The Sold Daughter Was Doted On So Much That She Was ‘Unfrozen’ In Her Place Of Servitude

Potato Croquette (Preparation).

 

On a sunny afternoon, after taking in the sweet-smelling laundry dried in the sun, it was time to prepare dinner.

My weekday schedule was almost the same every day:

Wake up, prepare breakfast (from cooking to eating), see off Schwarz-sama, do laundry, take a bath, go shopping, do some cleaning and miscellaneous tasks, and start preparing dinner before the sun sets.
There’s just so much to do, so I have to start preparing early.

I put a large pot of water in with enough water to cover a pile of potatoes and boil them until they’re soft enough to be pierced by a skewer.
Meanwhile, I sauté onions and ground meat.

When the potatoes are done boiling, I take them out of the water and wrap them in a cloth…

“Are you here?”

“Huh!?”

…I jumped in surprise when Schwarz-sama suddenly popped his head into the kitchen.

“Welcome back.
You’re back early today,” even though it was still light out.

“I see.
I came back straight after the inspection nearby.”

So, it’s a flexible workplace where that kind of thing can happen.
I’m glad he didn’t catch me singing or dancing while cleaning when no one’s around during the day.

“You still have some time until dinner, so please relax.
Shall I bring you some tea to the living room or to your room?”

“Well…”

He looked around thoughtfully and then suddenly his gaze landed on the pile of potatoes.

“What are you making?”

“I’m making potato croquettes.”

“Potato? Isn’t the filling cream?”

In this country, when we say croquettes, we’re mainly talking about croquettes with béchamel sauce.
But…

“Potato croquettes are also delicious.”

“…potato.”

Schwarz-sama’s expression clouded slightly.
Wait, did he not like potatoes?

“You don’t dislike potatoes, do you?”

“I don’t dislike them, but… when I was on the front lines and the supply line was cut off, I had to eat potatoes and tree roots for a few months to survive.
When I see a pile of potatoes, it reminds me of that.”

…tree roots?

“Then, should I make a different dish?”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

He stopped me from moving the pile of potatoes to a hidden spot.

“I’m interested in potato croquettes.
Can I watch you make them… or rather, can I join in?”

Schwarz-sama cooking?

“Uh, yes.
If that’s what you want.”

I nod while feeling flustered.
The two of us stand side by side in the kitchen, cooking together.

“First, let’s peel the potatoes.
Wrap the boiled potatoes in a cloth and slide your fingers to open the skin to easily peel them.
It’s better to do it quickly as they become harder to peel when they cool down.”

Schwarz-sama, who was observing my hands as I demonstrated, imitated me by placing a potato on a cloth.
He then put all his strength into squeezing it left and right.

“…It’s mashed.”

“What!?”

The potato in his hand had turned into mashed potato.
His grip was too strong.

“It’s…it’s okay! We were going to mash them anyway, so it saved us some effort!”

I encouraged Schwarz-sama who seemed a bit downhearted.

“Oh, and even if it’s broken into pieces, be sure to remove the sprouts.”

“Sprouts?”

I pointed to some dimples on the potato.

“You can dig them out with a spoon.”

“Why bother with such a small detail?”

“Potato sprouts are poisonous.”

At my answer, he thought for a moment and looked up.

“I’ve never had any problems before.”

…I’m glad you’re safe.

“Let’s remove them all just in case.”

“Hmm.
Peeling potatoes takes a lot of effort.
It’s much easier to cut down trees and build a dam.”

…What a stark comparison.

The experienced general and the powerless servant worked together to conquer the mountain of potatoes.