NOVEL NEXT Chapter 229
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 229
A satisfied smile spread across my face.
From the sight of people gathered in the kitchen, diligently making snacks, a sense of fulfillment bubbled up.
“Darbav!”
“Ahem. Call me ‘Honey.'”
“How can you say that after making cookies look like rice cakes? You did the same thing when we were dating, making cookies look like a mess and getting scolded. Are you doing it again?”
“Isn’t it better to add a lot of everything?”
“If you add that much, it’s not a cookie anymore; it’s chocolate!”
Even the harmonious couple seemed to be reliving their newlywed days.
“Do you know, Histania Malik, that the Southern Region has the best quality chocolate?”
“I know. I also know that the Gold Coin Merchant Guild’s chocolate is the finest.”
“You don’t know everything.”
“Hmm?”
“The chocolate plantation newly operated by the House of Desmond produces even better quality chocolate than the Gold Coin Merchant Guild, which works its laborers 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. Desmond Farm only works its laborers 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.”
“…Are you advertising?”
“No, I’m boasting.”
“I’d like to hear more details.”
“Shall I?”
The serious conversation between two stern men was also a pleasant sight.
Just one thing—Malik seemed to be creating art rather than cookies, making me feel like my position as a butler was being threatened, but I decided to enjoy it.
I smiled faintly as I kneaded the dough on the table with my fist, shaping it.
‘Hmm.’
The thought of making cookies after so long seemed to ignite my butler’s instincts. Inspired by Malik, who was crafting dragon-shaped cookies, I decided to show the terrifying focus of a master of household affairs. Gathering aura at my fingertips, I thought to myself:
‘Top efficiency.’
‘If I finely adjust the aura to create air bubbles and pass a current through it to enhance the dough’s elasticity, I could make the ultimate cookies….’
As I was engrossed in crafting dough shaped like the Divine Beast of the East, the Azure Dragon, I began to hear strange noises from the side.
-Thud!
“Eek.”
-Thud thud!
“Eeeek!”
I glanced over to see a young lady punching the dough.
“Eeeeeeeek!!!!”
Her face was smeared with white dough, and she sniffled as she wiped her runny nose with the hand she had been kneading with. Then, after glancing around nervously, she resumed her work.
“Young Lady.”
“Mm.”
“Are you fighting with the dough?”
“Mm.”
At her simple response, I raised an imaginary exclamation mark above my head and replied affirmatively, “Ah, I see.”
“Why are you fighting with it?”
“It keeps sticking to my hands.”
“…?”
“I told it to let go, but it wouldn’t, so I hit it.”
I nodded slightly and began peeling the dough off her hands.
I was sure I had given her fully prepared dough. Why had it turned out like this? With that question in mind, I asked her:
“Did you add water?”
“Mm.”
“Why did you add water? I had already adjusted it to the golden ratio.”
“If I add water, I can make more of it.”
“To share with others?”
The young lady glared at me with a fierce look.
“No. It’s for me to eat.”
“…”
“I’ll give Ricardo a little, though.”
Smiling faintly at her generosity, I rolled up my sleeves. After all, this was a chance to legally take some cookies from the gluttonous young lady.
Carefully holding her hand, I began to restore the dough with a relaxed tone.
“You added too much water.”
“Really?”
“Yes, that’s why the dough is sticking to your hands.”
“Oh…”
The young lady nodded and entrusted her hands to mine. As the watery dough regained its vitality, she exhaled through her nose and shrugged her shoulders in excitement.
After reviving the near-dead dough, I placed it on the table as if to say, “Now, let your imagination run wild,” and nodded.
“It’s ready now.”
With a puff of air through her nose, the young lady began pouring her artistic soul into her work.
First, a handful of chocolate topping.
“One…”
Then two handfuls.
“Two.”
And three handfuls.
Looking at the towering pile of chocolate topping, I let out an empty laugh. The grandly stacked chocolate topping looked indescribable.
Noticing my reaction, the young lady glanced at me, pouted her lips, and said:
“It’s not poop.”
“…How did you know I was thinking that?”
“…”
The young lady didn’t seem to have much talent for cooking.
I began removing some of the chocolate topping from the dough while gathering my thoughts.
Let’s make cookies, not chocolate.
“I’m adding more.”
“If you put it in the oven like this, it’ll all burn.”
“…”
“Once it’s done, we can sprinkle it on top.”
As the young lady’s stubbornness and my persistence gradually aligned, we finally shaped something that resembled cookies. Just then, a timid female voice called out from the side.
“Excuse me…”
I turned to see Yuria, with dough smeared on the corner of her mouth. Unlike the young lady, Yuria seemed to have some talent for cooking, as she had crafted fairly decent cookies. She cautiously held out a tray in front of me.
