Blub blub blub…
A savoury smell began drifting from the boiling pot. I closely watched and stirred the ingredients inside.
Yep, this is good. Both the vegetables and meat have been boiled to perfection.
I wiped away the hot sweat on my forehead as I scooped out the lye floating around the rim.
Of course, one will sweat if they stand in front of a fireplace for long enough. Right now I was totally soaked from head to toe, as if I had recently come out of the pool.
I reached for the towel that I had nearby.
“Excuse me.”
“Woah! It’s hot!”
Taking a quick glance, I saw Rolf and Lily enter the room.
Lily tied up her sleeves so that they wouldn’t get in the way while Rolf left the door opened to combat the heat. This house was lent to me so that I could cook, so I’d appreciate if you would be less violent with it.
“Miss Marie, let me help.”
“Thank you. Then can you look after the pot for me?”
“What about me?”
“You can help me spread out the dough over there.”
“Gotcha.”
They were both friends who used to cook together back in the clan.
They understood my directions without needing many words. These two came in very handy, and I was thankful for their help. It felt like I was cooking with my family once again.
“…”
My brother’s face flashed across my mind.
I stared at the iron plate, remembering Johan’s strange behaviour a few hours ago. He had slapped his own cheeks before squeezing mine, then after realizing what he had done, his face was dyed red and he ran off like a rabbit and I haven’t seen him since.
I hoped that he would’ve found somewhere to rest properly, but I couldn’t find the courage to go and search for him.
I was a little afraid to meet him again after he saw my face and ran away. If I chased after him and he looked at me with an upset face, my heart would probably shatter into pieces. Even though I knew he wasn’t that sort of child, I couldn’t help but fear for the worst.
“Oi, what are you spacing out for?”
While I was lost in thought, Rolf called out, somehow already standing next to me.
In his hands were a bunch of neatly stretched chapati dough.
“We’re planning on baking a lot with all this though, right? If we don’t start soon, we’ll be out of time.”
Rolf pushed me away and stood in front of the iron plate. After hovering his hand over the plate to check if it was hot enough, he began to spread out the dough. ‘I’ve been helping out many times already, so I’m used to it,’ he said.
“Thank you.”
When I thanked him, Rolf turned around with a stupefied look in his eyes.
Though there were wrinkles between his brows, it was out of confusion, not anger. If anything, he was rather surprised.
“…Don’t stand in a daze in front of the fire again, you witch.”
Ah, so I made him worry.
His last words weren’t cute at all, but that didn’t matter to me.
“‘Witch?!’ Are you blind?!”
Slam!
The door that was soundly shut before had suddenly burst open with a bang.
The guest cast his gaze on the boy as he shouted deafeningly. Lily and Rolf were frozen in place.
“……Who?”
They asked with one voice; the two overlapped perfectly.
Speaking of which, I wasn’t able to introduce him to the two who were busy up till now.
“Uhm, Johan…?”
“From what angle did you see my sister from that ‘witch’ was the thing that came to your tiny mind? It’s not just her face; from her silky hair to her lustrous nails… No, if we’re talking beauty then it has to be her heart! And you have the gall to call her a witch?! Either your eyes have betrayed you, or there’s something wrong with your head!”
“Sister…?”
Lily turned away from the… lively Johan and stared at me in wonder.
I lowered my face and squeezed the bridge of my nose.
“Yes, this is my brother… probably.”
I muttered with absolutely no confidence whatsoever.
********
By the time we finished our meal, the outside had already turned dark.
Me, Lily, Rolf, and Johan sitting at the same table were, to put it simply, a ticking time bomb. We just ate our meals in silence.
“…Johan.”
“Y-Yes?”
When I gently called out to him, he jumped sharply and his voice betrayed his surprise.
“Here’s your soup. Please be careful since it’s hot.”
“T-Thank you very much!”
“It’s something I’ve made myself, so it might be as good as the castle’s, but I assure you it’s not that bad.”
“Sister’s home-cooked meal…”
When I handed the bowl over, Johan received it with clumsy hands. I hoped that it was the lamp in the room that made his face so bright red. And all this mumbling over my cooking, ‘this is precious…‘ was just me hearing things. Yeah! I’m sure of it! Definitely!
“…Your brother is a weird guy.”
Yep.
This was the first time I wanted to fully agree with Rolf’s words.
I wonder if I should feel relieved that he doesn’t hate me or facepalm at his, er, joyful attitude instead. Although I was happy to see him elated when he saw me, he said too many words that I couldn’t just ignore.
