Corina felt terrible; she had stormed off without speaking to Alexander. After getting a wonderful night's sleep, Corina reflected on the situation and realized how foolish it had been to become frustrated at the Duke simply speaking politely to a few women. She trusted him and knew he would never do something to purposely hurt her.
The blonde princess stood outside the kitchen, her hands gripping the door frame as she tried to be sneaky and watch the commotion inside. A woman was working hard to prepare food for the day. She assumed they were baking bread, a process she had never witnessed before.
Her gaze was fixed on the off-white dough that a short, copper-haired woman continued to punch. Corina couldn't help but wonder if the woman's repeated strikes at the fluffy mound on the counter were motivated by anger. The woman picked it up and threw it at the counter.
"I didn't know cooking appeared so aggressive," Corina whispered to herself, unable to pull her eyes away from the woman's actions.
Corina had gotten bored. Nadine had inquired if the princess would mind the woman accompanying Lazarus into town that day, leaving Corina on her own. Alexander was busy in his office all morning, so she decided to explore the palace on her own. The scent of yeast had led her to where she stood.
"It looks difficult," she muttered.
The woman stopped beating on the mound of dough and formed it into a ball, leaving it on the counter with a towel covering it. When she looked up, she noticed Corina. "Princess?" She asked.
Corina nodded nervously and let go of the doorframe. She had been caught! She stepped forward. "Y-Yes. I was just interested in what you were doing."
"We haven't met," the woman said with a smile. "My name is Carol," the middle-aged woman said, bowing slightly as she approached the blonde. "It's an honor to meet you, your grace."
Corina nodded and pointed to the covered dough. "Is there bread?"
"Yes, it will be bread, but it has to rest so the yeast activates," she informed the princess. "Once it's ready, it will be baked into a loaf."
"Seems like a lot of work," Corina commented. "I don't know anything about cooking. Mama never let me in the kitchen. She always told me I had no use for cooking."
"Everyone should cook," Carol told her. "It's relaxing. It's wonderful when you create something delicious! The way it brings people together and they appreciate your blood, sweat, and tears is not something you can recreate outside a kitchen!"
Corina gasped. "There's blood, sweat, and tears in food? That doesn't sound appetizing!"
"It was a figure of speech," the woman chuckled.
"Oh," Corina sighed.
The blonde stood there as she wondered if it would be worthwhile to learn how to cook something. She had always wanted to create with her own two hands, and if others were able to enjoy her creation, she might learn to turn the activity into a hobby. She then thought of Alexander, and how maybe if she brought him something she made, he would forgive how rude and irrational she'd been the evening before.
"Carol, could you teach me how to cook something?" Corina abruptly inquired.
"I would love to!" The woman grinned wide. "What do you have in mind?"
Corina stepped further into the kitchen while Carol retrieved a hairnet and apron. She tied the apron around the princess and assisted her with the hair net.
"I don't know," Corina said. "I want to make something for the duke."
"Oh, that's a lovely idea! It'll win his heart, I'm sure."
Corina nodded in agreement. "Cake?"
The woman chuckled. "It would take awhile to make a cake. Why not something more simple, such as cookies?"
"Oh, I like cookies! I hope Alexander likes cookies. Everyone likes them, I think!"
Carol took the ingredients for a basic sugar cookie recipe out of the pantry, then set them on a counter opposite the one the bread dough rested on top of.
Corina stared at the ingredients and tilted her head. "What is all this?"
The woman explained the process and had Corina pour the flour into the measuring cup. The princess had unintentionally spilled flour all over her face. She looked down and smiled as she brushed off her apron, which also had gotten messy. "I didn't know cooking was so messy."
"It's fine to make a mess in the kitchen. It means you're having fun."
Carol led her through the rest of the ingredients. She elucidated the functions of each ingredient in the recipe, providing Corina with a wealth of information to retain. She thought that cooking must have been an art, especially for someone skilled enough to remember all the complexities.
As Carol placed a baking sheet next to the mixing bowl, Corina began to mix the dough. Corina tilted her head and pointed. "How do cookies get so round? It's just one clump of dough."
Carol demonstrated how to make the dough, turn it into balls, and then place the balls on the pan.
Once they had baked the entire batch of cookies, she had Corina wrap them in a cloth in a container, showing her how to tie the cloth to make the covering more visually pleasing.
Corina removed her apron and hairnet and smiled at the woman. "Thank you for letting me do this."
"It was a pleasure," Carol replied with a smile as she took the items from Corina. "You're a talented student. Feel free to come back anytime or use the kitchen as you wish."
"Thank you! " Corina gasped excitedly as she clutched the container in her hands. "It was fun! I want to learn to cook. Maybe I'll be able to make stuff on my own someday."
"Practice makes perfect!"
"No, no," Corina giggled. "I think you're just a genius."
Carol smiled as she watched the princess leave the room. It had been a long time since she had welcomed royalty into her kitchen to share her knowledge. She hoped that the princess would visit her kitchen again in the future.
With the bundle in hand, Corina made her way to Duke's chambers, hoping he would like the cookies they had baked for him.