Next morning was a tense one for lina as she thought over Duke Sinclair's words. She would have learned not just to act like a proper noblewoman to marry Alistair but also learn to delegate work in her bakery more. But what would be the right way of doing it?
So far she had relied on Roxie to prepare regular breads. The girl was familiar with that and comfortable doing the job as well. She was eager to learn new recipes and has shown interest in learning how to make magical pastries, but during hours the girl would often shut down when it ca to making more complex things.
But it was a hurdle both of them would have to overco. The amount of custors Sunglow Bakery received over ti would only increase, so it was best that lina learned how to increase the pastries they could produce, not just through skills but through new workforce. In other words, she had to properly train Roxie as a magical baker, not just nial help.
"Roxie, you said, you would like to make magical pastries too, right?" lina asked the girl as they both prepared the kitchen for work ahead.
"Yes! I'd love nothing more than that!" Roxie said excitedly.
"Then why don't we have you make feyfruit tart all on your own this morning," she suggested.
The girl instantly grew nervous, grabbing onto her braids. "I… I don't know if anything I made could ever be sold in the bakery. I… I wouldn't want ingredients to be wasted on my behalf."
"You don't have to make all the feyfruit tarts. Let's start small and expand once you get more comfortable. How about three tarts this morning?" lina suggested.
"I… I don't know… What if people hate them…"
"Don't be so scared of everything," Gilbert said, suddenly joining the conversation. The old baker was casually sipping tea and eating breakfast, having just woken up.
It appeared that he was actually enjoying his retirent, waking up later than before, tending to the garden and often spending ti together with Knight. He still was a frequent visitor of the kitchen, teaching both lina and Roxie. Although he was a bit too rough for the girl to handle. She needed a gentler teaching approach.
"It's okay to approach things slow," lina shot back.
"Stop babying her. I know you don't want to appear an, but she can't be only making bread forever, especially if you're clearly taking this bakery in the direction of magical pastries. Soon nobody will even care for regular bread anymore," Gilbert said.
Roxie's shoulders slumped at the declaration.
"No, they won't. Cakes and fancy pastries are nice, but you can't eat them every day," lina declared.
"Child, you won't be able to keep this wide spread of pastries forever. The word of Sunglow Bakery will spread. Nobles will, no they already have heard of this place. It is just a matter of ti before you clash with sobody like Speziale again, but they might not have a common goal like you two did. If you wish to stay afloat you need to train proper help," Gilbert said sternly.
lina couldn't deny that. She would love for Roxie to make magical pastries. Even if she couldn't make them with as potent effects as lina, Roxie still should be able to draw out the natural properties of Monster Realm ingredients.
"I… I'll try making those three feyfruit tarts today!" Roxie finally said, clenching her fists.
"You don't have to worry about failing. I failed my first few tis too. Nobody bought my braided bread," lina chuckled, rembering the ordeal.
"Not true. Your would be husband bought so," Gilbert retorted.
"You know he would eat anything I make!" lina said with a huff, feeling that he didn't quite count.
"At that ti he barely knew you, so I think it counts," the old baker said, as if having read her mind. "Now, enough talking. Get to work you two."
lina nodded and beckoned Roxie to join her at the counter. "We'll start slow, but you'll have to make every part of the tart yourself, alright?"
"O-okay…" Roxie stamred.
"What do you think we need to start with?" lina asked.
"The shell!" She replied confidently. "You've been teaching how to make it."
"That's right. What kind of pastry is it?"
"Shortcrust pastry."
lina nodded. She expected Roxie to know this, but it didn't hurt to make sure that the girl was paying attention.
"Go ahead and make enough shortcrust pastry for three tarts."
"How do I know how much ingredients I need for exactly three?" Roxie asked. "Previously you always had do bigger batches."
"Write down your recipes, lina. If you want to teach Roxie, your recipes should be readily available to her," Gilbert suggested.
"You never wrote down any recipes," lina accused. She certainly would have been grateful to have them in the beginning, instead of having to ask Gilbert the proper ratios every few minutes.
"You have
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