Chapter 55: The Secret Ingredient is Love

“Hm Hmm~♪”

An old man like me is humming to himself while cooking. From an outsider’s perspective, I must look really strange, but I keep going without minding it. For me, standing in the kitchen making sweets for those two is more of a reward than work.

Well… I’ve been working too much lately, so I want to cherish this time. Down time is important so that I can bond with Laurier and Sasha more——

“Uhm… Duke Fall…”

——And yet, for some reason, the capture target prince is here in the kitchen to visit me. Oh well.

I quickly switched modes to keep up appearances.

“Oh, Celeu-sama. What a pleasant surprise this is. Did you come here today to have tea with Laurier?”

“Y- Yes! I came with my sister.”

“I see… So, what can I do for you? Were the tea and sweets today not to your liking?”

“N- no! That’s not it! They were really good!”

“I’m glad to hear that, but in that case, what brings you here?”

After I asked, Celeu-sama seemed to hesitate for a moment.

“Uhm… Duke Fall, how are you so good at making sweets?”

“Hm? Well… since I think about the people I’m cooking for as I make them, then it’s natural that they turn out delicious.”

“It’s because you’re thinking about who you’re cooking for?”

“That’s right.”

As Celeu-sama pondered over how that would make something delicious, I chuckled a little and explained further.

“It might be unexpected, but that’s my number one trick. I always cook with the hope that my wife and daughter will be able to enjoy some delicious food. To ‘think about who you’re cooking for as you cook’ means you consider whether or not the food will put a smile on their faces. It’s that simple.”

“So you consider whether or not the food will put a smile on their faces…”

“That’s right. If you know the tastes and preferences of who you’re cooking for, you can naturally tailor it to their liking. Well, other than that, it’s important to make it with love.”

“W- With love?”

“It doesn’t matter what kind of love it is. Whether it’s love for a friend, for your family, or for your significant other, that’s not important. Regardless of what kind it is, the quality of the final product will be enhanced nonetheless.”

Then, thinking that I’ve talked too much, I turned my eyes back to look at Celeu-sama—— But for some reason, he was gazing up at me with glittering eyes.

“Duke Fall is always thinking about such amazing things!”

“Well, I would consider this much effort to be only proper…”

In my case, since it’s for Sasha’s and Laurier’s sakes, it’s inevitable that I’d put in so much effort. But Celeu-sama who does not know that nodded as if convinced about something.

“I’ll try my best to always think about the other party! Thank you so much for the advice!”

“No, it’s nothing, please don’t worry about it.”

Staring at his excessively pure, smiling face, I felt a smile appear on my face, too. Well, I still don’t know if this child will turn out the way his character did in-game, but I can’t imagine him going down the wrong path if he continues to so openly and honestly show his feelings.