Maria had lost track of when she had fallen asleep. Rubbing her eyes, she awoke to an intriguing aroma of dishes.

Upon concentrating, Maria realized the scent leaned more toward burnt than appetizing. She listened.

Julie's voice resonated from the next room.

"Isla, come check if I've turned the steaks into charcoal again. Ugh!"

Julie inspected the pan with distaste.

"Should I toss them in the bin? How on earth will Maria stomach this?"

Isla chimed in, "It's a bit charred. Perhaps Maria won't like it.

Let Grover and I take care of it."

Grover's voice added a touch of exasperation.

“What? Not Again?

Another round of burnt food? I had steamed meat and pickled beef for lunch, and they were terribly overdone too..."

In the bedroom, the corners of Maria's mouth twitched. She resisted the urge to laugh.

Then, Julie's somewhat embarrassed voice broke through.

"Isla, Grover, I'm really sorry. Seems my cooking talents are non-existent. I just want to cook up something delicious for Maria."

"Madam, no need to apologize. We're happy to eat it. It's a noble cause-saving food! Besides, you had the same dishes as we did for lunch."

Grover, having endured his fair share of sufferings in life, considered burnt meal a minor inconvenience. It was far from enough to bring him down.

He was, in fact, elated that Julie willingly dined with him. Grover knew this signified his status in Maria's inner circle. He felt joy at the realization.

The same was true for Isla. Having weathered humiliations from Mrs. Jenkins, Reuben, and Doris, a charred meal was hardly a blip on her radar of misfortunes.

Moreover, given her guilt-ridden conscience, Julie endured the most scorched dishes herself, leaving the relatively palatable ones for Isla and Grover.

The trio exchanged hushed whispers in the next room.

Julie consulted Isla about the recipes for using the remaining ingredients to cook so that Maria could eat something upon waking.

Of course, the condition was that Julie had to handle the cooking part herself.

Maria knew mastering culinary arts wasn't a quick task. One didn't learn it in a matter of days. Unless one was settling for instant noodles.

Maria wasn't a fan of making things difficult for Julie. Therefore, she rose from the bed, donned her dress and slippers, and ventured out of the bedroom.