💫

 

The meal at the place Reukis introduced was extremely satisfying.

The pasta filled with various seafood was exquisite, and the main dish of white fish topped with a savory sauce was also outstanding.

The sparkling wine recommended by the head chef was delightful as well.

The walk that followed the meal was a bit chilly, but the stunning white sandy beach made up for it.

It seemed like it would be a perfect and joyful day, just as Merria had hoped.

At least, it should have been.

 

“Why?!”

 

Bang—

 

Merria slammed her palm down hard on the wide kitchen counter.

The impact sent a bowl teetering on the edge crashing to the floor with a loud clang.

 

An hour earlier…

As soon as she returned from her outing, she had all but locked Reukis in his room before rushing to the kitchen.

The ingredients for the special recipe she had painstakingly gathered through her connections were already prepared by the servants.

However, there was one thing Merria had overlooked. Her own lack of skill—born a duke’s daughter, she had never properly cooked a meal in her life.

 

They say those who’ve read more books write better, and those who’ve eaten more meat grill better.

So why didn’t that apply to baking?

Merria, unaware of her own objective cooking abilities, could only despair.

 

‘This was too much for me…’

It was only after suffering through this harsh reality that she finally realized it.

Loving desserts and making them were worlds apart. Blinded by her desire to gift Reukis a handmade cake, she had pushed herself to the edge of a cliff.

She had even sent away the patissier she had gone through so much trouble to invite.

Asking the mansion’s chef for help was also out of the question. To be more precise, she had already asked but received no real salvation.

“I should’ve studied desserts too… I’m sorry, Lady Merria.”

Madam Tessa, whose culinary experience surpassed Merria’s age, had begun denying her own past.

 

It seemed better to send the hardworking chef off before she started blaming herself with words.

It wasn’t right to keep someone so busy preparing food for the party any longer.

 

“Thank you for your help…”

 

Even so, the feeling of sending away the last remaining hope with her own hands made her voice tremble, and she couldn’t stop it from growing damp.

Despite her sorrowful farewell, Madam Tessa left with a bow, not looking back.

 

All that remained by Merria’s side were spilled flour, sticky dough, something pitch-black and burnt, and Selin, who had been assigned oven duty.

Madam Tessa had pleaded with Merria—who insisted on handling everything alone—to leave Celine behind before departing.

 

All the ingredients were prepared, so there would be no need for a knife, but if she were to burn even a finger on the oven, she wouldn’t escape the master’s scolding.

She couldn’t let someone else suffer like that just to satisfy her own desires.

 

In the end, Celine stayed as her advisor, helper, and the one to offer words of encouragement. Merria, who had been bowing her head deeply, reached out and picked up a bowl.

As she stirred the whisk, grainy yellow lifeforms wriggled along with it. She had clearly been making a cheese mousse to place on the sheet.

What was this lively, squirming vibrancy supposed to mean?

 

“Haa…”

 

Merria let out a deep sigh, gathered from the depths of her chest, and took a step forward. Beside her was a freshly baked tray, still warm from the oven.

 

“Celine. What does this look like to you?”

 

She lifted the tray—the result of the past hour’s labor—and asked. Celine’s eyes, as blue as Blue Roen’s, began to tremble like a boat caught in a storm.

A brief but heavy silence passed between them.

 

After wavering between conscience and comfort, Selin tightly shut her eyes and answered.

 

“A—a lump of ashes!”

 

Wee-oo, wee-oo—!

A booming voice, full of determination, filled one corner of the kitchen.

 

Thud—

 

After an hour of hard work, this was all she had to show for it.

According to her plan, by now, a heavenly cake should have been completed—a dense chocolate sheet topped with an equally rich cheese mousse, carefully layered with lovingly simmered cherry jam.

 

Truthfully, the biggest problem was her beginner’s ambition to tackle such a complex and arduous process in just an hour. But there was no one here to point that out to her.

Merria stared at the chocolate sheet, which looked like it would crunch like rocks instead of melting smoothly, and her face fell.

 

“What do I do…?”

Time had already slipped away.

This sorry excuse for a cake wasn’t even fit to be presented as a gift to Reukis.

And she herself, a lover of desserts, couldn’t possibly accept this outcome. She was just considering whether to call back the pastry chef she had sent away earlier when—

 

Knock, knock—

 

At the sudden appearance of a stranger, she reflexively checked the clock.

 

“Wai—!”

 

At that moment, the last person she wanted to see showed up, and Merria dashed toward the door.

 

Crash!

 

A glass, caught on her apron, shattered against the floor with a sharp, piercing sound.

As if that noise was the trigger, the firmly shut door burst open.

There was no time for Merria to block it with her body—it happened in an instant.

 

“What’s going on…?”

 

Normally, she’d be overjoyed to see Reukis running toward her, hair flying wildly. But right now, she just wanted to push him right back outside.

