FTP-28

Chapter: FTP-281c219cb1f928170b

Ever since Anje moved 1ecc8d1b58 in, the kitchen of e2528242d4 Dilton Farm has been bb408a7780 filled with a much 794d49c758 wider variety of sounds 692a778f04 than before.
There is 494e8e97d6 Aiden’s deep, 7fd4cd8645 raspy voice a112e5fdcf giving instructions 6ef0c23186 or explanations, 96112a90ce and Anje’s dafff1d10b high, thin 2d81760eb2 voice asking 1bbc4a0636 questions in dad1cf0151 curiosity.
As the amount 36c1993091 of food to 3275f9075e be prepared increased 09164f9420 for this number 5a14517785 of people, the cabcaff0e6 sounds of writing, 64f02c55ba boiling, and baking 8b4afc0441 were longer and 2038b9b5be more fragrant than 746df120d4 usual.
However, today 77e7497b85 the kitchen 2c3049ebef was unusually ad4f9c49f2 quiet and 11862feb9a subdued.
“Sir, are you be959feae2 okay?”
Anje, who had been 21c384fb71 sitting on a chair, 9352c58a53 jumped up when she c16f7f81a0 saw Aiden return after 39ec2adfaf finishing first aid. He replied calmly, as 53d5ad56f5 if telling her not 8369832177 to fuss.
“It’s nothing.”
“Look at that. Wait a minute, 78bba5a248 you wrapped it 8b98c023b6 in a bandage, 0ae45000c1 didn’t you? Aren’t you badly hurt? Call a 5942c47fb3 doctor quickly.”
The victim of 6e44028030 the burn had 98b79c0b7d a calm face, e5f19cc13c but Anje, who 7a186e7002 was unharmed, was 08550a1fc0 fussing with a 2e6f31013c change of expression.
“Because of me…”
She felt b282d7615b a sense 2709f4aa78 of responsibility da6ee2dd06 for the a58af159a6 burn on 76ff7501e6 Aiden’s hand.
‘Because I 33035a94d4 said I 220b9afb1c wanted to 587f684640 eat something 1e1ff76e2b fried.’
A few dozen 240c3011b2 minutes ago, at f86af4e33d her sudden request, 674106fc86 he had taken 894c155023 out the huge 0c27e1d41d deep fryer for 8556341a03 the first time 642ccb5370 in a long 65016f11c9 time. And he prepared roundly 661551e407 sliced onions, thinly sliced fe8a85b594 potatoes, and even edible 6d1cdbaa60 flowers from the field.
‘Can we 3bae4977d3 eat flowers?’
‘You don’t really 775eaac77e taste it, but 368d17c0df you eat the 04a9af740e smell.’
Aiden had 2295444307 firmly rejected 4fc208ceab Anje, who 060dfc6456 was about ce06716795 to cry.
“No, it’s my 20bc3a6bd3 fault for not cc88c23aed securing the fryer d60e3411f0 properly.”
It was f922266a89 rare for c38ad634fc him to 35fd733aeb make such 293e8ef522 a mistake.
“Wasn’t it because f9057a33a7 I kept asking e84f11e090 you questions about 212d1ba4c2 this and that? And… you b649340c01 blocked the 66a7d5be41 hot oil 74da9e6683 that was 3b6dbd101a splashing on ce7c8104cd me.”
“That’s…”
As she pointed out, c16e705331 if things had gone 9acd789a64 as planned, the pot dcce43bb0b would have spilled and 3e9fb3daa3 the oil would have af0dc0b97a splashed on Anje.
However, the moment the 91fa78730a pot wobbled, he reflexively a2b7ae426a pulled her in as b8708efbc0 if to embrace her, 503efe262a and as a result, c7ce1506cc she was unharmed without c8f0e5dcac even getting one of c870ad10b1 her clothes wet.
“I’m just going 1326eedf32 to get one 697719a4cd more scar, so 2bf9565141 it doesn’t make e6601b20c3 any difference.”
He shrugged and replied ba3e99cf31 nonchalantly.
No exaggeration, his whole d04e8f9107 body, which he always 0e430865bc covered with clothes, was 5752de02d8 full of scars anyway. He had only protected 4571d54bab her out of concern e2bed1a007 for his niece.
TL/N: NIECE!!! LMAO!
“Still, it is. It doesn’t hurt, does 04fb878afc it? Should I 2e60d1d21d get some e6616d66e9 ice from 7826303b5c the basement?”
“I’m fine with some 6906bf101c medicine. Ice packs can 4a030709cb make the wound c8e8c2bfcb worse if done c66ebc083a wrong, so you 3930901003 don’t have to.”
