“Disinfecting the pudding bottles and making the pudding liquid will be done by me and Esme.”
“Pear showed me the recipe earlier, and it seems you have to keep stirring the pudding liquid for a long time.”
“Murmur’s small arms would probably get tired from constantly straining and stirring the liquid. Could you handle the caramel and strawberry syrup?”
Murmur didn’t refuse Nicasia and Esme’s kind consideration.
“Then, I guess we’ll make the caramel.”
Citrine smiled brightly and pulled Murmur’s small hand.
“Do you know how to make caramel, Lady Murmur?”
“Yeah, it’s made with sugar and water. You just simmer it slowly on a pan.”
“Hohoho, as expected of Lady Murmur!”
Citrine clapped her hands, placed the pan on the stove, and skillfully poured in sugar and water.
“Oh, right… Lady Murmur, since you’re short, please use this step stool.”
“Thank you, Citrine.”
Only after standing on the wooden box did Murmur feel somewhat on par with Citrine.
‘It’s something I’ve always noticed, but Lady Murmur really has a small and delicate body.’
Elementary Section, 5th grade.
Even considering her age, Murmur was exceptionally small.
‘Huhu, I never thought I’d become the bride of such a tiny Demon Lord, but I’m so happy it’s Lady Murmur~’
While Citrine was happily daydreaming, Murmur lit the stove and began simmering the sugar and water with a spatula.
“Oh, oh my! Lady Murmur! Making caramel is very dangerous, so you need to be careful.”
“Murmur can handle this.”
“Umm, still… I’ll hold you from behind so we can be careful together.”
Citrine, bothered by Nicasia’s ‘cheating,’ clung to Murmur’s back.
“Okay, if Murmur makes a mistake, help me. Citrine.”
“Of course. I’ll do my best to protect Lady Murmur’s pale hands.”
Citrine placed her hands on Murmur’s small, soft hands and wrists.
Her goal was to catch Murmur’s hand if she made a mistake, but for now, she just wanted to indulge her desires.
‘Lady Murmur’s hands are incredibly soft. It’s hard to believe they belong to someone who can use magic only taught in middle school…’
Citrine felt her own hands, roughened by various chores and studies, were lacking. But she couldn’t stop touching Murmur’s hands.
Soft and tender hands. Maybe one day, these hands would reach out to her with a ray of salvation.
Citrine, with slightly naughty thoughts, occasionally poured water into the pan to help Murmur cook.
“Citrine, is Murmur doing well?”
“Of course. You’re being very careful, not a single drop of hot sugar water has splashed. It’s very safe.”
“Murmur thinks it’s thanks to Citrine. Thank you.”
Citrine slightly raised the corner of her mouth and pressed her chest and stomach closer to Murmur’s body.
‘The faint caramel scent is nice, but…’
Citrine’s nose twitched slightly, and the corner of her mouth quivered.
‘Lady Murmur’s body has such a wonderful scent. How can someone smell so cute and lovely?’
Lost in her near-delusional imagination, Citrine felt happy.
She knew there was a noble plan to persuade Lady Jepar, but today, Citrine’s only interest was Murmur.
To be a bit harsher, even if persuading Lady Jepar failed, Citrine didn’t care.
Rather, if it failed, she was already planning how to comfort Murmur and how she could have been more active for Murmur’s plan.
Success was good, but failure was fine too.
The most important thing to Citrine was Murmur, and being able to monopolize Murmur’s scent while making caramel, today had already exceeded her expectations.
‘This scent… Jasmine? But it also reminds me of sweet fruits… Hmm, I must ask later what perfume she uses.’
“Citrine. I think it’s done.”
“Ah? Ahh! Yes! Lady Murmur! You did great!! Leave the rest to me.”
Citrine skillfully finished the caramel and brought a new pan, strawberries, and sugar.
“Making strawberry syrup is similar to making caramel.”
“Okay, then Murmur will cut the strawberries.”
“Ah! Lady Murmur, using a knife is…”
Citrine wanted to say it was dangerous, but Murmur was small yet strong.
Murmur carefully placed the strawberries on the cutting board and sliced them neatly.
“You did great! Lady Murmur! I feel silly for worrying.”
“Murmur can handle this.”
Citrine’s eyes sparkled as she nodded and started making the strawberry syrup.
This time, Citrine shamelessly half-hugged Murmur, indulging in her scent.
Meanwhile, Murmur diligently stirred the syrup with a spatula.
“I think it’s done. Citrine.”
“Please wait a moment. Lady Murmur? I’ll check the taste.”
Citrine used a small magic to cool the syrup quickly.
“Citrine, you got some on your cheek.”
“Oh my! Wait a moment…”
Before Citrine could take out a handkerchief, Murmur wiped the syrup off her cheek with her finger.
“Huh? Huhuh…”
“Yum… Mmm, yeah. Sweet. It’s as sweet as Murmur thought.”