He had been separated from his sister for four whole years. ‘Boys sure grow up fast〜’, I first thought, feeling all sentimental.
However… My brother, haven’t you and your thoughts veered off onto a strange path?
I mean, who were you talking about when you said ‘her beautiful heart’? Your sister’s heart is dirty filth, I tell you.
My brother was beautifying me in his mind while we were apart.
As if there’s no limit to his fantasies… Or would it be an illusion at this point; everything he saw of me was seen through a thick, rose-coloured filter.
“Miss Marie, please help yourself.”
A chapati roll filled with stir-fried pork and vegetables was handed to me.
I thanked Lily and gladly received it.
Yeah, let’s put this matter about my weird brother in the backburner for now. First, let’s eat. We’re going to be very busy starting tomorrow after all.
I glanced at Johan who was eagerly chewing on the chapati roll and blowing the soup to cool it down.
“…!”
Johan, who had taken a sip, stared in amazement and unintentionally muttered, ‘It’s delicious…’ I was relieved that he liked it.
“I’m glad that it is to your taste.”
“So you are able to cook, Sister.”
Speaking of which, I couldn’t remember making anything for Johan before.
“All of Miss Marie’s dishes are quite a delight, you know?”
“Well, it’s not bad, I guess.”
Once Lily and Rolf said their part, Johan made a bitter face. He held onto the soup bowl with both hands and quietly kept staring at it.
“Johan…?”
“I never knew anything. I didn’t know that you could cook, nor the fact that you are knowledgeable when it comes to medicine… Or even the reason you are in the Kingdom of Wind right now. Nothing.”
Johan’s childish pout and voice reminded me of his past self.
Being separated for so long, it was natural that we didn’t know some things about each other.
But I was sure that things hadn’t changed much.
“You’re right… Then, let’s talk.”
After finishing the meal, we talked about the past leading up to this moment over tea.
I told him about what I had been through in the last four years while Johan was studying abroad. As the story progressed, Johan’s complexion turned pale, Lily was crying, and Rolf was stunned.
Thinking back to it all, I am out of the norm for a princess, aren’t I?
I feel like I lack awareness when it comes to myself. A tomboyish princess, if you will. Yeah, sounds about right.
Blub blub blub…
A savoury smell began drifting from the boiling pot. I closely watched and stirred the ingredients inside.
Yep, this is good. Both the vegetables and meat have been boiled to perfection.
I wiped away the hot sweat on my forehead as I scooped out the lye floating around the rim.
Of course, one will sweat if they stand in front of a fireplace for long enough. Right now I was totally soaked from head to toe, as if I had recently come out of the pool.
I reached for the towel that I had nearby.
“Excuse me.”
“Woah! It’s hot!”
Taking a quick glance, I saw Rolf and Lily enter the room.
Lily tied up her sleeves so that they wouldn’t get in the way while Rolf left the door opened to combat the heat. This house was lent to me so that I could cook, so I’d appreciate if you would be less violent with it.
“Miss Marie, let me help.”
“Thank you. Then can you look after the pot for me?”
“What about me?”
“You can help me spread out the dough over there.”
“Gotcha.”
They were both friends who used to cook together back in the clan.
They understood my directions without needing many words. These two came in very handy, and I was thankful for their help. It felt like I was cooking with my family once again.
“…”
My brother’s face flashed across my mind.
I stared at the iron plate, remembering Johan’s strange behaviour a few hours ago. He had slapped his own cheeks before squeezing mine, then after realizing what he had done, his face was dyed red and he ran off like a rabbit and I haven’t seen him since.
I hoped that he would’ve found somewhere to rest properly, but I couldn’t find the courage to go and search for him.
I was a little afraid to meet him again after he saw my face and ran away. If I chased after him and he looked at me with an upset face, my heart would probably shatter into pieces. Even though I knew he wasn’t that sort of child, I couldn’t help but fear for the worst.
“Oi, what are you spacing out for?”
While I was lost in thought, Rolf called out, somehow already standing next to me.
In his hands were a bunch of neatly stretched chapati dough.
“We’re planning on baking a lot with all this though, right? If we don’t start soon, we’ll be out of time.”
Rolf pushed me away and stood in front of the iron plate. After hovering his hand over the plate to check if it was hot enough, he began to spread out the dough. ‘I’ve been helping out many times already, so I’m used to it,’ he said.
“Thank you.”
When I thanked him, Rolf turned around with a stupefied look in his eyes.
