Hearing the commotion, Manyata quickly ran downstairs. From the noise, she was certain that someone was there, but she was equally sure that by the time she reached downstairs, no one would be there—because that was exactly what had been happening until now. Every time, she sensed someone's presence, yet she never saw anyone. In the beginning, it had frightened her. Although she did not believe in ghosts or spirits, she was still scared. But gradually, she realized that this was simply a way to torture her.

As soon as Manyata reached downstairs, she was stunned. She could hardly believe her eyes. She blinked rapidly two or three times and then rubbed both her eyes with her hands, as if trying to bring herself back to reality.

At that moment, Manyata was standing at the entrance of a kitchen. It was the same kitchen she had been searching for ever since arriving at the mansion, but until now she had never found it.

Slowly, she stepped inside. There, she saw a woman standing before her, around sixty years old. Upon seeing Manyata, the woman respectfully lowered her head and said warmly,

"Good morning, Madam."

Hearing her, Manyata finally came back to her senses. In a trembling voice, she asked,

"Wh... who are you?"

The woman smiled and replied gently,

"My name is Suchita. You may call me by my name if you like."

Then she continued,

"Please tell me what you would like to cook for your first kitchen ritual today. By the time you freshen up and return, I'll have all the ingredients ready."

Manyata could only stare at her with wide eyes. Suddenly, thinking of something, she rushed out of the kitchen. Suchita was surprised to see her run away like that, but she wasn't allowed to leave the kitchen, so she remained standing there quietly.

Meanwhile, Manyata hurried into the hall and immediately called Mr. X. As expected, the call was answered within a few rings. And just as she had anticipated, there was no voice from the other side—only the sound of breathing.

Excitedly, Manyata said,

"Thank you!"

Mr. X did not respond.

She continued,

"What do you like to eat? I don't really know how to cook much, but I'll try my best."

By now, Manyata seemed to be getting used to Mr. X's silence. Perhaps she had even begun to understand the language of his heartbeat. She neither expected nor needed words from him anymore. For her, the sound of his heartbeat alone was enough.

She continued,

"Don't worry. I know a few basic things, and besides, the person you've sent will help me. So at least I'll manage to make something edible."

Suddenly, she lightly smacked her forehead and said with mild annoyance,

"You talk so much! Instead of discussing important things, you've distracted me with random thoughts. I'm going to freshen up now, and then I'll make your favorite dish. Ask Mohit to tell me what you'd like to eat."

With that, she quickly ended the call and ran upstairs to her room.

For some reason, there was a different sparkle in those hazel-green eyes today. Despite himself, a smile appeared on Mr. X's face after hearing Manyata's words.

The next morning, Manyata quickly got ready and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Suchita had already arranged all the ingredients neatly on the counter.

As soon as she saw Manyata, Suchita smiled and said,

"Good morning, Madam. Boss loves potato and green pea curry with puris. For dessert, he especially likes rice pudding and carrot halwa. What would you like to make?"

Manyata looked at her with slight surprise.

Noticing her expression, Suchita explained,

"You probably asked Boss about his preferences. A little while ago, he instructed me to tell you what he likes."

For some reason, the information did not sit well with Manyata. It bothered her that Mr. X could communicate with the woman who had arrived that very morning, yet he never spoke to her. She almost laughed at her own fate. She had everything—a luxurious lifestyle, a partner who fulfilled her every need—but she lacked the one thing that truly mattered: she didn't even know the man she was married to.

Immediately, she shook away those thoughts and focused on cooking.

In her mind, she reasoned,

"Mr. X likes such simple food. None of this can be that difficult. I can make these things myself. What's there to do? For carrot halwa, you just boil carrots and add sugar. For rice pudding, you put some milk into rice. I can definitely make puris. And I'll somehow manage the potato-pea curry too."

Thinking this, she turned to Suchita and said,

"You can go outside and rest. I'll handle everything."

With that, she stepped toward the ingredients.

She stared at them, trying to figure out what she was supposed to do with each one. Then she realized Suchita was still standing there.

A little annoyed but still polite, she said,

"You're still here? I told you to go outside."

For some reason, Manyata felt jealous of Suchita. She didn't like her at all, and Suchita probably understood that.

Softly, Suchita replied,

"I'm sorry, Madam, but I'm not allowed to leave. I've been sent here to assist you, and I have permission to stay only inside the kitchen."

Frustrated, Manyata responded,

"Fine. Then just stand there quietly."

Suchita obediently stood where she was and watched her.

Manyata glanced at her once and then began taking out flour.

Seeing this, Suchita started to say,

"Madam, first..."

But the words died in her throat because Manyata shot her a sharp look that clearly said, Didn't I tell you to stay quiet?

Although she had confidently claimed she could manage everything, once she looked at all the ingredients, she realized she had absolutely no idea what to do.

She stood there staring at everything. She didn't even know what ingredient went where. Fear slowly crept into her heart. What if she ruined everything? Mr. X would laugh at her, and she could never allow herself to become a joke.

Lightly hitting her forehead, she muttered,

"You're such an idiot. Why did you have to insist on doing the first kitchen ritual? Life was going perfectly fine. Why create trouble for yourself? Mom told you so many times to learn these things because they'd be useful someday. But no... I never even liked stepping into a kitchen. Now what am I supposed to do?"

As these thoughts swirled in her mind, she nervously intertwined her fingers. Tears gathered in her eyes.

Watching her, Suchita spoke gently,

"What are you thinking? Are you scared? What's the worst that can happen? You'll make a mistake. That's all. And I'm here to help you fix those mistakes. But unless you make mistakes, how will I ever get the chance to correct them? Sometimes making mistakes is necessary in order to learn."

Manyata looked at her with tear-filled eyes and softly confessed,

"I don't know how to cook."

She said it with such innocence that Suchita couldn't help feeling both sympathy and amusement.

Smiling warmly, she replied,

"It's okay. I'm here, aren't I?"

At once, Manyata seemed to regain her courage. She nodded.

Suchita continued lovingly,

"Since this is your first kitchen ritual, you should begin with a prayer."

"A prayer?" Manyata asked in surprise.

Suchita nodded and handed her a prayer tray that she had already prepared before Manyata arrived.

She patiently explained each step, and Manyata followed every instruction exactly as she was told.

After the prayer, Suchita guided her through every stage of the cooking process. She explained everything so clearly that Manyata eventually smiled and said,

"This isn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be."

Suchita smiled back.

"Yes, Madam. You'll see. In just a few days, you'll become an expert cook."

After thinking for a moment, Manyata asked,

"Can I call you Kaki?"

Suchita looked surprised.

"But..."

Before she could finish, Manyata interrupted,

"I'm not listening to any arguments. And from today onward, you'll call me Manu."

For a moment, Suchita said nothing.

Then she simply smiled.