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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: A Prince in the Kitchen
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“Done.”
Luciano finished kneading the dough in no time and handed the bowl back to me.
‘The dough turned out perfect.’
I covered the bowl with a cloth.
And decided to prepare the other ingredients while it rose.
“Here, peel this.”
I handed Luciano a bulb of garlic.
He silently began peeling it.
“Your Highness, are you thirsty?”
“No.”
“I am. I’ll have some tea.”
“Okay.”
While Luciano peeled the garlic, I quenched my thirst with a simple sip.
This was truly a delightful time.
“All done peeling.”
As I sipped my tea contentedly, Luciano announced he had finished his task.
I pushed over the small mortar I’d set out in advance.
“Now crush it all.”
“…….”
Luciano’s hands paused for the first time.
His clear gaze met mine.
“Why? It’s the most important ingredient.”
“……No.”
His expression said a thousand words, but he obeyed me anyway.
Luciano put the garlic in the mortar and picked up the pestle.
“Wait!”
I stopped him just before he started pounding in earnest.
“Do it after I step back a bit.”
“…….”
“Now go ahead.”
I said after moving a safe distance away.
Luciano’s red eyes glared sharply at me.
I gestured for him to hurry up.
With a sigh, he began crushing the garlic.
Thud! Thud!
As the garlic was smashed, a pungent fumes filled the kitchen.
That’s why I’d made Luciano do it.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Was it my imagination, or were the pounding sounds growing fiercer?
Unable to bear the garlic’s sting, the edges of Luciano’s eyes turned red.
‘He’s going to cry at this rate.’
I couldn’t ignore his sniffly nose and moistening eyes.
I grabbed a handkerchief and approached him.
“Your Highness, look up.”
Luciano’s large eyes were brimming with tears from the garlic’s irritation.
The teardrops clinging to his long lashes looked heartbreakingly pitiful.
It was so beautiful it made my heart skip a beat.
The male lead’s charm was no joke.
I wanted to comfort him like a mother.
But I still hated crushing garlic myself!
I wiped his tears with the handkerchief, and Luciano blinked rapidly.
“Espin.”
“What?”
“It feels like I’m the only one doing the hard and painful parts.”
He was sharp.
“Yeah, you’re imagining things.”
“I am?”
His face said there was no way.
“Yeah. So finish crushing it.”
What are you going to do about it?
I answered firmly and stepped back.
But Luciano’s gaze wasn’t kind.
In the end, I deployed a second line of defense.
“Do you know how tough it is to source ingredients? Running around everywhere picking the best ones and hauling them all the way to the palace isn’t easy. Cooking doesn’t start at the stove—selecting and buying the ingredients is where it begins.”
Of course, Billy carried the load.
But anyway, I pretended not to know and argued relentlessly, urging him to keep going.
Succumbing to my slick words, Luciano silently resumed crushing the garlic.
Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!
The fierce sounds of him pounding the garlic proved he was thoroughly convinced.
And so, with Luciano’s tearful effort, we made a garlic baguette.
Of course, Luciano was plenty satisfied with the taste too.
* * *
Amid all the fun with Luciano and devouring delicious food, I didn’t neglect my investment plans.
I visited May and Bell every single day.
“Please accept my investment!”
“No thanks! We don’t have money!”
No, these people!
I’m not a scammer!
Where in the world is there a scammer this cute and adorable!
“I’m saying I’ll invest money!”
“We’re poor! We have no money even if you shake us down!”
“No, I’m not asking for money—I’m offering to invest!”
“We don’t believe you! No money! No confidence!”
May and Bell ran away, but I persistently tracked them down.
“Accept the investment!”
“Go away! We’re not interested in business!”
May and Bell coldly rebuffed me.
But this was nothing.
‘Don’t ignore the cheeky sunshine heroine!’
I kept going without tiring.
“Investment! Investment! Take the investment!”
“We don’t believe you. We can’t hear you.”
“I’m giving you money—why won’t you use it!”
“We said we won’t take it—so why are you bothering us? Please, just stop!”
They kept treating me like a scammer.
They’d shoot me reproachful looks, as if scolding a bored kid out causing trouble with scams.
It was so blatant I should have felt embarrassed.
‘Compared to how Luciano treated that airheaded girl, this is mild.’
I could brush it off calmly.
Apparently, I’d toughened up without realizing it.
I arrived at May’s house, and the door was open, probably for ventilation.
“I’m here for the investment today too!”
Shamelessly, I seized the chance and stepped inside.
May and Bell shot me looks that said, “You again?” and gave me headaches.
“Just go home. We have nothing to say.”
“Miss, isn’t it time to give up?”
They said one after another.
“Give up? What a heartbreaking thing to say.”
I smiled brightly and took a deep breath.
