Saving the Villain

Sunday came, and Cosette was up early to practice cooking. Her day yesterday was a success, spending an entire day with her father, Conrad. She knew it was a success because Conrad seemed pleased.

"Young miss, do you really have to do this yourself?" asked the head chef worriedly, staring at the determined young miss. It was rare for the young miss to step inside the kitchen, let alone cook. So it was a surprise for them she was here, wearing a pink apron with all the pink cooking wares she bought yesterday.

"Mister Leo, just stay there. I will need your tongue for taste testing!" Cosette grinned as she gazed at the table over the kitchen counter where three people sat down. The head chef, her nanny, Lucia, and the head butler — the people she invited to be her guinea pig.

"This is my first time cooking, so I need to make it edible."

"Young miss…" Lucia called helplessly. No one could stop Cosette and even if they wanted to, they didn't have the heart, as she was so determined.

"Nanny Lucia, I'll be fine. Just wait, alright?" Cosette set up the cooking book she had been reading until late at night.

She didn't idle as she started preparing while the three watched her. Lucia's worries were written all over her face, holding her breath every time Cosette chopped some tomatoes.

"Young Miss, I will have a heart attack at this rate," came out a quiet voice, as Lucia was already panting. Not just her, but the head butler, George, and the head chef Leo could feel their heart skip a beat, afraid she would cut herself.

They could only sigh with relief when she finished chopping the ingredients unharmed. Cosette clapped as she read the cooking book briefly before figuring out how to work on the stove. When she successfully set up everything to start cooking, she started sauteing.

"Young miss…" called Leo, the head chef, as he studied Cosette's cook. "… that's too much salt."

Even though the chef hadn't tasted the dish she was making, he already knew it would be bad. Why? Because Cosette was forgetting one essential part of cooking and that was tasting it herself.

Unlike Leo's worries, the head butler George could help but wipe the tears from the corner of his eyes. "The young miss had grown into such a lovely lady." He was already old, but to think he was able to live to witness this day made him happy to the point he teared up.

The three of them patiently waited for the dish the young miss was cooking so earnestly. To be truthful, even if the food she made turned out to be poison, they would still eat it since this was the first time she cooked in her entire life.

After a long time, Cosette finally served her first dish. She said it was General Tso's Chicken, but Leo could not help but smile helplessly as this was far from what the dish was supposed to look like.

"What's going on here?"

Suddenly, Conrad's voice came, leaning his side against the entrance of the kitchen. She told him yesterday that she would practice her cooking today, but he didn't expect she would start this early.

"Papa! Come, come!" Cosette waved, and he sauntered towards the table, taking a seat, and glanced at the three she asked to be her guinea pig.

"Master," the three awkwardly bowed but didn't have the courage to stand up as Cosette asked them all to sit down at the same table.

Conrad just nodded as his eyes fell on the poison placed on three plates. His under-eye twitched but bit his lower lips. Cosette always imposed herself as someone who would never make mistakes, but to think she might be exceptional in other things but cooking, he was pleased to see this side of her.

"Wait, Papa. I'll prepare yours." Cosette excitedly served a portion to a new plate and served it in front of her father. Standing on the side, she glanced at everyone and motioned her hand.

"Dig in."

Lucia, George, and Leo glanced at Conrad apologetically. They already knew this would be bad, and they already surrendered their taste buds to fate, but Conrad… they felt sorry for him.

Unlike their worries, Conrad wordlessly picked up the cutlery to have a bite. He didn't have a change of expression as he chewed on the saggy chicken with strong imbalanced flavors.

"So?" Cosette raised her brows, staring at Conrad in anticipation.

"Not bad for beginners." A huge smile appeared on her face at the feedback she got from her father. She turned her eyes to the other three and they also taste the food. She clasped her hand while waiting for their reaction, but alas, Lucia couldn't fake it as she coughed and drank a mouthful of water.

"Lucia." Lucia froze when Conrad called her name coldly.

"I'm sorry, Young Miss. I didn't chew well, but it's not bad for starters." Lucia panicked as she explained, making Cosette frown.

She studied the four of them and aside from Conrad's unchanging countenance, the butler was sweating buckets, while the head chef's face turned red. It was obvious there was something wrong.

"Are you sure it's good?" she asked with a frown, realizing that whatever she would do, they would only say good things about it. So, to know whether they were telling the truth, Cosette served herself a small portion and ate it.

As soon as the chicken touched her tongue, she instinctively spat it back on the plate in an unsightly manner. She scrunched her nose up, gazing at her father, who actually ate this poison without complaint. freℯ𝓌e𝚋𝐧𝘰vℯl.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"It's bad," she grumbled while glaring at Conrad. "Papa, do you want me to kill the cat I am wooing? I need honest feedback! Honest! How will I improve if all I hear is it's good?"

"But it's not bad." Conrad tilted his head as he truly think the more he ate, the more bearable it become.

Cosette pinched the space between her brows, as everything she would do would be good in Conrad.

"Young Miss, it's really not bad for beginners. But while watching you cook, I noticed you are forgetting some essential part of cooking." Her brows raised as Leo mustered his courage to voice out his opinion. "How about I guide you since cooking takes a lot of practice and with proper guidance, your skills will improve in no time?"

Cosette rubbed her chin about it. She didn't consider asking Leo to teach her because she wanted to do it herself. But he had a point.

"What do you think, Papa?" she asked, setting her eyes at Conrad. Although she knew she didn't need Conrad's permission, she still wanted to take his opinion.

Conrad hummed before he rocked his head. "Leo will be an excellent instructor if you are really determined to do so."

"Then, that's settled!" Cosette gazed at Leo, who offered her a kind smile. Lucia and George could not help but smile as well as they also thought this was a good idea.

Sunday passed with Cosette cooking throughout the day. Conrad, Lucia, and George accompanied her and stood as her guinea pigs. With Leo's guidance, the dishes she made afterward had drastically improved. It wasn't perfect, but it was edible.

But more than filling their stomach, she had filled their hearts with her earnest efforts. Whoever this cat that Cosette was going the extra mile to gain his trust was surely lucky.