She didn’t pull away from his touch, but her voice came out in a half-hearted grumble. "We should explore the rest of the house before you start making assumptions."

Midnight chirped in agreement, leaping off the bed and transforming back to her smaller size before zipping out of the room.

"Looks like she has the right idea," Liam said, standing and offering Elizabeth his hand. "Let’s see what other surprises this place has in store."

As she took his hand, her fingers intertwining with his, Liam couldn’t help but wonder if the massive bed was truly a coincidence or if Berry had planned this all along. There must be great stats to gain from the bed.

They explored the rest of the house together, Elizabeth’s hand still warm in his. The place was surprisingly spacious. There was even a small study with empty bookshelves.

Midnight had transformed back to her small size and now draped herself around Liam’s neck like a living scarf, her tiny claws barely pricking his skin.

"This place is perfect," Liam said, running his hand along the kitchen counter. "We can really settle in here."

Elizabeth nodded, then seemed to remember something. "Your viewers must be wondering where you are. You should probably stream again."

Liam hadn’t thought about streaming since the lich catacombs. The world outside the game suddenly felt very distant.

"Good idea," he said, opening his system menu. He selected the streaming option and set up two cameras, one showing his point of view and another facing him.

[That_one_guy_AD]: I think we missed a few episodes.

[Chronos_Void]: OMG, where are you? We thought you died!

[JudeTraore]: Is that a fairy house? Where did you get a fairy house?

Comments in the chat flashed across the chat window as the first viewers trickled in.

Liam adjusted the camera angle, but it ended up focused on his chin instead of his face. He didn’t notice. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The chat exploded with questions as more viewers joined.

Midnight stretched on his neck, yawning widely before transforming back to her hybrid form. She draped herself over Liam’s shoulder, her maid’s outfit catching the light, blue hair tumoring down his chest.

"Master, is it time for cream?" she asked sleepily.

Chat went wild.

[Samantech3364]: Is that a maid??

[CMurdock]: The maid is on his neck??

[Jimmy_Shim]: Wait, why is the cute blue-haired girl calling him master?"

[Allen_Davis_4917]: Why does she look like that???"

Liam continued setting up the stream, putting out the ingredients and mumbling about how he now has a level three hearth, oblivious to the chaos in the chat. Midnight shifted again, her tail wrapping around his arm.

"Oh, and these are my girlfriends," Liam said casually, gesturing vaguely toward Elizabeth, who was hiding behind the doorframe. "Well, I think of them as wives, but that’s up to them."

The chat froze for a moment, then exploded with messages scrolling too fast to read.

Elizabeth’s face appeared red and furious as she stepped into view. "Wives?! Who said anything about wives?!"

Midnight squeaked happily, "Yes! Midnight loves master! He gives Midnight lots of cream!"

Chat went into a complete meltdown.

[daisycattt]: Did he say wives??

[He_He03]: THEY’RE MARRIED??

[Elgumbre]: When did this happen?? Is this legal? blink twice if you need me to save you, dear dragon girl.

[CMurdock]: ELIZABETH IS MARRIED?? FAAAAHHH

[JudeTraore]: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY CREAM, MILK?? PLEASE SAY MILK.

[Chronos_Void]: WHERES ROGUE DID U EAT HIM?

With no warning, Midnight’s blue eyes flared with a wild, burning light. She planted her white socked feet on Liam’s shoulders, her tiny claws digging in with more emphasis than pain. Midnight bared her fangs at the nearest camera like a furious plush toy and cupped both hands around her mouth. "MASTER IS MINE AND ELIZABETH’S. DO NOT TAKE HIM!" she screamed, her tail bristling to triple thickness. "I WILL BURN YOU! I WILL BURN ALL YOUR HOUSES, AND YOUR PANCAKES!"

She then threatened them with a fierce hiss, sending a cascade of shocked emojis and shrieking reaction gifs down the chat. For good measure, she snatched a teaspoon from the countertop and brandished it at the camera, as if preparing to duel the entire player base of Areo.

[Elgumbre]: Is the maid threatening us with arson??? [Chronos_Void]: HOLY SHIT, DRAGON WITH A SPOON.

[JudeTraore]: I WANT TO SEE THE BURNING!!! SHES SO CUTE!

[He_He03]: THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE COOKING. I BOW TO YOU, MIDNIGHT.

Midnight, satisfied she had made her claim clear, clung to Liam’s neck with a little possessive growl. She tucked her face into the crook of his collar, glowering at the camera with her chin on his shoulder.

"Did you see that?" whispered Elizabeth, mortified and fascinated as she peered around the side of the door. "She just... declared war on the viewers."

Liam, oblivious to the mounting chaos in his chat window, was laser-focused on the task of cubing wagyu and organising it by fattiness. He only glanced up when Midnight’s outburst sent the kitchenware vibrating with the force of her roars.

Liam finally noticed the chat frenzy. "What? What’s happening?"

Elizabeth grabbed his arm, her face still flushed. "You can’t just tell people we’re your wives! We haven’t even, I mean, I never agreed to- " She sputtered, unable to finish her sentence.

Midnight nuzzled his neck. "Master, can we have cream now?"

Liam looked from Elizabeth to the chat and back again. "I was just being honest. You both live with me. That’s pretty much marriage, right?"

Chat continued to explode as Elizabeth threw her hands up in exasperation.

[TOOL TIP]:

Status: Chat Sanity: Disintegrated.

The Arson-Spoon Matrix: Midnight planting her feet on Liam’s shoulders to threaten the chat with the total destruction of their homes and pancakes via a silver teaspoon has permanently unlocked the [Tiny Overlord Claim] status. Her tail bristling to triple thickness has transformed his cooking stream into a high-risk national security warning.

The "Cream" Context Crisis: Midnight loudly demanding "cream" on live broadcast while Elizabeth actively hyperventilates in the doorframe has completely shattered the chat filters. The system confirms that no amount of Liam murmuring about [Wagyu Fat Cubes] will convince the community that he is just a wholesome chef.