Side Story, Episode 8
The sous-chef shrank even further after witnessing my crestfallen expression.
“Well, the head chef did leave us the recipe in a hurry, but the special cake for the two of you has always been the head chef’s specialty…”
Since Ian didn’t have much of a sweet tooth and was particularly picky about desserts, the head chef always handled the bakery section personally. I, too, was aware of this.
No way!
While I screamed internally in silence, the sous-chef cautiously added, “Still, please don’t worry too much. While I’m not as skilled as the head chef, I’ve spent many years working in the Grand Duke’s estate. I’ll do my utmost to assist you.”
“We’ll help too, Madam!”
“Just tell us what to do!”
The sous-chef’s comment seemed to set off a chain reaction, and the other staff began chiming in one by one. Finally, I snapped out of my half-dazed state.
Right, the sous-chef is just as competent as the head chef. Surely, making a single cake shouldn’t be a problem.
Of course, the one causing the most concern here was me.
I just need to do well.
After thinking that far, I shook my head to clear my thoughts and clenched my fists tightly.
“Alright, let’s just do our best.”
Vivi, who was standing next to me, scurried over with an apron and a headscarf. With a renewed sense of determination, I took my place in front of the counter.
As the sous-chef had said, a recipe—presumably hastily written by the head chef—was sitting on the counter.
“Alright, let’s see. According to the recipe… I need to start with the cake base?”
“Yes, that’s correct. All the ingredients are ready here.”
I nodded as I looked at the neatly prepared ingredients in front of me.
“The base is made with eggs, butter, sugar, and flour… Sous-chef, do I start by putting the eggs into this bowl?”
“Yes, you whisk the raw eggs until they form a soft foam.”
“Got it. Sounds simple enough.”
Rolling up my sleeves, I cracked four eggs into the glass bowl and started whisking with all my might.
I whisked and whisked until…
“Sous-chef.”
“Yes?”
…nothing.
“Why isn’t this foaming?”
Even after whisking for ages, there wasn’t a hint of foam. The egg mixture just swirled languidly around the glass bowl.
The sous-chef alternated between my dumbfounded face and the egg mixture before clearing his throat, blinking rapidly.
…Was that a hint of panic on his face just now?
“I think your whisking speed might be a bit slow.”
“This is slow?”
I’m whisking with all my strength here. I literally couldn’t go any faster.
But judging from the sous-chef’s expression, it was clear I was doing something wrong.
“Um, may I assist you for a moment?”
“…Please do.”
Feeling strangely defeated from the very start, I solemnly handed over the bowl.
The sous-chef, having taken the bowl from me, skillfully whipped the eggs, quickly creating a snowy, fluffy foam.
“This is how you do it.”
“Oh.”
“Now, can you manage it?”
“Of course, trust me on this.”
…That’s what I said, but that was only the beginning.
After that, I mistook sugar for flour and dumped an entire scoop into the batter, then accidentally added twice as much butter as required, completely ruining the mixture.
As a result, the first cake base we managed to make turned out so overwhelmingly sweet that the sous-chef had to start over.
On top of that, the second base—painstakingly made after several setbacks—was mutilated by my poor knife skills.
And that wasn’t all.
Since there was no ready-made whipped cream in this world, we had to make it from scratch. But, unsurprisingly, my feeble arm strength was no match for the task.
In the end, the sous-chef ended up handling everything, and all I contributed was slicing fruits and placing them on top of the finished cake.
“Wow, it’s complete, Madam.”
“…Indeed, it looks splendid.”
Four hours later.
Staring at the elaborate, professional-looking cake, I nodded with a complicated expression.
“So, my contribution to this cake was…”
“Well, you did the most important part—the decoration! Hahaha!”
The sous-chef laughed awkwardly, beads of sweat on his forehead.
“Right… the decoration.”
…Decoration.
Maybe attempting a cake from the get-go was too ambitious of an idea.
Swallowing the rising gloom, I clenched my fists tightly.
