The Rise of the Exiled Villainess

Chapter 5: Basket in a Sea of flowers

After at least five days of rest, my body is now back in shape, and thankfully there were no apparent marks on my body. I feel like my mana has stabilized for a bit compared to before. Tomorrow will be my 8th birthday… The venue will be in a nearby mana-rich forest with a glittering pool. Actually, the said forest is just behind our house for convenience. 

Nanny Katalina and Momma is ushering their soldiers (maids) to war… I can feel the same aura when they were trying to fix me for the banquet. From food preparations, coordination with the chef, flower arrangements, chair and table placement, topiaries, and taming of magical beasts as mounts for the coming nobles; I wouldn’t be lying if I said everything is literally taken seriously here…

Since Mimi wanted to see a rabbit, they literally brought a rabbit that’s as big as a dog. What’s interesting is that the creature’s tail glows when it is excited, making it eye-catching to any child. The rabbit came from one of my relative’s ranch. They breed all sorts of creatures including wyrms that are trained to do digging and construction. I guess I could visit it later to see if I could have some pets for alchemy.

Right now I’m sitting at the balcony of Momma and Daddy’s room. Even though the place is overflowing with weird looking trees, the flowing mana is making it suitable for normal people to pass through.

“Milady?” a maid is poking through the doors.

“umm yes?”

“The Madame is calling for you. It’s something related to food.” Ahh I see… Momma noticed my enthusiasm when dealing with cooking. Even in my previous life I love to cook my own meals which is why I tried to experiment with various spices in this world. Luckily, they do exist and the abnormal mana in Umbra allowed me to taste different species of spices, fruits, and vegetables.

“I’m on my way!” I stood up from my seat and quickly rushed to the kitchen.

Ya girl is basically zooming though the busy people. I’m still wearing my pajamas but who cares, I want to cook something! As soon as I arrived, Nanny Katalina is busy preparing the sauce while Momma is holding some sort of list. She is tasting the consistency of the sauce while suggesting things to add.

“Momma what’s that smell?” I asked, tilting my head slightly.

Momma grabbed a spoon and took a small scoop of the sauce that they are brewing, “Come here and taste it. This will be our sauce for the steak.”

Oooohh damn! Just the thought of dem medium rares is enough to make me drool. Without hesitation, I moved closer and snagged the sauce with my mouth.

I could tell without a doubt that this is gravy. The spiciness from pepper and the rich taste of broth that you love to have even with mashed potatoes. I can taste the finely glazed onions and button mushrooms too.

“Is this our lunch for today?”

“Yes it is. It would also be our sauce for the main dish tomorrow. We are just practicing to get the taste straight.”

Hmm… Do we have potatoes though? I’ve never seen anybody prepare mashed potatoes well enough to suit my taste.  

“Can Eka cook too?”

Nanny Katalina raised an eyebrow while looking at me, “huh? What do you have in mind milady?”

“Mashed potatoes!” I’m so f*****g hyped!

Momma asked, “Do we have some potatoes left?”

Nanny Katalina left the stirring to Momma as she left for a bit to ask the maids for our stocks. After a few minutes, she arrived with a bag of potatoes. Looking closely at the condition of each one, they seem to be freshly plucked.

“What are we doin next?” Nanny is optimistic.

“We need to peel them all, chop them to small pieces then boil.”

“Anything else to do?” Momma added, getting the chopping board and knives ready.

“I also need some butter, garlic, salt, pepper, and fresh milk.”

Within a small amount of time, everything was already laid on the table for us to use including the ingredients. The maids helped us peel the potatoes before being chopped into small block-sized pieces. They dumped everything into a large pot and boiled it.

Most of the time mashed potatoes are commonly served to us as a side dish along with meat. Since the meat carries most of the savory taste and herbs, it was only there to add more texture to the meal itself. Lucky for them, I’m a sucker for experimenting s**t right off the bat!

Twenty minutes have passed since we boiled everything. It’s 11:30 AM and as soon as we are done with this, we can finally have lunch ready too.

Nanny pulled the potatoes and drained the water. This is where things get a little rough… I wore an apron and used a stool to reach the stove. On a saucepan, I threw a bar of butter and melted it before adding the minced garlic.

The aroma produced from combining these two made a lot of fuss to the point that the entire household appears to be staring at me including my two siblings that are currently tugging my hair while stirring… I added a touch of salt and pepper to add some taste to it. Viola, we now have some garlic butter on standby.

I went down the stool and began to mash the potatoes with the help of Momma and her crew. Upon having the consistency that I want, I poured the butter garlic and mixed it again to even the taste. Nanny and the rest of the maids took over since my hands were exhausted mid procedure.  

Tasting the mashed potatoes using a spoon, I could say that this is definitely restaurant quality. I searched for a cup-like bowl that’s large enough to be used as a scoop for the mashed potatoes. After finding one, I took a large scoop of the mashed potatoes and placed it on a small plate. Then poured the luscious thick gravy until it is perfectly covered from top to bottom. To add more flavor, I had Momma slice a few butter bars into smaller pieces then placed the butter on top of the gravy until it melts.

Momma and Nanny were the first to taste the fruits of my labor.

“Let’s dig in!” Momma is hyped.

As soon as their spoons landed inside of their mouths, they were instantly amazed by the taste. Who would’ve imagined that a simple potato dish could be so much for than a bland additive to meat?

Both Momma and Nanny finished their meal and were impressed with my tiny charade.  

(To Be Continued)