Chapter 9

Lucian stood in the kitchen of the Arambour family, accompanied by the maid Rosalie.

She was going to make a rabbit meat pie as promised to Constantin.

Dinner preparation would begin in an hour, so the cooking had to be done quickly.

She put on an ironed apron and rolled up her sleeves.

"Rosalie, please prepare the mashed potatoes. I will cut up the rabbit."

"Understood."

Today’s meat pie would use an entire rabbit.

After removing the fur, the rabbit’s flesh was a beautiful light red.

"Look, Rosalie. This meat is so beautiful."

"Indeed. It must have eaten its fill of the king’s vegetables."

"Oh, what luxury."

The rabbits in the king’s garden were more than a size larger than those in Lucian’s hometown.

The meat was of high quality, plump and firm.

First, she had to turn the meat into ground meat. Lucian mercilessly chopped the rabbit meat with a knife.

Next, she finely chopped the onions and carrots, seasoned them, and mixed them thoroughly with the ground meat.

Then, she simmered the ground meat in tomato sauce.

The vegetables used for the meat pie were all grown in Lucian’s home garden. The flour was the best quality, produced in her territory. She had brought them to be enjoyed by the people of the Arambour family, who had taken her in.

"Miss Anne, the mashed potatoes are ready."

"Thank you."

She used the dough she had prepared that morning. She laid the dough on a plate, spread the mashed potatoes, and then layered the rabbit meat sauce on top.

She repeated this process several times, adding roasted walnuts in the center for a crunchy texture, which would accent the pie.

Finally, she placed the meat sauce on top and covered it with the dough. She generously brushed it with beaten eggs and baked it in the oven until it turned a golden brown.

Since dinner was not yet ready, she left the baking for later.

Lucian returned to her private room with Rosalie.

A small fire was burning in the fireplace. Rosalie filled a kettle with water and placed it on the iron stand in the center of the fireplace.

Lucian sat in a single chair in front of the fireplace and gazed at the burning fire.

She sipped the tea Rosalie had prepared for her.

Finally, she could take a deep breath.

"Miss Anne, I’m looking forward to the meat pie."

"Yes. It will surely be the most delicious one I’ve ever had."

In the Viscount Fortrie’s territory, there was an annual rabbit meat pie festival.

Men hunted rabbits, and women baked meat pies, which everyone brought to share.

Each household had its own unique flavor, and the Fortrie family’s specialty was a meat pie with roasted walnuts.

Would Constantin like it? The thought of him made her smile naturally.

Constantin von Arambour, the knight of the king’s garden, was a typical knight straight out of a story.

He stood tall and walked briskly. If she fell behind, he would turn around and wait for her.

It made her feel like a princess.

He was so tall that she couldn’t see his face. When she tried to look up, the sun’s light would obstruct her view.

Constantin was that tall.

"Miss Anne, you seem to be in a good mood today."

"Yes, because—I never thought there would be such a wonderful knight."

Her sisters had warned her that the knights in the capital were frivolous and only interested in women for pleasure.

However, Constantin was serious and didn’t seem to be playing around.

He was kind and gentle.

"Why didn’t you say ‘Yes’ when the Arambour Count asked if you would consider his son?"

"Because, that’s my father’s job to discuss, and besides—"

Lucian touched her own cheek. It wasn’t her natural skin.

It was a mask of thick powder.

"Do you think the Count of Arambour noticed my heavy makeup?"

"Men don’t notice women’s makeup."

"I hope so."

Lucian had a secret. She applied a thick layer of powder to her skin.

She had run around in the sun since childhood.

However, this caused her skin to tan.

She had been rejected in a match because her skin wasn’t white.

Surely, Constantin preferred women with fair skin.

"My sisters kept warning me, but I never understood why I shouldn’t get sunburned..."

Her six older sisters had told her, "Don’t play outside; you’ll get sunburned." But Lucian, who didn’t understand the reason, went out to play without a hat.

As a result, her skin had a healthy color.

In high society, there was an unprecedented trend of fair skin. Delicate women with pale skin and visible blue veins were considered attractive.

Lucian had studied and mastered a makeup technique to appear fair-skinned.

She even drew blue veins on her neck with a blue pen.

To strangers, she looked like a fair-skinned young lady.

Her natural face was something she could never show to anyone.

"I even have freckles."

"I think Miss Anne’s freckles are cute."

"You’re the only one who thinks so."

"No one else has seen them, though."

The thought of showing her freckles was terrifying. Just thinking about it made her shudder.

"Anyway, I must find a husband at the royal ball."

"Is there really a man who will allow you to work in the fields?"

The royal ball would gather noble men from all over the country.

Surely, there would be someone who would let her live freely.

She believed this.