"Nier, have some tea."

Lucia courteously handed Nier a cup of tea. Nier vigilantly looked at Lucia and the cup of tea in her hand. She coldly asked, "What, are you trying to poison me?"

"No. What are you thinking? We're both His Highness' wives. I couldn't possibly do such a thing." Lucia gave an unprecedented response. She looked at Nier with a stiff smile, causing Nier to look at her even more vigilantly.

She pushed the cup of tea far away from her, "You wouldn't give me a drink for no rhyme or reason. Whatever it is you want, come out forthright with it."

"I want you to teach me how to make something…"

"What?"

"Food."

Nier t.i.tled her head. She looked at Lucia feeling completely befuddled and asked, "You need to be taught that? Aren't people born with that skill?"

"… Did you know that you deserve a beating for saying that?"

"Not that you can beat me anyway."

Nier then gently cleared her throat before saying, "Honestly, I'm not an expert myself. All the dishes I make aren't dishes they'd serve in the palace or at a professional level. My cooking skills were acquired as a result of being forced to learn how to cook as part of the Valkyries. If it wasn't for His Majesty liking my dishes, they wouldn't have any hope of making it to the table. If you want to learn to cook, wouldn't it be more appropriate for her to learn from Her Highness?"

"Her Highness has already returned. It appears she has important business."

Lucia looked at Nier. She looked at Nier with puppy eyes, "Please, Nier, it's my only request. I just want to be able to cook a decent meal for His Highness. His Highness hasn't fully recovered. I want to cook a meal for once, too."

Nier giggled, "All right. I'm a little tired from cooking the last few days myself. I don't feel too good when I stand for too long now. I'll teach you, then. But I can only teach you how to make humanity's dishes. Is that all right with you?"

"No problem! I just want to make a soothing soup for His Highness."

Lucia looked at Nier with excitement. The two of them stood up and walked to the kitchen. The chef inside the kitchen looked at the two Princesses oddly when they entered. Nier waved her hand and declared, "You can all leave for now. We're going to use the kitchen for a bit. We won't cut into your time for preparing lunch. Oh, right, if we do, leave His Majesty's lunch to us."

"Princess… are you feeling….."

"I know my body well. You don't need to worry."

Nier coldly looked at the chef next to her. The chef hesitated, and then everyone left the kitchen. Nier walked over to shut the door then looked at the ingredients in the cupboard. She made a suggestion, "Uhm, it looks as though there are still ingredients. Let's make mushroom creamy cherry tomato soup today. This soup is very suited for His Majesty."

"What was the soup you made for His Highness yesterday?"

"Oh, that was a remedial soup." Nier picked up two things that were similar to branches, "This is the medicinal herb you elves gave me. It's said to be support mana recovery. I used this and berries yesterday to make His Majesty a soup. I think it tasted decent."

"His Highness said the soup yesterday was very tasty."

"Really…?"

Nier shyly giggled. She then gently cleared her throat. Then, she picked up all of the ingredients and a block of cheese. The mushrooms here are weird. They're akin to ginseng. She also grabbed some cherry tomatoes.

Lucia looked at the ingredients with amazement, and then asked, "We just have to chop them up?"

"Mm, you can say that. Handling ingredients is relatively simple after all… but…"

Before Nier could finish, Lucia grabbed a kitchen knife. She may no longer be a part of the shadow squad, but Lucia's skills with a knife were as sharp as ever. With a flash of light from the s.h.i.+ny blade, all of the ingredients on the chopping board were turned to pieces. Nier looked at the red juice from the cherry tomato running along the board with a dumbfounded expression…

"But, don't chop the cherry tomatoes, or else the juice will run dry."

Nier finished her sentence with an expressionless look. Lucia looked at the chopped up cherry tomatoes in front of her with a blank look, feeling at a lost for what to do…

Nier picked up a chopped up piece and ate it. She then said, "You chopped it up yourself, so you can deal with it yourself. It would be best to throw it away, but I reckon you won't learn to wait until people are done speaking before starting, unless I teach you a lesson. Do it again. Next step is to put it into the soup… Heat up the water in the pot first. Remember that the pot is very hot, so be careful not to burn yourself. Next, place the ingredients in orderly then place the lid on and turn the heat down. All you have to do next is wait."

"Regardless, you were too hasty, Onii-sama."

I looked at Freya, who angrily frowned with her arms folded. I smiled helplessly as I replied, "I had no choice… It was my only choice at the time."

Freya frowned, "Even if that is the case, you used that method without discussing it with me beforehand. Had something happened to you, all of our preparations would have been for nothing."

"But luckily, Her Majesty and Her Highness will both support what we want to do."

"Yes, but, Onii-sama, do not do something so risky again. It was a gamble, but we need to gamble on more important matters. You might think that gambling with your life is no big deal, but the people around you value you, whether that is your mothers, your wives or me."

"Right, right, right."

"You always respond so nonchalantly!"

Freya sighed helplessly, and then said, "In any case, it is great that you are all right."

Someone then gently pulled the door open. I turned my head to look and saw Lucia carry a tray in. Freya didn't want to disturb us, so she stood up and bid me goodbye, "I shall take me leave, then, Onii-sama."

The two of them pa.s.sed by each other. Lucia walked up to my side all smiles and placed the tray down. My nose came to life. I smiled, "It smells really nice. Lucia, is this Nier's new recipe?"

Lucia unhappily pouted and responded, "I personally made this, Your Highness! Am I just a useless person to you, Your Highness?"

"Really?"

"Okay… Nier did help… but she only helped a teeny bit. It was mainly me!"

Lucia stood next to me and brought the bowl over. She then nervously looked at my face. She trembled as she scooped up a spoon and carefully blew it. She then moved it to my mouth. Her green eyes contained nervousness and fear similarly to a rabbit. She took in a deep breath, "Please… please try some… Your Highness…"

I opened my mouth to touch my mouth to the warm liquid. The aroma burst in my mouth. Lucia nervously looked at me and asked, "How does it taste? Oop!!"

I suddenly pulled Lucia in and gave her a deep kiss. The prominent aroma of the soup spread in our mouths. Lucia froze for a moment before closing her eyes to return my kiss. She leaned back. Her face was now bright red. She looked at me cautiously then wiped the corner of her mouth. She softly said, "It feels… a little too sweet…"

I chuckled. I looked at her and asked, "Do you want another taste?"

"Mm… I wasn't satisfied with just the last one… Let's have another taste…"

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