Food Tasting
After chilling the cookie dough in the refrigerator, I began slicing it into rounds. For the salted cheese cookies, I coated the edges with coarse salt.
"Alright, time to bake~”
Ben placed the cookies in the oven.
"Master, please take care of them."
I felt like clapping my hands in prayer, hoping they would bake perfectly.
--- Twenty minutes later.
The kitchen was filled with a sweet aroma.
"They’re done~~~!!!"
"Yup, they’re baked perfectly. Now, it’s all about the taste."
"Yes. Mr. Abe, Master, please taste them."
*Crunch.*
"Yum!! These are amazing, Young lady! I’ve never had salted cheese cookies before, but the balance between the salt and cheese is just perfect!!"
"The tea cookies are great too. I never thought about eating tea leaves; I only ever drank tea. This is a unique idea..."
*Gulp.*
"Oh, Arthur, Annie—oh, sorry, Miss Annie, too."
"No, no, call me whatever you like."
"Alright, then, Annie too. Sarah, please give them a try."
*Crunch.*
"Delicious!"
"Th-these are really good!"
"Mmm~ they’re so tasty, Young lady~"
Everyone gave the cookies their stamp of approval.
I wonder if Father and the others will enjoy them as well?
Oh, right, there’s one more thing I wanted to make.
"Umm, Mr. Abe, Master. There’s something else I’d like to make..."
"What is it, Young lady?"
"I want to make dried fruits for my Mother."
"Dried fruits?"
"Yes, it’s fruit that’s been dehydrated."
"Is it any good?"
"Yes! Drying them concentrates the flavor and nutrients, plus it makes them last longer."
"Young lady, where did you learn about that?"
"Uh, w-well, from a book."
"You sure are a studious one, Young lady~"
"Alright, well, it’s worth a try. Ben, go with the Young lady to the pantry and pick out some fruits."
"Got it~ Let’s go, Young lady! Roll out~"
"Ohh~~!"
I jogged along behind Ben.
---Tap, tap, tap...
In the kitchen, after Joan and I had left:
"I always thought the Young lady was more spoiled and, uh, a bit different... She’s really changed."
"Yeah, she has. She never used to come to the kitchen, and she wasn’t this polite or well-mannered..."
"I’ve never even spoken with her before. But today, she called me Annie and smiled at me... She was so adorable. I felt my heart skip a beat!"
"Yeah, yeah, these days, the Young lady is just so cute. She’s heart-meltingly sweet."
"Yeah, I kinda wanted to pat her on the head."
"Right? That smile of hers makes me want to hug her tightly."
"Arthur, you’d get in trouble for that."
The three kitchen staff chatted about how different Joan was compared to before, while the maid, Sarah, beamed with pride as if it were her own accomplishment.
---
"A-a-achoo!!"
"Ahaha! That’s a bold sneeze, Young lady~ Are you alright?"
"I’m fine. What was that? Maybe it’s dust?"
What do you think about this chapter?
