The children raced around the corner of the kitchen, pushing and shoving as they vied for first place. They came crashing through the doors and skidded to a stop in front of Arian and me. We scooted back to avoid being swallowed up in the chaos as they made a haphazard cluster.

The young boy with the hilariously imposing manner caught sight of the brownie pan. He marched up to the food and reached out to grab a square.

I swatted his hand. “Not yet. They’re still too hot.”

He jerked his hand back and glared at me. A gasp arose from the other children and some of them lost a bit of color on their faces. Even Arian appeared shocked.

I blinked at the company. “What?”

The young scamp stepped back and stretched himself up to his full short height. “Nobody has dared touch me like you have. Don’t you know I’m the prince?”

I lifted an eyebrow. “You’re a prince?”

“Not just any prince,” Arian whispered to me. “He is the grandson of His Majesty.”

Bravo, me. I’d just slapped the hand of the heir to the throne.

The color dropped out of my face as I stared into the huffy face of a future king. I swallowed the growing lump in my throat and managed a shaky smile. “Um, sorry about that, Your, um, Highness. I was just trying to keep you from burning yourself, that’s all. See?” I hurried to remove a square with a spatula and set it on a napkin. Steam rose from the piece. “It’s still hot. You have to wait for it to cool a little before you can eat it or you’ll burn your tongue.”

He wrinkled his nose but some of his ire was deflated. “Very well, but you need to warn me about these things first, and no hitting.”

I tucked my hands behind my back and sheepishly smiled at him. “Of course.”

“Why don’t we get out a square for everyone?” Arian spoke up.

I bobbed my head. “A good idea!”

I jumped at the chance for distraction and together we lifted out a square for each child. That left only a few in the pan. The seconds felt like hours but the steam finally stopped rising from the taken pieces. I picked up the first one and held it out to the little prince.

“I hope you’ll like it,” I told him.

He accepted the gift and eyed the treat with uncertainty.

“Just eat it!” one of his friends insisted.

He scowled at his playmate. “I am! Don’t rush me!” He returned his attention to the food and took a dainty bite. A few crumbles fell from his mouth as his eyes widened. “This is really good!” He dug into his piece while the others clamored for theirs.

Arian and I doled them out and soon we had a crowd of children eagerly munching on their treats. They dribbled crumbs all over the floor and their faces, but their wide smiles made it all worth it.

One of the girls finished before the others and held out her hand. “Can I have another?”

I glanced at the pan and shook my head. “There isn’t enough for everyone to have another so you’ll have to wait for another batch.”

“When will you make it?” another child spoke up.

I smiled and leaned down so I was eye-to-eye with her. “I’ll make one very soon but you have to promise to be nice to each other, okay?” She bobbed her head.

“What about the bowl?” the prince wondered as he pointed at the dirty dish.

I knitted my eyebrows together. “Well, you could each dip a finger-”

That was all the encouragement they needed. The children dove into the bowl like a school of piranhas. Arian and I stood back and watched the show with a mixture of curiosity and horror.

“There seems to be quite a crowd in the kitchen today.”

Arian and I spun around and discovered Prince Yushir standing in the doorway. He strolled over to us with a playful smile on his lips. His twinkling eyes noticed the children and he lifted his eyebrows.

“Are we having cooking lessons today?” he wondered.

I shook my head. “It’s more like taste-testing.”

He lifted his nose to the air. “Something does smell quite delicious.”

“Lady Anna has made a new treat!” Arian chimed in.

Yushir’s attention fell on the nearly-empty pan of brownies and he used a hand to gesture to the treats. “May I?”

My eyes lit up. “Oh! Of course!”

I scooted over to the pan and plopped a square onto a napkin before handing it to him. The prince bowed his head as he accepted the treat. He studied the strange spongy texture before lifting the treat to his nose. “This smells very sweet and bitter. And you made this?”

I nodded at Arian. “Arian and I did.”

“From ingredients in the kitchen?”

I shook my head. “I. . .I used my magic.”

