When I returned home, it was well past midnight, and even Chester, who normally stood by the door waiting, was asleep.
And for the most part, I didn’t dilly-dally. I went through my nightly routine like a silent hurricane and passed out.
It was perfect because, just as expected, Lucian was still in his study, probably working on something.
Like yesterday, I woke up earlier, right before my alarm rang. So I caught that to avoid it from ringing.
I found myself in a fetal position, cradling myself on the edge of the bed.
Wow. It’s been so long since I slept like this. The same way I slept in my old room. As expected, habits die hard.
My new morning routine took shape. A very early bird should be able to catch at least a worm. Since nothing was guaranteed for me, I decided to match everything with hard work.
The speed at which I could bolt out the door should amaze most people. And my ability to do it as silently as possible could probably amaze most thieves.
At least I’m prepared for unexpected career changes.
Chester was sleepy but managed to amble over for some petting. Although I could’ve left far earlier, Chester made an effort, so I had to give him some attention before leaving.
Today was a mini family day. There was a lot of work, but I hadn’t seen my parents in so long that even the work didn’t feel as bad.
Not that the place was very far for a visit, but they have been abroad for business and have just recently returned.
"Young Miss!" Exclaimed my nanny, who was now the head housekeeper.
"Good morning, Auntie Lin!" I crashed onto her with a hug.
It doesn’t matter how old I am, but Auntie Lin had looked after me for almost my whole life, and there was no way I could stop acting spoiled with her.
I could actually just act like this with her. My parents love me to death, but because I know about their hardships, I have long tried to act as mature as possible around them.
Remember, the operational word is tried. Not that I succeeded, but I actually made an effort to do that.
"It’s so early! I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet! Let me get you something first." She tapped my stomach and was spot on.
I grinned at Auntie Lin, not shy about wanting to mooch off some food.
Bolting out of the penthouse that early meant not eating breakfast. And yesterday, I only lived off of pastries and caffeine. Anyone would think she was some undergraduate trying to survive.
"Good that you’ve still got a great appetite!" My nanny looked me over, inspecting me for what, I have no idea. But she looked very closely.
I actually had another reason for approaching her this early.
"Auntie, can you teach me a few simple dishes? Like really simple ones?" I asked.
That shocked her because Auntie had to stop pouring the orange juice.
"Young Miss, are you sick? Have you not been eating well? Are they starving you there?!" She looked positively alarmed.
"Oh no! Definitely not, Auntie! In fact, I think I’ve gained weight! It’s just that you know how traditional some elders can get, and the topics usually involve cooking, even if we all know that none of those elders cook for themselves."
Let’s just use Mrs. Grant for this. And she did ask about my abilities as a wife. As if she actually saw the kitchen herself.
I tried placating her, or I won’t hear the end of it. Nanny had always been against bullies. She had hated Alexa for being a brat for many years.
At one point in time, I even heard her desire to call on a witch doctor. She was livid, and I even got scared when she was like that.
"So, can you teach me just a bit?" I used my fingers to demonstrate my version of "bit."
"Fine, but you better tell me if someone’s really mistreating you, Young Miss. You always hide it; if it doesn’t surface by itself, we’d never find out."
She finally relented to my charms.
Nanny didn’t like wasting time, so when she agreed, it meant starting right now.
My culinary issues lie in the fact that I can get overzealous about experimenting.
"Young Miss, it’s not like you cannot cook. What you need is restraint. When it says, you put these in. Just put those in. Don’t add other ingredients from who knows where!"
I got called out, as expected. But maybe I should consider it as if these were the only ingredients and that adding more would affect the budget.
"Maybe I can try not buying more than what the recipe says? If I had no other ingredients, I’d be forced to stick to the recipe."
"That’s too drastic. That would mean emptying all the seasoning containers, in your case. All you probably need to experience is eating something edible that you yourself prepared."
Nanny crossed her arms and sighed at my drastic measures.
I couldn’t help it because I really experimented like crazy before, much to everyone’s trauma.
"We’ll cook eggs today. You’re very good at memorizing things, Young Miss, so let’s not try to develop your artistic skills just yet. We’ll stick to sheer numbers and memory."
I nodded at her. With an apron on and fully cleaned hands, I imitated her slowed-down gestures.
When we reached the part where we would put salt and pepper, my nanny, who usually just did it instinctively, whipped out a set of automatic shakers.
I nearly fell on my knees when she took out the big guns. This just shows how desperate Auntie Lin was.
"Now watch. This many clicks only for each egg." She did it on hers first before offering me the shakers.
I dutifully copied the number of clicks; she watched me with an eagle eye, and if I clicked an extra time, I might get clobbered in the head.
On medium heat, the pan sizzled as I seasoned the egg.
"Wait until the egg releases naturally. If you have to force it, it’s not ready yet."
I checked, and it was still stuck, so Auntie Lin showed me some butter.
"Now look here, we’ll use just this much butter to cook the top so we don’t destroy the yoke. You like your eggs crispy but not overdone. This is how we do it."
Then, she made me cut a piece of butter that looked like hers. When the egg was ready, I imitated how she cooked with the melted butter thoroughly.
"Wow!" I actually looked at the egg on my plate. It looked like the one Auntie made. I kept scrutinizing it from the side, just in case some parts seemed wrong.
"Stop staring at it and actually taste it. You’ve never had a problem with how your creations looked. That was why it was so deceiving."
I coughed at her words. That was true. If you only looked at the food I made, no one would think of anything wrong with them.
Moment of truth. I reached for my fork and knife, cutting and breaking the yoke. That looked great and smelled great, too.
Let’s just hope I don’t die from this.
"Oh shit. Maybe I have a new career path ahead of me."
For a moment, I thought I heard the angels sing. Is this what it feels like to eat an edible creation?
"And what were you planning on surviving on, Young Miss? Fried eggs?" Auntie Lin teased, but the smile on her face as we both tasted my first edible egg betrayed her words.
I wanted to cry at my successful attempt.
"Now do this again. We’ll cook everyone’s eggs. You’re not leaving this kitchen until I see at least ten proper eggs."
That made me wince, but I did it.
I’d live on wonderfully cooked eggs if I had to.