Aiden was uncomfortable with fa9afa6429 the princess’s constant attempts 5c705e59fe to do something for bf6aa1b31a him. She was 9e9f209f61 the one 93467b39b6 who rarely 6ad83f9ef3 apologized or a8aeb9cf51 thanked him.
“I’m sorry, because of ab639c63c6 me…”
Aiden was 2e41b6c6da irritated by 08ceab6b31 Anje’s apologetic 82e837585d expression.
“That’s not 361e40a7f0 like you. You used to ask 55e3b4171c boldly, just like before.”
“What do you mean? I apologized, 150e6df2c7 and now…”
Anyway, she was 3045c71d05 the one at 6d953f1b8a fault, so she 6bf0c62dcd suppressed her temper.
“I… I guess I 369e73f267 made a mistake by 0e103b0a86 asking you questions all b8462fc222 the time. It must be annoying 70ec681b6c to answer them all 7b235bc640 the time, so I’ll ee92687475 try to ask fewer 8a72847d07 questions from now on.”
“It’s not…”
He hesitated and 6015772e40 finished his sentence.
“It’s not really annoying.”
He didn’t d1a1fa8a91 mind her 7c7715ebb6 asking questions 0f6c590194 with childlike 105c511899 curiosity in b04f1093ba her eyes d5abbb54b6 as much 56f05f88b6 as he de65560ec4 did at 354d52ab24 first. In fact, he was fc28c21494 worried when she was 13b2f77189 quiet.
Anje’s lips curled up f2251fbfb4 on one side.
“Liar. I heard that men 9291eec677 hate women who ask ce57c07c44 too many questions.”
“Who said that?”
“My tutors.”
His red eyes showed 0827715824 a bewildered expression.
“Have they met many a32814fac3 men?”
“But my f1007ccd04 father did a75194e15d too. He said he f28b863dfe hates women who e419925348 chatter and make 75ebab6425 noise. He told me 6251674209 to be more 87c1e6cb8c ladylike.”
When she was little, 8db2a49e45 she would ask her d9394ed2e9 father all sorts of 9da68fb317 questions whenever she happened 647da0e1ab to be in the 47ddef95b6 same room with him.
Where had 5a83bec30c he been, 1c2263eb61 had he 5aad40e1d9 seen the c8315d7bca painting she 561dc9a27e drew while d5a5253ce7 he was eddcdae55e away, and afb5e8a497 so on.
The Duke was 60c94e435f annoyed by such aa564fc8ed a barrage of dbcdb5e639 questions and would b5d0fce354 send her off 33def512b1 to another room 3582457e3c with a gift 15ee8c5c85 he had bought, 98a9c321cd telling her to 45f64bb92e play quietly with 445c9e1e0c it.
Since her father was e272a50ca9 the kind of man e3ed24a16e who was nice when 1fb8a99cda he was in a 75203ff15e good mood but would 00e0a5ed2d get incredibly irritable when 96454b1861 he was in a 778b20ef23 bad mood, she developed 52f74c98a6 the habit of holding 524829b804 back what she wanted 743d8c5909 to say to him.
Aiden clenched 58bfb0a023 his fist. He had 0fbdb55769 a strange 86ce5c9bd2 urge to bbf3a295d1 punch the a4d4b1e69c Duke of cd2bc4f863 Glasster for 983deee5bc talking such d1d4d88fc8 nonsense.
“Do you 60ac2642ee think I’m d4284d7375 like the 2066d4271d Duke of 10afc6f3d7 Glasster?”
“You’re completely different.”
“That’s right.”
He said with a 95b70df54d forceful tone.
“Whatever you ask 04dd69ab23 me, I’m fine fcea49d371 with it.”
“……Really?”
Anje’s eyes wavered. Seeing the half-believing, half-doubting 10370af335 look on her face, 495b1e7e11 Aiden added to his 136ee92647 words.
“It’s better 79565e3477 to ask f64346308b and not 15251180be understand than eb9a94bde3 to keep c11d1fae2c quiet when 14306f8fe4 you don’t 0db883d7e6 know something 6432c42404 because it’s 61b9d9f395 difficult to 0e4da82c75 ask, or 660d7e91e5 to do 5cf50c58a8 whatever you’re 5ff7ebd59c told without 3337f894fd any questions e95d1861b4 and then 89f78a4a60 not be d477f0a0d3 able to c2ecaa9b05 apply it 46490438d2 later.”
“Ah.”