His eyebrows shot up and his smile warmed but I detected a faint strain at the corners of his mouth. “You did? That is wonderful news. It means our lessons have not only not gone to waste but that you truly do belong to the heaven clan.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I blinked at him. “Why’s that?”

“Only those granted the gift of creation magic can be counted among that number,” he explained as he studied the treat. “However did you think of making such an item?”

I nodded at my companion. “Arian gave me the idea.”

She blushed and bowed her head. “It was nothing.”

Yushir chuckled. “I applaud your ‘nothing’ and hope more ‘nothings’ come from your collaboration. Now then, time for a try.” He broke off a tiny piece and took a dainty bite. His eyes lit up and he eagerly swallowed. “This is delicious!” he complimented as he tore another piece off. “What is it?”

“It’s called chocolate,” I told him as the children ransacked the table for the few crumbs Arian and I had dropped from their pieces. Arian herself held aloft the pan to keep their eager hands from devouring the remainder of the brownies. “It’s a treat from my realm.”

He smiled at the brownie before his twinkling eyes set on me. “Do you have any other delicacies from your world you wish for me to try?”

“Me first, uncle!” Prince Kean spoke up as he squirmed out of the mess of the other children.

“Me, too!” another child joined in.

“I think you guys need to go out and play off some of that chocolate,” I countered as I shooed them toward the door.

The short prince dug his heels into the floor in front of the entrance and stopped my advance. He turned and tugged on the front of my dress. “Won’t you play with us?”

My heart lifted at the kind invitation given so sincerely by the young man. I leaned down and used a finger to wipe some brownie from the corner of his lips. “Not just yet. I need to clean up in here. You go on and start without me, okay?”

Kean nodded. “Very well, but don’t be long!” He scurried away to join his friends in a rousing game of catch with a ball.

Yushir came up beside me and watched the spirited children scamper off. Half the brownie in his hand was already eaten and he held the rest like it was a treasured heirloom. “You seem to have made quite the impression on the young prince.”

I snorted. “I made quite the impression on his hand earlier.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Oh?”

I hung my head but the truth was bound to come out sooner or later. “I swatted him because he was reaching for the hot food.”

I was relieved and confused when the prince chuckled. “Excellent.”

My head shot up and I blinked at him. “It is?”

His affection-filled eyes watched the young prince scamper with the others. “He has been treated with a light hand his entire life. A little swatting now and again will do him some good.”

I breathed out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Thank God. . .”

The prince’s amused gaze fell on me. “To which one do you pray?”

I shot up and shook my head. “N-no one in particular. It’s just a saying where I’m from.”

“I will have to remember that one,” Yushir mused as he tucked the rest of his treat into his large sleeve.

Worry nagged at my thoughts. “Don’t you like it?”

“Very much and I shall finish it after I have visited with someone,” he assured me as he turned and inclined his head to me. “And I feel I must thank you twice.”

I blinked at him. “Why twice?”

He patted his sleeve where he’d hidden the treat. “Once for the delicious sweet and another for livening up our lives with your interesting offers.”

I blushed and shook my head. “I haven’t done very much.”

Yushir’s eyes sparkled as she studied me. “Perhaps you have done more than you would guess but I must leave before the temptation to consume your sweet overwhelms me. Good day.”

Arian and I bowed our heads as the prince left. I closed the kitchen doors behind him and leaned my back against the entrance. A heavy sigh escaped me but I found Arian smiling at me. “What?” I asked her.

She grasped her hands in front of her and shook her head. “I was just thinking you were smiling more often.”

I laughed and pushed off from the door. “I can’t help it. Those kids are too cute. Now then-” I brushed my hands together as I inspected the many crumbs of brownies that dotted the worktable and the floor. “Let’s see about getting this cleaned up.”

Arian bowed her head to me. “Allow me to do it. You can join the children in their fun.”

I clapped a hand on her shoulder and led her toward our workstation. “I’m not letting you deal with all this mess alone, now no more arguing and let’s get started.”