Bon Appétit

Early in the morning, the duke came to the kitchen as promised. He hadn’t gotten ready to go out yet, so he wore a light shirt and pants, which looked very good on him.

‘Is there anything that doesn’t look good on him? I don’t think so.’

“Let’s put on the apron first!”

When she handed over the apron, the duke was just standing still and not wearing it.

“Are you not putting on the apron?”

“I don’t know how to wear it.”

‘I see!’

The duke usually never enters the kitchen. It was possible if he didn’t know how to wear an apron as he had never tried it on before!

‘You sure you don’t know?’

Luana looked at the duke suspiciously. No matter how much he doesn’t know, if he sees what she’s wearing, he’ll probably be able to guess roughly. He insisted on pretending not to know how to wear it. However, she couldn’t just keep standing like this, so she had no choice but to explain.

“First, put your arm in here. All you have to do is tie it in the back. The end!”

“I still don’t know.”

She was going to forgive Vyan when she went to the market yesterday, but she thought that wouldn’t be enough. Luana gritted her teeth and approached the duke and put on his apron. As she got closer, she was concerned about the gap between the apron and his shirt.

“Do you like it?”

“W-what?”

She was startled and felt her feet were numb, but the duke just smiled and said,

“Whatever.”

For some reason, it seemed like he was becoming a rascal. Luana quickly got away from him and stood before the chopping board. She fanned her blushing face, but she didn’t think it would ever go away. But she has to cook.

“You’ve never held a kitchen knife before, have you?”

“Isn’t it the same as any knife?”

“No, I don’t think so. When you use a knife to cut ingredients, you must curl your fingers like this. You can cut your hands instead of the ingredients if you make a mistake.”

There’s no way a duke like him would cook for himself. All of his meals were made by other people. That thought made Luana anxious. As if the duke knew what she was thinking, he assured her.

“Although I have never used a kitchen knife, I have been holding a sword. You don’t have to worry about it because it’s the same, more or less.”

She hoped so. The duke calmly held the kitchen knife and observed how Luana did it. He then picked up an ingredient and was ready to slice it with the knife. He raised the knife too high, and as soon as Luana thought so, the chopping board split in half with a loud sound.

“The chopping board is weak.”

“I think the chopping board was good, though?”

“No. If it was a good chopping board, why would it split?”

The duke calmly removed the split chopping board and brought a new one. She looked at him anxiously, fearing that he might split it again, but this time he began to cut the ingredients normally. He seemed he got the hang of it after breaking the chopping board. His gesture of holding the knife was awkward at first, but slowly it became more and more proper. Not only that, he began to pace up his speed.

“This is pretty fun.”

“That’s a relief. Just continue. First of all, we’re going to make sandwiches and chicken today. And I’m going to cut some fruits and take them for dessert.”

“What about macarons?”

“You ate it all yesterday.”

“Can’t you make it again?”

“It takes some time. I’ll make it again later.”

The duke gently nodded his head. Apparently, he liked the macarons so much. When the duke finished chopping enough ingredients, the cooking proceeded quickly. The duke was a great student who learned fast after Luana taught him only once or twice. Luana started to feel better as she cooked.

“Please drain the oil from the fried chicken.”

“I got it.”

The sandwich and chicken were done in no time. And last but not least, the fruit was already sliced perfectly. The only problem was that the lunch box was too big, but she was sure it’d be fine since they were going out in a carriage anyway. Luana smiled as she looked at the finished lunch box.

“It’s done!”

Luana opened her arms and hurrahed and threw off her apron. Then the duke also took off his apron and stood in front of the beautifully decorated lunch box.

“It’s kind of lovely.”

“The lunch box?”

“Because it was my first time making a dish with my own hands.”

“Then it’s a new challenge.”

“Right, and also about the upcoming date.”

“Oh, right! We have to get ready to go out!”

The two looked at each other, smiled, and parted for a moment. It was time to change clothes. Luana took a quick shower and wore a refreshing lemon-colored dress prepared in advance by the maid. When she came out with a hat, the duke who came out first was waiting for her.

His black hair, which was like a crow feather, had turned brown, and the clothes looked more casual than usual.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes!”

