Sara, Kledson, and Nathan were already waiting in the dining room. They were puzzled as to why dinner hadn't been served yet. What was even more surprising was that Caerina had not shown herself until now.
"Why are they taking so long?" Sara could wait patiently.
"Caerina hasn't appeared either. Where has that child gone? Earlier, after asking about the salt mine, she just left." Kledson could only shake his head, remembering the princess's increasingly strange behavior since her passing.
A fraction of a second later, the dining room door swung open. Caerina arrived with several servants carrying dinner.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Today we will enjoy a slice of heaven on earth," Caerina declared.
"Heaven on earth? What do you mean?" Nathan looked at Caerina, puzzled.
"It means that today we dine on a special meal that I've prepared. I dedicate it especially to Father, Mother, and Brother."
The servants immediately began serving the dishes on the table. The aroma was indeed tantalizing, and the presentation of the food was appetizing.
"What's this? I've never seen food like this before," Kledson remarked.
"You should try it first, then I'll tell you what it is."
The three of them took bites of the rice blanketed with chicken curry in unison. A spice explosion occurred again. The impact from Caerina's homemade food was significant, introducing a new flavor in a world where food was often bland.
"What is this? It tastes amazing. I suddenly feel reenergized." Nathan continued to eat his meal with extraordinary speed.
Indeed, Caerina had tried infusing a little aura into her cooking. Who would have thought that her food could recharge spent energy? Perhaps this meal was more suitable after knights were drained from clearing the region.
"Caerina, what is this dish called? It tastes truly different. How should I put it? It's not bland; there's something enhancing the flavor," Sara inquired.
Pointing at each dish in turn, Caerina explained the names of each.
"This is chicken curry, this one is grilled fish, and the last is spaghetti. It's really not appropriate to serve spaghetti with these dishes, but there were no other ingredients in the kitchen. So, I had to cook it," Caerina explained.
"Where did you learn to cook? After all, we nobility never get involved in the kitchen."
An unexpected question came from Kledson's mouth. Caerina was a bit perplexed about what kind of response to provide. In the end, she had to lie to her family about this matter.
"I had a vision in my head. After I woke from death, it's as though the Gods bestowed upon me this ability."
Yes, that was a reasonable explanation Caerina created. After all, in this world, belief in the mystical was commonplace. Especially since they were worshippers of the Gods, they understood that nothing was impossible if willed by the divine.
"You mean you received the Gods' blessing?" Caerina's family was stunned upon hearing her explanation.
"The Gods' blessing?"
It seemed Caerina would cause a stir in the household again. She didn't realize that her answer would send shockwaves among the listeners.
"It must be the Gods' blessing! There's no mistake as to why Caerina could access the essence of the aura so quickly." Nathan reflexively slammed the table with enthusiasm.
"So, the reason my daughter seemed unusual after coming back from the dead is because of the Gods' blessing?"
"My goodness, this is a miracle! The lady has received the Gods' blessing."
"Not every human receives the Gods' blessing. Only the chosen ones are bestowed with divine favor."
"This is joyous news! The Marquess Navre's lineage has received the Gods' blessing."
Caerina was confused about the current situation. She thought this was a usual answer and wouldn't cause a commotion. However, she was wrong, and this would turn into something she felt guilty about.
'Why is everyone reacting this way? I just gave a random answer. How can this be called the Gods' blessing? But, if I say I'm from another world, surely they won't believe me. They might even banish me,' Caerina thought to herself.
Caerina tried to remain calm as usual. Her parents and sibling, however, looked at her in amazement.
"What ability did you obtain?" Kledson asked.
"The ability to do business to rebuild this family."
Caerina bit her lip as she answered, regretting her thoughtless response.
'This isn't a Gods' blessing! Business has always been my strength. Great! They might get the wrong idea again.' Caerina cursed herself repeatedly for providing such a haphazard answer.
"Business? No wonder you suddenly have so many business ideas. Now Father and Mother need not be surprised anymore about your behavior, which is quite different from before your death."
Now Caerina was stunned. They were very calm and felt relieved after receiving an answer to why the princess had suddenly changed.
"You don't need to overexert yourself, Caerina. Mother is very happy that we can live like this," Sara said with a naive smile.
A forced smile curved on Caerina's lips.
'No wonder they are poor, this family is too content with simplicity. Their prioritization of happiness over simplicity isn't wrong, but in my opinion, it's better to enjoy wealth while we can strive so that others don't belittle us.'
Suddenly, Caerina felt the deepest warmth in the recesses of her heart, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time as a child. Now the Gods had given her a chance to be a child of such a harmonious family.
"Oh, I still have one more dessert."
After noticing their plates were empty, Caerina proceeded to serve the pudding. Once again, they were perplexed when they saw the soft-textured food.
"What's this called?" Nathan asked as he poked the surface of the pudding.
"It's called pudding."
"Pudding? Let me taste it first."
Upon the first bite, the sweet flavor of the pudding dissolved in their mouths. The sweetness was just right, and even Kledson and Nathan, who didn't like sweets, really enjoyed it.
"The pudding is very soft, and it melts in your mouth as you bite into it." As a sweet lover, Sara was fond of it.
"Where did you find all the ingredients to make these dishes? I don't think these are sold by anyone." Kledson was curious about what the princess would say.
"I found them in the forest."
"From the forest? Are you serious?"
Caerina nodded and then she brought out a basket filled with the spices she had picked earlier. Caerina lined up the various spices on the table.
"These are all treasures. Just using these, the flavor of the cooking becomes delightful. I saw many growing in the forest, so I took them. No one knows how to use them," said Caerina.
"I always thought these were just common wild plants. It turns out they can be cooked. No wonder your cooking tastes so different," Nathan commented.
"Ah, actually I also found this in the forest."
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