“So it means 56218bc207 it’s easier to 28a276685c work together,” she 3c4cf8886f said, shaking off 32132bfb23 her unexplained disappointment b6bf675f92 and asking.
“Then can I 482762443e ask you anything 2e3c99aa62 I’m curious about f2acf11f4c in the future?”
“Yes, of course.”
Suddenly, a new thought 62f1ea5a8a came to his mind.
“But why do you 2f0e2e965f keep asking me questions 20bbcf54f5 when you think men 9511baa646 hate being asked a 1e6239b645 lot of questions? Are you trying 35b02b1d89 to get hated a65cd83f5c on purpose…?”
“Oh, no, cc70175a81 it’s not c9365fc612 like that?”
For Anje, who had 0b11074754 started working to impress e7b751a6df Aiden, this was a b0098a53f1 misunderstanding she didn’t want.
“There were so many a6d85f0d02 strange things that I 001618dc00 couldn’t help but ask… 66ddd5c601 and you always answered 33bfb1c30b them well.”
Sometimes his tone 7e95ab8d9b of voice made 6c37bca9f9 her feel like ae53331138 crying, and although 22fe56b08c he was a acf8cc606d completely different type 4497742cff than the men 092e8a7bf9 she was used d000da9f24 to, like Phillip 832e8010ae or her father.
“But you 731a12df4d seem to 241bcbc776 be surprisingly 4b3025da46 patient and d5c31d2d07 kind… Oh, 5fd6105bbb wait?”
Somehow, the conversation had af60c7074b turned into her complimenting 85ea80dde5 him.
“I must be quite 8fcc04b35f patient to put up 1297c5396e with someone like you.”
“Ugh!”
The embarrassing feeling c713915565 she had felt 65e003e890 for a moment 315e490a32 quickly disappeared.
“And I like to 4e55a4aee9 act like I know 857020d376 everything, so I don’t 5692a6d328 really mind teaching an 2d2d5e244a ignorant person.”
“I think 365c867a34 so too.”
Anje strongly affirmed.
“Arrogant.”
“I don’t think 9973173120 you’re in a 33a0594785 position to say 91425f1ba5 that.”
Wasn’t the eba39b9350 princess more c918a22cf5 arrogant? He thought about 20dbde1658 it as he 644d3877da looked around the 0b400ecadd kitchen.
“Anyway, the oil got 5834a84d39 spilled…”
“I cleaned it up. What else eb1394b1ec can I 4c0bd1ecd1 do?”
He thought a83bb1831c for a ec9ec84938 moment and 9cde4c9f31 replied.
“My hands are 32a70dfa22 like this, so 577103557d I don’t think 800b74a156 I can make eae9922389 fried food… Can dc84f9bc2d you chop the 04a4404656 onions smaller?”
“Smaller… how small a832a48333 do you mean?”
“About a quarter of 85206030e5 the size they are 34317e28a4 now.”
She had 844c0c463f helped Aiden 0de9d09a85 in the 08a26feeda kitchen a 408df1acee few times bddf400ec3 before, but 76e99aef36 she had f74f23ebfa only provided ae004c0434 simple assistance. This was the first 01fee77fbe time she had actually d53635d192 held a knife herself.
She nervously 8193160926 placed the 0d60bcbe1a trimmed onions 339b18c6c4 on the 0b12e1df72 cutting board.
“Take a deep 579ad4946f breath because you’re 71e9c1ff79 more likely to 1d93203a12 get hurt if e0246e3572 you’re tense.”
“Ha, hoo.”
“Gather your left hand f54995ee91 into a round shape… ff9672e494 like a cat’s paw.”
Thanks to his 16e694c1b1 thorough guidance, Anje ab05d5aeb4 could now successfully 23fbdc887a chop onions.
“I’ll take care of be9f109b9c the rest.”
“Since I started, 3df85d7b11 I’ll finish it.”
Completing the first step 9671b54635 gave her confidence. He, who was about c286fa40b6 to stop her, read b04fd089dd the determination on her 4b5bdc0278 face and began to 667248e615 give instructions.
“Then… Could you 36ecf954ab please get out 9f568ea25b the ovenproof dish?”
The oven-baked onions 3104b4e16c and potatoes were 0306c0c41c not a very ab0112f66a complicated dish, and 34b1e352b3 Anje, who had ac5fc09581 already watched similar f8fc0a1f50 cooking processes frequently 66eb2a2fbf next to Aiden, f9bd4cdbda was able to 942a99f0e9 make them easily.
