I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

Chapter 220 – Warm Porridge

That day passed quietly inside the castle. No bursts of magic, no grim tidings from the outside world at least, for now.As usual, Sylvia had been in her study since morning. The pile of documents shifted steadily across the long black marble desk: fortress construction reports, lists of logistic distribution, even small notes on the growth of experimental crops brought from another world. She signed, corrected, and stacked them again with mechanical precision.

Celes sat on the other side of the desk, her slender body leaning gracefully against the tall chair. Her elegant fingers moved swiftly, reordering the documents by priority, sometimes adding neat little annotations. From afar, the two looked like black and silver statues, working in silent harmony. Only the scratch of quills against parchment broke the stillness, occasionally interrupted by Sylvia’s long sigh whenever she encountered a wrongly written or redundant report.

"It seems whoever wrote this distribution report still thinks we live in an ordinary human city," Sylvia muttered, lifting a sheet of paper. Her eyes narrowed at the nonsense numbers. "Who calculated meat consumption for zombie soldiers?"

Celes glanced sideways, lips curving faintly. "Likely reflex. They’re used to drafting reports under human army standards. I’ll correct it."

Sylvia gave a small snort, setting the document aside. "Just fix it. I’m far too tired of counting trivialities."

They returned to their work. Time crawled unnoticed as the pale winter sun shifted westward beyond the tall windows.

Elsewhere in the castle, Sylvia’s sisters still rested. Alicia and Stacia had been given adjoining chambers, each with wide beds, thick wool blankets, and small tables beside them. Since morning, they had slept from sheer exhaustion. Their wounds had closed considerably, but recovery still required time.

Alicia stirred only when the orange glow of afternoon slipped through her curtains. Her stomach clenched, demanding to be fed. She rolled onto her back with a groan. "Ugh... so hungry..."

Sitting up, her silver hair tumbled messily over her face. Rubbing her eyes with both hands, she let out a long sigh. "I can’t wait until someone comes. At this rate, I’ll starve before I recover."

She stood slowly. Her legs wobbled but held. Her slim frame was wrapped in a simple nightgown, yet her eyes gleamed with the determination of an older sister unwilling to let her sibling go hungry.

"Stacia..." she murmured, glancing at the door next to hers. "She probably hasn’t eaten either. That child forgets the world exists once she’s buried in books." her Flame flickered in her palm, replacing the wood fire. The violet flames licked the pot, boiling the broth swiftly, smokelessly. The scent of stewing meat and herbs soon filled the air, warm and savory against the winter chill.

Minutes later, the simple soup was ready: a warm broth with softened meat and vegetables. Sylvia tasted it with a wooden spoon. It was plain, but enough.

"...Acceptable. At least it won’t be shameful to serve," she muttered, lips twitching in a faint smile.

She poured the soup into two porcelain bowls, set them on a wooden tray with warmed bread, and carried it back upstairs.

When she opened the study door, Celes was still there, silver head bent over her papers, hand moving quickly. She only paused when the aroma of soup drifted in. Her eyes lifted, faint surprise flickering.

"...You cooked?" her voice was low, almost disbelieving.

Sylvia set the tray on the desk, sat, and slid a bowl toward her. "Yes. You haven’t eaten since this morning either, have you? Don’t deny it."

Celes stared for a moment, then a small smile curved her lips. "You’re starting to sound like Sofia."

Sylvia gave a short snort. "Don’t compare me to her. I just don’t want my coworker collapsing from hunger at the desk."

Celes hid a small laugh and accepted the bowl with a nod. "Very well. Thank you, Sylvia."

They ate quietly, the only sound was the clink of spoons against porcelain. The simple soup was no feast, but warm and in that silence, it felt like a small gift amidst the day’s endless paperwork.

Now and then, Celes’s eyes lingered on Sylvia through the steam before dropping back to her bowl, lips curving faintly. Sylvia pretended not to notice, though her focus on the soup was a little too stiff to be natural.

When the last spoonful was gone, Sylvia set her bowl aside. "After this... back to work. I want all today’s reports finished before nightfall."

Celes placed her spoon down gracefully and nodded. "As stubborn as ever."

Sylvia gave her a glance, then stood to retrieve her pen. "And you’ll still be sitting here, as always. So spare me the commentary."

Celes laughed softly, a rare sound before returning to the stack of papers.

Outside, twilight deepened. The enchanted torches along the castle walls flared to life one by one, casting steady light on the stronghold. Inside the study, the two women sat once more across from each other, immersed in work, accompanied by the lingering warmth of soup that still steamed faintly on the desk.