"Well, shall we continue learning how to control the fire?"

After thoroughly making love, we put our clothes back on and stood in front of the cutting board.

Even Nikephoros, who had been muttering until the last moment, "I'd like to see the Princess in just an apron..." composed himself and stood beside me with an eager expression.

"I do have some common sense about that," he said.

"Common sense? What kind of common sense?"

"That the hotter the fire, the faster food cooks."

Nikephoros nodded with a confident expression.

There was something fun, cool, and sexy about it... I nodded with mixed feelings.

"Well, that's not wrong."

"Right? Then this 'fire control' you speak of must be about how to maintain a strong flame."

"Not necessarily. Cooking sometimes requires medium and low heat too."

"Medium and low heat?"

"It means exactly that—medium fire and low fire. Let me explain the cooking equipment first."

Naturally, this era lacked chef-friendly equipment like gas ranges or enclosed ovens.

What they had were dome-shaped ovens for baking bread, large cauldrons for steamed dishes, and open ovens for grilling.

I approached the oven first.

"This is a portable oven called a Klivanos. This large ceramic dome helps bread bake evenly."

"Hmm... the name sounds like Klibanophoros."

"Oh! As expected of Nikephoros. Sharp observation!"

"Um... what?"

"That's exactly it. The etymology of Klibanophoros comes from this oven. You know how it gets hot enough to cook you when you're running in heavy armor?"

"Indeed... that's what it feels like."

Nikephoros nodded with a childlike expression.

Having these conversations with him was always enjoyable.

As I was about to move toward the cauldron, I tightly hugged Nikephoros's arm.

He flinched in surprise but soon smiled gently and patted my head.

"Why the sudden affection?"

"Just happy to have you here in the kitchen with me."

After nuzzling my cheek against his shoulder for a moment, I composed myself and stood before Nikephoros again.

"Shall we continue the lesson?"

"Yes, Princess."

Nikephoros also seemed full of enthusiasm.

※※

"Mmm..."

At 4 AM, when the sun had not yet risen, Nikephoros slowly rose from bed in the bedroom where only Anna's steady breathing could be heard.

Gauging the time by the predawn colors, he placed a gentle kiss on his sleeping wife's cheek.

Then, leaving the bed, he reminded himself of yesterday's resolution.

'Alright, let's do this.'

The reason he woke up so early was, of course, to prepare the best breakfast for his wife.

As he stepped into the corridor, servants already busy cleaning bowed respectfully.

Nikephoros greeted each of them before entering the Princess's private kitchen.

"Welcome, Your Excellency."

Inside, imperial chefs he had summoned were waiting at attention.

Nikephoros approached them with an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry for calling you at such an early hour."

"No need for apologies. We're only waking up an hour earlier than usual."

Head chef Stephanos gestured toward a table full of ingredients.

"Since you didn't specify any ingredients, I've selected a few based on my judgment. If you need anything else, please let me know."

"Thank you. Let me check."

Nikephoros slowly approached the table.

Among various vegetables and spices, an octopus still wriggling moved its tentacles toward him.

"...There's an octopus too."

"It's the Princess's favorite ingredient."

"Yes..."

This was, after all, a birthday meal for the Princess.

Nikephoros had resolved to include octopus dishes this time.

...Though he hadn't expected it to be so alive.

Nikephoros averted his gaze and pointed at the octopus.

"Let's prepare the octopus first. Please."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Your Excellency."

"What?"

"I explained this beforehand, Your Excellency."

A voice came from the doorway. It was Haakon.

Nikephoros narrowed his eyes, but Haakon approached him without intimidation.

"Your Excellency, the Princess once told me something."

"What was it?"

"The best seasoning is the chef's dedication that goes into the dish."

Haakon pointed at the octopus.

"In other words, for the best dish, you must prepare the ingredients yourself."

"...Haakon, do you have something against me too?"

"Of course not. I'm merely offering advice for the best birthday meal."

Haakon gestured to the chefs, who began efficiently preparing basic ingredients like onions.

After observing this, Nikephoros let out a hollow laugh.

"They're preparing vegetables while..."

"Vegetables are just supplementary ingredients. Due to time constraints, we must compromise somewhere."

Haakon handed him a kitchen knife.

Nikephoros took the knife after suppressing a sigh by squeezing his eyes shut.

He approached the octopus to grab its smooth head... but turned cautiously to Haakon.

"So how do I prepare an octopus?"

"Turn the head inside out. When the innards come out, cut them with the knife."

"...While it's still alive?"

"That's for you to figure out."

"..."

Nikephoros looked back at the octopus.

The large creature blinked its big eyes and wriggled its tentacles, almost as thick as his forearm.

As Nikephoros froze, unable to act, Haakon slowly approached him.

"Surely you're not giving up? It's the Princess's birthday, after all."

"I..."

"If you really can't do it, hand me the knife. I'll serve the Princess the finest octopus dish instead."

"..."

"The Princess will surely smile beautifully and say, 'Oh! Haakon, I didn't know you could cook so deliciously!' Then she'll turn to you and ask, 'So, Nikephoros, where's my birthday present?'"

"..."

"You'll be speechless, sweating. The atmosphere will grow awkward, the Princess's gaze increasingly transparent. Then I'll tell her, 'Princess, have you heard the story of a man who couldn't prepare a gift for his wife because of an octopus?'..."

"Aaaaargh!"

