Hi everyone! Thanks for following this story and this chapter is for all of you ^^

Being a girl, of course there were days she dreamed of cooking and setting up a table all by her own then ate with her husband. Then, when they had kids, the kids would help her out by bringing out the plates and stuff, just like how she saw her mom doing it. Being the youngest (with two—needless to say—protective older brothers), however, she was prevented from taking a larger role than taking out the unbreakable utensils. Rex would take care of the side dishes and Nate the glassware while Mom, of course, the main dish. If Dad were around (dinnertime, typically), then he would handle the main dish while Mom got her much deserved rest.

The first time she set up a table on her own was when she moved out to the city—and it wasn't a full setup like her family did it—just a bowl of mac and cheese with a glass of orange juice she poured from the bottle she bought from the convenience store. It was overwhelmingly lonely and she cried her pillow to sleep that night, but she wouldn't admit it in her letter because she didn't want to make her family, especially her dad, worried.

Therefore, Raelyn found herself humming in joy softly when she was allowed to set up the table in Klaus' house. Recalling the fact that she contributed to the cooking of the bouillabaisse doubled up that joy. It was for three: Klaus, Marian and herself. Marian offered to help, but she declined; she was going to enjoy this, although it might sound inappropriate, as this wasn't her house.

Raelyn went back to the other side of the house and called the two men. "It's ready," she announced.

Klaus flipped his blanket open and stood up together with Marian. "You seem to be very happy, Miss Raelyn," he noted.

Her heart skipped a beat. Was it that obvious?

"Not that I have any complaint, of course," the older man added quickly.

"Your blush is so adorable honey," the doctor lightly poked her cheek. "I wouldn't mind having a little sister like you."

Raelyn chuckled shyly and the three of them sat down around the table with Klaus and Marian on one side and her on the other. "Oh~ this looks delicious!" Marian squealed.

"I'm not sure about that…" Raelyn admitted. "Well, I'm mostly doing what Miss Iris told me, but still…"

"Aw… you should have some confidence in yourself, honey!"

She felt her cheeks warmed up again. Thankfully, no one pointed out her blushing since Klaus announced they should start eating. Raelyn did nothing while both men took a spoonful of the stew and slurped it quietly. Again, she knew it was mostly her doing what Iris told her to, but again… she was the one putting on the seasoning.

"This is delicious!" Marian squealed. "Honey, you should try it!"

"He's correct," Klaus joined in.

Sighing in relief, Raelyn finally tasted the bouillabaisse. Thanks to their compliment, she gained more confidence in her cooking.

"Raelyn, honey,"

Raelyn looked up, noticing that the doctor was looking at her intently. "Yes?"

"Do you prefer new wines or older ones?"

Raelyn cocked her head slightly to the side. "Wines?"

"Uh-huh, wines." Marian smiled.

"Um…" Raelyn pondered. "I don't drink often… so I don't know much about wines."

"Go on,"

"But, I think older wines are better," Raelyn continued. "They have nicer smell, for one, and it's just that… there's something else in older wines that's not there in newer ones."

The doctor grinned at her. "You have a good taste, honey," he said, his voice melodious as if he found something he had been looking for. Raelyn glanced aside, finding that the perfurmer was staring at her. However, she was too nervous to ask him why. The rest of the dinner ensued with Marian did most of the talking and Klaus—ironically or not—did the least.

"I should go home now," Raelyn announced after she finished cleaning the dishes together with Marian (they overruled Klaus' objection, of course).

"Alone?" Klaus frowned at her and suddenly she was besieged with something akin to guilt.

"Well…" she stammered. "Yes, of course, Mr. Klaus."

"I'll take my coat,"

"No!" she rejected immediately. "If you walk all the way to the mountain and back, you won't get better soon!"

"She's right, Klaus darling," Marian joined in. "I need to check on Madam Eda. I'll walk her back."

Oh, right. She then remembered that Grandma Eda had been complaining about her hips. It wasn't something new, but better safe than sorry.

Without saying any kind of warning, the doctor pulled her away. "Good night, Klaus~" he said as they walked down the steps in front of his house.

"Uh, get well soon, Mr. Klaus!" she managed to say.

"Thanks, Dr. Marian…" Raelyn muttered as the two of them walked past the paddy field. "You're checking on Grandma Eda this late…"

"Aw~ no problem, honey," the doctor replied. "It's a doctor's duty to ensure her patients are recovering well, right?"

"She seems to be much better," Raelyn told him. "I help her doing laborious chores like chopping down woods, and sometimes Fritz comes by, so everything should be alright…"

"That's good, that's good…" he mused. "Honey, you are close with Madam Eda, yes?"

Raelyn beamed up. "Yeah! She's like my own grandma!"

The doctor smiled at her. For the rest of the journey, the two of them talked about many things: the doctor trying to impart his version of the meaning of beauty to the younger woman, the field rental system, the other farmers… until she reached her doorstep.

"Raelyn, honey,"

"Yes, Dr. Marian?"

"Don't forget to take care of yourself, alright?" he reminded her. "People tend to do that while caring about others…"

Raelyn was momentarily confused. She cocked her head to the side. "Pardon?"

"I could easily name five people who could be worried sick about you, honey," Marian went on. "There's Madam Veronica, for one… myself and Angela, although she wouldn't say it out loud, then there's Iris… and Klaus."

Raelyn frowned while inwardly, she felt a bit warm and fuzzy knowing that despite being relatively new to this town, there were people who cared about her.

"From all of them, I think Klaus is the worst," Marian continued. "By which I mean, he worries about you the most."

She gasped. "Really?"

"For real," he then winked at her. "Visit him often, will you?"

Raelyn felt a bit stupid, but she had come so far that it felt more stupid to back off. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Mr. Klaus, are you in?" she said. "It's Raelyn."

There was a brief moment of silence—she thought he was already away—before she heard a voice replied from inside. "Coming."

Klaus opened the door a few moments later. He seemed to be much better; at least he was not as pale when he greeted her with a smile. "Please, come in, Miss Raelyn."

They walked together towards his dining table. "Is there anything I could help you with?"

"Um…" Raelyn hesitated as for how to reply the older man. She remembered what Marian told her—how Klaus was worried sick about her—and to be honest, she doubted it to be the case. However, she felt that there was nothing wrong in doing this, visiting him. She had told Grandma Eda earlier, and the latter was all for the idea—socialize more often, she told her again. She took a deep breath and she realized that Klaus smelled different again this day. "Were you working?"

"Yes," he replied and she was crestfallen. He added quickly. "Nothing much, Miss Raelyn… just tying up loose ends."

"Oh…"

"To be honest, actually I have not been able to smell the scent properly," Klaus admitted. "And scents tend to evaporate faster in summers, too…"

"Then, how do you go about mixing them up?"

"Purely by proportions I have taken down and estimations from experience," he answered. "But it doesn't feel complete until I test them."

An idea popped up in her mind. "Perhaps I could help with that?" she offered. "I mean… my nose isn't half bad… right?"

Raelyn held her breath when she realized that Klaus was watching her; his golden eyes were unbelievably bright in this summer day. "Mr. Klaus…?"

"Last time, you could accurately pinpoint the composite scents I gave to you…" Klaus told her. "I would be grateful for your assistance, Miss Raelyn."

Seems like they are getting closer by day...

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

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