Murmur licked the syrup off her finger without hesitation.
‘J-just now! Lady Murmur wiped the syrup off my cheek with her finger…?!’
Citrine’s face turned red, but Murmur was completely unfazed.
Instead, she was looking forward to the pudding being completed, imagining the ingredients Nicasia and Esme were bringing.
“Citrine, Citrine.”
“Yes, yess! Lady Murmur!”
“The final step of making pudding is here.”
“… Sigh, why does fun time always end so quickly?”
“?”
While Murmur tilted her head, Citrine showed her the pudding bottle she received from Nicasia.
“Here. Lady Murmur. The final step is something we can all do together.”
“Okay, I’ll follow Citrine’s lead.”
“Think of it like building blocks! First, I’ll put the caramel pieces inside…”
Murmur followed Citrine’s actions.
“Then we add the pudding liquid, right?”
“Yes! The strawberry syrup can be added after the pudding is cooled in the oven!”
Citrine and Murmur happily filled the pudding bottles, and Nicasia put them in the preheated oven.
“Ta-da! After baking for about 20 minutes and cooling for 2 hours, it’s done!”
“Hmm, so we can’t taste it now? I hope it tastes as good as Murmur imagined.”
“Hohoho, we can use magic to speed up the process, so don’t worry.”
Citrine winked and used a small spell to cool the pudding, then added the strawberry syrup as Murmur wanted.
“Lady Murmur, try it.”
Murmur nodded and scooped up some pudding with a spoon.
‘Huhuhu, the cute Lady Murmur is eating the pudding we made together…’
Citrine thought today’s event could fail now, and she wouldn’t mind.
“It’s delicious…! Maybe it’s because Citrine helped. It’s just as I imagined.”
“I’m glad Lady Murmur is satisfied… Oh my?”
Murmur held out a spoon to Citrine. On it was a bite-sized piece of the strawberry caramel pudding they made together.
“Citrine, say ah~.”
Gulp, Citrine covered her mouth with her right hand and accepted the pudding from Murmur.
“Mmm, mmm…! Ahh! This is the sweetest pudding I’ve ever had!”
Citrine smiled brightly and hugged Murmur tightly.
“… It’s not that good, is it?”
Esme shook her head, looking at the pile of puddings they made.
* * *
“Murmur, are you really okay?”
“Yeah, Murmur can’t always do the easy tasks. I’ll try making the dough too.”
Murmur clenched her small fist, and Nicasia nodded.
“Then Esme and I will handle the other preparations.”
Citrine pinched Esme’s side as she tried to sneak a pudding.
“Please take care of it.”
Nicasia said as she placed the ingredients for the dough on the table.
“Murmur, do you see the butter, sugar, and eggs here?”
“Yeah, do we mix these?”
“Yes, mix them slowly step by step.”
Nicasia, though finding Murmur adorable, didn’t want her to struggle.
So, she naturally handled the tedious task of mixing butter and sugar herself, demonstrating it to Murmur.
“Next, we add the eggs and mix. Do you want to try, Murmur?”
“Okay, Murmur will try.”
Murmur poured the egg mixture Esme had prepared into the mixing bowl.
“Like this…”
Murmur’s small hands struggled to hold the spatula, but she managed to mix the dough and egg mixture.
─Swish swish
“You’re not overdoing it, are you? Murmur?”
“No. I think… I’m okay…”
Murmur kept moving her hands without giving up. Nicasia smiled warmly at her admirable effort.
“Murmur, if it’s too hard, do you want to make it together?”
“It’s okay. Murmur can do it alone.”
“Esme and I took turns when we made the pudding liquid earlier.”
“… Hmm, then help Murmur a little.”
Nicasia smiled and gently held Murmur’s small hand.
‘Murmur is really admirable and kind. Even if it’s hard, she doesn’t give up or act cute for help.’
─Swish swish… Squish.
Nicasia and Murmur’s height difference was significant. Nicasia had to bend almost halfway to hug Murmur from behind.
Her chest naturally touched the back of Murmur’s head, but neither showed any special reaction and continued mixing the dough.
─Swish… Squish, squish, squish, squelch
“Nicasia, is this okay? There’s a lot of water sound.”
“We measured accurately, so it should be fine. The egg mixture will gradually soak into the dough.”
“I see. It feels a bit easier to move my hand now.”
“I think it’s because the dough is wet.”
─Squish, squish, squish, squish!
The sound of water from the mixing bowl grew stronger with each movement of Murmur and Nicasia’s hands.
‘… … Am I the only one who finds this sound embarrassing?’
Nicasia subtly moved her body away from Murmur. Her heart was racing, but she felt like she was doing something naughty.
‘Ah, really. What am I thinking… Murmur is just a cute, kind, and lovely child. I shouldn’t be having such thoughts.’
