Volume 3 Chapter 36 Fake Rabbit Meatloaf And Accordion Potatoes
Mr. Lucian washes the potatoes really well and starts making small cuts in them.
He makes sure not to cut all the way through.
Carefully, he lines up the potatoes with lots of cuts on a baking tray, drizzles olive oil on top, and sprinkles rosemary leaves.
Then, he grinds some salt with a salt mill and adds pepper with a pepper mill.
"Is that salt, rock salt... is it pink because it's Himalayan salt?"
"You know your stuff."
"Rock salt isn't that different, you know. Mr. Lucian, do you really care about salt?"
"Not really, but when I went shopping to make something tasty for you, this salt was recommended to me. There are so many kinds of salt and pepper. Cooking is pretty deep."
"Do you like cooking, Mr. Lucian?"
"I don't know. I never really cared before. Cooking for the knights or meals while camping was just work. When I was alone, I didn't feel like cooking for myself. But now... making something for you is fun."
"I love eating tasty food. I also like cooking for someone."
"For a long time, you've complained while making delicious food. Your cooking is always kind. That's why so many people are around you now, Lydia."
Mr. Lucian warms up the magic stone oven and puts the tray of potatoes with lots of cuts inside.
Then, he chops onions and mixes them with ground pork and beef in a bowl.
He adds eggs, milk, breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper, and starts kneading it all together.
"Mr. Lucian, your hands are big, so you mix things quickly."
"Yeah, my hands are definitely bigger than yours."
"Right. When I mix, I feel like I'm struggling, but you can knead the meat easily."
"That's because I train."
I watch Mr. Lucian's hands in awe.
It's been a long time since I've watched someone cook closely.
In the past, I used to sit in a corner of the kitchen and watch the cooks from the Rest priest's house.
I like watching someone cook.
But back then, I felt a bit lonely.
Now, I don't feel lonely. It's interesting to see Mr. Lucian's long, rough fingers shape the well-kneaded meat into an oval.
I don't know what's going to happen, and it makes me excited.
It looks like a hamburger, but it's much bigger and the mixture is a bit loose.
Mr. Lucian wraps thin slices of bacon around the oval-shaped meat.
Then, he places the meat in a lightly oiled frying pan, adds rosemary leaves, and starts cooking it slowly on low heat.
He covers the pan and lets it cook slowly.
Since the meat is quite big, it might take a while for it to cook inside.
"The knights' muscles help with kneading meat, huh..."
I say thoughtfully while looking at Mr. Lucian's strong arms.
Mr. Lucian, without his coat, has his white shirt rolled up to his elbows and is wearing a black apron he brought.
The nice smell of cooking meat, potatoes, and rosemary fills the kitchen.
Sizzle, sizzle.
The meat is making delicious sounds as it cooks in the covered frying pan.
While cooking the meat, Mr. Lucian washes the cooking tools and cleans up.
Then, he boils water in a kettle and makes tea.
The tea has thin slices of lemon floating in it, and he adds a few star-shaped sugar pieces from a cute jar.
"Star-shaped sugar is so cute... Mr. Lucian, you have a femi9 touch..."
"No, I'm a man."
"Femi9 touch..."
I look down at the cute tea with star-shaped sugar in front of me and mumble.
The star-shaped sugar is cute, and the glass jar with the star-shaped sugar is also cute.
"Mr. Lucian might be better at being cute than me. What should I do, Ms. Famine?"
"Tarte Tatin..."
When I asked Ms. Famine for help, she squinted her eyes in disbelief and wagged her tail.
Ms. Famine had somehow moved to my lap.
Eir-Eir was looking at me from between my arms, wanting to eat the "pumpkin" and the star-shaped sugar.
I felt it wasn't good to let her eat the sugar directly, so I moved the sugar jar a little further away.
"I was only thinking about how cute the food is, but even little things like decorations and sugar can make me feel happy. It's really cute, Mr. Lucian."
"I'm not sure if it's cute, but I thought you'd like it, so I bought it. I'm glad you seem happy."
"Mr. Lucian is stylish. Are your rooms stylish too?"
"Want to come over sometime?"
"Is that okay?"
"Yeah. I've never told anyone, but Lydia, you can come. You can even stay over."
"...Staying over at a friend's house..."
I was a bit excited that my dream of staying over at a friend's house might come true.
"...I'll be there too."
"Tarte Tatin...!"
"Pumpkin pudding."
My dad, Ms. Famine, and Eir-Eir all made protest-like sounds for some reason.
"Of course, everyone can come. The room is small, but if that's okay with you..."
"I'm so happy! I'll come over next time. When I feel better, I'll come cook for you."
"You'll come to my house to cook for me? That sounds nice."
Mr. Lucian looked really happy.
I wonder where Mr. Lucian's house is. It probably has some nice plants by the window and looks really clean.
Sir Ciel's house was messy with research stuff and books everywhere.
But still, it feels wrong to stay over at a guy's house, even if he's a friend and not a boyfriend.
I should ask Mx. Margaret about it next time.
"I'm done, Lydia. I made fake rabbit meatloaf and accordion potatoes."
The nicely baked potatoes with thin cuts really do look like an accordion.
Mr. Lucian cut a big piece of meat that was cooked nicely and browned it a bit more.
He arranged everything on a plate, added fresh veggies and small tomatoes for color, and poured sauce made from the meat juices on top.
"Fake rabbit?"
"I think it's called that because it looks like a rabbit. It's a meatloaf made to look like a roasted rabbit."
"Thank you, Mr. Lucian. It looks delicious...!"
We took our time eating.
Mr. Lucian shared stories from his childhood──like when he lived in the Kirschtein castle. His stories sounded fun and happy, and while listening, I felt a little sad but also happy that I could talk with him.
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