Chapter 16
The dark figure escorting Kitty at her side showed no particular reaction.
Only Cindy, who was silently holding the parasol behind her, kept clearing her throat.
“Ahem… ahem…”
Oh dear. She must have caught a terrible sore throat now that the seasons are changing.
After a long pause, the young heir of the Marquis finally raised a cautious question.
“Your Highness… aren’t you still a little too young to be cooking yourself?”
“It’s fine. I was born with talent.”
“…I see.”
Then, perhaps realizing belatedly that his response had been somewhat impolite, he hesitated for quite some time before quietly adding,
“If… if you were ever to give me such an opportunity… I would truly, truly look forward to it.”
Kitty nodded slightly.
Good.
Now that she’d gotten his permission…
Next time, she’d make him a delicious cake.
Not a single person had ever disliked one of Kitty’s cakes.
The young lord certainly wouldn’t be an exception.
Besides, wasn’t she supposed to maintain a friendly relationship with her fiancĆ©?
A cake would surely help.
Ah… come to think of it, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to find out what kind of desserts he likes beforehand.
The thought immediately became action.
“What do you like?”
“…Pardon?”
“Cake. What kind of cake do you like?”
Just as Evan liked chocolate, perhaps the young lord preferred sweet potatoes, strawberries, carrots… or some other favorite ingredient.
Or maybe he liked desserts so sweet they made your tongue tingle.
Or perhaps he preferred salty or sour treats instead of sugary ones.
Maybe he enjoyed desserts with a light, refreshing finish.
Or, on the contrary, rich desserts whose deep flavor lingered the longer you savored them.
After all, a person’s tastes could be expressed in countless different ways.
The young lord quietly listened to Kitty’s enthusiastic explanation before finally murmuring,
“Well… I eat just about anything. I’m not particularly picky.”
It was an incredibly disappointing answer.
I eat anything.
That sounded exactly like the sort of answer timid children gave because they were afraid adults would scold them.
“But… but there has to be something you especially like.”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never really thought about it… If Your Highness made it yourself, I’m sure I’d enjoy anything.”
“Ahem… ahem…”
Cindy’s forced coughs became even more frequent.
Just as Kitty, growing increasingly frustrated, was about to question the young lord further, she vaguely noticed another pitch-black figure approaching from farther down the path.
The only difference between the newcomer and the young lord beside her was that one was only a little taller than Kitty…
…while the other was enormous.
The large figure strode briskly toward them before stopping respectfully in front of the pair.
“I greet Her Highness Princess Katrina, the Empire’s most exalted star. Your Highness, I beg your pardon, but the Marquis of Roengreen is urgently requesting Master Patrick’s presence.”
“Father…?”
The boy murmured quietly beside her.
Now that the Second Princessāwho had been missing for eight yearsāhad returned to the imperial palace, the Marquis of Roengreen undoubtedly had countless matters that needed to be settled before this social season ended.
Kitty had already suspected something like this might happen.
She nodded maturely.
“It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
She withdrew the hand wrapped around the young lord’s arm and stepped back a couple of paces.
The movement was so swift and matter-of-fact that it was almost startling.
After all, she could simply hold Cindy’s hand on the way back.
There was no problem at all.
“My deepest apologies, Your Highness. Next time, I promise I’ll bring the cake that Your Highness likes.”
Kitty waved one hand lightly toward the large dark figure and the smaller one to let them know it was all right before turning back the way she had come with her maid.
Her time with the young lord hadn’t been unpleasant…
But somehow, her steps felt much lighter now that she was heading back.
“Cindy, let’s go back and make some really delicious pudding.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
One major task was finally over.
That meant she would be free againāfor a while.
