Keenan had a frown on his face as he made his way toward the kitchen. This wasn’t the first time he had seen her with wet hair, but for some reason, her appearance triggered a memory he thought he had forgotten.

It hasn’t rained in a while. I-I couldn’t help it.

Her statement sounded familiar. He had heard a similar variation multiple times from Penn. She never could stay away from the rain.

Keenan frowned at this thought. He didn’t like that he tended to make comparisons. They were nothing alike. It was an insult to Penn’s memory.

He tried his hardest to put the thought aside, but as he got to the kitchen doors, Keenan found that it was hard to do so. He pushed open the kitchen doors, forcefully distracting himself with what he was about to do.

"Alpha Keenan," Agnes called as soon as he walked in. The rest of the maids bowed, mumbling in shock at his presence.

"Agnes."

She stopped chopping the vegetables, wiped her hands on a piece of rag, and walked toward him. "You didn’t have to come all the way here. You could have sent for me, Alpha."

"No worries, Agnes. I have some free time with the rain."

Agnes nodded as she looked intensely at him. For the Alpha to come to see her, it must be serious. He never interfered with her duties, and she spoke to him only when something was wrong.

"I will be leaving Verlassen in three days," he said.

"Alone?" Agnes asked with a frown.

"No, I will go with Theo."

"How long will you be away?"

"I don’t know—three days or at most five days. It depends on whether the Alpha King wants me to stay behind for a few days."

"You don’t have to worry, Alpha Keenan. We will be fine."

Keenan frowned lightly. He wasn’t very convinced by her words. "If you need anything, let me know before I leave. And when I do leave, you may ask Beta Asher. He will handle any issues."

He was hoping there wouldn’t be any issues, but this was the first time he would be leaving Verlassen for more than a day since he became Alpha.

He didn’t doubt that Asher and the town would be fine without his presence, but Vilhelm was bearing down on them. He was sure the High Alpha wouldn’t ignore an opportunity to strike.

Agnes nodded. "You really didn’t have to come all the way here to say that, Alpha. A message would have sufficed."

Keenan absently nodded as he looked around the kitchen. The maids giggled amongst themselves but did their best to remain respectful in his presence.

He turned around to leave, but then had an absurd thought, and he was speaking before he could stop himself. "Would you make that chicken soup for dinner, Agnes?"

"Chicken soup?" She asked with a frown. Chicken soup was on the menu not long ago, and there was no reason for him to ask—except he was referring to the one Maya made.

"Yes, I believe you were trying something new. Alaina claimed she made it."

He didn’t believe that she did. Alaina wasn’t exactly known for her cooking skills, and she was the type to claim all the credit even if all she did was choose the chicken.

"Oh, that," Agnes whispered, and her eyes darted to the side.

Keenan narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, but she didn’t deny or accept it. However, she seemed to understand what he was referring to so he let it go.

"I will be sure to make it. I didn’t know you liked it so much, Alpha Keenan."

Keenan wasn’t sure if that was the word. It tasted familiar, but the last chicken soup didn’t have the same flavor, and for some reason, he was craving it as the rain fell.

"Very well, you may get back to work," he said and turned away from her. He walked out and the kitchen exploded in whispers.

"Alaina said she made it?" Palmer whispered from behind Agnes.

Agnes turned around and glared at Palmer. "Don’t you have better things to do?"

"Are you going to ask for her help?" Palmer asked.

"No," Agnes replied and walked to the counter. She had watched the little missus cook; there was no way she couldn’t replicate it.

After the incident with the tea, she didn’t want to owe her anything more. They all had grievances against her and her father, and despite their lack of aggression, no one wanted anyone from that family here—especially the daughter who had also harmed their Alpha.

"Can you make it?" Palmer asked, following her still.

"If you don’t have anything better to do, Palmer, cut up the vegetables or clean the dishes. I have to start preparing lunch."

Palmer nodded her head and promptly walked away, standing near the door with the other maids as she resumed her duties.

---

Agnes brought her open palm to her lips as she tasted the chicken soup. It was nearly time for dinner, and she had prepared this first. She smacked her lips, and a deep frown appeared on her face.

She had done everything the young lady had done but still couldn’t replicate it. At this point, she risked wasting chicken.

"Taste this, Palmer," she yelled.

Agnes stood behind the counter where the fire burned in the hearth. Smoke slowly filtered out through the open window, but most of it floated around the kitchen. The maids were completely unbothered by it as they were used to it.

Palmer sped to her, accepting the scoop. She poured it into her mouth.

"It’s hot," Agnes warned a little too late, while Palmer’s tongue was on fire.

"Ahh," Palmer yelled without spitting. "You could have told me—"

"And?" Agnes queried, apathetic to her pain.

Palmer immediately stopped complaining and shook her head. "Did you add the nutmeg?"

"Are you mocking me?" Agnes shot her a glare.

"No, Agnes. I am just trying to help."

"Call for her," Agnes said, turning her back to Palmer.

"Are you sure?" She asked with a dark expression.

"Don’t make me repeat myself."

"Yes, Agnes," Palmer mumbled as she headed for the exit.

The maids mumbled amongst themselves, looking from one person to the other. "To think the High Alpha’s daughter can cook better than Agnes," she brought her voice lower as she said the cook’s name.

"She is just used to using the right ingredients for this particular dish. It has nothing to do with skills—"

"If you have nothing better to do, perhaps I should give you more chores!" Agnes yelled with her back turned to them.

"No, Agnes," the maids squealed and got back to work.