The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 86: The Cooking Class

Chapter 86: The Cooking Class

When Eric and Rafe entered the galley, they were greeted with an unusual atmosphere. The kitchen crew gathered on one side of the galley, appearing clueless and unsure of what to do. This was highly unusual for them, as they would typically be busy preparing meals for the passengers and ship crew by now.

The commander, his wife, and the new ’teacher’ were gathered on the other side of the galley, near the counter. Damon, Eli, and Ayden stood nearby, watching with concerned eyes. They looked at Eric and Rafe, who joined them with a defeated expression.

Curious about the situation, Eric lifted his head to see what was happening. Damon gestured towards the three people at the preparation counter.

In the tense quiet, Luke spoke up, "Let’s start with cutting this onion."

Everyone watched Anna reach for the knife, but Kyren quickly took it.

Concerned, the commander said, "This knife is very sharp and dangerous. You might accidentally cut yourself."

Kyren looked worried, so Luke suggested, "Why don’t we focus on the fire? I’ll demonstrate how to control it to achieve the right cooking temperature."

His attention turned to the fire, hoping to salvage the next cooking class lesson.

"All right," Anna agreed as they moved towards the brazier. However, Kyren quickly interrupted, "It’s too hot! She might get burned!"

The princess let out an exasperated sigh. "Kyren, please!" she pleaded. "If you keep on like this, I won’t be able to learn anything!" she grunted.

The commander shook his head unsatisfactorily. "I didn’t know the tasks in the kitchen could be this dangerous. Perhaps you should consider learning something else," Kyren suggested.

"Oh, no! Please don’t say that! You know this is my lifelong dream!" Anna looked at him with dismay.

"I can’t risk you getting hurt by this! You’ve just got better!" he said, looking at her with a serious expression. "I take back my permission! We should wait until you’re fully recovered before you start learning to cook," he decided.

"Kyren!" Anna exclaimed, frustrated with his overprotectiveness. A heated argument ensued between the couple, with Luke watching silently as they clashed over the matter.

"Sir Navin, please do something about this before another serious fight breaks out between the two," Eli whispered urgently.

"Yes. The crews need to continue their job too," added Damon, glancing at the crews who had disapproving looks for being disturbed and pushed aside from their work by the commander.

"You’re right, and we can’t risk being thrown into the sea as collateral damage from their argument. So, please, Sir Navin, for the sake of all, do something!" Ayden pleaded.

The second-in-command knight sighed and shook his head.

"I already knew something like this would happen the moment he said he would accompany her to the cooking class," he commented. "All right, let me do what is needed," Eric said as he began to walk towards the couple.

"Commander, may I have a word with you?" the knight requested as he approached Kyren.

"What is it?" the grand duke asked gruffly. "Can’t you see I’m busy right now?"

"Just for a moment. It’s important," Eric insisted.

The commander’s blue, pearly eyes fell on Anna and Luke as Eric requested a word with him.

"We’re not done yet about this!" he warned them. "Don’t do anything before I get back!"

Luke nodded in agreement while Anna pouted, crossing her arms and pursing her lips in annoyance.

The two men stepped out of the galley to talk, and Kyren asked in a dissatisfied tone, "What is it?"

"You were being overbearing just now, Commander," Eric began, offering his advice as the Love Coach.

"What do you mean by overbearing? I was only protecting her! She could’ve gotten hurt!" the commander defended himself.

"I understand your intentions are good, and we all notice how much you care about her. However, there’s a proper time and place to react like that, and now is not one of them," Eric advised the grand duke.

"She’s frail, Eric. I don’t want anything to happen to her," Kyren explained. His concern for Anna was apparent in his voice.

"You must stop freaking out like this and trust her. She’s doing the thing she’s always wanted to do. If you disallow her, she’ll be frustrated and may start to resent you. Do you want that to happen?" the knight asked him.

The commander closed his mouth, taking a moment to consider Eric’s words. "So, you just want me to close my eyes and let her do whatever she wants? Even if it means risking her safety?" he flung back a question.

"We are your loyal men, Commander. We will take care of her and ensure she won’t get hurt. She also needs to learn to be stronger and more resilient. If someday you have to leave her for duty, what then? It would be a problem if she becomes too dependent on you," Eric explained, making sense to Kyren.

The statement reminded the commander of his early days of marriage when he had raised a similar concern to his wife. He had told her he wouldn’t always be by her side, and she had understood that she needed to be independent.

He was aware of the matter, but as he spent more time with Anna and got to know her better, he found it difficult to let her out of his grasp. The commander felt highly alarmed whenever he sensed any danger approaching his wife.

