[Episode 73] — For Mom! (1)
The morning after returning from the hunting competition.
Titania, who had woken earlier than usual, fidgeted in Vivian’s arms.
After wriggling with all her might until she escaped Vivian’s embrace, Titania poked her head out from under the covers and took a great breath, going, “Phew!” Thanks to the warmth of her mother’s body and her own, the space beneath the blankets was almost like a sauna.
After wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead, Titania lowered her head and looked down at Vivian, who was still wandering through dreamland. Her mother’s expression was peaceful as she slept, breathing softly, apparently not bothered by the heat at all.
When she saw her mother’s slightly parted lips, Titania once again felt the hairs on her head stand on end. She did not know why she was acting this way, but the reason for this strange feeling was surely that ‘book.’
Titania recalled another scene from the book.
The young nobleman stealing the young lady’s lips and taking her chastity.
She still did not quite understand exactly what chastity meant...
Thinking that her chastity had been taken by her mother made her feel strange. Just as the book described, the sensation of having her chastity stolen had not been soft or sweet. All she had felt was the sensation of dry skin and the overpowering smell of alcohol.
It had been such a completely different experience from the description in the book that Titania even wondered whether her chastity had truly been taken by her mother. Tilting her head, Titania continued to look down at the lying Vivian.
Titania herself did not know why she felt so strange whenever she looked at Vivian. She did not want to avoid her, yet she kept avoiding her, and though she wanted to treat her as usual, she kept putting distance between them.
She even began to feel needlessly sorry toward her mother. Whenever Titania avoided her, Vivian would wear a bitter expression and force a bitter smile. Titania knew that, too, and tried to stay as close to Vivian as possible, but...
‘I keep avoiding her without even realizing it...’
While she herself was so troubled, Vivian slept softly as though she knew nothing. Irritated, Titania gave Vivian’s bottom a smack!
Then she wriggled her way out of bed.
After climbing down, Titania opened the window and drew in a deep breath of the cool air drifting in from outside. When the fresh morning air filled her lungs, Titania let out a deep sigh.
As she stood there blankly, enjoying the breeze, Ainsel, hanging from her necklace, seemed to wake up as well. She yawned so widely it looked as though her mouth would split, rubbed her eyes, and greeted Titania.
“Yaaawn~ Good morning, Princess.”
“Yeah... good morning...”
“...?”
At Titania’s unusually weak response, Ainsel tilted her head and looked at her. Between the deep sighs she kept letting out and the way she had stuck out her lips, Titania’s expression made it seem as though she had an awful lot on her mind.
“Princess? Is something troubling you?”
“......”
“If you’re all right with me, I’ll listen to what’s troubling you!”
Titania lowered her head and looked at Ainsel, who was clenching both fists on the necklace. Her eyes sparkled as she blinked rapidly, and she even pounded her chest as if telling Titania to rely on her.
Could she talk to Ainsel about chastity? After a brief thought, Titania naturally shook her head. No matter how she considered it, Ainsel clearly would not understand the chastity written about in the book.
It would have been nice if she could talk with Viola, who knew the book well... Titania lowered her head, let out a deep sigh, and confided in Ainsel about her worries, leaving out anything related to chastity.
“I’ve been avoiding Mom lately, right...? Because of that, things have gotten awkward between us...”
“Hmm...”
“I know I shouldn’t be doing that... I know, but...”
Titania struggled to continue, hesitating over her words, but whether Ainsel understood her worries or not, she gave an extremely short, concise answer almost instantly.
“So you want to go back to how things were before, when you weren’t awkward with Vivian?”
“...Yeah.”
“That’s easy! Don’t worry so much!”
Ainsel clenched both fists and wore an expression brimming with confidence.
Seeing her like that only made Titania feel even more anxious. Ainsel really was a wonderful friend, but when it came to matters like this, Titania was a little—or rather, very—worried. When Titania gave Ainsel a doubtful look, Ainsel raised one hand high and proudly presented her idea.
“There’s a witch I know who ‘loves sweets’!”
“Do witches bake sweets, too?”
“Yes! She loves sweets so much that she even built a house out of them! I visited her once before, and the entire house really was covered in sweets! There was even a fountain in the garden that spouted chocolate...!”
Imagining exactly what Ainsel described, Titania let out a soft giggle.
A house built out of colorful sweets? Ainsel was simply far too prone to exaggeration. Even if there really were a house made of sweets, it would surely all melt away when it rained, and wouldn’t ants eat it up in no time? What a disaster.
“That witch told me something once! She said the best way to become close to someone was to make them homemade food! So how about you prepare breakfast for Vivian yourself, Princess?”
“I... cook for Mom?”
“Yes! Since it’s for breakfast, it doesn’t have to be anything too difficult! If you go to the royal kitchen, won’t the chefs help you, Princess?”
Titania pursed her lips in admiration at Ainsel’s advice.
For advice from Ainsel, it was surprisingly appealing. Titania nodded and quickly ran out of the room.
Once she had made up her mind, she had to act quickly.
There was still some time before breakfast, but it was certainly a tight schedule if she wanted to start cooking. Ignoring the maids who tried to stop her, warning that it was dangerous to run through the halls, Titania headed straight for the royal kitchen.
The royal kitchen, which she reached after running as hard as she could, was no different from a battlefield. Intimidated by the force radiating from the chefs inside, Titania cautiously poked her head through the doorway to look in.
The head chef shouted at the top of his lungs, saying something, while the chefs answered him in equally loud voices.
