Baixi hurriedly ran into the bathroom, turned on the showerhead, and started showering. The hot water cascaded down from her hair, falling onto her smooth and fair skin, giving it a radiant glow.

As she washed her body, Baixi hummed a tune, feeling blissful and content. After a while, she stood up from the bathtub, wrapped a towel around her body, and walked out of the bathroom.

She picked up a hairdryer and dried her damp hair, then changed into a clean and simple outfit. Baixi left the bathroom and headed towards the kitchen.

On her way to the kitchen, she coincidentally encountered Yar returning from outside. Upon seeing Baixi, Yar paused for a moment and took out a white scarf from the pendant hanging around her neck. She draped it around Baixi's neck and tenderly said, "Little Baixi, this is a scarf I personally knitted for you. Do you like it?" Yar spoke softly.

Feeling the warmth of the scarf, Baixi nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Aunt Yar. I really like it."

Yar smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it."

Then, Yar asked, "Where is your mother? Has she returned?"

"My mother just came back not long ago. She's in the kitchen," Baixi replied and grabbed Yar's hand, leading her towards the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, Iris and Baiying were busy washing and selecting vegetables. They chatted and laughed while working.

After a while, Baixi brought Yar to the entrance of the kitchen.

"Mother, I'm here," Baixi sweetly said, "Tonight, we're making braised pork ribs, steamed fish, mapo tofu, braised beef, and oil-braised prawns..."

"I can't cook any of those. What's the point of telling me?" Iris lowered her head and continued selecting vegetables.

"It's okay, I can cook them all. As long as Iri Yuma can name the dishes, Yar can make them," Yar said from the side.

Upon hearing this, Iris looked up at Yar and smiled, saying, "Then, please help us, Yar."

"Alright," Yar cheerfully agreed.

Iris felt somewhat helpless. Why did Yar come to the kitchen? Could she be looking for some reward? Thinking about this, Iris became a bit uneasy.

Yar rolled up her sleeves and skillfully chopped the vegetables, while Baiying helped with cutting the onions, ginger, garlic, and other seasonings.

Baiying was also someone who cooked often, although she could only make Lilia's specialty dishes. But that was enough to please Iris's palate. Most of the dishes Lilia made required soaking in blood for the taste to suit Iris's preference.

Yar's movements were very nimble, and in no time, she stir-fried a delicious braised pork, followed by a plate of sliced beef with green peppers, a plate of braised eggplants, a plate of broccoli, and a bowl of mushroom chicken soup.

Meanwhile, Iris was stir-frying the greens on another stove. Since it was her first time cooking, the vegetables ended up overcooked, with a dark and slightly intimidating color.

A burnt smell wafted in the air, causing people to frown. Baiying couldn't help but chuckle when she caught a whiff, finding the situation amusing.

"Snicker~" Baixi covered her mouth and laughed, then spoke, "Queen Mother's culinary skills still need improvement."

Iris glared at Baixi and said, "You, shut up! Constantly mocking me, do you want to be punished?"

"Queen Mother, please don't be angry. I wasn't mocking you," Baixi quickly apologized, but her smile betrayed her true feelings in that moment.

"Hmph." Iris snorted and continued frying the dark ribs in the pan.

Yar served the cooked dish onto a plate and placed it on the table. Then she walked over to Iris and softly whispered in her ear, "Your Majesty, braised ribs are not supposed to be cooked like this. It will become mushy. Let Yar teach you how to cook."

She poured the overcooked vegetables into the garbage bin and added a small amount of oil. When the oil reached the right temperature, she added the vegetables.

"Stir-fry for a few moments, so that the vegetables can absorb the heat from the oil. This way, the surface of the vegetables will become tender and it will look more appealing," Yar explained to Iris.

"Mmm~" Iris nodded and proceeded to follow Yar's instructions.

However, due to her lack of control, several pieces of vegetables fell onto the table.

