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chapter 68
At Cloud’s words, Lynette smiled brightly and quickly changed the topic.
“Rosemary, if you put that much in, the dumpling will burst at the side.”
“Really? I wanted to make it big because I wanted to eat a lot… Oh, it burst. What a waste.”
No sooner had Lynette finished speaking than the dumpling Rosemary was making burst at the side.
“It seems you’re not as good at making dumplings as I am, madam.”
“I suppose it’s because housekeeping isn’t really my specialty. But you, dear, are really good at it. You look like you’d be good at managing a household, don’t you, Mother?”
Vivian, who had spent a lot of time carefully making each dumpling, simply nodded at Rosemary’s comment. The subtle message seemed to be: don’t talk to me while I’m concentrating. Everyone smiled at that.
“Lynette, how does this look to you?”
“You made them really beautifully.”
“Really? This is my first time doing something like this. It’s surprisingly fun and requires concentration.”
Vivian couldn’t hide her joy at receiving approval from Lynette. Though it was her first time touching flour, she didn’t dislike it at all. Making dumplings while chatting with her family was surprisingly enjoyable.
However, her body wasn’t fully recovered, so after making a few, she had to stop.
“I think today’s dumplings will taste amazing. We made them together, after all.”
“Exactly. I want to eat these dumplings myself. How about it? King-sized dumplings.”
Rosemary playfully made a large dumpling and beamed proudly. Lynette clapped her hands and gave a thumbs-up in approval.
“Hohoho, this time they didn’t burst. The more I make them, the better I get. Shall we make dumplings together again next time?”
Not knowing when “next time” would be, Lynette didn’t give a definite answer and just smiled. Once all the filling and wrappers were used up, the surrounding area was cleaned thoroughly.
For lunch, they had dumpling soup. Everyone proudly ate the dumplings they had made themselves, looking almost childlike in their pure enjoyment.
The servants, surprised by this, looked at Lynette with shining eyes. Realizing she was an indispensable presence in the household, they treated her with utmost care whenever they saw her.
“Well, I suppose I should be heading back now. I only planned to stay for one day anyway.”
Lynette felt that staying any longer would be a nuisance, so she got up without needing to gather anything.
“Lynette, did we do anything to upset you?”
Rosemary asked, catching Lynette as she rose.
“Upset? Not at all. I just wanted to enjoy some time off on my own.”
Today, Lynette planned to stay at a hotel. Seeing Vivian being helped up by Cloud, she gave a small nod.
“Lynette, our little nightingale… I’d be too sad if you left. I said yesterday that you could stay, but can you stay a bit longer?”
“I feel a bit out of place staying here.”
“Out of place? Who’s making you feel out of place, our little nightingale? Is it you?”
At Vivian’s sudden question directed at him, Cloud shook his head.
“How could I possibly make Lynette feel out of place? Lynette, why not rest here for your vacation? If your room isn’t comfortable, we’ll prepare another one.”
“You don’t have to go to such trouble.”
Lynette shook her head at Cloud’s words, but the servants all gathered around.
“Was there something lacking? Just tell us. We’ll fix it immediately.”
“Miss, don’t lift a finger. Just rest comfortably.”
“Miss, please stay a little longer.”
Before Lynette could even step forward, she was surrounded by people. She worried that she might end up trapped here.
“Lynette, I enjoyed being with our little nightingale… Seems you didn’t.”
“Oh, no! Madam Vivian, it’s not that. I just wanted to spend my vacation…”
It seemed the situation had escalated. Vivian’s chest heaved, looking as if she might collapse. Lynette reached out, standing on the opposite side of Cloud, and supported her.
“Lynette, rest well here for the entirety of your vacation. Hohoho! You all, make sure to prepare something our Lynette can enjoy eating, and get clothes ready for Cordelia too.”
Rosemary even assigned a personal maid to Lynette. With that, Lynette ended up deciding—half voluntarily, half unwillingly—to stay a few more days.
❅
“Madam Vivian may not be ready to eat steak yet. Could you slice it thinly?”
“Of course.”
One of the chefs handed Lynette a piece of beef, and she sliced it thinly. After flattening the meat with the back of a knife, she seasoned it with salt and pepper, lightly dusted it with flour, dipped it in beaten egg, and fried it in a hot pan.
“Oh! That looks delicious.”
“Please try it.”
As Lynette presented this new style of meat dish, the kitchen staff gasped. They had only ever cooked thick slices for steak, never imagining that meat this thin could taste so good.
The freshly fried meat was placed on a plate in front of Vivian.
“My goodness, thanks to Lynette, mealtime is so happy. It used to feel like hell.”
Vivian’s appetite had returned, and she regained energy eating Lynette’s cooking. Rosemary, captivated by the new style, received a piece as well.
“Oh! I won’t eat steak anymore. This is much better.”
Rosemary, now completely smitten with the dish, held Lynette’s hand.
