I couldn’t take my eyes off him. As if I were bewitched, I just kept staring at that man.
‘It doesn’t suit him, but… it suits him perfectly.’
I knew it didn’t make any sense, but I couldn’t find a better way to describe it.
And for some reason, Eugenia felt her mouth going completely dry.
‘I’m thirsty.’
How long had she been staring at him like that?
Perhaps his face had started to burn under her gaze, because Enrique let out a short, awkward cough and asked,
“Miss Eugenia… aren’t you going to get ready?”
“Huh?”
Snapping out of her daze, Eugenia responded reflexively.
“Oh, yes! Of course!”
She hurriedly averted her gaze, trying to hide her flushed face.
Turning her back to Enrique, she gave her cheeks a few quick slaps.
‘Oh my! Get a grip, will you?’
She had been staring way too blatantly. She was fully aware of that.
More than being embarrassed, it had been rude toward him.
But even after slapping her cheeks several times, the dazed feeling didn’t quite go away, so Eugenia ended up shaking her head vigorously.
‘Phew, that’s a bit better.’
Only then did she snatch up a nearby apron and quickly slipped her arms through it.
She tied the ribbon behind her back and scanned the kitchen counter.
‘Ah!’
Thankfully, the innkeeper had already mixed the milk and butter and left it to cool.
She touched the bowl—it had completely lost its warmth.
‘All I need to do is add sugar. This won’t take long.’
Nodding to herself, Eugenia poured the butter-milk mixture into a bowl and grabbed the sugar and eggs.
While moving busily, she addressed Enrique.
“Actually, Lord Enrique, I don’t think there’s much you need to help with. The batter won’t take long to make.”
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
She started whisking with practiced ease.
As she increased the speed, the mixture foamed up white in the bowl.
That’s when Enrique silently moved up right beside her.
So close that a sheet of paper would barely fit between them.
‘Why is he so close…’
Eugenia swallowed dryly.
The composure she had barely regained began to crumble again. Her skin tingled as if tiny hairs were standing on end.
Without realizing, she sucked in a breath and stopped whisking.
A shadow slowly fell over her from above.
“…Miss Eugenia.”
Enrique’s voice softly curled around her ear.
“Then why don’t I do what you’re doing now?”
“To add sugar properly, you need to be very precise, so… I think I’d better do it.”
As she finished speaking, Eugenia hugged the whisk and bowl tightly to her chest.
She looked very determined not to hand them over, no matter what.
“Hm.”
Enrique’s lips twisted, seeming a little displeased.
With his arms crossed, he glanced around the kitchen and suddenly his eyes sparkled as if he had found something.
Turning away from Eugenia, he suddenly said,
“Just pancakes seems kind of lacking, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose so. Is there anything you’d like to eat? I can make it.”
“No need. You don’t have to worry about it.”
As if he already had something in mind, Enrique began walking.
Eugenia’s gaze stretched after his back like melting caramel.
‘He’s headed toward the storage room.’
What was he planning to bring?
Tilting her head, she finally pulled her gaze away.
Looking back into the bowl, she saw the mixture starting to lump up.
Eugenia added the rest of the sugar.
As she began whisking again, her arm began to ache and her pace slowed compared to earlier.
Then Enrique reappeared in the kitchen, as suddenly as he had left.
Eugenia looked toward him again.
“Gasp!”
In his hand, he was holding a thick cut of meat still attached to bone.
It was far thicker than the thigh of a grown man.
Only someone like Enrique could hold that in one hand. She wasn’t sure she could lift it even with both hands.
In a hesitant tone, Eugenia asked,
“You’re going to grill that?”
With a shrug, Enrique set the meat down on the large cutting board.
Thud!
The sound was heavy—it must’ve weighed quite a bit.
The unexpected noise made Eugenia flinch.
Enrique adjusted the meat’s position and answered casually,
“There’s always plenty of meat left over.”
He acted like there was no issue at all.
He pointed his chin toward the bowl she was holding.
