While Pavel hurriedly took out the pan, Asha’s thoughts brought to mind what she once heard from Pavel.
When asked about how the oven works, she was sure Pavel…
– It is operated by the heat of the magic stone. Using purified magic stone powder as a raw material, make wiring…
Magic stones, a resource containing the power of the Spirit. And among the spirits present here, there is one spirit in charge of fire power. Asha glanced back at Alexei with a resentful look on her face. Alexei blinked in a little surprise.
“Fafnir!”
Asha, Pavel, and Alexei, who stood by, all looked at the cookies on the cooling net with a gloomy face.
<…>
<…>
The very dark brown-burned cookies, to put it nicely, looked terribly crispy and, to be honest, looked disgusting.
“Stupid Fafnir…”
“…”
“…”
“You idiot, Fafnir!”
<…Oh, no… I…>
<This is really amazing.>
Pavel dared not breathe much at the voice of Asha, who harshly criticized the Spirit of Fire.
“Stupid Alyosha!”
“…Is it because of me?”
“That’s not true!”
Asha shouted even when she was about to cry. Alexei smiled at the remark.
“Then it must be because of my spirit.”
<Oh, no, I am, Alexei! I didn’t do it on purpose!>
Asha glanced at the blazing lantern and grumbled.
“I was very excited to see a device that emits heat. It’s obvious. He’s the Spirit of Fire. Foolish Fafnir. If you like Alyosha so much, control your body.”
<You heartless thing! I was just a little glad to see you deliver my words, so how can you not be happy and speak so harshly!>
<No, whose contractor is this sham blaming right now? This wouldn’t have happened if you could talk straight to your contractor!>
<Well, but…>
<And if you’re happy, you’re welcome. Why are you burning all the snacks my contractor made?>
<I didn’t burn the cookies!>
<Then what is that!>
<The oven’s magic stone responded to me freely, not my fault!>
<Asha, hurry up and tell that landowner’s grandson. This stupid Fafnir only blames magic stones for not knowing how to speak or think!>
<Oh, no! No! Please! I’m sorry!>
Between the strange phenomenon of the lantern, which suddenly brightened and then repeatedly darkened, and the blazing oven, Alexei drew a smile with an awkward expression.
“I guess Fafnir is making a noise.”
<No! No, Alexei! I did it with dignity!>
“It’s incredible.”
“I apologize.”
“It’s not Alyosha’s fault.”
While Asha and Alexei were talking, Pavel stepped in urgently this time.
“O,oops, the Imperial Highness knows all about Fafnir’s heart.”
It was an urgent tone to wrap Asha’s words simply as a child’s imaginary friend.
“Well, what was it like when I was young? My spirit was the Spirit of the Sword, and I pretended to talk with a wooden sword…”
Alexei looked at Pavel, who was speaking in a cold sweat, and then smiled softly and looked back at Asha.
“I knew it, but he is a trustworthy person. Indeed, I will be able to entrust my food to you in the future.”
It was to protect Asha somehow that he brought about the story of his childhood that Pavel didn’t even have. He thought that she might have a hard time if she showed off what no one has ever accomplished – communicating with the spirit – just as a joke in front of the first person in the succession to the throne.
“Yes, what?”
“But, I’m afraid I’m in the way.”
“Alyosha is not in the way. Fafnir is a fool.”
<I really didn’t do it on purpose. I’ll tell you this!>
<How dare you tell my contractor what to do?>
<Dear me, I’m not going to live because I’m sad!>
<Then get out of here. Get out. Stop talking to my kid and burning snacks!>
Alexei smiled softly at the light of the lantern, which fluttered, while not listening to Fafnir.
<Alexei!>
Though Alexei didn’t hear Fafnir crying desperately at the smile.
“Yes, yes. Then I’ll leave Lord Schnine behind, so come back with him when you’re done baking the cookies. Be sure to come with Lord Schnine.”
“What? Cyril is Alyosha’s…”
“It’s okay because the sun is still up.”
Alexei said so, shook off all the flour that had been buried on Asha’s face with the back of his hand, and straightened his back.
“Chef.”
“Yes, yes, Your Highness!”
“I’m always grateful for a nice meal. This time, let’s ask Asha to take care of it.”
“Oh, no! No, yes! I see!”
While Pavel stuttered and answered, Alexei whispered something to his servant and left the kitchen. At the same time, Fafnir’s voice calling for Alexei’s name gradually faded away. Meanwhile, the servant delivered Alexei’s short words to Pavel and hurriedly followed Alexei.