Seeing this, Yar gently grabbed Iris' wrist, intending to teach her how to cook hands-on.

"Cooking is not a battle, there's no need to exert so much force," Yar whispered softly in Iris' ear, purposely blowing warm breath.

Upon hearing Yar's words, Iris' face turned red in an instant. "Yar, let go quickly."

"The dish is not ready yet~ How can I let go? Would His Majesty be able to cook the vegetables properly if I let go?" Yar continued, "Yar, you...," Iris was a bit embarrassed but couldn't argue back.

Then, Yar pressed her cherry-like lips against Iris' earlobe and gently nibbled on it.

She blew warm breath on Iris' sensitive earlobe, causing her nerves to tighten.

"Yar! Let go... quickly..." Iris' voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. She didn't want her two daughters to witness this scene, as it was too embarrassing.

Iris' cheeks turned as red as a ripe tomato, making Yar unable to resist swallowing her saliva. It was so tempting.

"In the kitchen, as a student, His Majesty shouldn't disobey the teacher's instructions. It's not good, you know~ If a student doesn't listen, they will be punished," Yar's voice was tender, filled with intense desire. "The punishment must be a bit painful, you know~"

As she spoke, Yar bit into Iris' pink earlobe with her teeth. The ticklish feeling made Iris' body tremble slightly, and she became increasingly weak.

"Punishment must be felt, you know~" Yar whispered softly, and then exerted a bit more force until she bit through Iris' pink earlobe and released her teeth.

In an instant, a drop of bright red blood flowed down from the corner of Yar's mouth, looking enchanting and seductive.

"Ah..." Iris cried out in pain but didn't want to make a sound.

She took deep breaths in an attempt to calm her chaotic breathing.

Yar's actions made Iris feel both embarrassed and angry.

She had actually been teased by Yar.

Iris glared fiercely at Yar, flames burning in her eyes, as if a war was about to erupt at any moment.

"Your Majesty, quickly add salt and then stir for a couple more times before serving," Yar said casually.

"I know." Iris gritted her teeth and sprinkled some salt, casually stirring a few more times before serving the dish into a porcelain plate.

Iris' face blushed slightly, looking very adorable. As an imperial blood vampire, the wound on her earlobe had already healed while she was cooking.

Baixi was sneaking a piece of rib from the table, and Baiying swallowed her saliva, hesitating whether to steal some as well. However, due to Baiying's strict upbringing, she didn't do anything out of line and just silently watched her sister eat the ribs.

When Iris saw Baixi, she was instantly filled with anger, compounded by the incident of being teased by Yar just now. She stood up straight away, picked up her chopsticks, and threw them at Baixi.

Baixi couldn't dodge in time and got hit on the head. She held her head in a pitiful manner, her eyes slightly reddened, as if she was about to cry in the next second.

"I just stole a couple of ribs, why is her highness so angry?" Baixi looked at the half-eaten ribs in her hand, pouting and complaining.

She really couldn't understand why she would be hit for stealing a couple of ribs.

Iris watched Baixi crying without saying a word, apparently realizing that she had taken out all her anger on Baixi for Yar's sake.

Seeing this, Yar stepped forward to comfort Baixi, "Alright, alright, don't cry. Iris didn't mean to be harsh on you. Stop crying, okay?"

"I want compensation, I want compensation." Baixi stubbornly insisted.

Then Iris took out a purse and threw it to Baixi, then rolled up her sleeves to wipe away her tears, looking at Baixi with a gentle expression, and softly said, "If you keep causing trouble, I will kick you out of the palace."

Upon hearing this, Baixi immediately stopped pretending, obediently took the purse, and stuffed it into her clothes pocket.

"Go call Ling, Merice, Lessi, Xue Youyue, Dugu, Candace, and the maids who serve me personally to the dining hall for a reunion dinner," Iris said to Baixi.

"Yes." Baixi nodded in agreement, then turned and left.

Iris, Baiying, and Yar carried the dishes and walked towards the dining hall.