Chapter 86: The Duchess Versus Baking
Mirabelle stood in the castle kitchen, hands planted firmly on her hips as she surveyed her surroundings.
It was a large room.
And surprisingly bright.
To maximize usable space, the windows had been built high into the walls, leaving plenty of room beneath them for preparation tables and shelves stocked with ingredients.
Afternoon sunlight streamed inside, turning the dust floating through the air into tiny sparkling particles.
She took a deep breath.
The scents of herbs, fresh vegetables, smoke, and slow-cooked meat filled her nose.
The kitchen occupied one corner of the castle. Because of that, an entire wall had been dedicated to massive hearths. Smoke was drawn directly into chimneys and carried away outside.
There were also several structures that resembled ovens.
So far, they had mainly been used for roasting and braising vegetables and meat.
Today, however, bread would be baked in one for the very first time.
The center of the room was dominated by an enormous preparation area. Cabinets beneath the work surfaces held every imaginable cooking utensil.
Everything had been crafted from light-colored wood, giving the kitchen a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The countertop before her was covered in stains and marks that seemed to tell the story of every feast held at Castle Lynxstone over the years.
In front of her sat everything she needed.
Or might need.
Eggs from chickens considerably larger than any she remembered from Earth.
That probably meant this entire process was about to become much more trial and error than she’d originally planned.
A large jug of milk.
A bowl filled with glittering salt crystals.
Honey.
Plump red berries that tasted remarkably similar to currants.
Fresh spring water.
And, of course, a large bowl of finely milled flour.
At this very moment, the squirrel beastman was still grinding more of the golden grain. But Mirabelle had run out of patience. She wanted to start.
Now.
She had already banished every kitchen helper, cook, and one very curious group of males from the room.
After all, Lucien had been unable to resist shoving a handful of flour directly into his mouth.
The result had been an expression of immediate regret, a coughing fit, and completely uncontrolled laughter from Silas and Kaelith.
Mirabelle feared that if she didn’t convince the Beastmen with the finished product, their skepticism would spread rapidly if she continued allowing Lucien to sample random ingredients.
’He definitely has an oral fixation...’
Shaking her head, Mirabelle rolled up the sleeves of her shirt.
That morning she had once again chosen her preferred combination of fitted suede trousers and oversized men’s shirts.
This particular shirt had been stolen from Kaelith’s wardrobe. Every now and then, she secretly inhaled his scent.
Tara had nearly suffered a heart attack when she’d seen the lynx female wearing the rough fabric.
Even after Mirabelle tightened the laces across the front, the shirt remained so oversized that her shoulders and part of her cleavage were still visible.
Mirabelle had simply reminded the mouse woman that she was now a mated female.
And that her mother showed considerably more skin.
After securing her sleeves, she smoothed the apron tied around her waist.
Then she used a leather cord to tie back her hair.
Which turned out to be surprisingly difficult with lynx ears. Said ears twitched and flicked ticklishly while she wrestled with her curls.
All of this took place under the sharp gaze of the head chef.
Sharp eagle eyes, quite literally.
Because he was an eagle Beastman.
Unlike everyone else, he had refused to leave the kitchen.
Now he stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching closely to see what new madness the young Duchess had decided to attempt today.
He looked surprisingly young for someone holding such a position.
Glossy feathers were woven between his short black hair.
His eyes possessed a very unusual color.
Like milk mixed with a few drops of pale yellow paint.
The shade was such a soft pastel yellow that it almost appeared white.
Earlier, Mirabelle had nearly stared at him outright.
In fact, she had been so distracted by his eyes that she’d completely missed her chance to throw him out of the kitchen.
Now she had to bake bread under his scrutinizing gaze.
Mirabelle had never considered herself a baker. And she sincerely hoped her limited knowledge would be enough.
Making flour?
Pff.
No problem.
Thanks to one particularly eccentric university professor who loved assigning increasingly bizarre projects, she had spent plenty of time studying agriculturally important innovations.
Actually baking bread, however?
’Come on. How hard can it be?
It’s basically just water and wheat. I’ll start there.’