The mere imagination was truly horrifying.

Nikephoros screamed involuntarily from the chills and grabbed the octopus's head.

"Yes, that's it."

Haakon's voice continued to echo in his ears.

The octopus, its head seized, seemed to resist by firmly grasping his arm with its sticky tentacles.

'You think I'll give up here?'

He felt nauseated. His tightly gripped arm hurt, but he endured by thinking of his beloved's face.

And so began the bloody battle between Nikephoros and the cephalopod—a battle for his manhood.

※※

"Sniff, sniff..."

A savory aroma that somehow felt nostalgic.

My eyes opened slowly without me realizing.

'...Fried rice?'

Rising from bed in a daze, I scratched my head and looked around.

The sun shining through the half-drawn curtains was dazzlingly bright, and Nikephoros was nowhere to be seen.

I stretched and fixed my bangs.

'It's quiet, even though it's my birthday...'

Honestly, I had been expecting a little something. Perhaps Nikephoros greeting me as soon as I opened my eyes, holding a magnificent cake and gifts.

After all, this is our first birthday as a married couple. I got up from bed with slight disappointment.

'But what's this smell?'

It definitely smelled like fried rice. A savory aroma mixed with subtle burnt notes.

But fried rice was something I occasionally made for acquaintances, not a breakfast the head chef would prepare.

I hastily put on a tunic and headed for the door.

I grabbed the doorknob but, curious, pressed my ear against the gap.

Clatter-clatter-

The sound of something being busily moved around. At the same time, a new scent permeated the savory aroma.

'...Octopus smell?'

My curiosity deepened. I tilted my head and opened the door.

And then... an unexpected scene unfolded.

"What is all this..."

The living room table was laden with an enormous amount of food. Bread, salad, soup, fish... too many varieties to enumerate.

Standing in the middle, directing the maids carrying dishes, Nikephoros turned to look at me.

Then, with the brightest smile, he scurried over to me like a puppy greeting its owner.

"Good morning, Princess."

"W-what is all this?"

"Oh, that?"

Nikephoros glanced aside. Following his gaze, I saw Haakon standing there.

Haakon nodded and spoke promptly.

"It's a birthday feast His Excellency prepared for you, Princess."

"Birthday feast?"

"Yes, almost everything was made by His Excellency himself."

"What?!"

Startled, I turned to Nikephoros, who nodded with a bright smile.

"It's my birthday gift to you, wife."

"W-wife?!"

No, the form of address isn't what's important right now.

I looked around the table in a daze and asked.

"You made all of this?"

"Yes, though I had help from the chefs."

"Even that octopus dish?"

"Of course."

Nikephoros met my gaze and continued softly.

"This is our first birthday since we became one, isn't it? I wanted to give you something that would remain in your memory forever, not just an ordinary object."

"Something that remains in my memory..."

"The food will disappear, but the memory of eating food I made myself will last a lifetime."

Nikephoros took my hand.

He led me to the table and playfully asked.

"Did you really not notice? Even after what we did yesterday."

"O-of course not... You don't usually even want to enter the kitchen, Nikephoros."

In that sense, Nikephoros was quite patriarchal.

Well, looking at him now... maybe not so much.

At that moment, I felt something odd.

Carefully lowering my gaze, I saw Nikephoros's hands wrapped in bandages.

"W-wait! Nikephoros, what's this?"

"Ahaha... don't worry about it."

Nikephoros hid his bandaged hands behind his back. His forced smile was evident.

He knelt to meet my gaze.

"So, are you satisfied with my gift?"

"Y-you're not badly hurt, are you?"

"Princess, please answer my question."

Nikephoros looked at me seriously.

...Right, no need to spoil the mood.

I nodded and answered honestly.

"Of course I'm satisfied. It's the best birthday gift ever."

I truly meant it. I immediately gave him a tight hug.

"Really... you make me tear up sometimes."

To think he would cook for me even while getting injured. That alone was touching, especially coming from Nikephoros.

As I hugged him and sniffled, Nikephoros sighed briefly and hugged me back.

"I'm relieved you like it."

Then he gently rubbed my back.

After feeling his warmth a moment longer, I stepped back.

Wiping my tears, I carefully placed my hand on my slightly swelling belly.

"Our little one should take after their mother."

"W-why is that?"

"Because if they take after their father, they'll become a bad man who makes women cry like this."

Then I hugged Nikephoros tightly again.

He sighed with relief, then laughed lightly.

"That might not be so bad. A child of yours and mine would be wonderful enough to get away with such things."

Nikephoros kissed my forehead and gently released me.

Looking around, I noticed Haakon and the maids had all turned to face the wall.

R-right, there were many eyes watching. I cleared my throat and composed my expression.

"Well then, shall we eat? Haakon, all of you, sit down too."

"I couldn't possibly join the Princess's birthday feast."

"Just sit down. How am I supposed to eat all this alone?"

Looking at Nikephoros, he nodded, indicating he didn't mind.

"I said sit down."

After urging Haakon and the maids once more, I sat at the head of the table where a large octopus dish was placed.

Without hesitation, I picked up a fork... but noticing something odd, I turned to Nikephoros.

"By the way, Nikephoros, what's that ink on your clothes?"

Now I noticed his stomach area was completely black.

Nikephoros looked down and said, "Oh, this?" then scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.

"It's the trace of a battle I fought with my future at stake."