The carriage was already ready. It was a small, plain carriage pulled by two horses. Today, he seemed to be going on a date while hiding his identity. Well, if the duke, who is called a slayer, is seen on a date, everyone will be in trouble. She thought this was the right thing to do. Luana grinned and was escorted by the duke into the carriage.

‘This is a date.’

It was her first time in both past and present life. Besides, the other party is the duke. She was looking forward to what they would do today. At first, she thought it was ridiculous to date him, but she seemed to have gotten used to it before she even started.

***

The carriage stopped, and they got off at a neat-looking street. It has a different atmosphere from the crowded market. Various desserts glistened over the expensive glass display window.

“I thought you’d like this place the most. It is a street where various restaurants and dessert shops are gathered.”

“Wooow!”

Luana clasped her hands together and shouted.

“I like it! I really love it! Shall we go now?”

As she moved forward bravely, the duke lightly grabbed her arm.

“We’re on a date now, so we should go together.”

Then he put Luana’s arm between his bent arm. When she crossed her arms, her face blushed again. She was at a loss for the firm touch of the arm that usually held a sword. But she didn’t want to let go of it.

Her movement became as stiff as a doll. She thought she would forget how to walk if she did something wrong. But she wouldn’t fall anyway since the duke next to her would hold her immediately if that happened. The corners of her lips unconsciously rose upwards.

Somehow it became fun.

Luana was excited and bought a dessert. But, alas, there was something she hadn’t thought of.
She only has two arms. The duke held one of them, so she had no hands to take and eat the dessert. Luana glanced at her arm.

She had no choice but to stand there blankly. The duke was looking down at her with a soft smile. The figure was so beautiful that she couldn’t take her eyes off it.

What, what did he eat to be this pretty? Oh, right, the duke was eating Luana’s food at every meal. So did she herself make this man this way? So lovely and pretty? Luana couldn’t close her mouth.

“Oh, I see.”

Seeing Luana open her mouth as if the duke understood what she meant, he reached into a bag of desserts and took out a round baked cake and put it into Luana’s open mouth. She gasped her mouth in embarrassment, feeling the sweet taste of the cake.

“Is it delicious?”

Luana nodded slowly. It was just a cake baked with sugar, but it was so delicious. After chewing everything in her mouth, the next dessert came into her mouth again. She felt the eyes of the passers-by as she was eating. An older woman passed by and said a word,

“What a lovely couple!”

What a lovely couple. Do other people see them as lovers? Meanwhile, the duke put food in Luana’s mouth again. She felt sorry because she was the only one who ate so much, so she thought about getting the lunch box.

“I’ve already looked at a place to eat the lunch box.”

The duke stopped by the carriage, took out the lunch box, and held Luana’s hand. He went outside, spread a mat by the river, sat down, and opened the lunch box.

A breeze wind was blowing just in time.

“You were hungry, weren’t you?”

Luana quickly took out the sandwich and gave it to the duke. He took a few large bites, and the sandwich disappeared in no time. The people who watched how happy they ate were also in a good mood.

“It’s delicious. Cooking was more fun than I expected.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

The duke took out another sandwich and, this time, put it in Luana’s mouth. She was a little embarrassed but having come out this far; she couldn’t back down anymore.

Bite-

She felt a familiar taste when she took a bite of the sandwich. But the familiar taste felt more delicious today. The two ate a huge amount of lunch boxes without saying a word.

She leaned against a tree and looked down at the river, holding her tummy. Gradually, she began to feel sleepy, and the duke asked,

“Did you have a great time today?”

“I had a great time. I never thought I could eat so many other people’s desserts.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“In return, I’ll go back and make some dessert for Legion, too.”

She thought about bringing a dessert they can carry and eat when they go on a date next time. Then they can eat together. She should have known that it wasn’t a regular date at that point, but Luana couldn’t get that far.

“I won’t say no.”

The duke laughed and said so. It wasn’t until she heard those words that she realized she was already thinking of her next date. And she imagined the next and the next date. When she realized that, her heart began to pound. She seemed to know the feelings she had been struggling to bury.

Yes, this feeling is…