In a small kitchen in a remote castle, Rishe was chopping medicinal herbs. These herbs were brought back by the knights who were on patrol around the Royal Capital earlier this morning.

After she finished chopping quickly, she gathered them on the chopping board with a knife and pressed them down in the pot with one hand. Then she added some seasonings and then stirred them in with the bacon and onions that had already been half cooked.

The aroma of the soup permeated the air in the small kitchen, which was only used for simple cooking. The only time this place was used was for breakfast, so no one went near it in the evening hours.

“Ahem”

In such a small kitchen, Rishe glanced back.

“Isn’t it better if you wait in the room?”

Arnold was hanging on a wooden chair in the corner.

He sat with his cheek on a simple table beside him, watching Rishe make soup.

“No, I’m fine here.”

“If Your Highness says so…”

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Wouldn’t that be boring?

Come to think of it, Arnold had been watching Rishe closely since earlier as she was washing off the dye from her hair with warm water and a towel.

Maybe it’s just an ingrained habit of observing others.

With that in mind, I stirred the soup around and around. It seemed to be simmering now, so I scooped a small portion in a saucer for tasting and sipped a little.

“…”

She added salt, stirred, and tasted it again. Rishe squeezed her eyes shut and hurriedly poured water into the pot, bringing it to a boil again before adding pepper.

She also added more chopped herbs, just to be sure, and tasted the soup again.

The taste of it sobered her up.

I-What have I done!

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Realizing my own transgressions, I regretted having taken such actions.

Taking Arnold out for dinner at night and making soup was tough work, even if it was due to fatigue.

“Uh, Your Highness.” With a saucer of soup left in her hand, Rishe spoke meekly.

“Actually, I owe you an apology for something.”

“What? Have you been wandering around the castle grounds by yourself at night?

“That too!! I’m very sorry for suggesting a light meal here. Uhm–”

I took a deep breath, unsure of how to start.

It takes a lot of courage to confess my weaknesses to a man who was my enemy in another life. To put it simply, it’s embarrassing, but if I don’t speak honestly here, I’ll be in big trouble.

Rishe rummaged around for words, and after debating what to do, she finally turned around.

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Then, she managed to squeeze a tiny voice, “Uhm, I’m a terrible cook!”

“–Ho”

For a moment, there seemed to be a look on Arnold’s face that I had never seen before, but it must have been my imagination.

“I invited you here out of hunger and exhaustion, but this was a complete blunder. I’m sorry…”

“Hmm, I’ve always wondered why you were so adept at it in the first place. Normally, it’s rare to find a Duke’s daughter who has experience in cooking.”

“Yeah, that’s part of it, but…”

In Rishe’s various lives, meals were generally a way of ‘stuffing something in her stomach first’.

Of course, she loved delicious food, but she prioritized sleeping time rather than spending time cooking. When she was a knight, she even ended up sprinkling salt on boiled potatoes and that was it.

When I was a pharmacist, I was told, [Medical preparation and cooking are similar. You just have to put the right amount of ingredients in.]

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Certainly, preparations such as chopping ingredients and boiling them in a pot might be the same.

However, in Rishe’s perspective, when cooking had the elements ‘ingredient flavors’ and ‘fire control’, it was fundamentally different from concocting medicines.

I don’t mind this soup as long as I am the only one who drinks it.

That’s why I’ve made it this far, but I’m beyond uneasy in having Arnold drink it.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, but I’m afraid that this soup is not to Your Highness’ taste.”

“…”

“Please wait a little while longer, I’ll go get some food from the main castle’s kitchen. We’ll talk about the Aria Trading Company afterwards.”

Before she could finish, Arnold got up from his chair.

He then took the saucer in Rishe’s hand and smoothly sipped a bit from the remaining soup.

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“Ah!!”