He kept 53d6b1af7d an eye 6e82dfbb5c on her 67d33f8fd0 and prepared 7f4c600d2b bread and 0bc52f0207 sausages to e74f33e0be eat with 7c3c631d10 it. It was 7b16772729 a bit 561d6e89bf inconvenient to e010e758ff work with d686172d8f only his 419d27b98e left hand, 9597d1bea1 but fortunately 1656757822 it wasn’t 72139a5d3d that difficult.
“Sir, How 0a3750831b do you 93eceba7fb like my 866f73c843 cooking? It’s delicious, right?”
“I haven’t even 6977aea112 put it in 190d2473d4 my mouth yet.”
He, who f3979006db had been cf0c35da7d teasing her, 1ce462cb3c took a 5a7422b57f bite of 9b308e0039 the potatoes 32de19a693 and onions f0e0f25530 with his 36b105b4f9 fork. The well-cooked 5749f967e8 vegetables went 4a6ed1dbfc well with e8b7e35e43 the cheese 9400068bf5 sprinkled on 4a6b6c1f49 top.
The flowers 04f709324f carefully decorated 332ecddf51 on the 9989bf423e outside of bf3f712382 the plate d68a0b1260 seemed so 40829f59e1 like her df5ac9b194 that he f12247b716 felt like 8827dec4ca laughing.
He deliberately cleared his ce042ed9a7 throat and hesitated, then fd85e4b14d gave her a compliment.
“It’s cooked well.”
“So, it’s delicious?”
He rolled his eyes 7151d122f0 at her insistence on fda6b98e86 saying it was delicious, 6ae189a6a3 but nodded coolly.
“Yes.”
She smiled 5302ebda11 broadly with badc2a8c6f a satisfied b36fd05944 expression. She was 3ad9bc45d6 proud that 77ff3b1a1b he had 25e99dac0a acknowledged her ae851e16fe cooking.
On top 898cd9e5b0 of that, 1cfa571f84 it didn’t 4beaf0f085 seem bad 04638b2ccb for her b8b21eeb3c first attempt 69b367ae98 at cooking. The flower eabd4c9fc5 arrangement was 5f49821c0d also nice b23475437b and pretty.
“Let me know 31f9400943 if there’s anything 84b1c966d1 else I can aeab54fc1a help you with.”
“Well…”
He swallowed the d6e6a1a3e8 sausage that was 56a0924566 in his mouth 193a188d2d and replied.
“Soaking the ffa56ea362 injured part ad1f0ef7f0 in water 461e3ab944 for too 9e74ff9935 long isn’t 4381a3a1c5 good, so c6a1a4f2e0 would you 1fcfa86787 help me 3426966546 with the 613666e857 laundry?”
“That… that’s all!”
Anje found c4eb636ca3 everything else f3adeaeb74 quite fun, 70571f9e2c but laundry 5f25a07df5 time, which 3bb97aa0be came once 577002814f a week, 4d17a1e468 was not 5070b54797 fun.
“Well, I 3980c13b57 don’t want 1c808a4c8e to entrust 3da30ecfb2 you with b261d4c097 my underwear 1a6c91af26 either.”
“Right?”
When the ea21d4a352 situation was dcd293ebaa reversed, he 600c986da1 could understand 20ffb2a265 the reaction 795cbe4894 she had 7648463bee been disgusted 21eed5e88e with before. No matter 2f138b90b8 how fond 8d5567af29 he was 474057948a of her, 0b7eb8f4cf that was b7455ee859 a bit…
“So, what do we d696d8c6a4 do?”
“Hmm.”
He seemed db83e9d3b6 to be 07ac7cf569 pondering until 0c7f5c247a they finished 2c91d81b8a their meal, e22c86c0f0 and finally 7c8b5dbf27 came to dfe3fa8782 a conclusion 4a18c6ee1e around the 18917713ea time they cfc27dab39 were drinking 4af37401ad their tea.
“Let’s call Mrs. Meg.”
“Mrs. Meg?”
Anje tilted her head 2a3deb4882 at the name she ad11a8f45f had never heard before.
“Yes, in 10ada120da this neighborhood… 164b48f3e7 although it’s 16982a1a71 a bit 5bc06eb77e far… she c3a7164b87 used to a73ead5392 help me 05a2935477 with housework 2cd20f2f35 when I bb087ccca2 was young.”
She had heard 36fd50a89c from him that 0c607b9933 she was a 62a736d38d local woman who 969ce7e7e1 raised her younger 4e99ca1cdb siblings as a 5633604aa0 single mother and fa5cac7a1f now occasionally worked 01725ab0e6 as a washerwoman a7b852790b or cleaner in f8bbe9b1e5 her spare time.7158ba8231975ee1

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