“Hmph, it’s just as I thought.
My mother’s cooking skills haven’t been buried by time yet.” Subaru held up the peeled potato, her face beaming with a sense of accomplishment.
She lightly flicked her wrist, as if showing off her achievement.
“It’s just peeling a potato.
Is it really worth being so happy about?” Rem’s tone held a hint of confusion.
Her gaze swept over the potato in Subaru’s hand, her brows slightly furrowed, finding Subaru’s excitement a bit inexplicable.
“Rem-senpai, this is an important step I’ve taken!” Subaru explained with a smile, her fingers gently caressing the smooth surface of the potato.
“You know, ever since I dropped out of school, I haven’t stepped into a kitchen.”
“Drop…
out?”
“It’s nothing.” Subaru’s smile faltered slightly, then she shook her head and lowered it, continuing to peel the next potato.
Her fingers glided gently over the potato’s surface, but her thoughts drifted back to the past.
In the past, her father always loved to pester her to make him bento.
Even though her mother’s cooking was better, he would always smile and say, “Just thinking that it’s my precious daughter’s cooking makes it several times more delicious.” But ever since she dropped out of school, her father never mentioned her cooking again.
She knew in her heart that her father was silently looking after her feelings.
Now, she had finally mustered the courage to stand in the kitchen and pick up kitchen utensils again… Would there still be an opportunity in the future?
Rem noticed Subaru’s mood suddenly drop and couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled.
She put down the kitchen knife in her hand, tilted her head to look at Subaru, and urged, “What’s wrong?
Please don’t dawdle anymore.
All the ingredients must be prepared before dinner starts.”
“Ah, sorry, I was just thinking about something from the past.” Subaru snapped back to reality, forced a smile, and to banish the sad thoughts from her mind, she began to concentrate on the potato in front of her.
While peeling, she tried to change the subject.
“Speaking of which, where is Senior Ram now?
Isn’t the butler responsible for kitchen work?”
“No, my sister sometimes helps with kitchen duties, but my sister has more important work right now.” Rem’s tone was calm, but when she mentioned “sister,” her eyes clearly softened a lot.
“I see… So Senior Ram must be specifically responsible for the mansion’s hygiene, right?” Subaru continued to ask, her hands not stopping their work.
“Most of the cleaning is still Rem’s responsibility.” Rem shook her head, then added, “However, if it were my sister, she would definitely do it better than Rem.”
“It seems Rem-senpai admires Senior Ram very much.”
“Yes, because my sister has a charm that can captivate people.”
“I see, so what work is Senior Ram doing right now?” Subaru asked curiously, the potato in her hand almost completely peeled.
“Hmm… My sister just finished lunch, so she should be taking a nap now.”
“Uh… Rem-senpai, I think it’s best to redefine the meaning of important work.” Subaru couldn’t help but retort, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.
A flicker of displeasure crossed Rem’s face, but before she could speak, a lazy voice came from the doorway.
“What an unlikable junior, talking bad about Ram behind her back.”
She stretched, slowly walked to the center of the kitchen, crossed her arms, and spoke with a touch of arrogance.
“Ram’s work is beyond what a little Barusu can imagine.
Ram is Lady Roswaal’s confidante, specifically handling those… hmm, important matters that only Ram can handle.”
“As expected of my sister, Rem truly admires her.” Rem immediately echoed, her eyes full of adoration.
Subaru’s snarky comment had been caught by Ram, and knowing she was in the wrong, she didn’t say anything more.
She lowered her head and sped up her ingredient preparation, trying to hide her embarrassment with busyness.
Ram didn’t continue to make things difficult for Subaru, nor did she have any intention of helping.
She poured herself a cup of tea, slowly sipped it, and just watched Subaru and Rem work.
In the kitchen, only the soft sound of Ram drinking tea remained, along with the sounds of Rem and Subaru chopping ingredients as they prepared dinner.
“Ouch!”
Suddenly, Subaru let out a low cry, and in pain, she quickly put her finger in her mouth.
She had sped up her ingredient preparation earlier, afraid of Ram’s sharp tongue, and accidentally cut her finger.
“How useless, Barusu.” Ram took a sip of tea, mercilessly mocking her.
“Yes, truly useless.” Rem nodded.
“I hate the sharp-tongued character setting…”
Subaru tried hard to suppress her tears, not wanting to appear too weak in front of them.
However, in the next moment, a faint light suddenly flickered around her.
A magical aura slowly emanated from her forehead, gradually flowing toward her injured finger.
The moment the magic touched the wound, the bleeding finger miraculously healed, as if it had never been injured.
This scene stunned all three of them, and the kitchen fell silent for a moment.
“Subaru!
Are you alright?!”
Carlisle’s figure suddenly appeared at the kitchen door, clearly having rushed over.
His breathing was a little ragged, his gaze quickly sweeping over Subaru, and his tone carried obvious worry.
“I sensed magic being activated.
Are you injured?”
“Ca-Ca-Ca-Carlisle!” Subaru stammered his name, her face filled with surprise and panic.
Subaru and Carlisle sat on chairs in the lounge, the atmosphere a bit subtle.
As soon as Rem and Ram saw Carlisle appear, they immediately ushered Subaru into the lounge, and Ram took over Subaru’s work, continuing to busy herself.
“I feel so embarrassed…” Subaru lowered her head, her voice carrying a hint of awkwardness.
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her skirt, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“Sorry, Subaru, I overreacted a bit.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
“No, no, no!” Subaru quickly waved her hands.
“It’s an honor to be cared for by the world’s best Lord Carlisle!”
“Um… just call me Carlisle.”
“Even if you’re a maid now, there’s no need for honorifics.
Also, ‘world’s best’ is an exaggeration.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Carlisle saw Subaru covering her flushed cheeks with both hands, looking at him with an expression of adoration, her eyes sparkling with that fervent light again.
He couldn’t help but feel a wave of helplessness, but also a certain warmth in his heart.
“However, I’m relieved to see that you’re not in danger.” Carlisle’s tone carried a sense of relief.
“Mm!” Subaru nodded vigorously, then, as if remembering something, she asked curiously, “But does that magic also have a healing effect?”
“Yes.” Carlisle nodded, patiently explaining, “The protective magic I created has both healing and defensive effects after being cast.
If it’s a fatal or powerful attack, the defensive magic will block that attack, but it can only be triggered once, after which it needs to be cast again.”
“If it detects ordinary wounds, the magic will release stored water-attribute mana to heal the wound.”
“That’s amazing!” Subaru’s eyes lit up, her tone full of adoration.
“As expected of Carlisle, to be able to invent such flawless magic!
I’m so impressed!”
“Flawless is an overstatement.” Carlisle shook his head.
“This magic still has weaknesses.”
“Eh?” Subaru was stunned for a moment, asking with some confusion.
“But what weaknesses could magic that can both defend and heal possibly have?”
“Firstly, casting this magic requires incantation time and must be completed by touching the forehead.
These two prerequisites basically rule out its practicality in combat,” Carlisle explained.
“Additionally, it cannot defend against curses.
Curses cannot be healed or protected against.
At most, it can only prolong the cursed person’s survival time, but it cannot fundamentally solve the problem.”
“However, you don’t need to worry too much.
Curses are not used in combat because they require time to take effect.
In most cases, they are techniques used by sorcerers for assassination.”
After listening, Subaru nodded thoughtfully.
She was just a small maid, after all.
Who would bother to go to such lengths to assassinate her?
It really helps the fic grow!