The sharp clatter of all kinds of dishes colliding, along with the suffocating heat rising from the cooking fires.
The kitchen was in the middle of its busiest time, preparing breakfast, so Titania hovered uncertainly outside, wondering whether she should go in.
It was not that she was afraid she would only get in the way if she entered for no reason...
She was afraid of the chefs, who all looked terribly angry. And so she remained behind the door, merely watching—
The head chef sensed a suspicious gaze and whipped his head around, locking eyes with Titania. He had been frowning deeply, wondering who was peeking into the kitchen, but...
“...Princess Titania?”
“Hic!”
Upon realizing that the owner of the suspicious gaze was Titania, the head chef hurriedly composed himself. Wondering why a princess who had never once visited before had come to such a place, the head chef hastily straightened his clothes and ran over to Titania.
“Everyone, attention! Princess Titania has honored the kitchen with a visit, so quickly finish whatever you’re cooking and assemble!”
“N-no... You don’t have to pay attention to me...”
“How could we possibly do that! Her Highness the Princess has personally come to visit us! Please wait just a moment! We’ll finish up and be right with you!”
At Titania’s unexpected visit, the head chef became thoroughly energized and straightened his clothes once more. He could count on one hand the number of times royalty had personally visited the kitchen in his entire life... The head chef held back tears as he gathered all the chefs in the kitchen and assembled them before Titania.
Then, at the head chef’s signal, all the chefs bowed their heads in unison and greeted Titania. Having never expected such an imposing event to occur, Titania blushed in embarrassment and could do nothing but nod along with the chefs.
““We greet Princess Titania!!””
“Y-yes... It’s nice to meet you, too...”
“Princess Titania, what brings you to the kitchen today...?”
Titania’s face reddened like a ripe apple, and she wanted to flee from the place at once. She had only intended to ask one of the chefs to help her cook, but she did not know what to do now that all eyes were suddenly on her.
“W-well, you see...?”
“Yes, Princess.”
“I-it’s just that...”
Surrounded by burly chefs, Titania decided she had nothing left to lose. She glanced up at the head chef and made her request.
“I-I wanted to... make breakfast for Mother... myself and serve it to her... I heard that giving someone homemade food makes your relationship b-better, so... I came to ask if I could learn...”
“Homemade food... In other words, Princess, you mean to say that you wish to cook here...?”
Embarrassed, Titania gave a small nod. The head chef raised his head for a moment, let out a quiet groan, and looked at Titania. In his more than fifty years working in the royal kitchen, had anything like this ever happened before? No. Not once.
It was already rare enough for His Majesty or Her Highness the Queen to visit the kitchen—an event that could be counted on one’s fingers over an entire lifetime. Yet among those rare occasions, the princess had come to ask them to help her cook? And she wanted to make something herself for Her Highness the Queen...
‘How could someone be so kindhearted... Ah... As I grow older, all I seem to gain are more tears.’
The head chef’s eyes had reddened before he even realized it. He swallowed back his tears and nodded. How could he, as the royal head chef, refuse when the princess had asked so earnestly?
“Princess... Of course, it is our pleasure to assist you with your cooking. However, even if you are a member of this nation’s royal family, the kitchen is the chefs’ domain. There are many dangerous things here, so for your safety, you must obey my instructions. Is that understood?”
At the head chef’s answer, Titania smiled brightly and nodded. Upon hearing her response, the head chef...
His expression transformed back into that of a demon, and he shouted at Titania.
“Then go wash your hands immediately! Move!”
“Eek?”
At the sudden change in atmosphere, Titania did not know what to do. The head chef once again glared at her and roared.
“Hygiene comes first in the kitchen!! Cooking always begins with washing your hands! Go wash your hands again! Move!!”
“Y-yes, sir...!”
Startled by the sudden frightening atmosphere, Titania hurriedly ran off to wash her hands. After scrubbing them until her skin squeaked, Titania hurried back to the head chef.
By then, the chefs were lined up in neat ranks before him. Watching the chefs and the head chef carefully, Titania took her place in line as well.
Once he had confirmed that everyone had gathered, the head chef nodded, raised one hand high, and shouted.
“Today, the princess herself will be participating in the cooking! The princess has declared that the theme of today’s cooking is Her Highness the Queen’s breakfast! Princess Titania will be in charge of the cooking!”
““Yes!!!””
The chefs’ shouts made Titania’s ears ring. She made a woeful face, thinking, This isn’t what I had in mind at all, but the head chef shouted another command before she had time to object.
“The dish the princess will be making is mashed potatoes!! You lot will prepare the ingredients and tools!! Now! We’ll shout our slogan as always!! Prepare for the slogan!!”
““Hup!!!””
“Y-yes, hup!”
“We love cooking!!”
““Love it! Love it! Love it!””
“L-love it! Love it! Love it!”
Caught up in the sudden atmosphere, Titania had no choice but to follow along with the chefs. When she raised her hand high and joined in with their chant, a round of applause broke out around her.
“Princess! We’ll help you make perfect mashed potatoes!”
“We’ll prepare only the finest ingredients! How about freshly harvested new potatoes?”
By then, Titania was surrounded by chefs. She smiled shyly at their encouragement, sensing that everyone genuinely wanted to help her. The head chef clapped his hands, drawing the chefs’ attention back to him.
“All right! Enough chatter—begin cooking! Everyone except those helping the princess, get to work preparing the meal!”
““Hup!!!””
“Y-yes, hup!”