now, after one shopping cart of meat and vegetables, my balance read zero.

Broke as hell. On my very first day.

The ingredients dropped onto the counter in a soft flash of gold light. I got to work.

An hour later, the whole kitchen smelled of butter, garlic, and roasting beef. I tore off a piece of hot prawn and popped it into my mouth.

Sweet. Juicy. No bitterness at all.

"Phew." I closed my eyes. "I'm alive again."

The front door banged open somewhere downstairs.

"Sis? Where's my little sister?"

Quick footsteps pounded up the hall. A young man burst into the kitchen, maybe nineteen, with messy brown hair and a wide, bright smile. He stopped short when he saw me.

"You're Rosalind, right?" He held out a small box tied with a silver ribbon. "I'm your fourth brother, Danny. This is a gift for you. Welcome home."

I took it, a little surprised. "Thank you, Danny."

[Fortune points +20.]

Whoa. I could earn points just by unlocking family bonds?

That was way easier than winning over Silas.

Danny's nose twitched. He leaned past me toward the stove.

"That smells amazing. Sis, what did you make?"

"Just threw together a few dishes out of boredom." I picked up a fork and held it out. "Wanna try some?"

He took one bite of the beef. Then he froze.

"Oh my god." His eyes went huge. "What is this flavor? No bitterness. No weird aftertaste. No fishy smell!"

He grabbed another piece. Then another.

"Sis, from today on, you're my goddess. I'm sticking with you forever."

[Fortune points +30.]

Another voice drifted in from the hallway.

"What is that amazing smell?"

A tall man in a long grey lab coat walked in, rubbing his tired eyes. His hair was salted with silver, and his glasses sat crooked on his nose.

"Just breathing it in," he said slowly, "all the exhaustion from today at the Helix Institute just melts away."

Danny pointed at me with his fork. "Dad, you didn't check the group chat, did you? This is our little sister, Rosalind."

The man went still. His eyes found my face, and they filled with tears.

"Rosalind." His voice cracked. "My little princess. You're finally home."

Something warm twisted in my chest. I hadn't heard anyone talk to me like that in a very long time.

"Dad," I said softly.

The pendant warmed.

[Danny Montgomery's affection has reached 100%. Congratulations, host. You've received a full reward: 10,000 fortune points and one free lucky draw.]

I almost dropped the fork.

Holy crap. I just hit the jackpot.

Dad turned to Danny, frowning. "Danny, what are you eating?"

"Sis's cooking. Try it."

Dad took a small bite of the cod. He chewed slowly. Then he pulled a slim silver scanner from his coat pocket and waved it over the plate.

The screen beeped green.

His hand started to shake.

"This food has absolutely zero contamination." He stared at the reading. "And it can even directly ease mental berserk."

"Ease what?" Danny asked with his mouth full.

"Oh my God." Dad pressed a hand to his chest. "If we can extract whatever's in this, the whole human race's berserk problem could be solved." He turned to me, eyes shining. "Sweetheart, can Daddy take this back to the Institute?"

"No way!" Danny threw his arms around the plate. "This is what Sis made for our dinner!"

I laughed and pulled out a chair for Dad.

"Dad, you eat first. I'll make a fresh batch tomorrow morning for you to take to the lab."

[Fortune points +40.]

The front door opened again. This time, quick heels clicked across the marble.

"Where is she? Where's my baby?"

A beautiful woman in a deep blue suit rushed in. She took one look at me and pulled me straight into her arms.

"My precious baby girl." She held me tight, her voice breaking. "Mommy missed you so much."

[Fortune points +40.]

When she finally let go, she pressed a shining black card into my hand.

"This is your allowance. No spending limit anywhere in the Star Union." She cupped my face. "Our Montgomery princess has to be rich."

I looked down at the card. Then up at her teary smile, at Dad already on his third bite, and at Danny still guarding his plate.

"Mom," I said, "I love you."

And I meant every word.

I love this so much.

Money, family, and a never-ending stream of fortune points.

This retirement life was absolutely perfect.