Thank You For The Confinement, Grand Duke! - Chapter 67.2

How could I forget that? Every time I thought of those eyes, my mind filled with fantasies that made me feel like my brain was on fire.

When did I become such a pervert?!

Even when I tried to turn away, everything around me was painted gold. The sunlight streamed through the window, and now that I think about it, this orange color somewhat resembles gold… what the he*k?!

They’re completely different!

“Friii! Please come back!”

In the end, I threw the glass muller aside and flopped onto the bed. Cuddling my head, I rolled endlessly on the now-familiar fluffy mattress.

…Ah, so this is what it feels like to roll around like a female lead. Am I the rolling female lead now?

Such ridiculous thoughts crossed my mind.

* * *

“Are you alright, Miss…? You don’t look too well.”

“I’m fine. Probably.”

After rolling around for a while due to the strange heat that I couldn’t quite understand, I felt a bit worn out. However, I had things to prepare for tomorrow.

That was why I had borrowed a cookbook on purpose.

“Will you be okay on your own, Miss?”

“Yes. I’ve studied the recipe thoroughly… I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

To be honest, I wished Tambor could be by my side to help. Because of my grandmother, I’ve mostly only cooked Korean dishes, so I’ve hardly ever made Western food. However, I couldn’t keep bothering the busy Tambor, so I decided to let her go.

When have I ever learned to cook because someone taught me? I’ve learned by reading cookbooks and figuring things out on my own.

I’ve memorized the recipe well this time, so it should turn out fine.

…I hope I’ve actually memorized it properly?

Now, no one would hit me or flip the table just because it tasted bad. Enfrise would happily eat whatever I make. Still, that was why I wanted to make something even tastier.

“After the laundry is done, please check on the dough for me.”

“Alright then… I’ll be back soon, Miss. You can do it!”

Tambor clenched her fist at me and then hurried out. The usually slow-moving Tambor must be walking quickly to keep her promise.

Phew.

Now, should I get started?

Cooking always looked easy when watching someone else, but it felt difficult when I tried to do it myself. I knew very well that it wasn’t as easy as it looked when Tambor effortlessly whipped these things up, so I needed to focus.

The ingredients have all been prepared by her, so…

First, I put flour and butter into the bowl, then add some water. Normally, I would need to measure everything myself, but thankfully, Tambor prepared everything, so I just dumped it all in. They say that measuring is key in baking.

This meant my meat pie absolutely couldn’t fail.

“Hoo…”

Nonetheless, making the dough itself isn’t an easy task. If only I had a mixer, it would be easier, but unfortunately, I don’t have one.

Should I commission one from the wizards and sell it? That could be a hit!

I firmly grip the bowl with my left hand and start mixing the dough with my right. Since I didn’t have plastic gloves, I washed my hands as thoroughly as possible… Well, he had licked my bare skin before, so I doubt he would complain about making this with my bare hands.

Once the dough seemed to be mixed enough, I took a deep breath again. And then,

“Huhp!“

I began to knead with all my strength.

Kneading the dough was a battle! The texture depended on how long and how forcefully I knead it…

‘But isn’t this the method used for making sujebi….I hope that’s alright.’

At first, fluffy little clumps formed, though as I kneaded harder, it gradually became smoother. Since Chaperil has weaker arm strength, I needed to put my weight into it…

‘Ugh, this is hard.’

Still, I had to do this properly so that there wouldn’t be any clumps of flour later. After struggling for a while, the flour lumps that I could barely feel on my fingertips finally disappeared.

“…Hoo“

Now, I should put this in the refrigerator to let it rest.

It would be better to prepare the filling tomorrow, right? They said it takes about one hour and thirty minutes to cook the meat on low heat and forty to fifty minutes to bake the pie, so if I wanted to have a warm meat pie ready for the picnic, given that I was a slow worker…

Starting three hours in advance should be enough.

“Tonight’s dinner will be seafood soup.”

But the color was white.

I was quite surprised that many of the soups I had here had a clear broth. The only soup I knew was the instant one that would take three minutes to prepare, but this one looked somewhat similar to that soup I knew. The aroma was entirely different, though.

It wasn’t that the savory scent was absent, but there was also that distinctive seafood smell. A strangely familiar yet unfamiliar dish.

Still, since Tambor made it, it must be delicious.

“Hmm, I’m hungry.”

My stomach grumbled on its own. Maybe it was because I exerted myself while kneading the dough.

Was there anything to eat?

I felt like I shouldn’t mess around in the kitchen, so I just glanced around. In fact, most things were neatly organized, so it felt a bit awkward to touch anything. Even the spice jars were lined up perfectly. If I touched one, I was sure I’d be caught…

They say a kitchen reveals the personality of its user, which means Tambor’s neat and tidy nature is reflected here.

While I was scanning the area…

“Huh…?!”

I spotted something I had never expected.