CH 1.13

He had such striking appearance that she could recognized him at once.

‘Why is he in the Swan Garden? Isn’t he a servant from the Crystal Palace?’

Just like the last time, the man’s clothes were simple.

“I said, what are you doing here?”

“Ah! I’m cleaning up the Swan Garden for the festival.” Marie then showed the cleaning tool she was holding in her hand.

The man looked at her silently for a moment.

“…I see.”

“By the way, what brought you here to the Swan Garden?” Marie asked with a puzzled expression.

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he silently surveyed the garden with his blue eyes. But why? Marie shut her mouth as his eyes seemed to endlessly wander around the garden.

The man gazed at the garden for a long time, especially the gazebo where the 7th princess met her demise, and said quietly, “Marie, right?”

“Ah yes.” Marie’s eyes widened. How did he get her name, when they just accidentally ran into each other last time?

‘Did I tell him my name?’

It had been a few weeks since then and plus, it had been so hectic that she couldn’t remember exactly.

“Did you fix up the gazebo?”

Marie nodded her head with a baffled expression. Why was he like that? “Yeah, I did. Why?”

As expected, there was no answer. The blond man looked at her quietly.

“…?”

When Marie’s eyes were filled with questions, the man suddenly turned his back and disappeared.

“W-What?” Left alone again, Marie muttered absentmindedly.

“What’s wrong with him?” She tilted her head. Although he didn’t look like one, he seemed weird.

His gaze scanning the garden was so heavy that it made her heart ache upon watching him.

“Wait, is he the golden-haired ghost they’re talking about?”

It appeared so. From afar, only the radiant golden hair would stand out. “A silver-haired ghost and a golden-haired ghost, yeah sounds about right.”

Neither of them were ghosts, instead, they were attractive men who could make even ghosts feel flustered.

Soon after, Marie finished cleaning for the day and went back to her lodging, thinking, ‘What a very unusual day. I both met the silver-haired ghost and the golden-haired ghost.’

“They won’t come back tomorrow, right?” She murmured.

They’re here again! Not just the next day, but also the day after that. Even the other day after that!

Both did the same thing over and over again.

Kiel of the Imperial Guard continued practicing swordsmanship in the corner of the garden. Meanwhile, the unknown blond man would consistently come to the garden late at night, looking around as if he’d come for a walk, and then leave without doing anything else.

‘What on earth…’ Marie tilted her head.

Something’s wrong with them. Both the blond man—who she couldn’t figure out why he was coming to the garden—and Kiel of the Imperial Guard, were equally strange.

‘Why do they keep coming back to this garden?’ The Swan Garden was not a very appealing place. The location is secluded and since it wasn’t well maintained, its scenery was quite unsightly.

‘To avoid distraction? But he doesn’t need to train in a place like this. There’s a training area dedicated to the Imperial Guards.’

She couldn’t understand Kiel nor the unknown blond man. But then, Kiel’s words came to her mind.

‘I also just want to clear my head.’

‘Oh, come to think of it.’ In the middle of sword training, Kiel would often sigh deeply. And it wasn’t just Kiel. Whenever the blond man surveyed the garden, his eyes seemed burdened and weighed down.

‘Is there a reason for both of them to come to the Swan Garden?’

Don’t we all have those moments? When we want to be alone because our head is in turmoil and we feel down?

The Swan Garden would be the best place to hide from that.

Marie thought about asking carefully, but shook her head. ‘I’m just a random person they’d met. It would be rude to pry.’

Thinking so, she immersed herself to her work. The festival would start in a few days, so she had to finish it as soon as possible.

‘Well, is there any way I can help?’ Unconsciously thinking so, she immediately shook her head. ‘Marie, you have a lot of work to do. Do your job first. Stop sticking your nose into other people’s business.’

But she kept thinking of the frustrated sighs of the silver-haired Kiel.

‘He’s an exceptionally kind man, unlike most nobles from prestigious families.’

He often helped her with cleaning after his training was over. His kindness and friendliness were such novel traits that set him apart from other nobles.

‘Nobles often view maids like me as inferior to them.’

If he had been mean to her, of course she wouldn’t have cared. However, after she became a maid, how many people were kind enough to help her with her work? Hardly anyone.

Perhaps that’s why it kept bothering her.

However, even if she wanted to help, there’s nothing she could do, since she’s just a maid.

She’s incapable of helping, and presumptuous meddling could offend the receiving end.

‘Should I just turn a blind eye?’

But then suddenly, an idea popped into her mind.

There’s a way to help them without being presumptuous!

‘Mill, Van. Eat this at work. It’s dangerous, so be careful and don’t overdo it.’

‘The dream about the middle-aged woman!’ Marie sprang from her seat.

In her dream about the middle-aged woman, her sons would often come home full of troubles. Every time that happened, the middle-aged woman would cook delicious foods to cheer them up.

‘Mom used to make delicious sweets too when I’m down.’