‘Smells delicious.’
This house always smelled of freshly baked bread or something sweet.
Visiting daily to persuade them had let me uncover why they succeeded in the original story.
May and Bell were serious about baking.
Every day, they created new desserts, tasted them, and shared opinions.
-Um, doesn’t it lack a bit of chew?
-Should we add some nuts?
They never settled for merely edible bread and constantly improved.
It was too professional to call a hobby.
At first, I’d approached thinking they succeeded in the original, so they’d do well this time too.
But seeing their dedication made me want to invest regardless of the plot.
People who worked this hard couldn’t fail.
That’s why I visited even more fervently.
Of course, they put up iron walls in response.
Still, even while thinking I was a scammer, they were kind enough not to completely chase me away.
“We’ve known each other a while now—how come you’ve never given me a single dessert?”
I grinned cheekily, and May and Bell let out exasperated laughs.
“What’s so pretty about you to give any?”
“I’m not a scammer. Judging by the smell, you just finished something great today—can I have a taste?”
They hesitated at my request.
May looked reluctant, while Bell seemed gripped by an inexplicable anxiety.
‘What’s this?’
The atmosphere felt off.
They didn’t want to give it to me.
Was it ‘me’ they disliked?
Or ‘letting someone taste it’?
Reading the mood, I cautiously broached it.
“Do you not want me to eat it?”
“……It’s not that.”
May replied awkwardly and glanced at Bell.
Come to think of it, Bell’s face had paled slightly.
I knew the answer.
‘They don’t like people tasting it.’
Why?
They worked so hard every day—why hate others eating it?
Was that why they had no plans to open a shop?
What on earth was their story?
Their reaction stirred up my own confusion.
Then Bell slipped into the kitchen as if avoiding me.
May glanced toward the kitchen and whispered softly.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
I lowered my voice as much as possible too.
May hesitated, about to speak, when Bell emerged from the kitchen.
In her hands was a small plate.
“Bell?”
May called her in surprise.
Bell approached with a stiff face and set the plate before me.
“Here. Eat it and go.”
Bell’s voice was extremely rigid.
It was a coldness born of tension or displeasure—I couldn’t tell.
May watched her with an expression of感動.
The mood was strangely intense.
Bell stared only at me.
She glared so fiercely it was scary.
It felt like an order to eat, so I picked up the fork.
“A brownie.”
The square, dark chocolate square looked humble.
“I’ll dig in.”
The moment I took a bite and put it in my mouth.
“!”
My eyes flew open wide.
The brownie’s rich chocolate aroma filled my mouth, capturing my heart instantly.
Chewing reflexively, the fudgy texture clung thickly to my tongue.
And the subtle banana flavor infused within!
Just one bite, and it had me hooked for more.
Amazing!
Incredible!
I’d read it was the best in the original, but tasting it myself—it was no joke.
Unlike its plain appearance, the flavor was extravagant.
To call this skill lacking was humility gone too far.
They watched me with anticipation.
Bell especially radiated intense tension.
I gave them my honest feedback.
“It’s really delicious! It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”
Confidence bloomed on May’s face as if she’d known, while an indescribable emotion lit up Bell’s.
“She says it’s delicious! Bell, the miss says it’s delicious!”
“It’s good! It must be!”
Bell’s voice trembled with emotion.
Was my praise that amazing?
‘No way—has no one ever tasted it before?’
Then Bell flinched as if remembering something and eyed me suspiciously.
“It’s really delicious? You’re not just saying that to get me to take your investment, are you?”
In her mind, I really was a scammer.
“The banana hidden in that intense chocolate is the best.”
I gave her two thumbs up, and Bell’s eyes went wide.
“You can taste the banana?”
“Yes. It’s subtly tucked away. That’s what gives it such depth.”
At my words, Bell made a strange face before fleeing to the kitchen like she was escaping.
Huh?
I complimented it—why run?
As I froze in confusion, May smiled gently.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For eating it so enjoyably.”
No, I ate it enjoyably because it was delicious.
As I stared in bewilderment, May smiled again and vanished into the kitchen.
Left alone unexpectedly, I just finished the rest of the brownie.
“Want to give Billy a bite?”
“No, miss. You eat it.”
“It’s so good.”
“Still, you eat it, miss.”
I didn’t push and scraped up every last bit of the brownie.
It really was delicious.
Perfectly fudgy—just my type.
No sooner had I set down the fork, licking my lips, than Bell and May emerged from the kitchen, their eyes red-rimmed.
Bell saw the empty plate and made another感動 face.
“Not enough? Want more?”
She even asked that.
“Sure, if you’re offering!”
Bell beamed and brought me another plate of brownie.
She looked happier than me, the one eating the delicious treat.
I Thought I Was the Protagonist