She grabbed a large wooden bowl and poured in roughly three parts flour to two parts water.
Then a pinch of salt.
Without hesitation, she plunged both hands into the mixture and began kneading.
The eagle Beastman raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected the lynx female to use her hands.
Dough stuck stubbornly between Mirabelle’s fingers. Almost immediately, she realized she needed more flour.
"Lonan, could you add a little more flour, please?"
Mirabelle had absolutely no hesitation assigning work to the head chef. If he insisted on staying, he might as well be useful.
The eagle Beastman stepped closer.
And she immediately noticed just how tall he was. Possibly even taller than Kaelith.
He reached for the bowl of flour.
Tendons shifted beneath his skin as he lifted it. For a brief moment, the scent of approaching snowfall drifted through the air.
’Stop! You already have enough men...
Quit noticing things like that.’
Completely unaware of the internal crisis unfolding inside the female’s head, the chef sprinkled flour over her fingers.
"Like this?"
Curiously, he peered into the bowl where her hands were working the dough.
"Please spread some on the table as well."
The eagle clearly didn’t understand why.
Still, he did as she asked.
Mirabelle removed the dough from the bowl and placed it on the work surface. Then she continued kneading.
"The dough is very sticky. This keeps it from sticking to everything else."
She explained it as though this were the most obvious thing in the world.
Curiosity itched at the eagle Beastman’s fingers.vHe wanted to touch the thing called dough as well.
Mirabelle began dividing the large mass into smaller balls of dough, completely ignoring the male standing far too close beside her.
"We’ll start with flatbread. This is how you shape it."
She demonstrated the process for him.
Maybe he would become her first bread missionary?
Lonan picked up one of the dough balls. The texture surprised him. There was nothing quite like it that he knew of.
Carefully, he pinched off a small piece and popped it into his mouth.
Mirabelle rolled her eyes.
What was it with Beastmen and their urge to put everything into their mouths?
"You have to wait until it’s baked. Only then can you judge the taste."
She flattened another piece of dough while explaining.
"Baking causes water to evaporate, which concentrates the flavor. The fire creates roasted aromas. And the salt becomes stronger."
Lonan: "Okay."
She hadn’t expected him to simply accept that. Yet the eagle merely continued shaping flatbreads alongside her.
Once they were finished, they let the dough rest for a while.
In the meantime, Mirabelle decided to experiment with something else.
Something sweet.
But as she searched through the kitchen tools and shelves, she realized an extremely important piece of equipment was missing.
Lonan watched the female tear through his carefully organized kitchen.
His jaw twitched.
Then he finally couldn’t take it anymore.
"Are you looking for something?"
"Hm? Ow!"
Mirabelle had her head buried inside a cabinet. When she turned too quickly to respond, she smacked her forehead against the wooden shelf.
With a frown, she rubbed the sore spot.
Her ears flattened sideways.
For a brief moment, Lonan felt the instinctive urge to walk over and inspect the female for injuries.
He barely restrained himself.
It wasn’t his place.
And more importantly, she was his Duchess.
A good decision.
Because at that exact moment, the kitchen door flew open.
Kaelith stood in the doorway.
One glance swept across the room.
He immediately confirmed that Mirabelle wasn’t in danger. Even so, he shot Lonan a dark look.
"Everything okay?"
He didn’t dare step inside.
Mirabelle had been very clear about banning him from the kitchen. At the same time, he was obviously hoping for the tiniest excuse to enter anyway.
But Mirabelle waved him off while continuing to rub her forehead.
"Everything’s fine. I was careless."
"Or maybe the kitchen just isn’t—"
Lucien appeared behind Kaelith.
Before he could finish the sentence, Lonan snapped back:
"My kitchen is perfectly organized."
The two males stared at each other over Kaelith’s shoulder.
Through the Mate Bond, Kaelith felt Mirabelle’s rapidly growing irritation.
He immediately raised both hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay. Then everything’s fine."
He flashed Mirabelle a shameless grin.
"We’re leaving. Just like you wanted."
Before Lucien could argue, Kaelith shoved him back through the doorway.
A moment later, the door closed.
And the kitchen was quiet once more.
