Chapter 415: Embarrassed Mother-in-law 

Sui sighed internally, feeling a bit exasperated. "That's not exactly what I meant. Actually, the phosphorus powder on the butterfly's wings is a rare and precious spice," he explained.

"Really?" Alice's eyes lit up with delight. Her fondness for the butterfly resting delicately on her finger only grew.

"Yes, you just need to feed it juice or other liquids like milk and honey. Over time, you can collect the phosphorus powder from its wings and use it as a spice," Sui said with a smile.

"That's amazing!" Alice beamed, her excitement like that of a little girl who had just received her favorite doll. She admired the butterfly in her hand for a moment longer before suddenly standing on tiptoe and planting a firm kiss on Sui's cheek. She smiled brightly and said, "I knew you were the best, Sui!"

Sui wiped his cheek, still wet from Alice's kiss, feeling both amused and helpless.

With the butterfly now perched in her hair, Alice turned around, showing off her new accessory to Sui. She grabbed his hand and playfully asked, "Well, Sui, how do I look?"

Sui took a closer look and nodded. "You look beautiful," he said sincerely.

Alice stood there in her school uniform, her hands behind her back, looking coy yet radiant, her face like a blossoming flower. Her silver hair glistened, and the butterfly resting on it gently fluttered its wings, releasing a sweet fragrance. She seemed like a flower fairy in human form.

"Really?" Alice's face brightened even more upon hearing Sui's compliment.

"Hmph! I bet Erina is going to be so jealous! I'm going to show this off to her right now!" Alice declared proudly. After giving Sui another quick kiss, she excitedly dashed off, eager to flaunt her butterfly to her cousin, Erina.

Watching her skip away, Sui couldn't help but laugh. Despite their frequent quarrels, it was clear that Alice and Erina had a strong sisterly bond.

But then Sui grew slightly anxious. If these two sisters ever lived together with him in the future, wouldn't they be bickering and vying for his attention all the time? How would he ever have a peaceful day?

——

Later that evening, Sui and Erina were invited to dinner by Alice's mother, Leonora.

However, Erina was in a foul mood. She sat across from her aunt and cousin, her cheeks puffed up in frustration as she watched them laugh and chat happily.

"Oh my, Erina-chan, you seem a bit grumpy today. But I'm having a wonderful time!" Leonora teased. She looked radiant in a long purple dress, her snow-white shoulders bare. A beautiful butterfly adorned a strand of her silver hair, its wings fluttering gently like a delicate bow.

Sitting beside her, Alice had an identical butterfly resting on the right side of her hair. Together, the mother and daughter looked stunning—like twin sisters, more beautiful than flowers.

Gritting her teeth, Erina's anger flared. She had been so excited when she received her Butterspice from Sui yesterday that she had even indulged her girlish side, asking Hisako to take photos of her and posting them online. She had felt special, thinking her butterfly was one of a kind.

But that afternoon, Alice had rushed over to show off the same Butterspice. And to make matters worse, after class, Erina had noticed another butterfly perched on Megumi's hair.

Yet, the final blow came when they arrived at Alice's home. Sui had given the fourth Butterspice to her aunt, Leonora! To top it all off, Alice kept rubbing it in her face.

It was beyond infuriating!

The more Erina thought about it, the angrier she became. Under the table, her small hand found Sui's leg, and she gave it a sharp pinch.

Sui winced in pain but didn't say anything. He understood Erina's frustration, but he had been helpless in the situation. After Alice had proudly shown off her butterfly to Erina, she had immediately rushed home to show it to her mother.

Leonora had never seen such a beautiful and enchanting creature before, and when she learned that its phosphorus powder was a valuable spice, she couldn't help but feel envious. Once Sui realized that his mother-in-law wanted one as well, he quickly bought another butterfly and presented it to her at dinner.

"What a thoughtful gift!" Leonora said, resting her hands on her cheeks as she admired her butterfly. "Sui, you're such a good boy. You gave it to me the moment you knew I liked it."

Leonora's hair now had both blue and purple butterflies fluttering near her face, making her look youthful and sweet. Alice echoed her mother's sentiment, clasping her face with her hands as she smiled mischievously at Erina.

"Don't you think this butterfly suits us more, Mother?" Alice teased. "It always felt a bit odd on Erina."

Leonora chuckled and nodded. "Yes, it suits us perfectly, doesn't it? Erina-chan doesn't seem to wear it quite as well."

As Leonora and Alice continued to flaunt their matching butterflies, Erina felt like she was on the verge of exploding. Beneath the table, her hand found Sui's leg again, giving him another sharp twist.

Ignoring Erina's growing frustration, Leonora blissfully enjoyed her meal. "Is this lobster? The flavor is so delicate and elegant! Sui, you're such a wonderful boy," she praised, savoring the Shrimpfly sashimi that Sui had prepared.

"The dried beef you sent me last time was also delicious! And the smoked pork too!"

Erina, her brow furrowing in irritation, couldn't hold back anymore. "Aunt, are you sure it's okay for you to keep shirking your responsibilities back in Northern Europe? I heard you've been leaving all the work to Uncle lately."

She forced a smile but couldn't hide the sarcasm in her voice. "And is it really appropriate to keep accepting all these gifts from Sui?"

"Oh, it's fine," Leonora replied with a carefree smile. "I haven't seen Alice in so long, so I'm not in a hurry to leave. By the way, Sui, you must try some of my cooking! I can tell you've lost a bit of weight recently. It must be because Erina-chan hasn't been taking good care of you," she teased, trying to shift the conversation.

Leonora picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and offered it to Sui.

Sui could only smile awkwardly. He had been sending food to his mother-in-law so often that she had grown fond of staying around. But wasn't it because of Alice that he had been so attentive to her?

Erina, meanwhile, had a throbbing vein on her forehead and looked ready to explode. But Leonora remained oblivious to her 'daughters' fury, continuing to serve food to Sui with a smile. It was as if Erina was the odd one out at the table, while Sui had become the favored son-in-law.

After dinner, as they left the restaurant, Erina stormed ahead of Sui, clearly still upset.

"What's wrong now?" Sui asked, sighing in exasperation.

"It's all Aunt Leonora's fault!" Erina snapped, turning around to face him. "She's so embarrassing! It's bad enough that she shamelessly accepts all those gifts from you, but then she has the nerve to flaunt them in front of me! How rude!"