EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 106

Chapter 106

 

“Did that child even do anything that required my forgiveness?”

The Marquis of Diapel couldn’t quite understand.

Children often lacked awareness, so bumping into someone was a common accident.

But was calling him grandfather and worrying about his injured leg something that needed forgiveness?

⟨Grandfather, are you okay?⟩

The Marquis recalled the child’s face, filled with concern as she called out to him.

How long had it been since someone addressed him that way?

How long since someone worried about him at all?

At that moment, he had been so taken aback that he hadn’t known how to respond.

What intrigued him even more was that the child, despite seeing his scar-covered face, had shown no fear.

But only for a brief moment—soon, her expression shifted to shock and embarrassment. She had realized who he was.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Ascart arrived at just the right moment, prompting the child to hurriedly bow and disappear.

Shortly after, his granddaughter Clara had appeared. The Marquis vividly remembered how her face had immediately filled with fear the moment their eyes met.

As he finished his thoughts, the Marquis glanced at Clara, seated beside him.

Her face remained composed, but beneath the table, her hand clutched her skirt tightly.

Yes, this was the reaction he was used to.

‘That child must have just been momentarily confused.’

Even knowing this, for some reason, he felt unsettled.

“Marquis?”

Ascart, who had been unusually quiet, called out impatiently. He must have been quite concerned about the child.

“I understand.”

The Marquis responded indifferently, masking his irritation.

At the same time, he thought Ascart was worrying over nothing.

That little maid was surely frightened of him…there was no way she would set foot in the Marquessate again.

At least, that was what he believed.

What he didn’t know was that the very next day, the child would appear before him again.

And this time, she had brought along an even smaller companion.

 

***

 

“I think it’s cooled enough now. We just need to pack them up.”

The head chef smiled warmly.

Diana and I beamed with satisfaction as we looked at the deliciously baked cookies we had spent all morning making.

After thinking about it all night, I was sure…the Marquis of Diapel had an injured leg.

‘And yet, he rode on horseback all the way here.’

Given that the Diapel family was known for their martial prowess, it was no surprise that he hadn’t even considered using a carriage.

Regardless, I wanted to persuade him to seek proper treatment before it was too late.

To do that, I needed to meet with him first. And after some thought, I came up with an idea.

The Marquis, with his stern and unsmiling face, didn’t seem like the type to appreciate kindness or warmth.

But he was full of unexpected contradictions.

For instance, despite his gruff words, he was deeply affectionate at heart.

And though he looked like someone who would despise sweets, he actually loved desserts.

‘If a child personally delivers an apology in the form of homemade cookies, there’s no way he’ll refuse.’

It was a solid plan. I nodded to myself in satisfaction and looked back at the cookies I had made.

‘I didn’t mean to make this many…’

Originally, I had intended to bake just a small batch and head straight to the Marquessate.

But with Diana joining in, we ended up making a massive amount instead.

The kitchen staff, including the head chef and maids, had helped, but it had still been quite a task.

‘At least he won’t feel neglected now.’

I recalled asking the Duke and Duchess for permission to use the kitchen that morning.

While Allen had been surprised that I even knew how to bake, I had quickly shifted my gaze to the Duchess, hoping for her approval.

⟨Why so suddenly?⟩

The Duke had asked.

I had initially planned to answer honestly that I was making cookies for the Marquis.

But I hesitated.

I had a strong feeling that if I didn’t choose my words carefully, things could get complicated.

Even if I explained that it was an apology, I had a suspicion the Duke’s family might feel a bit hurt.

Not to mention, they might outright reject the idea, insisting that the Marquis wouldn’t like sweets anyway.

⟨Well, I wanted to bake cookies for the young lady myself. And for you and the mistress too… and also for the young master and Jack. And while I’m at it, for the Marquis of Diapel and Grand Prince Ascart as well…⟩

After rambling on with an increasingly flimsy excuse, I trailed off, hoping my sincerity would come through.

The Duke, who had been watching me with narrowed eyes, finally nodded.

The Duchess, unable to hide her amusement, agreed but only if I baked under the kitchen staff’s supervision for safety.

And with that, everything fell into place…except for one unexpected factor: Diana, who eagerly raised her hand and declared that she wanted to help too.

Still, things had gone smoothly.

I had, after all, worked at Terencium’s dessert café for years.

