“I finally made it out.”

I could return to my residence by riding the carriage the Emperor sent.

The curse was resolved, but there was still a lot to do.

I entered the palace.

Luis, who had run to the lobby at the sound of my footsteps, buried himself in my arms.

“Eileen, where were you?”

“Things took longer. Were you preparing for the party?”

“Yeah. The party is fun, but preparing for it is too much of a hassle.”

Behind the whispering Luis, Emma jumped out.

“Lord Luis, you shouldn’t run out while still getting dressed!”

“But Eileen came!”

“Eileen?!”

Emma, who spotted me, exclaimed with surprise.

“Where were you?! I’ve been looking for you for a while!”

“Sorry.”

“We need to wash up and get ready right away!”

Emma was busy as if fire had ignited on her hands and feet.

Emma, who came up to the imperial palace during the vacation, did all the work alone that a few maids should have done.

‘Can’t trust anyone else, and the maids in the mansion are all mine.’

I decided to give Emma a generous bonus.

“Just a moment, there’s something I need to do first.”

“What? Even if you prepare now, there’s not enough time.”

“It’s important. I have to make the food for the Blessing Table.”

“Huh, you haven’t made it yet?”

Emma’s shock wasn’t unreasonable.

“Yeah, but it’ll be done soon.”

It wasn’t a difficult dish, and I could easily make it with the right ingredients.

While Emma and I were talking, Luis was constantly tugging on my clothes.

I decided to give the bored child a mission.

“Lord Luis, I have a favor to ask. Could you bring some shining flowers from the garden for me?”

“Flowers?”

“Yes. They are called Moon Pheas, shining yellow flowers. Just pick about six and bring them to the kitchen.”

“Alright!”

“No, don’t!”

“Lord Luis, stop!”

It was a scream-like voice.

I pushed Emma aside and made her turn around.

“Lord Evan and Lord Michael are waiting. I’ll send Luis back in a moment.”

“Got it!”

Emma tearfully returned to her work.

My steps quickened.

The kitchen was my destination.

As soon as I got off the carriage, thoughts of the food to be presented on the Blessing Table came to mind.

It was none other than ‘Hwajeon.’

“I’m here, Eileen!”

Just then, Luis came running with a bunch of flowers in his arms.

“You came?”

“Here! Is this enough?”

“Yes. You picked them well without any wilted leaves!”

“That’s enough!”

As I praised the hardworking Luis, Emma’s voice echoed, urging him to leave.

“I don’t want to go though.”
“If you endure a little, you can have fun all evening, you know?”

“Uwung… Alright then. Eileen, hurry up and finish!”

“Yes. Please get ready first!”

I shook hands with Luis, who was walking hesitantly.

‘Shall we start then?’

I carefully washed the Moon Pheasants in cold water.

The pan pre-placed on the fire was well-heated. After greasing it well and wiping it once, the preparation was complete.

Sizzle

As I dropped the batter onto the pan with a spoon, round shapes formed all over.

‘Put the Moon Pheasants on before they are fully cooked.’

When I placed the light yellow flowers, it looked incredibly beautiful.

Normally, I would flip it once, but to preserve the color and shape of the flowers, I covered it with a lid to let it cook in the moisture.

‘It’s unexpected that these flowers are edible.’

The flower itself was precious, and it wasn’t a flower that could harm the body if eaten.

“It’s almost done.”

I sprinkled the pre-prepared flower powder in the center of the Hwajeon.

‘Since the color has lightened while cooking.’

The sparkling yellow added to the pale yellow center.

The finished Moon Pheasant Hwajeon looked like a beautiful moon.

When combined with honey and plain buckwheat tea, it was complete.

It was time to pack it into the prepared lunchbox.

“Eileen! Are you done?”

“Yes, just a moment!”

When I quickly picked it up and returned to the room, Emma was in contemplation.

“No, did you go to a mud bath? You need to wash up quickly. There’s no time!”

“Calm down, Emma!”

“I have an obligation to make Lady Eileen look the prettiest! So that she doesn’t lose to that fake saint!”

Fake saint, huh.

It was a vivid description of Emma sweating coldly.

Emma, who almost got falsely accused in the mansion, currently hated Elias the most.

“Uwaaa!”

A sound came from flying Emma, whether it was a battle cry or a scream.

“I’ll make sure to capture that fake saint in the picture today too!”

“S-Sure.”

Do as you please…

Feeling overwhelmed, I silently closed my mouth.

Having been tossed around for a while, before I knew it, bathing and drying my hair were over in an instant.

“Is this the dress you’ll wear today?”

“Yes.”

If yesterday’s dress was tinted with a blend of emerald and yellow, today’s was a bright gold and yellow as if mixed with moonlight.

The three main dresses for the week-long Foundation Festival were themed around ‘winter buds, the first sprout, and fully bloomed flowers.’

‘Considering it’s a winter dress, it’s thin, so I’ll wear a coat and enter the hall to take it off.’