Cooking Class in the Town (2)
As the three of them cooked in the kitchen…
“So this is what it feels like to have a daughter. It’s kind of lively and nice.”
James muttered to himself.
“Having a little sister seems nice. I envy Young master Noel.”
Daniel added.
“Yeah. The young lady in an apron looks adorable. This is great.”
Camaro chimed in.
“Yes, having a little sister is truly wonderful. She’s cute, kind, a great cook, and when you lift her up, she’s soft and smells sweet… It’s the best. Hehehe.”
Noel spoke with a dreamy expression.
“… Noel, that statement of yours is a little too unfortunate.”
Arandolph said in exasperation. No one else knew how to respond, so they could only give wry smiles.
A little while later, voices of two people apologizing to Joan could be heard from the kitchen. Curious about what had happened, they strained their ears.
““!! We’re terribly sorry!!””
“Oh, please don’t worry about it. I just find things I can do in my own way as someone with the Null attribute.”
“Things you can do?”
"Yes. Though for now, that just means cooking and coming up with small crafts... Well, even I wonder if that’s appropriate for a noble. But I think it’s better than doing nothing at all."
“No, no, that’s more than enough.”
“Really? Well, if I ever get cast out of nobility and have nowhere to go, please let me work at a blacksmith or carpentry shop. Ehehe.”
“"Of course!! We’d be honored to have you!!"”
“…….”
James, Daniel, Camaro, Gan, and Martin, recalling the rumors about Joan’s Null attribute evaluation, hesitated, unsure if they should have been listening in on this.
““!!!””
Meanwhile, Noel and the others were utterly shocked by Joan’s hypothetical statement.
“No, no, no! That will never happen!”
Noel, recovering the fastest, declared.
“Even if, by some impossible chance, something did happen, I would do something about it!”
Gene added.
“If anything happens, I’ll be there too.”
Arandolph reassured.
“Me too, me too.”
Vince agreed.
“We’ll help too, right, Martin?”
Gan asked.
“Of course. You can count on us.”
““Brother-in-law.””
Gan placed a hand on Noel’s shoulder, while Martin did the same to Gene, speaking in unison.
““Like hell I can leave her to you!!””
Noel and Gene shouted.
“B-Brothers, what’s wrong? Why are you yelling?”
Joan, worried about her brothers suddenly raising their voices in a place other than the mansion, hurried over.
“Jo, you’re not going anywhere, right?”
Noel asked with a troubled look.
“Eh?”
“So, Jo, what do you want to do when you grow up?”
Geneasked seriously for once.
“What’s with this all of a sudden? Hmm… Oh! When I turn ten, I want to register as an adventurer!”
[An adventurer!?]“Yeah, I kind of admire them… But really, what’s going on?”
“You were just talking about leaving home earlier, weren’t you?”
Vee pointed out.
“Hm? Oh, that conversation with Mrs. Grace and Mrs. Michelle? But that was just a what-if scenario.”
“Even if it was a what-if, Jo, you can stay at the mansion! We’ll protect you, and we’ll always be by your side no matter what!”
Noel insisted.
“… Ah, thank you. But I don’t want to be in the way of my brothers’ happiness.”
“You’re not in the way at all!”
Gene protested.
“Huh? But you’re all going to get married, right? When you do, you need to prioritize your wives first!!”
“I don’t have to get married.”
Noel muttered under his breath.
“What are you saying? You’re the heir, you’re the one who has to get married the most! I’ll manage on my own, so don’t worry about me!!”
““Jo.””
Noel and Gene looked like they were about to cry.
“Sigh… Okay, okay. If anything happens, I’ll definitely talk to you guys. But it’s still far in the future.”
““Report, contact, consult—early!! Absolutely!!””
“Yes. Oh, sorry, we got a little too loud over personal matters.”
Joan apologized to James and the others.
“No, no, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
*Clap.*
“Alright, the omelette is ready! Let’s all have a taste.”
Mrs. Grace clapped her hands, changing the atmosphere.
[Delicious!!]“Mmm, this has a different deliciousness from what the young lady made.”
James commented.
“Well, of course! I made this one.”
Mrs. Grace said proudly.
“Geez, Dad, Mom, stop flirting!”
Camaro scolded.
“Hehe, it’s nice when people get along, isn’t it?”
I said.
““It really is.””
Mrs. Grace and Mrs. Michelle agreed.
“Mom, Aunt. Michelle, you’ve really gotten close with Young lady Joan.”
Daniel noted.
“Yes, I’d love to learn more from her.”
Mrs. Grace said.
“Really. I wish she’d hold regular cooking classes.”
Mrs. Michelle added.
“Ehehe, thank you. But you don’t have to force yourselves to say polite things.”
““No, we mean it!!””
“Cooking with Young lady Joan feels like a dream come true, like I finally get to cook with a daughter.”
Mrs. Michelle said.
“Exactly! That’s why, please!”
Mrs. Grace pleaded.
“If possible, I’d love you to marry Martin. But that’s not going to happen.”
“Well, I’d rather she marry Gan.”
““Mom!?””
Martin and Gan exclaimed in shock.
““Pfft!!””
Noel and Gene spit out their tea.
“Brothers, are you okay?”
I handed them handkerchiefs.
““T-Thanks.””
“Well, let’s cook together again sometime. Oh, and please call me by my name. Gan and Martin do too.”
“Really? Then, I will call you Little Joan.”
“Me too, Little Joan.”
“Alright, looking forward to it.”
After that, we said our goodbyes and returned to the mansion.
Upon returning home, my father and mother asked me how the town was. I happily reported that it was a lot of fun. Unlike me, who was all smiles, the boys’ group looked completely drained.
While I went back to my room, they reported on what happened in town. At first, my parents listened with smiles, but as they heard about the hot drinks, the wooden tumblers, the cooking class, and finally, my comment about possibly leaving the mansion in the future, the adults all held their heads in their hands.
“I need to have a long, serious talk with that child later.”
Our Mother said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. No one could offer any support, only silently cheering me on in their hearts—“Joan, good luck!”
At that moment, I was in my room with Sarah and Anny, handing them the candy Brother Aran had bought for me. The three of us laughed together.
By the way, the ripple candy was made from honey and was slightly different from what I remembered from my previous life.
What do you think about this chapter?