“Leave that to me. You just focus on what you’re making.”
“Ah… okay.”
Eugenia resumed whisking.
Her arm ached more as the cream thickened.
Meanwhile, Enrique carefully selected a knife and inspected its blade under the light.
Then suddenly—whoosh!
He tossed it into the air and caught it, like a stunt.
‘What in the world was that?!’
It was like watching a circus act.
Eugenia blinked, stunned.
The way Enrique handled the knife didn’t seem ordinary.
‘He’s too skilled with weapons…’
The fact that he didn’t seem the least bit worried about cutting himself made that even clearer.
‘But I shouldn’t ask.’
Trying to divert her curiosity, Eugenia quickly offered,
“You’ll season it, right? I’ll get you the spices.”
“No need. With meat this fresh, grilling and a pinch of salt is more than enough.”
“Ah, I see?”
She had never eaten meat that fresh, so she just mumbled along.
Enrique stared at the meat and murmured in a low voice,
“If I cook the whole piece, it’ll take too long. I’d better cut it down.”
Then with precise motions, he began removing the meat from the bone.
Slice—snap. Slice—snap.
In no time, the huge piece of meat had been reduced to manageable chunks.
Eugenia forgot to whisk again and simply watched his hands in a daze.
Enrique paused and gestured toward the bowl in her arms.
“Miss Eugenia. That cream’s about to die. You okay?”
Looking down, Eugenia grimaced.
“Ah! I worked so hard to whip that! It can’t die!”
She quickly whisked it a few more times.
Just in time, she managed to revive the peaks, and moved the cream to a cool area to store it.
Then she began making the pancake batter with flour, butter, and milk.
By that time, Enrique had finished butchering the meat.
The chunks were perfectly bite-sized for children, showing impressive attention to detail.
After washing the knife, he brought over red onions, potatoes, and carrots and chopped them roughly.
“I just need to cook this now. What about you?”
“I just need to start frying the batter.”
“Then let’s not waste time. I’ll start with the meat.”
Eugenia nodded, and Enrique began moving again with purpose.
He piled the meat and vegetables onto a heavy cast iron pan and added a thick slab of butter.
Then with one hand, he effortlessly lifted the heavy pan and placed it in the oven.
Soon, the sound of sizzling oil filled the air.
A delicious aroma wafted out, making Eugenia instinctively swallow.
As she started frying the pancake batter, she commented,
“You’re really good at cooking, Lord Enrique.”
Standing with his sturdy arms crossed, watching the oven, he replied,
“This hardly qualifies as cooking.”
“Pardon? If that’s not cooking, then what is?”
“All I did was apply heat. It’s basic survival food, relying on the ingredients’ natural flavors.”
He pulled the pan out briefly and stirred the contents with a spatula to keep them from burning, then continued,
“To truly bring out flavor, you need to measure like you do. That’s a skill I don’t have.”
Eugenia let out a light laugh.
“Hearing you say that makes me feel like I’m making something amazing.”
“You are.”
Not used to praise, she mumbled shyly,
“I just hope it tastes good… Honestly, I’m not confident. It’s such a simple recipe.”
“If it’s made with heart, it’ll be delicious. That much is certain.”
“How can you be so sure? You haven’t even tasted it.”
She chuckled.
Enrique looked at her with serious eyes and said,
“Because I’ve been beside you, I know how much heart you put into it. If you just wanted to feed them, you could’ve roasted potatoes and called it a day. But you worked hard because you didn’t want to let the kids down. Something made with that kind of care can’t taste bad.”
“…”
Eugenia bit her lip.
Why was it…
Such a simple statement from Enrique made her nose sting.
He had only spoken about food.
But to Eugenia, it felt like something more.
As if he saw how hard she was trying for Selmia and Joshua.
Even if she felt it wasn’t enough, even if she saw herself as lacking—
It was like Enrique, someone completely unrelated, recognized her efforts.
It felt like being acknowledged.
And that made her heart ache in a strange, overwhelming way.
