Over the flame the thin pieces of in butter coated mushrooms slightly curled up, issuing a crackling sound. After sprinkling some salt grains on top of the mushrooms and roasting them until golden on both side, a fresh and fragrant smell soon began entering their nostrils. The mix out of the milky flavor of the heated butter and the unique flavor of the Bird Beak Mushrooms caused them to salivating. And with their final honey coating, the roasted mushrooms were finally ready. Whether it was the Bird Beak Mushrooms or the honey, both could be collected in the Concealing Forest, but even for the locals, if it turned out that there was a beehive on a cut-down tree, or Bird Beak Mushrooms at its top, it was considered a very lucky day.
When the pot with the stew release white steam, the two also completed their mushroom roasting and seasoning.
“That was a success, or at least it looks good,” Nightingale said, stuffing another piece into her mouth. “As it turns out I also have quite a gift for cooking… Pff! It seems this piece was a bit salty.”
“The time is also just right,” Anna stated after glancing at the night outside of the window, “I presume we should deliver it to His Highness now.”
“Would you please hand mine over to him?” Nightingale asked, clapping her hands together, ”Please.”
“Don’t you want to come with me?”
“I can’t,” she laughed. “Because I do not know what kind of expression I should show when I see him now.”
Anna was startled by the unexpected answer, but before she even could open her mouth to further ask about meaning of this sentence, the other had already disappeared into thin air.
Even after thinking about it for a time, it still felt incomprehensible to her. So, in the end, she only shook her head, picked up the tray with the mushroom dishes and the soup by herself and went to the office.
Roland was currently designing the pattern of the medal for tomorrow’s ceremony. It was reasonable to say that he should already have completed this not especially complicated work long ago, but since the beginning of the afternoon, he had felt somewhat ill at ease.
That’s right; it was because of Nightingale’s kiss.
Although there had been some indistinct signs before, since she had never acted on it, he had also never taken the initiative to speak about it either. But now, there was no longer any room for doubt, what would be the right way to respond to her feelings?
This question also let him understand that he didn’t dislike Nightingale at all. Instead, he even somewhat liked her. A beautiful and touching woman with a calm nature, and with whom he was together from morning to night, how could he ever hate her? The reason for Roland’s inability to respond positively towards her laid in the twenty years of ideology he had inherited, as well as the actual question he would have to face in the future… Anna’s opinion. Especially the later point, he couldn’t ignore Anna, and only act according to his own preferences.
Perhaps only time could bring him the answer he was looking for.
Suddenly, a knocking sound came over from the other side of the door.
“Come in; it isn’t locked,” Roland shouted while being surprised at the same time, who would still come to his office at this hour?
Only to see that it was actually Anna who pushed the door open and entered the room, holding a tray with two dishes and an earthenware jar. Before she could even open her mouth to speak, Roland already smelled the alluring aroma.
“Food?”
“Yes,” Anna let out a small laugh and placed the tray on the table, then removed the top of the jar and uncovered a milky white soup, “This dish is called honey roasted mushrooms, this plate here was made by me and Nightingale made the other one. And in the jar is mushroom soup, it is seasoned with some commonly seen herbs.”
“It looks very delicious,” Roland licked his lips, “Come sit down so that we can eat together.”
Anna nodded and sat at the opposite side of the table.
“Why didn’t Nightingale come along?”
“She said… she didn’t know what kind of expression she should show when she sees you,” Anna replied. “I do not quite understand why she cares.”