“…?”
“What’s wrong? Did they say anything weird? If the oven is broken, will he pay for it?”
“Oh, no! No! No, it wasn’t, that kind of thing! What about the oven? Are you really okay?”
Asha tilted her head for a second, then turned her gaze to the oven. The oven, which had been blazing until a little while ago even when the temperature was lowered, was now moderately warm.
“Really… It was really because of Fafnir…”
“What a waste. I’m going to die.”
The cookies, which took a lot of work, burned down, and she felt sorry for them.
“But Pavel.”
“What?”
“Did you really play spirits with a wooden sword when you were little?”
“Cough, cough! N,no! No, that’s because Your Highness!”
“Me?”
“I was really surprised that something big was going to happen, so I was just trying to sort things out somehow! Even if you make a joke, if you make a joke like that, it’s really big…”
Having said that, Pavel’s expression hardened more and more. With an expression belatedly recalling a shocking fact that he had forgotten for a moment.
“Even if it’s a joke, it’s a big deal…”
“He told you what Alyosha said, right? What did Alyosha say?”
“They told us to keep it a secret between the three of us…”
Pavel, who had said so far, whispered, leaning down with a serious expression.
“Can you really talk to them?”
<Ha, this stupid chef has stupid doubts.>
“Yes. My spirit is still saying something.”
“What did they say?”
“You have stupid doubts.”
“Isn’t that just your opinion?”
<Tsk tsk, I’m so stupid that I can’t even take care of myself and get beaten by my sister.>
“The spirit now says that Pavel was beaten by his sister?”
“What? What do you mean…”
“Phoebe. That’s what my spirit says.”
“It’s not my younger sister, but my older sister! No, uh, how could you even know that…”
Pavel’s pupils trembled with astonishment. And shortly afterwards Pavel accepted cleanly.
“I will keep a secret about your abilities.”
So Pavel, who had recited several words of oath quickly, sprang up from his seat.
“Well, there’s still one more batch left. Let’s bake it properly! Uh, and this I, I will dispose of.”
“Yes? Y,yes…”
Asha nodded her head and calmly finished her remaining cookies. She stuffed the apple inside, covered it with cookie dough, double-checked her temperature, and put it in the oven.
And after fifteen minutes, the yellowish-colored, savory-smelling cookies showed off their appearance. Asha and Pavel looked at each other like children who had first built a sand castle and smiled brightly.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
Cyril subtly smiled with a knowing expression as he listened to Asha’s words that her ankle was almost healed. He got down on one knee and asked if she would forgive his rudeness, and because she couldn’t see a way to win, Asha finally had to nod her head in agreement.
“Miss Lise was very worried.”
Cyril, who easily hugged Asha, who packed apple jam cookies in her arms, said in a voice filled with sorrow. The two seemed to have a connection with each other, as they were in a position to support each other right next to one another. Asha looked very sorry.
“Now… I’ll be good.”
“Oh! No, I’m not questioning you. How dare I. However… His Highness the Crown Prince was also concerned.”
“I was really surprised that Alyosha came to the kitchen.”
“He heard that you injured your ankle, so when he heard that you went to the kitchen, the Crown Prince immediately rushed over.”
“…He did?”
“But how did you hurt your ankle?”
Cyril asked quietly. Asha only clapped her lips, but she glossed over the words and fixed the cookies in her arms. She grabbed Karnov’s sleeve, but it was because her pride was hurt, she couldn’t say that he shook her off.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
The first batch of cookies in the oven burned, and the number of cookies left was really close. One Pavel, one Asha, one Alexei, one Lise, and one Ivan. And then the two extra ones.
‘Shall we give the two remaining ones to His Majesty and Karnov one at a time? His Majesty seemed to have something he didn’t like, and Karnov… he’s been working too much.’
This time, Asha wrapped the cookie for Lise with a ribbon and tied it. She took a handful of ribbons from the kitchen, which looked better on the outside.
“How on earth did you manage to escape? Seriously!”
Lise, who greeted Asha, who returned in Cyril’s arms, questioned her with eighty percent worries about her ankle and twenty percent doubts about Asha’s mysterious way to escape the room. Seeing her face as stern as it was, she didn’t think she would let it go today, so Asha decided to change the subject right away.
“That’s… First, this is Lise’s gift!”
Asha extended to Lise a package of snacks, tied with the only soft pink ribbon among the wrapped ones. Anyone could see that it was the most special one.
