A Fated Meeting?

“A girl’s power is in her cooking…” or so someone I knew once said.

I stare down at my creation… A black, unidentifiable lump rests on the oven floor of the cafeteria's massive fireplace.

That was supposed to be the dish I cooked for Prince Ciel and Lord Seranova—an atonement for the chandelier incident and a way to heed Chronos’s absurd command to befriend them.

Instead, the finished product resembles a lump of charcoal with dark smoke surrounding it.

I should have known this would happen.

In the two years of training alongside Master Long Kai, not once did he permit me to touch the kitchen. Even when I offered to take over cooking duties, he would merely take a sip of his tea or wine, let out a laugh, and shoo me away. He simply told me to train or go take a bath while he prepared the food.

Glancing at the open recipe book on the counter beside me, I let out a long, heavy sigh. I followed every single instruction to the letter, measured the ingredients precisely, timed the heat according to the text, and stirred in the exact directions specified. Yet somehow, the moment my hands touch a kitchen utensil, natural laws simply cease to operate normally.

If I present this charred object to a boy who already believes he is cursed, he might think I am trying to assassinate him.

“Lumi? Oh, you’re in the cafeteria kitchen? I was searching for—what in heaven’s name...?” Amelle coughs in the doorway of the cafeteria kitchen. She slowly steps in my direction, fanning away the black smoke in front of her as she approaches.

“Lumi… what is that?” She asks while pointing her finger at the black thing. “Is that some kind of new biological weapon? What are you trying to forge in the cafeteria’s oven?”

“It was supposed to be a tart,” I say with my voice completely flat and devoid of emotion. “A fruit tart. With light, flaky pastry and sweet cream.”

She looks back down at the shiny, charcoal-black rock inside the oven.

“Lumi…” she whispers, gently placing her hand on my shoulder. “I don't think pastry is supposed to shine like onyx.”

“I know! Okay?”

Amelle giggles. “Even our room became messier after you cleaned it! It seems you’re not quite the superhuman people are making you out to be around the school.”

“I am not a superhuman! Those boys just love spreading weird rumours about me! I can’t believe my first day at school is turning out like this.”

“At least you’re human. If we want Prince Ciel and Lord Seranova to survive our apology, you’re going to be my assistant this time. We’re making simple butter cookies—and you are only allowed to mix when I tell you to!”

I offer a small, defeated nod. “Please help me, Master Amelle!”

“What? I am no master…”

This time, I only help her by kneading the dough and shaping it into small, uniform pieces. Whenever I stray too close to the hearth, Amelle immediately steps in my way, firmly banning me from touching the fire while she handles the actual baking inside the fireplace.

Before long, a warm scent of caramelised butter fills the kitchen. I stare at the batch in slight awe. They look perfectly baked, light, and tempting—nothing like the black thing resting at the bottom of the trash bin.

“Thank you very much, Master Amelle!” I am moved by the creation we just made.

As I stare at the cookies, a cold, resonant voice suddenly emerges inside my head once more.

‘Take Amelle with you to give the cookies now.’

I wince slightly, pressing two fingers against my temple as the divine echo subsides. Chronos... what are you playing at now?

Amelle, completely oblivious to the divine entity commanding me from within, just dusts flour off the apron she’s wearing and smiles at me. “Hehe, don't mention it! Just make sure you don't drop them on the way over. Where are you planning to track down Prince Ciel and Lord Seranova anyway?”

I carefully wrap the warm cookies in a clean linen cloth, tying it off with a neat ribbon before turning to her with a wry smile. “Actually, Amelle... would you mind coming along with me?”

“Huh? Ah, I am terribly sorry, Lumi, but I can't!” Amelle says apologetically, wringing her hands with a worried look. “You see, I need to take care of something at the administration office today before it closes. Since I spent time helping you, I don’t have much time left before the office closes!”

Chronos… How can I force the person who helped me this much? It would be terribly selfish of me to do that.

But, as usual, there is no answer from him.

After thinking for a moment, I quickly decide on a solution to this. “Then I will come with you to the administration office. We can deliver the cookies together afterwards.”

Amelle’s face brightens, her anxious expression instantly changing into a smile. “Really, Lumi? You’d do that?”

“Of course. You saved me from presenting Prince Ciel with a literal piece of charcoal,” I say with a wry smile. “Helping you with a few administrative forms is the absolute minimum I can do.”

We retrieve our bags from the classroom and walk together toward the central tower.

“Do you have any interest in Prince Ciel or Lord Seranova?”

“Amelle… I simply want to give them this because I realised I was pushy at the cafeteria, that’s all.”

“You’re no fun…” Amelle pouts as she darts ahead of me.

“But if I can help Prince Ciel… I will.”

Suddenly, Amelle collides with someone at the corner of the passage.

The collision sends Amelle’s papers scattering everywhere, and a draft sweeping through the hallway catches the loose parchment, threatening to blow them far out of reach. Moving on pure instinct, I spring into action, leaping across the stone floor to snatch the floating documents out of the air before they can drift somewhere out of reach.

“Are you okay?” the golden-haired boy asks softly.

…But then I realise the one Amelle collided with is none other than my little brother, Lucius.

As I gather the remaining parchment, I look back and notice the two of them frozen in place—Lucius and Amelle simply staring at each other in silence.

I quickly dart toward the two of them. I hope I am being paranoid right now, but…

Don’t tell me... is this why Chronos told me to deliver the cookies before heading to the administration office?

It was like he was trying to prevent this encounter altogether.

"Here are your forms, Amelle!" I interject smoothly, stepping directly into Lucius's line of sight and thrusting the neatly stacked pile of retrieved papers into her hands.

My sudden intrusion breaks their stares. Amelle blinks rapidly; her cheeks change into a deep scarlet. “A-Ah! Thank you, Lumi!” Amelle hugs the bundle of papers to her chest, trying not to look into Lucius’s eyes.

Don’t tell me… will this encounter make the two of them fall in love?

Lucius coughs lightly as he turns his gaze toward me. “Luminera… I see that your martial talents extend to aerial document retrieval as well. It seems being able to stand toe-to-toe with one of the kingdom's greatest warriors without relying on a spirit has made you quite famous, even in Class 1-A.”

“I am honoured to hear that from Your Highness… But for now, I apologise for my classmate's carelessness. We shall take our leave so as not to detain you further, as we don’t have much time left before the deadline.”

“I see… Are those documents for the administration office? Then I shall not keep you. Do be careful in the corridors—rushing often invites unnecessary accidents.” Lucius steps aside with grace.

"Understood. Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness," I reply with a flawless, practised bow.

Without giving him another moment to communicate with us further, I take the still-dazed Amelle firmly by the wrist and guide her to the clock tower.

"L-Lumi... that was Prince Lucius!" she says once we put enough distance between us and the corner. "I can't believe I bumped into him of all people! Was my hair a mess? Did I look completely ridiculous?!"

“You look like a maiden in love,” I say flatly with a deadpan expression. “Please clear your mind of that. As you can see for yourself, he has a fiancée.”

Amelle sputters in flustered denial, her cheeks burning even redder. “I-In love?! Lumi, I just bumped into him! He’s the first prince, and I’m—well, I’m just a commoner!”