Chapter 91

I turned to Lady Kate and Lady Natalie and opened my mouth.

"Didn't you both take some sweets as souvenirs when you visited our summer palace?"

"Yes. After we returned, we enjoyed them very much. The servants also loved them."

"Me too. Thanks to that, I'm being pressured about when we'll visit Lady Letizia's summer palace next."

Lady Natalie and Lady Kate replied in turn, looking pleased.

Both of them seemed more relaxed when talking to me.

It would be wonderful if they could get along well even without my intervention.

"...But why are you bringing this up now?"

"Indeed, we haven't received any sweets as souvenirs today..."

Lady Kate's cat ears twitched.

Lady Natalie narrowed her eyes slightly.

Both of them seemed puzzled.

To them, I made a suggestion.

"Why don't we make some sweets together?"

"Eh?"

"Wh-what?"

"Both of you said you wanted to see me cook, right? If you'd like, we can go to the kitchen now and make some sweets to take as souvenirs."

"I... I..."

"The kitchen..."

It seemed they hadn't considered this.

Lady Kate's cat ears were twitching, as if speaking for her.

In this country, it is acceptable for noble daughters to enter the kitchen, but it is more of a hobby.

Lady Kate and Lady Natalie are daughters of a duke, a high-ranking noble.

They are busy with etiquette and social activities and seem to have no cooking experience.

"I have all the ingredients and tools prepared. It won't take much time, so why don't we try making some simple sweets?"

It's like a cooking class from my previous life, right?

By cooking together, we can naturally start a conversation.

It might work better than just facing each other and trying to find a topic to talk about.

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"Is this outfit okay, Lady Letizia?"

"Lady Natalie, it suits you very well."

Lady Natalie was fidgeting with the apron.

I had them change into clothes that were easy to clean.

Fortunately, both of them were similar in size to me.

I had them wear the aprons and kitchen dresses I kept as spares.

Lady Natalie wore a light blue and white striped apron to match her hair color.

Lady Kate wore a light green dress with a white apron over it.

When they stood in the kitchen, the atmosphere seemed to brighten.

To finish, I had them tie their hair back so it wouldn't get in the way, and we started cooking.

"Today, I'll have you both make crepe batter."

On the worktable, the crepe batter that had been resting was already prepared.

At first, I thought we could start with making the batter, but it would take too long.

For beginners, mixing the batter would be difficult, so we skipped that step.

To let them experience the fun of cooking, I decided to have them make and fill the crepes.

"We'll cook the prepared batter in this frying pan."

It's a shallow frying pan, easier to flip the crepes with.

The two of them listened with great interest.

Everything seemed fresh to them, as it was their first time in the kitchen.

With their eyes on me, I heated the frying pan and added oil.

I watched the heat and poured the batter in a circular motion.

"It smells good."

Lady Kate took a deep breath.

The aroma of the heated eggs and flour tickled our noses.

"As holes form in the batter, shake the pan to fill them. Be careful to keep the thickness even... and use the spatula to flip the crepe."

"Oh!"

Lady Natalie let out a small exclamation at my movements.

She seemed surprised.

"Then, wait a little until the other side is cooked, and slide it off the pan."

I used the spatula to slide the crepe onto a plate.

The two of them were very interested in the golden-brown crepe.

"Amazing. This is how delicious dishes are made..."

"Excellent. The color and smell are very appetizing."

"Hehe, thank you. Now, why don't you both give it a try?"

"Can we...?"

"I'm not very confident..."

Despite their hesitation, both of them were fidgeting.

They seemed eager to try it themselves.

"It's okay if it doesn't go well at first. Even if it's not perfect, there are ways to use it, so don't be afraid to try."

"Since you put it that way, I'll give it a try."

Lady Kate stepped up to the frying pan.

Lady Natalie watched her, as if cheering her on.

Holding the frying pan in her left hand and the spatula in her right, Lady Kate added oil and poured the batter.

"The batter fell in a clump!!"

"Oh, calm down!! I think you tilted the spatula too much!!"

Lady Kate moved the spatula at Lady Natalie's quick advice.

Although a bit too much batter fell, it was still recoverable.

"Lady Kate, tilt the pan to spread the batter evenly."

"Evenly? Like this?"

"Yes, that's it. You're doing well."

Lady Kate, blushing, mimicked my earlier actions and cooked the crepe.

"When flipping, the crepe tore a bit..."

"It's just the edge. For a first try, it's well done. Why don't you give it a try, Lady Natalie?"

"Thank you, I'll do my best."

Lady Natalie took the frying pan with stiff movements.

Lady Kate laughed softly at her obvious nervousness.

"Hehe, you don't have to be so stiff. Just scoop the batter and pour it smoothly!!"

"Scoop and pour smoothly..."

Lady Kate, now the experienced one, gave advice.

Lady Natalie nodded and reached for the spatula.

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"Ugh... I was overtaken so quickly..."

Lady Kate muttered, looking at the crepe batter in front of her.

We had each made 10 crepes.

Lady Kate's crepes were mostly torn, with only one being perfect.

"Lady Natalie, how can you be so good, even though you're a beginner like me...?"

"Thanks to Lady Letizia and Lady Kate."

In front of the slightly blushing Lady Natalie, 4 out of 10 crepes were perfect.

At first, Lady Natalie had been hesitant with the spatula, but she seemed to have found the knack.

"I mimicked Lady Letizia and took Lady Kate's advice, scooping and pouring smoothly, and it worked."

"Scoop and pour smoothly... I did the same, but..."

...It's a matter of dexterity.

Lady Kate, for a beginner, was doing well, but Lady Natalie was even more dexterous.

Her delicate nerves seemed to be reflected in her cooking.

Lady Natalie reached out to Lady Kate, who was struggling with the spatula.

"May I? I think it's easier to hold the spatula like this."

The two of them seemed to be gradually getting along.