In the kitchen, fat sizzled on the griddle as the rich, smoky aroma of grilled meat filled the air.
Lady Cardassana hummed a cheerful tune as she expertly flipped a meat patty.
She had been in a very good mood lately.
Today, she had happened to be shopping near the town's north gate, so she thought she'd stop by the training ground and check on her son, Thomas.
To be honest, she'd had her doubts when she first decided to send Thomas to Master Jonathan's training ground.
After all, the neighbors had often muttered that Mr. Jonathan looked fierce and didn't seem like a good person.
But after meeting him in person, Cardassana realized the rumors were quite unfair.
Mr. Jonathan was rather stern-looking and a little on the burly side.
But he was very considerate toward others, even if he did speak in an overly formal way.
As it happened, she'd run into him today, and he had been as courteous as ever.
"Oh, Lady Cardassana, your radiance is enough to make the roses blooming across town fade into insignificance."
"Allow me to report that young Thomas has changed a great deal lately. He trains diligently and seriously, unlike those other rascals, who are still comparing whose pee can go the farthest."
"Of course, that's inseparable from my constant supervision and high standards."
"If you're available, I'd like to invite you to dinner so we can discuss his training plan going forward."
Hearing this, Lady Cardassana thought Mr. Jonathan was quite the character.
It also made her feel that renting her house to those two adventurers had been a very wise decision.
She knew that her son's gradual improvement was all thanks to the polite young man named Galen.
Ever since they'd moved in, Galen had chatted with Thomas