abcnovels
Chapter 6: A Glimpse
Chapter 6: A Glimpse
Chapter 6: A Glimpse
Magicians live longer.
Lucille went back home, mulling over the information Cortez gave her.
“A magician, huh…” Honestly, she wonders and doubts it. After all, she has yet to see sensei do something with magic.
She’s sure that there’s something about him that makes everyone in the town call him “Sensei”, but she can only see her employer as an unsociable gray-haired uncle (close to being an old man like a grandfather.)
“……”
During dinner that day, Lucille noticed that sensei was staring at her.
‘Not good.’ She stared at him too long.
Sensei was telling her with his eyes not to look at him. Then, she quickly withdrew her gaze. After a small sigh, she heard him resume eating.
‘Ugh…it’s because of what Mr. Cortez said is now bothering me…’ While she placed her resentment on that person, she reluctantly decided to give up on her observation during the meal today and started to prepare the drink that he will bring later.
‘Even though I’m worried about the taste of the dressing today…’
Lucille kept on taste checking it and gradually became uncertain. It may be too salty. Her shoulders gently dropped as she took out the teapot and heard a “wait” come from the table.
“Yes!” She was surprised by the sudden voice and let out a surprised tone.
‘Was it the dressing? Was it spicy after all?’
She looked at the table with trepidation, and saw that the plate was clean, ‘Oh! He ate it! Thank goodness he ate it!’ She cheered in her heart.
However, the matter that was asked wasn’t the dressing, it’s a different matter.
“What is it?” She suppressed her inner joy and made a solemn expression. It is quite possible that it is something unexpected.
“I’ll make my own drink.”
“…Yes” Lucille was shocked and almost dropped the teapot she was holding.
“Cardamom.”
“Yes.”
“Cumin.”
“Yes.”
“Honey.”
“Yes.”
His bony hand scooped the ingredients with a spoon and placed them into the glass. She watched his movements and responded as he mentioned the ingredients one by one.
After his meal, he went into the kitchen and pulled out two glasses from the cupboard and her eyes lit up. Earlier, she was completely disheartened, assuming that he would tell her that he doesn’t want the drinks she makes, but the situation was different.
Lucille was hoping that he was going to give her one of them since he seemed to be making two drinks, but she didn’t have the courage to ask him. She was unsure if he would look at her and his eyes would scorn her.
“Carbonated water.”
“Yes.”
Sensei finally poured the carbonated water into the glass with a stoic expression and the sizzling sound can be heard.
“Just mix.” He said while he swirled the spoon in the glass.
“……yes”
If it’s not her imagination, perhaps she was being taught how to make it. It started abruptly that she honestly doesn’t remember the amount of cardamom in the beginning. What should she do?
She doesn’t know whether sensei knows her dilemma or not, but when he nods at her response, he took one of the two glasses and leaves the kitchen.
‘Wait, wait, wait, wait!’
This dilemma had to wait. What should she do with the remaining drink? She wanted to know his intention whether it’s alright for her to take it or not.
“Sensei!”
Sensei looked back at her with a questioning look on his face since she would rarely call him.
“Um, this…” Lucille raised up the glass that was left and his purple eyes narrowed softly.
“!!!!???”
“Go ahead.”
“Tsu!” It was only for a moment, but it was powerful enough to agitate her.
For the first time since she came here, she saw sensei’s sort of smiling face. The wrinkles around his eyes, which usually emphasizes his sternness, somehow did the exact opposite.
“I was surprised…” she muttered dumbstruck as she saw him go up to his room without incident.
Tiny bubbles rose in the glass.
“…Wow, delicious…” The spiced drink sensei made tasted novel to her, “Mmm-hmm. So this is what it tastes like.”
Inspired by the drink sensei made her that night, Lucille immediately went to the pantry and tasted some of the spices that had been on display. Honestly, many of them were new to her and she had a hard time on how to use them, but now she finally felt like trying to make something out of it.
She had some expectations and knew that sensei liked herbs and spices. All the seasonings and spices around? her were his favorites. At first, she thought that he might have arranged them for his housekeeper as an escape from reality, but that theory is quite unreasonable. What she had been mulling over what kind of grass it was that was properly planted in the garden, was apparently a fragrant herb.
Lucille had made up her mind and realized that the pantry is the epitome of Sensei’s preferred taste in food. Therefore, it was up to the housekeeper to accommodate it.
“Uaaaaah” she let out a grunt as she put on a face of determination. The first time she saw a seasoning with a label that she could not read had a peculiar taste.
‘Fishy! What is this!? Oil? What oil!?’ The future ahead felt daunting, but it was interesting to explore new possibilities in this way.
As she shook the bottle of spices towards the pot, she felt like she was concocting something, “Fufu, I feel like a magician too.”
After all, she has no idea what a magician does, but since sensei can make such a wonderful drink, then she has no objection that he is a? magician. The thought that she’s doing the same thing as him, stirring the pot felt different and especially enjoyable than usual.
“Cough! It’s bitter!”
However, becoming a magician would require her considerable training.
It has been a few days since Lucille got addicted to spice cooking, or rather, started studying it.
“I can’t sleep.” She had an inkling why. Before going to bed, Lucille drank a mixture of several spices that she experimented on. It tasted rather stimulating. Perhaps, one of them had a sleep-reducing effect.
‘Oh no, I have to water the fields early tomorrow morning too.’
Despite tossing and turning, sleep refused to come, “I give up!”
Lucille decided to drink some water to see if she could somehow neutralize it. She went to the kitchen and gulped down a glass of water in one go.
“Hahh!—” Trying to suppress any sound that might draw attention from sensei, she put the glass back down.
The room now looked different during the daytime. The moonlight was shining? through the curtains, creating a tranquil atmosphere in the living room. Since she wasn’t feeling sleepy anyway, she decided to take a peek at the garden. It was in the middle of the forest, after all. There might be? nocturnal animals that she can observe.
Lucille opened the closed curtains and looked at the garden through the glass door. She was taken aback. She had not known that the moonlight could be so bright. It illuminated the plants and trees, making them sparkle subtly in the darkness.? The flowers blooming at night were majestically showing their features that they do not show during the day. It was a? mystical yet beautiful sight. She was so astonished that she felt the urge to step out into the garden.
When she opened the glass door of the living room, fresh warm air gently flowed in, carrying various scents of the plants.
‘What a waste. I always go to bed early.’ She stealthily stepped out through the glass door and took a few steps into the garden.
In the eerily silent surroundings, she suddenly heard the sound of a sliding door being opened. Lucille almost screamed.
‘Sensei…?’
Of course, it couldn’t be her, there’s no one else but sensei. She looked up at the balcony that loomed above. She couldn’t help but worry if there was something wrong with sensei.
Sneaking around like a thief, she managed to get to a point where she could see the balcony of the sensei’s room.? He stood on the balcony, gazing outside with a still demeanor while his white hair shone under the moonlight.
Perhaps because it was a different situation than usual, the sight of his figure seemed very special, making her feel stirring in her chest. Sensei standing there at night resembled a night owl. It seems that tonight she won’t be able to sleep at all.