I couldn’t tear my gaze away. It was as if I was enchanted, and I kept staring at that man.
‘It doesn’t suit him, but it suits him so well…’
I knew that words didn’t make sense, but I couldn’t find a better way to express it.
Moreover, Eugenia couldn’t understand why, but her mouth felt dry.
‘I’m thirsty.’
How long had I been just staring at him?
It seemed her intense gaze was making him uncomfortable, as Enrique cleared his throat and asked,
“Eugenia, aren’t you preparing anything?”
“Huh?”
Eugenia, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality.
“Ah, yes, I should get to it!”
She quickly turned her gaze away to hide her blushing face.
Standing with her back to Enrique, she discreetly slapped her cheeks.
‘Oh dear! What’s wrong with me?’
She had been staring too openly. She knew that herself.
It was not only embarrassing but also quite rude towards the other person.
But no matter how many times she slapped her cheeks, the dazed feeling wouldn’t go away, so Eugenia shook her head.
‘Ah, that’s a bit better now.’
Finally, Eugenia hastily grabbed an apron that was lying around and put it on.
She quickly scanned the counter as she tied the ribbon behind her back.
‘Ah!’
Fortunately, the innkeeper had already mixed the milk and butter and put it on cool.
Touching the bowl, she felt no warmth at all.
‘Just need to add the sugar. It won’t take too long.’
Nodding, Eugenia poured the melted butter and milk into the bowl and gathered the eggs and sugar.
Even as she moved busily, she addressed Enrique.
“But Enrique, I don’t think there’s anything for you to help with. I can make the batter quickly.”
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
She began whisking the mixture with her familiar hand movements.
As she increased the speed, the mixture began to foam.
But then, Enrique silently approached and stood right next to Eugenia.
The distance between them was close enough that a thin sheet of paper could barely pass through.
‘Why is he so close…’
Eugenia swallowed hard.
She felt like she was losing control again.
Without realizing it, she took a deep breath and forgot to keep whisking.
His shadow slowly fell over her head.
“…Eugenia.”
Enrique’s voice reached her ear in a soft, winding manner.
“Then, shall I do what you’re doing now?”
“The sugar addition requires careful attention, so I think it’s better if I do it.”
Eugenia spoke while tightening her grip on the whisk and the bowl, making it clear she had no intention of handing them over to him under any circumstances.
“Hmm.”
Enrique’s lips twisted slightly as if he was a little displeased.
Crossing his arms, he looked around the kitchen, and then his eyes lit up as he spotted something.
Turning away from Eugenia, Enrique suddenly spoke up.
“Eating just pancakes seems a bit lacking, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose so? Is there something you’d like me to prepare?”
“No need. You don’t have to worry about it.”
With a sense of purpose, Enrique started walking away.
Eugenia’s gaze followed his retreating figure like melted caramel.
‘That looks like a pantry or storage room.’
What is he planning to get?
Eugenia tilted her head and looked back down at the bowl. The contents were starting to thicken.
She poured in the remaining sugar.
As she resumed whisking, her arm gradually started to ache, and the speed slowed compared to earlier.
During this time, Enrique, who had disappeared into the storage room, suddenly reappeared in the kitchen.
Eugenia glanced up at him again.
“Whoa!”
In his hand, he was holding a thick piece of meat with the bone still attached.
The size of the meat was much thicker than an adult man’s thigh.
Only someone like Enrique could hold it with one hand; it seemed impossible for her to lift it even with both hands.
Eugenia asked in a slightly uneasy tone, “Are you going to grill the meat?”
Enrique shrugged and placed the large cutting board he had brought down.
Thud!
The sound was quite heavy, indicating the substantial weight, which Eugenia hadn’t expected at all, causing her to flinch slightly.
Enrique adjusted the position of the meat, nonchalantly responding,
“There’s plenty of meat left.”
As if it was no big deal.
He gestured toward the bowl Eugenia was holding with a nod of his chin.
“Leave that to me, and you just make that.”
“Ah… Okay.”
Eugenia began whisking the mixture again.
As the whipped cream thickened, Eugenia’s arm started to ache quite a bit.
Meanwhile, Enrique carefully chose a kitchen knife, examining its blade under the light.