Granted, the café sourced its bread and pastries from a nearby bakery rather than making them in-house.

I had always wanted to bake them myself, but my boss hadn’t trusted my skills enough to let me near the ovens.

‘But I did learn a lot just by watching and befriending Susan, the bakery owner.’

As I reminisced about those fun times, I finished wrapping the cookies.

“So, for afternoon tea, we’ll bring some to the mistress and the young master’s office, right?”

“Yes. Nut cookies for the mistress, and chocolate cookies for the young master.”

Back when they used to have tea time often, I could have served them with tea immediately.

But lately, Lucio had been too busy handling estate matters before his departure, so he probably wouldn’t have time for that.

After setting aside the Duke’s share, I packed the rest in a basket and left the kitchen with Diana.

“Is it delicious?”

“Mhm! It tastes even better because we made it! Way better than Aiden’s!”

Diana, munching enthusiastically on the cookies we baked, looked immensely proud as she declared that Aiden would be utterly shocked by how good they were.

We both giggled and made our way to the training grounds, which had been completely cleared of last night’s snow.

“Brother!”

As soon as Diana called out, Allen, who had been training, turned toward us with a bright smile and ran over immediately.

“I was waiting for you, cookies!”

…It seemed he was waiting for the food rather than for us.

“Hello, Jack.”

Leaving Allen and Diana behind as they eagerly started tasting the cookies, I greeted Jack.

Every time I saw him, he seemed to have grown taller.

Silently marveling at his rapid growth, I handed him a small package.

“Jack, this is for you and Mr. Taze. You can eat it later at your quarters.”

“Thanks. But… that looks like a lot. Wasn’t it hard to make all this?”

“Not at all. It was fun.”

I replied with a cheerful smile.

Just then, Jack suddenly reached out and gently brushed my cheek.

“…?”

What just happened?

Startled, I looked up at him, and he awkwardly muttered,

“You had flour on your face.”

“Ah…”

Since I had come straight from the kitchen, I hadn’t checked the mirror.

Now I understood. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I rubbed the spot where he had touched.

“But what’s with this basket? Are you giving these to someone else too?”

“Oh, this? I’m bringing them to the Marquis of Diapel and Grand Prince of Belus.”

“…I see.”

Even though delivering cookies to them was the main reason I had baked them, it somehow felt like an afterthought.

It was already quite late, so I needed to hurry.

But just as I was about to leave—

“I heard you’ve been visiting the Marquessate every day. Are you going there to see the Grand Prince from the academy?”

Jack’s tone was oddly interrogative.

“Huh? Well, yeah, but… why?”

The atmosphere, which had just become comfortable, suddenly turned awkward again.

I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I still felt strangely flustered, fiddling with my fingers.

Jack, staring down at me, spoke in his usual blunt manner.

“It’s nothing.”

 

***

 

‘Is he going through puberty already?’

Ever since I returned to my younger self, Jack had remained his usual reserved and inexpressive self.

But at least, he wasn’t as difficult to talk to as before.

Still, as time went on, I found it harder to understand what he was thinking.

‘I don’t want to go back to being nothing more than distant acquaintances.’

In my past life, I never really had any true friends.

This time, I wanted to be close to Jack, to truly be his friend.

Resolving to spend more time with him later, I focused on my immediate task and knocked on the gates of the Marquessate.

If I directly asked to see the Marquis, I’d probably be turned away.

So, as always, I told the gatekeeper that I had come to see Ascart.

As expected, Ascart soon appeared, greeting Diana and me with a warm smile.

When he noticed the basket of cookies, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Did you and Diana really make these?”

“Yes. But actually, I made them for the Marquis. I wanted to apologize for possibly hurting him yesterday.”

Hearing my explanation, Ascart looked slightly taken aback and subtly tried to refuse, saying he would deliver them on my behalf.

But that would defeat the whole purpose.

Since I insisted, Ascart eventually sighed and nodded, leading us to the reception room.

However a short while later…

Thud. Thud. Thud!

Loud footsteps echoed through the floor as a massive figure approached.

Then, a booming voice filled the room.

“Hah! You expect anyone to believe I got injured from bumping into some tiny thing so small I can barely see it? What, are your eyes just for decoration?”

“…”

“If you came to cry and whine, get lost already!”

…Wait, I haven’t even said a word yet?!