It was unclear whether it was the princess who had become clingy towards her husband or if it was the other way around.

Kyren listened as Eric continued, "The crew also needs to start preparing for lunch now. I bet you shooed them away because you dislike your wife being among them."

"They have mischievous looks in their eyes!" the commander protested.

"Your wife is surely pretty and a fine lady. You got yourself a good and attractive woman. Of course, the men are curious about her. Besides, there are no other females here," Eric explained, earning an approving grin from Kyren at the compliment to Anna.

The fact that the princess belonged to him made his pride swell even more.

"Give her some space and let her learn. All of us will watch out for her and won’t let anything bad happen," the knight reassured the commander.

"You promise?" Kyren asked after a moment, still hesitant.

"If I fail, you can tie and sink me to the bottom of the sea," Eric joked, putting his hand on his chest for emphasis.

Kyren sighed, realising that the knight was right.

"Fine," he conceded, finally agreeing to give Anna some space to learn and grow.

"Good! Then, please leave the galley for now," Eric said firmly.

"Why? I can stand on the side and watch," the commander protested.

"That’s not going to happen," the knight responded confidently.

"Why not?"

"Because if you’re around, you’ll just burst in and interrupt them. It’s best for you to leave," Eric explained. "Trust me on this. She’ll be pleased, and you’ll thank me later."

"All right, all right. But make sure nothing happens! If I hear anything alarming, I’ll come straight back and take action!" Kyren warned him.

The knight nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Commander, for your cooperation."

As such, Kyren left for his cabin, and Eric returned to the galley to oversee the cooking class.

"All right, everyone! Please get back to work! Just let us borrow this part of the counter for today," Eric announced as he walked in, clapping his hands twice loudly to get the crew’s attention.

"Aye, aye, Sir!" the kitchen crews responded with eager enthusiasm, scurrying back to their stations to resume their tasks on board.

Surprised that Kyren didn’t follow back, Rafe quickly asked, "Where’s the commander?"

"I drove him away so that he won’t be disturbing," replied the knight, wearing a smug expression.

"How did you convince him?" the healer asked inquisitively.

"It’s just my charm as the Love Coach. As you can see, I can still subdue that beast with my words!" Eric boasted as he walked over to Anna and Luke.

"Huh! Show off!" Rafe teased him.

The second-in-command knight approached Anna and Luke, saying, "Go on, my lady. The commander has retreated to his cabin. You may continue the class as he’s given his permission."

"He did?" Anna asked in disbelief with her round doe emerald eyes.

Eric nodded with a smile.

"Oh, thank goodness, Sir Navin! I was already stressed when he kept getting in between. We haven’t even started properly yet!" Luke exclaimed in relief.

"You don’t have to worry about him anymore. He won’t be coming for a while. I’ll make sure of it. So, you can take your time teaching the lady slowly," Eric assured Luke.

A wide smile spread across Anna’s face, showing her delight at the knight’s response.

"Sir Parker, if you don’t mind, I have a recipe that I want to try. I’ve read it in a book once, and it would match the ingredients we have. Besides, we’ve got many snappers today."

"The cook master already has menus for lunch. Maybe we can do it for dinner?" Luke suggested.

"Yes! No problem. I might need some help from you to clean the guts of the fish, as I’m not familiar with how to do it," the princess said hesitantly.

"Ah, no worries about that!" Eric said confidently.

He called over the knights and the healer and told them. "Our lady requires your help. Luke, lead the way."

The new ’teacher’ started distributing the required tasks to the men, and Anna wrote down the recipe on a piece of parchment she got from Ayden.

As Luke read through the recipe, he furrowed his eyebrows in contemplation.

"I’ve never tried this recipe before, my lady. Usually, I would grill, fry, or bake the fish," he said uncertainly.

"That’s precisely why I want to try it. According to the book, cooking the fish this way will produce an essence that is quite tasty and excellent for healing," Anna explained excitedly in her voice.

The ingredients were relatively simple; a mixture of dry herbs, butter, onion, potatoes, and a few more items they already had in the pantry.

"Wouldn’t it have a fishy aftertaste?" the knight asked curiously.

"The snapper is freshly caught, and I have requested Damon to rinse it with lemon water. Plus, we’ll be adding bay leaves too, so that would remove any lingering smells," the princess replied confidently.

"Oh, so you know how to remove the smell," the knight remarked.

Anna chuckled.

"I read that somewhere, too."

"Right, I trust my lady’s judgment on this. We shall prepare this recipe for dinner tonight as an additional menu. I’ll let the cook master know about it," the knight decided, also excited to try the new recipe.

Anna happily agreed, and her eyes lit up at the opportunity to learn culinary skills alongside the knight.