Then suddenly, he flipped it into the air as if performing a somersault, catching it again.
‘Goodness! What was that?’
It looked like he was performing some kind of acrobatic trick.
Eugenia blinked in surprise.
‘He’s too familiar with handling weapons.’
The way he handled it without the slightest concern for hurting himself made it seem like he was very familiar with using weapons.
‘But I shouldn’t ask about it.’
Eugenia tried to divert her attention by asking a question.
“Will you be seasoning it? I can bring you the spices.”
“No, it’s fine. With meat this fresh, just grilling it and dipping it in salt will be enough.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Since Eugenia had never tasted such fresh meat, she just responded vaguely.
Enrique briefly eyed the meat and muttered in a low voice,
“Grilling it whole would take too long, so it’s better to break it down into smaller pieces.”
Then, with remarkably neat movements, he began separating the meat from the bone.
Swish – snip, swish – snip.
The large piece of meat was quickly cut into sections.
Eugenia had forgotten to keep whisking and was just staring mesmerized at his handiwork.
Enrique stopped cutting and gestured toward the bowl she was holding.
“Miss Eugenia, your whipped cream is dying. Is that okay?”
Eugenia looked down and frowned deeply.
“Oh no! I worked so hard to make it! It can’t die!”
Eugenia quickly whisked the mixture a few more times.
After barely reviving the whipped cream, she moved the bowl to a cooler spot to preserve it.
Then she gathered the flour, butter, and milk to start making the pancake batter.
During this time, Enrique had also expertly cut up the meat.
The pieces were small enough for a child to eat in one bite, showing considerable care and attention.
After washing the knife clean, he brought over some red onion, potatoes, and carrots, and began chopping them into thick slices.
“I just need to cook this now, and you?”
“I just need to bake the batter now.”
“Then let’s start cooking the meat right away without waiting.”
When Eugenia nodded, he started moving again as if he had received permission.
He piled the meat and chopped vegetables into a well-oiled cast-iron pan, adding a thick slice of butter.
Holding the heavy pan with just one hand, he placed it directly into the fireplace.
The sizzling sound of the oil boiling started immediately, and the savory aroma wafted through the air, making Eugenia’s mouth watery.
As Eugenia baked the pancakes, she said, “Enrique, you seem to be a very skilled cook.”
Enrique, with his thick arms resting on his hips as he watched the fireplace, replied,
“This isn’t even considered proper cooking, really.”
“Huh? If what you just did isn’t cooking, then what is?”
“What I did was just simple heating. It’s basic cooking for survival, relying on the natural flavors of the ingredients.”
He took the pan out with a spatula to prevent the contents from burning, then put it back in.
“To bring out the flavors, proper measuring like you, Eugenia, is more appropriate. I don’t have that talent.”
Eugenia let out a pleased little laugh.
“Hearing you say that makes me feel like I’m making something extraordinary.”
“That’s right, extraordinary.”
She bashfully murmured, not quite used to receiving praise.
“I hope it tastes good… But to be honest, I’m not very confident. It’s such a simple dish, after all.”
“There’s no need to worry needlessly. It will surely be delicious.”
“But you haven’t even tasted it or seasoned it. How can you say that so confidently?”
She chuckled.
Then Enrique looked at her with a serious expression and said,
“Even though I’m just standing here, I can tell the care you put into making it. If it was just about filling your stomach, you could have simply baked some potatoes. But you worked hard to not disappoint the children’s expectations. Food made with that kind of heart can’t be anything but delicious.”
“…”
Eugenia bit her lip.
Why was it?
Enrique’s not-so-remarkable words made the tip of her nose tingle.
He had simply spoken about the food.
But Eugenia’s heart was interpreting it differently.
How much effort she had put in for Selma and Joshua.
To her, it felt endlessly insufficient and insignificant.
But it seemed Enrique, a complete stranger, recognized that this was her best effort.
It felt like being acknowledged.
And that’s why her heart swelled with emotion.
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Translator Note:
Next 15 chapters will be translated by RJR.
This chapter was translated by Gon. Next post will be released on July, 25.
If you like my work please support Gon on Coffee.
Or in Patreon, if you want to read more chapters.
