Being the cousin of the infamous Lord Phantomhive did have some perks, such as being able to stay at his mansion over the summer while your own was being renovated.

But as you soon found, you weren’t the only guest.

There was a prince of India, a very famous Prince Soma.

But you weren’t really so interested in him as you were in his little butler, who you soon found out to be known as Agni.

At the beginning he forbade you from going in the kitchen, claiming it was not proper for a lady to be doing ‘servant’s work’.

You did not believe in such things.

As you two grew closer he allowed you to help with small things in the kitchen, such as chopping vegetables, which even then he thoroughly monitored, and kneading dough.

However, after some time, he allowed you to be near the stove, helping him with the actual cooking process, such as keeping a sauce at a steady temperature and making sure it did not burn.

You eventually even got your own apron.

Then one day, you were bolder, stepping into the kitchen without him, cooking something completely on your own.

You were idly humming a turn as you worked before hearing a gentle, firm voice from the doorway of the kitchen, a Bengali accent ringing in your ears pleasantly.

“कीमती, what are you doing?”