Nicasia coughed and let go of Murmur’s hand.
“The dough seems ready, so let’s add more flour to finish it, okay?”
“Okay, thanks, Nicasia.”
Murmur smiled and continued mixing the dough, while Nicasia calmly added the remaining ingredients.
“You did great! Murmur, are your arms sore?”
“A little? But it’s okay.”
Murmur rubbed her small arms. Nicasia couldn’t help but gently massage them too.
“Good job. Next, we’ll roll out the dough we worked so hard on.”
Nicasia intended to do this herself, but Murmur was faster.
“Just hold and roll, right?”
“Yes, stretch it out… Oh! Well done! Keep stretching…”
Nicasia moved behind Murmur, gently holding her arms and shoulders, half-hugging her.
The problem was what came next. Murmur really put her all into rolling the dough, using her whole body. As a result, her upper body leaned forward, and her lower body stretched back.
‘Murmur’s body is really small and delicate… If I wanted, I could lift her with both hands anytime. And then… after that…’
Nicasia, hugging Murmur, made an awkward, embarrassed expression, fidgeting with her fingers.
“Nicasia, is this okay?”
“Yes, the thickness seems good. Next, shall we use cookie cutters to shape them?”
Nicasia bit her lip slightly.
“I’ll use this one.”
“Murmur likes that shape, huh?”
“Yeah, this shape is important.”
Nicasia smiled and handed Murmur the cookie cutter she had prepared earlier.
“Then let’s press them out nicely.”
“Okay, Murmur will do her best.”
Murmur held the snowman-shaped cookie cutter with her small hands.
Her expression was like a child who had found treasure, filled with happiness.
‘We were going to add various toppings, right? Chocolate, raspberry, peanut butter, cinnamon… How cute, she picked so many.’
Nicasia also diligently pressed out cookie shapes alongside Murmur.
─ Thud, thud, thud!
“Oh, Murmur. The leftover dough…”
Tap, Nicasia reached out, but Murmur’s small hand touched hers.
“If we make it into dough again, we can make more cookies, right?”
Nicasia nodded and grabbed the dough, but Murmur’s hand gently caressed the back of Nicasia’s hand.
Filled with affection and kindness, Nicasia naturally let her guard down.
“Murmur? Is there something wrong with my hand?”
“Yeah, Nicasia’s hand is hot. I’m worried.”
“Really… Really? Huh? Is my hand hot?”
“Yeah, it’s warm and hot.”
Murmur looked at her with pure concern. That innocence only fueled Nicasia’s already burning heart.
“Ahh… I wonder why? I don’t know why my hand is hot.”
“You’re not sick, are you?”
Murmur grabbed Nicasia’s sleeve and pulled her down. Nicasia ended up half-kneeling in front of Murmur.
“I’m not sick.”
“But Nicasia would hide it if she were sick.”
She was right.
Nicasia had done things she didn’t want to do today.
She just wanted to enjoy making desserts with her friends and Murmur, but she had to be the face of the event again.
Even if she was tired, sad, or didn’t want to do something, she hid it. Hiding when she wasn’t feeling well was second nature to Nicasia.
“That’s…”
“Stay still.”
Murmur’s small, cute face gently rubbed against Nicasia’s.
‘Ah… cool and cold…’
Murmur’s pale skin felt slightly cold as her forehead pressed against Nicasia’s flushed one.
Their noses brushed against each other lovingly, and Nicasia’s warm breath touched Murmur’s lips.
“You’re hot. Nicasia.”
“Murmur is cold. It feels nice…”
“That’s not it. Nicasia, are you catching a cold? You shouldn’t overdo it.”
Murmur’s eyes were filled with concern as she held Nicasia’s cheek with her flour-covered hand.
“Ah, that’s… uh, ugh!!”
Nicasia’s face turned even redder.
The heat rising from her forehead, cheeks, and nose grew stronger, and her hands trembled as she grabbed Murmur’s wrist.
Her heart felt like it would explode from pounding so hard.
“I-I’m not sick! Murmur!! I’m really fine, so don’t worry!”
“Really? Can you promise Murmur?”
“Yes, yes! Yes! I promise, so please stop pressing your forehead against mine! You’ll feel my breath, and it’ll be a bother!”
Nicasia, trembling with her eyes tightly shut, quickly stood up.
“Okay, got it. Murmur believes Nicasia.”
“I… I believe in myself too. I’m holding it together well right now.”
Nicasia, fanning herself frantically with her hands, bit her lip again.
“… Right, Citrine. Does Murmur really not know what she’s doing?”
“She was so cute when making pudding with me~ She’s naturally cute, so it can’t be helped!”
“That can’t be the only reason, right?!”
Esme, who had made a pile of chips for the cookies, shook her head.
‘Thinking about it, people who act like that for such reasons only exist in novels