“I’ll give you anything you want, Lynette, if it’s our son.”
“I don’t need your son, Rosemary.”
Rejecting the son, Vivian then spoke.
“Lynette, our little nightingale, what about our grandson?”
“I don’t need your grandson either, Madam Vivian.”
Son or grandson—it was the same person, just different titles. Lynette shook her head and raised her left hand, showing a plain gold ring without any gemstones.
“I was recently proposed to by a man I’m dating.”
“Really? But what kind of man proposes with such a ring? Goodness, whoever his father is, he really has no sense.”
Rosemary glared at Cloud. Cloud merely coughed and ate his meat silently.
“My husband once proposed to me with such a ring. Honestly, I should’ve thrown it in his face… Oh! Mother, I’m joking, of course. Hohoho.”
Rosemary awkwardly smiled, sensing Vivian’s reaction. Vivian shrugged.
“It’s fine. I was the same when I met my husband. How could he give me such a plain ring? But I loved him so much that I didn’t care, even if it was a simple gold band. I guess it runs in the family.”
Despite loving her husband, she seemed slightly dissatisfied that he had given a plain 99% pure gold ring rather than a flashy gemstone ring when proposing. Vivian recounted this now with a bit of a grumble.
Finding it cute, Rosemary nudged Cloud and whispered:
“Husband, make sure to educate our son well. If he gives another ring like that, I might just chew him out.”
“Cough, cough… Sorry. When he asked what I got when I proposed, I told the truth…”
“Father and son really are alike. I don’t like that the father proposed with a plain gold ring, nor that the son followed suit.”
“Sorry… I thought he’d at least give a ring with a gemstone…”
They whispered to each other. Vivian shook her head and then enjoyed the food Lynette made, drinking plum tea afterwards.
“Thanks to Lynette, life feels worthwhile these days. Shall we move around a bit?”
“Shall we? If you don’t move, your leg muscles will weaken, and you won’t be able to walk. I’ll support you.”
Supporting Vivian, Lynette carefully stepped outside. Some watching shed tears, as it had been years since Vivian had gone outside.
“Are you tired?”
“I’m okay for now.”
“Let me know immediately if it hurts. I’ll carry you.”
“No matter how tired I am, I won’t let our little nightingale carry me. There are plenty of men in this household.”
Vivian stumbled on a careful step, swaying, but Lynette caught her in time.
“Our little nightingale must be strong.”
“Yes, probably stronger than most young ladies.”
Smiling, Lynette guided Vivian toward the garden with Alex. The summer garden was oppressively hot rather than fresh. Seeing sweat on Lynette’s face, a nearby maid quickly wiped it with a handkerchief.
“Shall we rest over there?”
Vivian pointed to a large rock, and Lynette smiled, leading her there. Before they could sit, Alex laid down a handkerchief on the rock.
“This is so cool.”
“Right? My husband and I loved this spot. Sitting here in the summer, looking at the garden, is wonderful.”
Following Vivian’s gaze, Lynette’s eyes widened. While other estates had lovely gardens, this garden was enormous and spectacular, with all sorts of exotic plants.
“It’s so beautiful…”
“Right? My husband and I arranged it ourselves. When planting seeds was tiring, I’d sit here and read a book…”
Vivian reminisced with a smile, recounting when she was Lynette’s age. Though she could never return to those days, she was happy that Lynette listened. She felt that, far in the future, Lynette would recount these stories to the children.
“I loved having picnics in gardens as a child, but after an unfortunate incident, I never did again.”
“Oh, I see.”
Vivian didn’t ask why and gently patted Lynette’s back. Lynette closed her eyes, comforted by her presence.
“But who is the man you’re dating, our little nightingale?”
Although she didn’t usually ask personal questions, Vivian smiled as she asked. Lynette answered casually.
“Well, I won’t reveal his name due to privacy, but he’s a knight. We were supposed to go on a date during my vacation, but he had to go on a business trip, so we’re temporarily apart.”
“A knight? From which family?”
“He works at the royal palace. I didn’t ask for details. If he were my future husband, I’d inquire more, but it’s not that stage yet.”
Vivian nodded and sighed quietly.
“Maybe it’s rude to ask, but when someone’s in a relationship, I’m curious… What do you like about him?”
“I’m his first love, apparently.”
“Oh, a romantic. But surely that’s not the only reason you’re together.”
Vivian’s expression seemed to urge Lynette to tell an interesting story, but she couldn’t admit he was someone she had eaten and discarded, so she gave a different answer.
“I admire how he tries to become closer to my ideal type.”
“Ideal type? What is our little nightingale’s ideal type?”
Wealth? Looks? Figure? Heart? Whatever it was, Vivian and the staff were astonished at her next words:
“It’s nothing special… a man who is well-mannered and good at cooking. That’s why he’s learning to cook, and he’s actually quite good.”