She nodded. ‘Yes, since we’re not that close, it would be presumptuous of me to inquire about their concerns.’

Their troubles belonged to them.

‘But wouldn’t it be harmless to make delicious snacks to cheer them up? Personally, eating delicious food gives me energy.’

Anyway, didn’t the silver-haired Kiel always help her with her work? He could consider it as a payback.

‘I’ll be done with the garden tomorrow, so I’ll just say it as a final thank you.’ Thinking so, she visited Peter, the chef at the Lily Palace.

“Oh, Marie. What’s up?” The hairy Peter greeted her warmly.

He was always nice to Marie. When she used to struggle with her work, he would often come to her defense whenever the maid in charge of kitchen duties scolded her.

Marie tentatively asked him if she could use his kitchen for a while, and to her relief, Peter nodded immediately without hesitation.

“Alright, but make sure to clean up after yourself, okay?”

“Yes, thank you! I will definitely repay you for this favor.”

“Favor? You’ve been working diligently in the kitchen for so long, and anyway, you’re only borrowing it for a while.”

Then he said that she could use the leftover ingredients as well.

“By the way, Marie, do you know how to cook? Is there anything I can help you with? I have nothing to do right now anyway.”

Peter, the master chef of the Lily Palace, was one of the best chefs in Empire.

But Marie shook her head. “It’s alright. I think I can do it.”

Arriving in the kitchen, she rolled up her sleeves. “Okay, let’s do this. The available ingredients…” She scanned the leftover ingredients in the kitchen.

‘I can’t use meat or fruit, of course. Expensive chocolates either. Flour, milk, eggs, butter… I can only use these.’

It didn’t matter. After all, what she’s trying to make wasn’t a fancy course meal, but rather, sweets that can improve one’s mood.

‘Shall I make burgundy butter cookies, meringue cookies* and dacquoise tarts?’

*direct translation: egg white cookies

The middle-aged woman in the dream enjoyed making French sweets. As it didn’t call for any special ingredients and wasn’t complicated to make, she should be able to do it.

‘Well, let’s get started.’ She first blended softened butter with honey and then added the flour. Then she mixed the salt and egg yolk together.

“Etoiles, amour~”

A French folk song flowed from her mouth as if she were the middle-aged woman in the dream.

Marie’s hand continued to move. Once she’d added a small amount of rum to enhance the flavor of the batter, she mixed in the dry ingredients and the dough was formed.

‘And after shaping them, coat them with egg wash…’

Baking the finished burgundy cookie dough in the oven, she prepared the next batch of cookies.

‘Next are the meringue cookies.’ The cookies were originally made by monks using egg whites that were regularly discarded.

‘First, melt the butter in the pot.’

Her hands moved skillfully, as if she had always cooked. The process involved melting the butter, straining it, mixing it with the egg whites, baking it in the oven, and cooling it down.

As she was diligently making cookies and dacquoise tarts, she thought, ‘But am I doing it right?’

She was moving her hands according to the memories of the middle-aged woman in the dream, but she wasn’t sure if she was doing it properly.

‘I hope it’s delicious.’

The middle-aged woman in the dream had always cooked in hopes that her sons would enjoy them. Even if she wasn’t necessarily the middle-aged woman, it’s a common wish of all cooks for people to enjoy their food.

Marie also thought that it would be nice if they enjoy her sweets. So, she work hard to make sweets all night, and then headed to the Swan Garden the next day.

“What’s this?”

Kiel, The Imperial Guard, opened her eyes wide as he looked at the basket Marie held out.

Marie who felt bashful for some reason, said with a slight blush, “I-I just… I, uh, made this because I am grateful for your help. And today’s my last day in the Swan Garden.”

“Today’s your last day?”

“Yes, now I have to go and work elsewhere.”

“…I see.” Kiel nodded and curiously opened the basket. As he looked inside, his eyes widened in amazement. “You made this?”

“Ah, yes. In a rush…”

“That’s amazing.”

Kiel, the silver-haired man, was genuinely impressed.

They were not fancy sweets. Compared to the sweets he usually encountered at social functions, they were quite simple. However, he noticed the great care that went into them.

‘She always seemed to work late at night, so when did she have the time to make these sweets…’

Moreover, the sweets appeared very appetizing due to their neat colors, soft texture, and delicate fragrance.

“It’s just… I made it because I’m grateful for all the help so far, so no need to make a big deal out of it.”

Seeing her stammer in embarrassment, Kiel smiled softly. “Miss Marie is very nice.”

Then he added, “And cute too.”

“H-Huh?” Marie blushed at the unexpected flattery. What did he just call her? “Stop teasing me.”

“I’m not. I’m serious.” Marie’s blush intensified at his earnest voice.

t/n: we all know who the author is rooting for so it’s unfair to write Kiel like this! he’s so endearing hngg

meanwhile rael is so effortlessly funny with his awkwardness

btw i did not translate this part: