The Prince and The Carrot

3. Sweet Decisions

I have taken a lot of decisions throughout my life as of yet. Bad ones that somehow turned out for the best. Mundane ones that turned out to be absolutely that, mundane. 'Good' ones which I now doubt myself for.

I wonder which category this hasty decision of mine falls in.

"Shadow, catch!"

"Princess," I sigh and move to block her swinging arms, "It is difficult for Sir Shadow to catch that."

"Professor Heine, try taking it!" Adele laughs and stretches up her arm holding the stray spatula she has picked up from the table. I'm already sitting on the table so it isn't a difficulty at all-

"Dear Sis, you're doing it alllll wrong," Licht appears out of nowhere and like the gentleman he is, takes the spatula from the princess and holds it up even higher, "Now Teach, now take it."

I direct a withering look in his direction and jump off the table. I'm done.

"Aw Teach, don't feel bad! Here, you can have it~" Licht waves the spatula in front of my face while grinning in that irritating way of his. Adele's still giggling. I can feel a headache coming...

To think that I'm the one who proposed this mess in the first place.

Licht suddenly clapped his hands together with the words, 'Cake's done!', releasing a great cloud of flour over my hair. I sigh and reach up to dust away the particles clinging to my hair and shoulders. "I take it that you're excited."

"Very much! It's a cake for my dear brother after all," Licht says in a sing-song voice as he puts on oven mittens, "Made with love and his favorite vegetable~"

Prince Licht, I wonder if you realize how wrong that sounds. Favorite and vegetable really don't come in the same sentence when it's about Leonard.

Adele hugs Shadow's fluffy head and looks up towards her brother with big innocent eyes. "Vegetable?"

"It's carrot. Shhhh, it's a se~cret~" Licht pats her head and turns towards me, that grin back in place. "Ready Teach?"

I direct my gaze towards the big oven and exhale. "Let us take it out."

Servants rush to-and-fro the main dining hall, carrying various plates and cutlery. I just wanted to let Leonard try out the cake after one of his classes, but Licht insisted that, in his words, 'such a great mission must be properly accomplished at a proper venue'. I'm quite certain that he just wants to be there to see Leonard's expressions after tasting it.

So anyway, here we are – making servants change dishes and creating a ruckus at dinnertime.

The frivolous prince pokes my shoulder. "Teach, any guesses on his reaction?"

I expressionlessly move away and contemplate on the question for a moment. If no one tells him the ingredients beforehand...

"Prince Leonard should like it enough, seeing his liking for desserts." I decide.

Licht nods, then grins again. "Still, this idea of yours is pure genius."

"Your Highness flatters me."

"I do not! Teach, don't belittle yourself. You're already so..." Little, I almost hear him thinking.

I arch my eyebrows at him. "Your Highness I do not find this topic amusing at all." 

Why neither you nor your father seem to get that point eludes me.

"Of course Teach!"

Don't pretend like that grin of yours didn't just grow another inch wider.