Mira made a face that said she wasn't convinced, but Lara was already rolling up her sleeves, ready for battle.
"Alright," she said cheerfully, "I'll need a bit of help with washing, chopping, stirring… We're making a southern meal. Honeyed roast chicken, corn mash, fried greens, and flatbread with peppered butter. Oh and peach compote for after."
Mira sighed, setting the ladle aside. "Fine. But if you burn yourself, you're the one explaining it to the king."
"Deal," Lara said, grabbing an apron. "Now, hand me that spoon."
Within minutes, the meal was being prepared. Lara rubbed the chicken with a paste of garlic, honey, herbs, and ground seeds, then set the skin to crisp in a wide, shallow pan. She checked the heat herself, tasted and adjusted seasonings by hand, and showed Mira how to knead the flatbread dough just thin enough.
"Don't rush the greens," she reminded Seralyn. "Let the edges brown, not burn."