Though there were wrinkles between his brows, it was out of confusion, not anger. If anything, he was rather surprised.
“…Don’t stand in a daze in front of the fire again, you witch.”
Ah, so I made him worry.
His last words weren’t cute at all, but that didn’t matter to me.
“‘Witch?!’ Are you blind?!”
Slam!
The door that was soundly shut before had suddenly burst open with a bang.
The guest cast his gaze on the boy as he shouted deafeningly. Lily and Rolf were frozen in place.
“……Who?”
They asked with one voice; the two overlapped perfectly.
Speaking of which, I wasn’t able to introduce him to the two who were busy up till now.
“Uhm, Johan…?”
“From what angle did you see my sister from that ‘witch’ was the thing that came to your tiny mind? It’s not just her face; from her silky hair to her lustrous nails… No, if we’re talking beauty then it has to be her heart! And you have the gall to call her a witch?! Either your eyes have betrayed you, or there’s something wrong with your head!”
“Sister…?”
Lily turned away from the… lively Johan and stared at me in wonder.
I lowered my face and squeezed the bridge of my nose.
“Yes, this is my brother… probably.”
I muttered with absolutely no confidence whatsoever.
********
By the time we finished our meal, the outside had already turned dark.
Me, Lily, Rolf, and Johan sitting at the same table were, to put it simply, a ticking time bomb. We just ate our meals in silence.
“…Johan.”
“Y-Yes?”
When I gently called out to him, he jumped sharply and his voice betrayed his surprise.
“Here’s your soup. Please be careful since it’s hot.”
“T-Thank you very much!”
“It’s something I’ve made myself, so it might be as good as the castle’s, but I assure you it’s not that bad.”
“Sister’s home-cooked meal…”
When I handed the bowl over, Johan received it with clumsy hands. I hoped that it was the lamp in the room that made his face so bright red. And all this mumbling over my cooking, ‘this is precious…‘ was just me hearing things. Yeah! I’m sure of it! Definitely!
“…Your brother is a weird guy.”
Yep.
This was the first time I wanted to fully agree with Rolf’s words.
I wonder if I should feel relieved that he doesn’t hate me or facepalm at his, er, joyful attitude instead. Although I was happy to see him elated when he saw me, he said too many words that I couldn’t just ignore.
He had been separated from his sister for four whole years. ‘Boys sure grow up fast〜’, I first thought, feeling all sentimental.
However… My brother, haven’t you and your thoughts veered off onto a strange path?
I mean, who were you talking about when you said ‘her beautiful heart’? Your sister’s heart is dirty filth, I tell you.
My brother was beautifying me in his mind while we were apart.
As if there’s no limit to his fantasies… Or would it be an illusion at this point; everything he saw of me was seen through a thick, rose-coloured filter.
“Miss Marie, please help yourself.”
A chapati roll filled with stir-fried pork and vegetables was handed to me.
I thanked Lily and gladly received it.
Yeah, let’s put this matter about my weird brother in the backburner for now. First, let’s eat. We’re going to be very busy starting tomorrow after all.
I glanced at Johan who was eagerly chewing on the chapati roll and blowing the soup to cool it down.
“…!”
Johan, who had taken a sip, stared in amazement and unintentionally muttered, ‘It’s delicious…’ I was relieved that he liked it.
“I’m glad that it is to your taste.”
“So you are able to cook, Sister.”
Speaking of which, I couldn’t remember making anything for Johan before.
“All of Miss Marie’s dishes are quite a delight, you know?”
“Well, it’s not bad, I guess.”
Once Lily and Rolf said their part, Johan made a bitter face. He held onto the soup bowl with both hands and quietly kept staring at it.
“Johan…?”
“I never knew anything. I didn’t know that you could cook, nor the fact that you are knowledgeable when it comes to medicine… Or even the reason you are in the Kingdom of Wind right now. Nothing.”
Johan’s childish pout and voice reminded me of his past self.
Being separated for so long, it was natural that we didn’t know some things about each other.
But I was sure that things hadn’t changed much.
“You’re right… Then, let’s talk.”
After finishing the meal, we talked about the past leading up to this moment over tea.
I told him about what I had been through in the last four years while Johan was studying abroad. As the story progressed, Johan’s complexion turned pale, Lily was crying, and Rolf was stunned.
Thinking back to it all, I am out of the norm for a princess, aren’t I?
I feel like I lack awareness when it comes to myself. A tomboyish princess, if you will. Yeah, sounds about right.