 

Reukis’s eyes quickly scanned the room before finally landing squarely on Merria. His eyes widened at the sight of her, still clearly marked by her earlier battle with flour.

 

“…Merria?”

 

She hesitated, unsure whether to hide her disheveled appearance or the rock-like sheet first.

And then, her decision immediately turned into action.

 

Bang—

 

The neatly placed sheet on the tray let out a strange noise before disappearing into the corner.

Startled once again by the sound, Reukis quickly approached her.

“Are you alright?”

“Huh?”

As Reukis grabbed her shoulders and asked, Merria’s eyes widened this time.

 

With an extremely serious expression, Reukis continued, “That was an enormous noise just now…”

He acted as if he had heard something unimaginable in the middle of a peaceful kitchen.

 

Seeing Reukis’ grave demeanor, Merria felt an inexplicable urge to press her lips together tightly.

“…”

“Didn’t you hear something like steel beams falling?”

 

When Merria showed no particular reaction, he began scanning the surroundings instead.

As Reukis moved as if trying to locate the source of the sound, Selinia swiftly covered the fallen sheet with a bowl.

 

“I definitely heard it around here,” Reukis said, his voice full of puzzlement.

At this point, Merria even wondered if Reukis was teasing her. She struggled to keep her face composed, smoothing out the urge to scrunch it up.

 

Then, as if nothing had happened, she asked, “Has… it already been an hour?”

She had already expected Reukis to come looking for her exactly one hour later. That’s why she had chosen this rarely used area instead of the busy main kitchen.

 

But it seemed her shallow plan had been instantly figured out—after all, Reukis had appeared right in front of her like this.

“That’s correct,” Reukis replied with a bright, satisfied smile.

 

He had been pretending to read the book Merria had handed him earlier, but after about ten minutes, he had left the room altogether.

Reukis knew Merria would be hiding somewhere, so he had decided to spend the remaining 50 minutes playing his own game of finding her.

 

She had started from the very top floor and slowly made her way down, arriving just now.

Truthfully, she had some time to spare, so she took an unnecessary stroll around the garden.

But unlike her, who had been waiting for a full hour, Merria didn’t seem the least bit pleased to see him.

 

And what in the world was this scene before him?

Merria’s disheveled hair was caked with flour and butter, and her apron had long outlived its usefulness.

And her hands—precious enough that even he wouldn’t dare handle them carelessly—what had become of them? Her fingertips were bright red, swollen from stirring cream over ice just moments ago.

 

It pained him to see her delicate hands in such a state, and he wanted to blame whoever had put her through this—only to realize that the culprit was Merria herself.

Reukis stared at her silently, like a prisoner caught in a dilemma.

The longer his blatant gaze lingered, the more restless Merria grew.

 

Clenching her fists tightly, Merria spoke, “Reukis, I’m really sorry, but can you wait just one more hour?”

“…”

Reukis didn’t answer, only blinking slowly. He was impeccably dressed for tonight’s party preparations.

Meanwhile, she was an utter disaster—beyond messy, more like a walking accident covered in flour and grime.

Too ashamed to face him, Merria’s head drooped lower and lower.

 

“No, actually, three hours should do it.”

“My lady…”

Celine called out to her in a tone that sounded like a warning.

Merria ignored it, shaking her head vigorously.

 

“I’ll definitely finish by tonight, so just go ahead to the hall and wait until then…!”

No matter how much of a beginner she was, she had absolute faith that if she kept at it until the day’s end, she could produce a decent cake.

 

But before her words could even finish, Reukis took a step forward.

 

“…?”

 

As her vision suddenly darkened, Merria lifted her head with a start.

 

Right before her eyes, she could see the line of Reukis’ jaw, now dangerously close.

 

“Reukis.”

 

Without giving her a chance to speak, Reukis scooped Merria into his arms and strode forward with heavy, deliberate steps.

 

Thud—

 

He roughly shoved the door open and crossed the hallway in wide strides.

 

Then, he entered the nearest parlor.

 

Even then, Merria, still cradled in his arms, looked up at him with bewildered eyes.

 

Reukis stared straight ahead, his face stiff and unyielding.

 

“What’s wrong with you? My clothes will get dirty.”

 

Merria curled in slightly as she spoke.

 

“Put me down. Hurry, okay?”

 

Plop—

 

The moment she said that, Reukis set her down onto the plush sofa.

 

As Merria hurriedly tried to stand, Reukis’ eyebrow twitched faintly.

 

“Again.”

 

At his low, restrained voice, Merria loosened the tension in her legs and sank back down.

 

Reukis, with one knee propped up on the sofa, leaned his upper body forward.

 

Trapped completely between the sofa and Reukis, Merria blinked rapidly.

 

With a furrowed brow, Reukis whispered sharply, “Were you planning to leave me alone?”

 

At his words, which almost sounded like an accusation, Merria’s lips parted slightly.