Chapter 43: Mom Can Help You Now!

“Anelia, your cooking has gotten even better.”

Xia Mingyu took the handkerchief offered by the girl and wiped his mouth, sincerely praising her.

He could sense this from his own weight gain.

Originally, after his transmigration, his poor health was mainly due to a drop in living standards that had made him lose weight; but these past days in the castle, Anelia had nearly restored him to his former state.

“Oh, it’s all thanks to Aunt Mei Li’s guidance,” Anelia said, blushing shyly.

In truth, she studied the cookbooks she’d brought from the library almost every day, and stayed up late into the night practicing cooking in the castle’s empty kitchen until dawn.

But she didn’t want to tell the prince these details, because this was merely her duty—there was no need, nor should there be, for him to know.

She only hoped the prince would be a little happier because of the delicious food she worked hard to prepare—just that.

Just then, a flash of white light appeared, and Xia Mingyu instinctively looked over.

There, above Anelia’s head, beside her “commoner” status buff, another line of white text slowly appeared—“Apprentice Chef.”

“Anelia, you’ve gained a career buff!” Xia Mingyu said, surprised.

“Huh?”

The girl first startled, then quickly ran to a puddle on the floor nearby, where her reflection clearly showed the new text above her head.

“Your Highness, my buff is ‘Deliciousness’—it makes the food I prepare even more delicious! Now I can bring you even better meals!”

After checking her ability, Anelia excitedly jumped in front of Xia Mingyu.

Her lips curled upward involuntarily, and her deep blue eyes sparkled like stars.

“Congratulations, Anelia.”

Xia Mingyu smiled and gently patted the girl’s head to encourage her, but a trace of regret flickered in his heart.

He had originally planned to teach her the Moonlight Meditation Method so she could become a magic apprentice—but now, it seemed she would only ever be a cook.

Knock knock.

Just then, the library door was gently knocked again.

So much activity today? Xia Mingyu was surprised, but rose and went to open the door.

Standing outside was a tall noblewoman—Danielle Marsha.

Today, she wore a pink scarf, her violet hair piled high in a waterfall-like bun, a few strands loosely falling beside her ears, exuding a languid elegance.

In her hands, she pushed a small cart bearing two silver trays: one held an exquisite cake, the other a pot of steaming black tea and several teacups.

The cake was adorned with fresh berries and cream flowers; the tea emitted a rich, fragrant aroma.

“Prince Mingyu, I heard from the servants that you’ve been spending these days reading in the library—how tiring for you~”

“So I made some cake myself to offer you, as a gesture of hospitality. If you can be happier here in Black Wolf Castle, it would be the greatest honor for my husband and me.”

Danielle spoke in a voice as soft as water, her violet-tinged eyes brimming with tenderness, her delicate face wearing a perfectly poised smile.

“I accept your kindness.”

Xia Mingyu spoke calmly, stepping aside to let the lady enter the library.

“This is your attendant, isn’t it? I’ve heard so much about you from Karon—truly beautiful, like a sculpture of jade. Oh my, I’m envious of you, Prince!”

“But a woman like me probably isn’t even qualified to be your attendant.”

“Little Elise, you’ve grown even more adorable—your silver hair is like silk woven from moonlight, so beautiful. Do you have any secrets for maintaining your hair?”

“Share them with Mama~”

As soon as she entered, Danielle’s gaze shifted back and forth between Anelia and Elise, praising them as if admiring two exquisite works of art.

“You’re beautiful too.”

At the noblewoman’s compliment, Anelia’s cheeks instantly flushed red; she lowered her head, nervously twisting the folds of her light blue dress.

Her golden hair shimmered in the sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows, her blue eyes glimmering with shy light.

Elise’s reaction, by contrast, was cold—she merely gave a slight nod of respect to her stepmother, saying not a word.

The atmosphere grew awkward, but Danielle seemed oblivious, her face still lit with a bright smile.

Her eyes quickly scanned the library, soon noticing an open notebook on the floor beside her, its surface inscribed with magical runes.

“Prince, did you write this?”

Danielle, curious, reached to pick up the notebook, then immediately realized it was impolite and withdrew her hand, asking softly instead.

After receiving Xia Mingyu’s confirmation, her violet eyes narrowed slightly, and a knowing smile curved her lips.

“Prince, I must attend to little Haydon, so I’ll take my leave. May your studies go well—please don’t hesitate to ask me for anything, okay?”

Danielle bowed slightly with her hands folded, then departed the library.

“Elise, has Madame Danielle always been this warm?”

Watching the woman’s retreating back, Xia Mingyu couldn’t help asking Elise beside him.

“Hmph. Before you arrived, I’d never seen her smile at me,” Elise replied bitterly.

Every time they met in the castle corridors, she witnessed a lightning-fast transformation in expression.

One moment, the lady would be chatting merrily with servants; the next, her face would turn as cold as an ancient glacier. Sometimes, when their eyes met, her beautiful violet-tinged gaze would flicker with disdain and revulsion.

Once, she even overheard the shameless woman, while serving her father, pleading with him to expel her from the castle.

She had been terrified—she should have covered her ears and run, but instead she stood frozen, eavesdropping until she heard her father refuse, then dared return to her room.

That incident left her with deep psychological scars.

“Your Highness, this woman is never this kind. Her kindness toward you must mean she wants something from you—be wary!” Elise warned.

“Sigh. With this on my head, is there anyone in the world who wouldn’t want something from me?”

Xia Mingyu shrugged, pointing at the “1.4 billion” above his head with a wry smile.

Elise fell silent; Anelia’s face also flickered with embarrassment, for she too had once served the prince partly out of a private wish to save her village.

Elsewhere.

Back in her bedroom, Danielle began rummaging through her chests and boxes.

“I remember… when Mother gave me my wedding gifts, she must have included a high-quality magic crystal,” Danielle muttered, frowning at the scattered boxes and crates on the floor.

She had received too many blessings from her family that she herself couldn’t locate them anymore.

“I’ll have to search one by one,” the woman sighed. As a noblewoman, she’d always hated such chores—but now she was a mother.

After a long while, Danielle finally found, inside a small box, a crystal glowing with blue light and emitting a faint chill.

“Perfect! My little Haydon—now Mama can help you!”

The woman clutched the crystal tightly to her chest, utterly unfazed by the stinging cold it radiated.

Thank you for reading, family—please give me more Moon Tickets to help me hold my position on the new book rankings~ Thanks(ω)

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(End of Chapter)