Alexandra took a slow breath, steadied herself, and then gently held the whisk out toward Alice. "Alright, your turn. I'll hold the bowl steady if you want."

Alice stared at the whisk like it was a legendary weapon she'd never trained with.

Then, with visible determination, she accepted it.

Her first motion was… ambitious. The whisk plunged straight down into the batter, then jerked sideways in an uneven, violent stroke that sent a small splash creeping dangerously close to the rim of the bowl. Alice froze instantly, eyes wide, as if expecting an alarm to blare or the bowl to explode in response.

Alexandra bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Easy," she encouraged gently. "You don't need to fight it. This is not a monster trying to kill you, just a tasty ingredient that will land in your belly after we're done preparing it."

"Oh… R-right…" Alice murmured, adjusting her grip. She tried again, this time rotating her wrist far too stiffly, producing a jagged, angular motion that looked more like she was stirring gravel than batter. The whisk clinked loudly against the bowl with every movement, and her brows furrowed in deep concentration.

She changed tactics. The whisk went faster. Then faster still. The batter resisted. Alice resisted harder.

There was a sharp crack.

They both looked down.

The whisk had snapped cleanly in half under Alice's grip. The broken handle dangled pathetically between her fingers.

"I-!" Alice sucked in a breath, horror flooding her face. She shrank in on herself, blankets slipping slightly as her shoulders drooped. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, clutching the broken utensil like evidence of a crime. "I think I'm just really bad at this. I should stick to killing monsters as my despicable father said-"

"Hey," Alexandra interjected immediately. Her voice was calm and warm, without even a hint of reproach or irritation present.

She took the broken whisk from Alice's hands and set it aside, then turned casually toward the cupboard. Her movements were unhurried, totally mundane, as she opened the door and reached inside.

A moment later, she pulled out a new whisk.

"No big deal," Alexandra said with a smile, placing it on the counter as if nothing at all had gone wrong. "Utensils break. Especially cheap ones in the hands of a superhuman. I'll give the supply manager an earful tomorrow, it's her fault for cheaping out and not procuring proper cookware for a guild hall like this," She glanced at Alice, her eyes gentle.

Anyone sensible would understand that this was nonsense. Buying reinforced cookware was as dumb as it sounded, as no one could've expected that an S-tier awakened in their level 60s would decide to cook waffles. The task of cooking food fell on non-awakened staff.

But that did not matter in this moment as Alexandra reached out and patted the girl's shoulder. "And let me make one thing clear, Alice. I said that your parents were not necessarily wrong for wanting their talented daughter to focus on tasks other than cooking. But if your father truly said that you were only good for killing monsters and fighting other awakened, then you must excuse me, for I think he's a heartless monster who should not be allowed to raise children."

Alice looked up slowly, uncertainty flickering in her gaze. Then, seeing the sincerity in Alexandra's eyes, the girl smiled weakly. "He's a bastard whom I will beat up for driving Kai away once I'm strong enough."

"…" Alexandra's tender smile turned devilish. "Then I will root for you from the sidelines."

The two girls smiled at each other with expressions that were no longer kind.

Then, as the phase passed, Alexandra stepped closer and spoke up.

"Let me help you get the gist of this process. Just for now."

Before Alice could overthink it, Alexandra moved behind her. She positioned herself carefully, mindful of space, then reached forward and lightly took Alice's hands in her own. One hand guided Alice's grip on the bowl, steadying it against the counter, while the other adjusted her hold on the whisk.

"Okay," Alexandra murmured near her ear. "One hand keeps things stable. The other does the work. Gentle circles, like this."

"Use Kai references, or I won't get it!!" Alice chirped, excitedly hopping in place. Alexandra couldn't help but giggle, having a very strong hunch that this time, the girl got everything already and just wanted to hear even more examples.

Happily, Alexandra obliged.

"Alright," she said softly. "Think of it like this. The stabilizing hand is the Valkyries-"

"Hmph!!" A giant pout formed.

Alexandra blinked… then giggled. "Alright, alright," she conceded, greatly amused. "Bad example."

She thought for a moment, then leaned in again, her tone brightening with renewed confidence. "Okay. The stabilizing hand is you in your Conduit form. You're anchoring things, supporting, making sure everything doesn't fall apart. And the whisk…" she gently guided the circular motion again, smooth and controlled "… that's Kaiden. He's the one pushing things forward, creating momentum, turning potential into results."

Alice's eyes lit up like fireworks.

"Ohhh!" she squealed, immediately straightening with renewed enthusiasm. "The badass main character creating miracles!"

Alexandra burst into laughter, nodding along as the batter swirled obediently under their combined motions. "Yes, yes," she said indulgently. "The protagonist with a harem of beautiful girls, a unique helper, and a mysterious family that just happens to be far too powerful for its own good."

She couldn't help herself now.

"A brocon little sister," Alexandra continued, grinning, "an icy mother who clearly loves her son but struggles with expressing it, and more than enough unresolved hostility with his father and other siblings to ensure the drama never fully goes away. Perfect narrative tension."

Alice hummed happily as she whisked, thriving. "That does sound like a good story. Though it could do without the harem."

Alexandra laughed and watched her for a second longer, warmth settling deep in her chest.

'She really does get it,' Alexandra thought fondly. 'She just wants to share it.'

And honestly?

She didn't mind indulging her at all. Instead, she continued guiding the motion, slowly at first, smooth and controlled, the whisk tracing clean arcs through the batter. Alice felt it immediately; the resistance easing, the mixture flowing instead of fighting back.

Her eyes widened.

"Ooh!" Alice gasped. "It's completely different like this!"

Alexandra nodded with a giant, carefree smile. "See? You don't need strength here. Just consistency."

"You're amazing!" Alice exclaimed, looking back over her shoulder with sparkling eyes. "A pro! Kai was right once again! You don't need to be a master chef to cook something amazing."

Alexandra giggled softly at that, warmth blooming in her chest. "You should wait for the end product before making such bold proclamations," she replied fondly.

She eased her hands away, letting Alice continue on her own now, watching as the girl carefully mimicked the circular motion, slower but far more controlled than before.

'Maybe,' Alexandra realized as she observed Alice's intense focus and quiet joy, 'this is going to be a lot more fun than I ever dared to think.'

When Kaiden had asked her to take care of Alice, she'd braced herself for difficulty. For distance. For a cold, disinterested prodigy who wouldn't spare a second glance for a common maid like her. How could she not? In the beginning, Alice was clearly not interested in her and only went with her because she obeyed her brother.

But now, instead of an entitled genius giving her the cold shoulder, she'd found this.

A girl, whose mere proximity could've easily whipped even a total failure of a human being like Maximilian into behaving like the greatest of gentlemen, so that he wasn't 'accidentally' deleted from existence. She was wrapped in blankets, earnestly whisking batter with the seriousness of a world-ending ritual, smiling brighter with every small success.

Alexandra's lips curved upward as she reached for the waffle maker.

What a pleasant surprise indeed.

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