No, no. It’s all about perspective. Ian said he’d love anything I did, so even if I only did the decorations, he’ll praise me.
And more importantly, it wasn’t about the cake—it was about the ring hidden inside it.
“Thank you, sous-chef! You’ve created a masterpiece. It’s all thanks to you.”
“Haha, it was my pleasure.”
But the moment I finished praising the sous-chef, I froze in place.
My gaze had inadvertently fallen on something familiar sitting at the edge of the counter.
There, nestled in a velvet ring box, the blue diamond sparkled brilliantly.
Huh? Wait a second.
Why are you here?
You’re supposed to be inside the cake.
“……”
I stared at it blankly for a long moment before my hand dropped limply to my side.
Ah, it’s all ruined.
Later…
Could anything be more futile than this?
After spending four hours in the kitchen, I ultimately became someone who merely helped make a cake.
No, to be precise, the sous-chef made the cake while I just… cheered him on.
“Am I even in my right mind?”
How does one get so distracted by making a cake that they forget the most crucial part—the ring?
At this point, I had to question my intelligence.
Vivi, who had been fidgeting beside me, hurriedly tried to comfort me.
“D-Don’t be so disheartened, Madam! Giving him the ring directly is actually more romantic than hiding it in the cake!”
“…Really?”
“Yes, absolutely! Besides, the ring is more important than the cake anyway. Imagine a thousand roses and candles everywhere—it’ll be perfect, won’t it?”
Vivi’s voice grew louder as she flitted around me like a whirlwind, showering me with reassurances.
Thanks to her impassioned words, some life slowly returned to my dead eyes.
Yeah, it’ll be fine.
I still had the thousand red roses and the breathtakingly lit garden path!
“Alright, Vivi. Let’s just go with presenting the ring directly.”
“Yes, Madam!”
But who said bad luck never comes alone?
Just as I regained my composure and left the kitchen, Vivi and I were hit with another wave of despair.
“…Vivi.”
“…Yes, Madam.”
“What do you see over there?”
“…Looks like storm clouds….”
“Did anyone mention rain today?”
“No, I didn’t hear anything about it….”
When we arrived at the terrace leading to the garden, we were greeted by a sky covered in thick, gray clouds.
The sunny afternoon light was nowhere to be found, replaced instead by a dark and dreary atmosphere.
Is this real life?
Seriously?
As I stared helplessly at the sky, which seemed ready to pour rain at any moment, my gaze drifted to the garden.
The vibrant red rose garden, meticulously arranged by the Empress early that morning, now looked more like a gloomy haunted mansion under the ominous sky.
“……”
“……”
Silence hung between Vivi and me.
For a brief moment, we were both paralyzed by the surrealness of it all. Then, Vivi snapped back to reality a beat faster than I did and frantically waved her hands.
“N-No! Madam! It’s fine!”
It didn’t look fine at all.
“Listen, while the clouds are heavy, it hasn’t rained yet, right? I checked the forecast last week, the day before yesterday, and yesterday—there was no mention of rain.”
“…Really?”
Sensing my unease, Vivi straightened her posture and added, “And besides, we’re lighting candles at night anyway, so the weather won’t matter. It’s still early afternoon, and I’m sure the skies will clear by the time the master returns. Please don’t worry too much!”
Vivi’s words of comfort were so desperate they bordered on pleading.
I alternated between looking at her face and the garden before letting out a long sigh.
Sure, it does look like a haunted mansion right now.
Still, with a thousand roses, it was too late to move everything to the greenhouse. Doing so would only mess up the carefully arranged decorations.
Vivi was right—as long as it didn’t rain, I could salvage the atmosphere with the candlelit setup.
After a moment’s deliberation, I gave her instructions.
“…Have the others bring more lights. Not just candles for the path—let’s add oil lamps and extra lighting to enhance the surroundings.”
“Understood! I’ll take care of it right away!”
As I watched Vivi dash off, I rolled up my sleeves again.
You can do this.
But little did I know, all of this was just the prelude to an even greater disaster.
• • •
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