After dinner, Anna carried a large bag of Bird Kiss Mushrooms into the kitchen.

These pure white mushrooms were all harvested by Maisie from the Misty Forest. Unlike ordinary mushrooms, Bird Kiss Mushrooms usually grow on the tops of huge trees, living by absorbing the trees' nutrients, and are also a favorite food of some birds. Although their taste is extremely delicious, and the thick cap is as delicate as tender meat, their high growth position makes them difficult to notice from below, and not many people are willing to climb up tree after tree to find and pick them.

But her mother would always pick some, more or less, on her birthday, and make two mushroom dishes to celebrate her birthday. Compared to moldy coarse bread and bland wheat porridge, that unique taste was unforgettable for her. Although she no longer has to worry about not having enough to eat, and the food every day is much more abundant, she still wants to personally make these two delicacies that can only be tasted in the Western Region town and share them with His Royal Highness Roland, who has been busy until very late every day recently.

The stove in the kitchen was already extinguished, but that didn't stop Anna. She threw firewood into the stove, summoned black fire, and soon the flames in the firebox were burning vigorously.

Just then, Nightingale suddenly emerged from the wall. "Oh, what are you doing?"

"I want to make something for His Royal Highness to eat. He's been sleeping very late recently. What about you?"

"Ah haha," she scratched the back of her head, "I just wanted to find some snacks to eat... I'm a little hungry." After a pause, she curiously poked her head over. "What are you planning to make?"

"Um... Honey Roasted Mushrooms and Mushroom Soup." Anna opened the package, revealing the Bird Kiss Mushrooms inside. "They're special foods from Border Town. Would you like to try them?"

Nightingale nodded, then quickly added, "Can you teach me how to make them... I want to learn how to make this too."

"Sure," Anna smiled, "It's pretty easy."

After slicing the mushrooms, she grabbed a handful and handed them to Nightingale. "First, evenly coat both sides of the mushroom with a layer of butter, then carefully bake them over the fire until both sides are golden brown. Be careful not to bake them for too long, or they'll burn."

"Okay," Nightingale took the Bird Kiss Mushroom slices and, imitating Anna, smeared both sides with oil. "His Royal Highness has been working very late recently?"

"Yes, to settle the refugees and draw some blueprints for new machines, he sleeps past midnight almost every day. Several times when I passed by the office, I could still see light shining under the door." Anna nodded. "You missed His Royal Highness a lot after being gone for almost half a month, right?"

Nightingale's hand trembled slightly, and the mushroom fell into the butter. "Uh... not really..."

"It's not just you. Lightning, Lily, Echo, and Wendy all miss His Royal Highness. They said there wasn't even a place to take a bath there, and they wanted to come back a long time ago." Anna suddenly felt that the other person's expression was a little strange. "Huh, what's wrong?"

"No," she shook her head, picked up the mushroom, and smiled a little shyly. "So that's how it is. Indeed... I miss him quite a bit."

"Right?" Anna directly pinched the oiled mushroom with her hand and held it into the fire. "If I left His Royal Highness for more than half a month, no, maybe even just a few days, I would be impatient to see him again."

Meeting Roland Wimbledon in the dungeon was the most incredible moment of her life. Even today, when she thinks back on it, she still feels filled with warmth and gratitude. If it weren't for His Royal Highness, even if she could continue to live, she would only live in ignorance and confusion, like those numb townspeople.

It was His Royal Highness who taught her the wonders of this world, whether it was pepper steak covered in sauce or *The Foundations of Natural Science Theory*. His appearance injected something new into her life, finally making her feel that she was no longer the same as others, but a unique witch.

The other sisters must think so too. As long as they spend a long time with His Royal Highness, it's impossible not to fall into his wonderful ideas and unique charm. Anna is convinced of this.

"Ah, did I bake this one for too long?" Nightingale lifted the iron fork, and one side of the mushroom had already turned brown.

"A little..." She couldn't help but laugh. "Bird Kiss Mushrooms are very delicate, so the baking time must be just right. You can master it if you try a few more times. I'll prepare the ingredients for the soup first."

Nightingale dipped the slightly burnt mushroom in honey and salt and threw it into her mouth. "Hmm, it's still pretty good." Looking at the girl skillfully blending various herbs and ingredients together, she curiously asked, "Did you often do these things before?"

"Yes, marinating food, grinding wheat flour, doing odd jobs for the nobles, helping the neighbors wash and shear their sheep," Anna said. "Except for going to Carl's academy for classes, I spent most of my time doing these things." She paused. "But after my mother died, my father never let me go to the academy again, and even forbade me from leaving the house."

"Sorry..."

"It's nothing, it's all in the past," Anna's eyes were bright, like a blue lake under the moonlight. "Compared to most witches, I'm already very lucky, aren't I?"

The oiled mushroom slices curled slightly under the flame, making a slight crackling sound. After sprinkling a few grains of salt and flipping them over twice, she could already smell a fragrant aroma. The milky flavor of the heated butter mixed with the unique taste of Bird Kiss Mushrooms, making them mouthwatering. Finally, she rotated them around the honey jar, and a roasted mushroom was complete. Whether it was the Bird Kiss Mushrooms themselves or the honey, they could be harvested from the Misty Forest. For the locals, if they happened to saw down a tree during logging that had both a beehive and Bird Kiss Mushrooms on top, it would be considered an extremely lucky day.

When the earthenware pot for the stewed soup spewed out puffs of white steam, the two of them had also completed their respective mushroom roasting and seasoning.

"All done, at least it looks good," Nightingale stuffed another piece into her mouth. "Turns out I have a knack for cooking too... Pfft, this one seems a little salty."

"The timing is just about right too," Anna glanced at the night outside the window. "Let's take it to His Royal Highness."

"Please help me give it to him," she put her hands together in prayer. "Please."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"No," she smiled. "Because I don't know what kind of expression to show when I see him now."

Anna was stunned. Before she could ask what that meant, the other person disappeared directly into the air. Does the type of expression matter? Smiling, depressed, or expressionless are all fine. Even her appearance when she had just come out of the prison, having lost confidence in everything and feeling utterly hopeless, didn't make His Royal Highness feel annoyed. Why avoid him? She thought about it for a while but couldn't figure it out, so she had to shake her head and walk towards the office alone with the plate and soup bowl.