Chapter 11: Grandfather’s legacy(6).

Finishing the herbal tea Cain brewed, I placed the cup in the Geschirrspüler dishwasher. Running it for just one cup would be wasteful, so I left it there to wash with the dinner dishes later.

Then I remembered the corset and dress I’d left washing. While I was leisurely enjoying the tea, the Wash Machine’s completion light must have been blinking.

“The corset and dress need to go to the secondhand shop next time I go out.”

I wanted to keep as little from the Bloom ducal house as possible.

For now, I’d store them in the closet. With that thought, I headed to the Wash Machine, opened the lid, and took out the warm, fluffy clothes. I went upstairs to my room.

“Let’s let them cool before hanging them in the closet.”

I hung both on hangers and hooked them on the clothing rack.

“Now, time to prepare dinner.”

The sunlight streaming through the window slanted, tinged with orange. It was the perfect time to start cooking.

“Appetizer: shrimp, white mold cheese, and turnip marinade. Main: chicken with fresh salsa sauce. Dessert: fruit punch with sweet cider!”

I went downstairs, grabbed a basket, and headed to the Farm Utopia.

“You’re back, Christina-nya!”

Abel, working in the fields, ran over joyfully.

“Yup, I’m back, Abel.”

I petted his head as he came close.

“Came to the Farm Utopia for ingredients, nya?”

He tilted his head cutely, asking.

“Yes, I’m here for vegetables and herbs for tonight’s dinner. Oh, like when Grandfather and Grandmother were here, you’ll eat with us, right?”

At that, Abel raised both front paws in a cheer.

“Of course! I’m so excited for Christina-nya’s cooking, nya! Oh, I’ll help pick the vegetables while guiding you!”

“Thank you, Abel.”

I scratched under his chin, a spot Cait Siths love as much as cats. A purring sound came from his throat, his eyes curving happily.

“Whoa, Christina-nya’s touch is so nice I almost forgot about picking vegetables, nya!”

Abel snapped back to attention.

Together, we gathered tomatoes, dill, parsley, strawberries, oranges, and other vegetables, herbs, and fruits needed for dinner.

Oh, by the way, this world’s ingredients are quite similar to my past life’s. No need to worry about adapting to unfamiliar ones.

Back to the task.

“Thank you. This is enough.”

Holding the basket of vegetables, I told Abel.

“Come when it’s time for dinner, okay?”

“Can’t wait, nya!”

I returned to the kitchen with the basket brimming with vegetables, set it on the counter, and put on the apron from the rack.

Rolling up my sleeves, I washed my hands, then the vegetables and fruits, draining them. Wiping my hands, I took the chicken, white mold cheese, and shrimp from the Cold Storage and placed them on the counter.

“Let’s make the fruit punch first so the flavors meld.”

Loving cooking in my past life, I hummed while working.

I removed strawberry stems and tops, peeled oranges and their inner membranes, thickly peeled and cubed pineapple, and peeled and diced kiwi.

This world has no canned fruit or cans at all, so no syrup. Instead, I poured unsweetened sparkling water from the market into a bowl, mixed in plenty of honey for sweetness, and added the prepared fruits.

Oh, wondering about sparkling water? Like my past life, this world has natural spring water with carbonation, sold in bottles.

“This needs to chill in the Cold Storage to let the sweetness soak in.”

Muttering, I placed the bowl in the Cold Storage.

Next, the appetizer.

I tore the white mold cheese into bite-sized pieces.

I peeled and thinly sliced turnips, salted and rinsed them, then squeezed out the water, spreading them out lightly.

For the shrimp, I peeled the shells, slit the backs to remove the veins, rubbed in white wine, rinsed, and patted dry.

I boiled water, lowered the heat, and cooked the shrimp for about a minute by my past life’s standards, then drained them.

In a large bowl, I combined everything, sprinkled salt and pepper, drizzled olive oil, and tossed. I squeezed lemon over it and scattered torn dill.

“This goes in the Cold Storage to chill, too.”

I stored the large bowl in the Cold Storage.

“Now, the main course.”

I diced tomatoes into one-centimeter cubes and finely chopped onions, soaking them in water briefly before draining.

As I mentioned, Cait Siths, unlike regular cats, can eat onions without issue.

I mixed the tomatoes and onions with a garlic-infused olive oil dressing to make the salsa sauce.

I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Heating olive oil in a pan, I seared the chicken skin-side down. Once cooked through, I flipped and cooked the other side.

I plated half with chicken, half with salsa sauce, and sprinkled chopped parsley.

Then, I took the appetizer marinade and fruit punch from the Cold Storage, serving them into dishes.

“All done!”

I smiled, lips curving up. In the Bloom ducal house, a duchess didn’t cook, so it had been a while. The dishes steamed appetizingly, looked vibrant, and tasted great when I sampled them. I was satisfied with my first cooking success in ages.

“Cain! Abel! Dinner’s ready!”

I called out to Cain, doing housework, and Abel, working in the Farm Utopia.

“Coming!”

“Coming!”

Energetic replies came back.

They pattered over from their respective tasks.

“Smells amazing, nya!”

The two scampered over excitedly.

I addressed them.

“Wash your hands.”

““Okay!””

They obediently used a stool to wash their front paws—hands—at the sink, drying them with a clean towel.

““All done?””

They raised both front paws, showing me their paw pads.

“Yes, looks good. Come to the table.”

While they washed, I’d set the table with large plates of the appetizer marinade, main course, and dessert. Three sets of plates, knives, forks, and spoons were arranged for each of us.