Chapter 77
October, when the heat finally began to fade.
Unlike usual, today Eleusis invited Chanellica somewhere. As she walked following the attendant’s guidance, a savory scent kept tickling her nose.
The place she entered was the royal palace kitchen — somewhere she had never been before. Despite its massive size, the only person inside was Eleusis, dressed comfortably.
“Welcome, Miss Chanel.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Why are we… here?”
“I recall you seemed interested in making desserts.”
“…Huh?”
Chanellica blinked. She retraced her memory. Now that she thought about it, she might have said something like that.
It must have been not long after she decided to stay by Eleusis’s side. As her health gradually improved, Eleusis brought her various types of desserts.
Back then, she had idly thought of that dessert shop she had visited with the human Derwin — regretting that she hadn’t tried making something together before he disappeared forever.
At the sudden memory of that human Derwin, Chanellica scolded herself. She had to cut off that line of thinking. So in front of Eleusis, she must have blurted out random questions — is it hard to make desserts like these? How long does it take? Could even a beginner do it?
“Ah… I said that without really thinking.”
Eleusis smiled gently at the dazed Chanellica.
“If you weren’t interested, you wouldn’t have asked that much. I wanted to do this sooner, but it was too hot. Staying in front of a fire in that heat would’ve been harsh.”
He led her to the large main worktable in the kitchen. Lined up across it were trays and various big and small containers filled with ingredients.
“Would you like to make something together?”
“Me? But I don’t know how…”
“I’ll teach you.”
“…You will, Your Majesty?”
“When I was little, my mother often made desserts. I was very curious back then, so when she wasn’t around, I would sneak in here with Lydia and try making them.”
Chanellica seemed to discover a surprising side of him.
“You snuck in? You, Your Majesty?”
“Haha. Hard to believe?”
“Yes. You seem like you would’ve been an obedient child.”
“It wasn’t bad behavior… I just had a very curious phase. Anyway, after accidentally burning the kitchen a few times, my mother taught me how to bake properly.”
“Wow… I see.”
“I learned how to bake bread from the head chef a few days ago, too.”
“You learned it yourself?”
At her expression — why learn it personally instead of just calling the chef here — Eleusis replied with slight embarrassment.
“I figured if I tried learning it at my level first, I could teach you better. And more importantly…”
“More importantly?”
“…I wanted to be alone with you, Miss Chanel.”
That face — slightly embarrassed yet clearly asking to be understood. So kind, so gentle… and sometimes, cunning!
Chanellica’s lips twitched. A man blessed with such blinding beauty and making that kind of expression? That’s cheating. Good thing he was a king — if he had been a commoner, he would have turned into a notorious thief. Stealing women’s hearts — and probably their wallets too.
“…If you’re not up for it, you can just sit and watch. I’ll make whatever you want.”
“No, let’s make it together! It sounds fun!”
She had been too busy admiring his face to answer immediately. Quickly, Chanellica stood beside Eleusis.
“Then everyone else may leave.”
The moment Chanellica agreed to make desserts with him, Eleusis ordered the four men waiting by the door to leave.
Two were her escorts, two were his. Among them, Eleusis gave a very pointed look toward one man — a black-haired knight.
“Here, Luicel. Take it.”
“Oh! What’s this cookie?”
The red-bobbed maid, Luicel, asked with wide eyes. She was the third daughter of Baron Yuril and had begun attending Chanellica as her maid about a month ago.
While living in the palace, the only person Chanellica ever met was Eleusis. She hadn’t met Princess Lydia due to awkwardness between them. So aside from the time she spent with Eleusis, she was always alone.
One day, Eleusis suggested hiring a maid, saying she must feel lonely.
A maid wasn’t just a common servant — they were noblewomen facing financial strain who served royal ladies. Their status was much higher than a regular handmaiden. Chanellica had seen Lydia’s maids — desperate to be liked, while Lydia couldn’t care less.
Chanellica hesitated. Having a noblewoman as her personal maid sounded tiring. She had seen how Lydia’s maids constantly tried to please her, and figured she would hate that. No wonder Lydia preferred spending time alone with Chanellica instead of with her maids.
‘To a maid, it would be an immense honor — and opportunity,’ said Eleusis, while explaining that becoming a maid could be a financial lifeline for fallen noblewomen. Many noble families fell into ruin due to poor finances. Their daughters, unable to find even ordinary jobs, ended up living in worse poverty than commoners.
Hearing that, Chanellica accepted. She remembered how difficult it had been for her to find a job when she first came to the human world.
So, three maids were assigned to her. Today was Luicel’s turn to attend her.
Chanellica liked Luicel the most. In her late twenties and unmarried, she was smart and easy to talk to. She was gentle. Most importantly, she didn’t try to curry favor — she stayed natural and made Chanellica feel comfortable.