Looking at the cookies on Yuria’s tray, I smiled faintly.
“Is something wrong?”
“Well… I made cookies, but I’m not sure if I’m doing it right. Should I bake them now?”
Seeing the bear-shaped cookie dough, I nodded.
“Yes, you’re doing it wrong.”
“…What?”
“They’re way too big.”
Yuria’s hands were far too large.
-Thud!
As if she intended to use up all the flour in the estate, she had made cookies so massive they couldn’t even fit on the tray. I clicked my tongue in disbelief.
“Are they too big?”
“Yes. Even if everyone here worked together, we wouldn’t be able to finish them. And such large dough won’t fit in the fireplace.”
“Ah… It worked in the North, though.”
“How did you bake them there?”
“We lit a bonfire and placed them on top…”
“We wouldn’t call that a cookie here. We’d call it a pancake.”
“A pancake…?”
“It’s a dish from my hometown.”
Yuria looked at the cookies she had made, a question mark practically floating above her head. With a timid expression that seemed to say she had no idea where things had gone wrong, she fiddled with the dough. Smiling faintly, I approached her from behind.
“Ah?!”
“Stay still.”
“Ah… Ahhh… Okay…”
I took Yuria’s hands and began to guide her, breathing purpose into the dough that had lost its direction.
“First of all, the bear’s face is way too big. At this size, it could fit a goblin in one bite.”
“Y-You’re too close…”
“And while making a beard with the dough is fine, I think using this carving knife to draw it might work better.”
“I-I’ll try drawing it.”
“And then…”
As I chatted away, I noticed Yuria’s stiff shoulders and reddened earlobes. Lowering my head, I wondered if something was wrong.
I worried that I might have ruined her carefully crafted masterpiece and hurt her feelings. Concerned, I cautiously called her name.
“Miss Yuria…”
“…”
“Miss Yuria?”
“Ah! Yes, yes! I’m listening!”
Yuria, who had flinched at my touch, met my gaze and gave a shy smile as she lifted her head.
“You’re really kind, Mr. Ricardo…”
As Yuria moved, a faint scent of shampoo wafted up, causing me to cover my mouth and blush.
“Ah… It’s nothing.”
Somehow, life felt fulfilling. It felt like this was truly the life of a possessor, and the world seemed to take on a pink tint.
Two flowers in my hands.
‘This is what life is about.’
Suppressing a rising smile, I carefully stepped away from Yuria. Staying too close wouldn’t be polite.
“That’s how you should do it. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, feel free to call me anytime.”
“Ah… There’s still so much I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. Sorry for troubling you.”
Gently wiping the dough off Yuria’s cheek, I gave her a warm smile.
“Instead of saying sorry, I’d like to hear ‘thank you.’ I prefer that much more.”
“…”
Yuria’s face turned as red as if it might burst.
“Butler!”
As my time with Yuria stretched on, Hanna suddenly darted in, showing off the cookie she had made with a smile.
Hanna’s cookie featured strawberry dough for hair and a sharply defined jawline, intricately detailed.
Smiling faintly, I admired Hanna’s creation.
“Is this supposed to be me?”
“That’s right.”
“Puhaha! You made it incredibly well.”
“It’s still far from capturing the real thing.”
“I never realized I was this handsome.”
“Liar, you say you’re handsome every day.”
“But I am handsome, aren’t I?”
“…”
There was no reply. Both women simply blushed and nodded slightly, making me feel embarrassed. At times like this, it would have been less awkward if they had just said something.
Wearing an awkward smile, I accepted Hanna’s cookie and bowed my head.
“Thank you.”
Hanna, wearing an apron, cautiously approached me and spoke.
“It’s my first time making cookies, so it’s difficult.”
“Is that so? For a first attempt, you did an amazing job.”
“Do you know who my older brother is?”
Hanna glanced at Malik, who was pouring all his effort into his cookie.
A dragon-shaped cookie that looked ready to breathe fire at any moment. Watching Malik bend down to craft even the finest details of the beard, I nodded.
“Indeed.”
Talent must run in the family.
Smiling faintly, I helped Hanna with her work.
And Chartia…
-Bear.
“What are you?”
-Goom.
“Are you really a bear?”
-Gomgom.
“Sigh… Paw.”
-Bear.
I found myself falling for a new kind of cuteness.
“Adorable…”
*
And so.
The time for the most anticipated—or rather, the main event—of the tea party was approaching.
“Is it here?”
I wandered around the estate’s bathhouse, checking for any potentially dangerous areas. I couldn’t let any accidents happen. I was absolutely not looking for a peephole, but rather preparing the bathwater in advance.
Swearing on my conscience.