“I just made them.”
“You made them yourself, Lady Chanel?”
“Yeah. In the kitchen. They don’t look great, but they taste pretty good. Eat one whenever you’re hungry.”
Luicel looked down at the yellow pouch in her hands. Inside were about twenty roughly-shaped baked cookies.
“Thank you, Lady Chanel. But I can’t accept these. You went through all the trouble making them.”
“I have my own stash.”
To the persistently modest Luicel, Chanellica pointed at a luxurious box placed in the corner. She had planned to divide them into multiple small pouches, but Eleusis insisted — strangely — that she pack them in the ornate gold-lined box.
“These cookies look all different.”
“Yeah. His Majesty made those ones.”
“What? The king made them?”
“He said he learned from the head chef himself, and they taste better than mine. I tried really hard, but I guess you need better hand skills. Just looking at them makes them look delicious, right? Don’t you think they could be sold at a shop?”
Luicel, staring quietly at the box, suddenly beamed.
“Lady Chanel — congratulations!”
“…Huh? For what?”
Seeing Chanellica confused, Luicel looked as though she’d realized something.
“Do you not know the meaning behind these cookies?”
“Meaning?”
Chanellica looked completely lost. So Luicel explained.
“Since you’re a foreigner, you may not know — but there’s a local custom. Before proposing, a man gifts a dish he made himself, wrapped nicely. That’s why it’s common to see men learning to cook from their mothers or women close to them.”
Despite having read countless books, Chanellica had never heard that before. She asked blankly:
“…So, does this mean he’s going to propose to me?”
“It’s just a custom, not an unbreakable rule — but doesn’t it fit? His Majesty has been so devoted to you.”
“Ah…”
“Even if not just because of the cookies — he could propose right now and it wouldn’t be strange.”
Luicel smiled warmly.
But Chanellica’s mind fogged over.
Propose? Already?
She had thought about that future when she decided to properly enjoy this romance. But she hadn’t expected anything to move this fast. She had only said she would stay by his side — she hadn’t even given a clear answer yet.
Well… considering how things have been between her and the king lately, it wouldn’t be strange.
Did an answer even matter? Every action from Eleusis toward her overflowed with affection, and she had never pushed him away. She only smiled and accepted it.
“Lady Chanel?”
“Huh?”
“Aren’t you happy?”
Happy or not — it was too sudden. And why did the back of her head feel like it was burning…? Must be my imagination.
At some point, Chanellica had stopped paying attention to her escort knight, Derwin. Even though physical affection between her and Eleusis had increased lately — gentle hugs and kisses on the hand were now a normal part of their day — she hadn’t cared much.
Even earlier today, while making the cookies, they had held hands almost the entire time, kneading dough together.
So this conversation was tame compared to that.
She knew the two knights outside the door were probably hearing all of it, but it didn’t matter.
Then why… why did it bother her today?
She had the sudden impulse to turn around and look at Derwin’s face. But she held herself back.
No. This isn’t something to care about.
Barely suppressing the urge, Chanellica smiled at Luicel.
“Yeah. I’m really happy. I’ll savor every bite.”
harbaragi_syk
A few days later.
As always, while taking an afternoon walk with Chanellica, Eleusis asked:
“By the way — are you still eating the cookies I gave you one at a time?”
“Oh. Those.”
Chanellica scratched her head awkwardly.
On the first day she tried Eleusis’s cookies, they were so delicious she decided to ration them — one a day. She had to savor good things. If she finished them too quickly, she’d end up begging the busy king to make more.
“But… a few days ago, I noticed they were all gone.”
“Gone? The cookies?”
“Well… I came back home and apparently some dogs had come in and eaten them all. There were pawprints everywhere, the box was overturned… I had locked the door when I left, so they must have come through the window. I left it open for ventilation.”
Even as she spoke, Chanellica looked embarrassed and scratched her cheek.
“So I only got to eat six of them.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I didn’t want you to go to the trouble of making more while you’re busy. But this time, it’s different! I’ll make them for you! Okay? So just lend me the kitchen. Yes?”
At her sweet, playful plea, Eleusis’s words — he had been about to say he would increase palace security during outings — disappeared.
“…Very well. I’ll look forward to it.”
Eleusis nodded. And as Chanellica walked ahead, she thought:
For dogs to climb that high, get into my drawer, and eat what was hidden so deep inside… even with a strong sense of smell, is that possible?
Yet the tiny pawprints, the toppled box, the scattered crumbs — they undeniably pointed to the adorable culprits.
Still… something feels off.
Walking beside her, Eleusis was also thinking:
Animals can’t enter the royal residence. How did dogs get into the detached palace? Where did they even come from?
Both found the situation strange in their own ways as they walked the quiet forest path.
