“Telling her how to use the food preparation machine?”
She smiled. “Caoimhe does know how to use those. Somewhat, anyway. She has yet to master the art of properly crafting a meal.”
“Then she will do well here since we typically do not have meals.”
“Perhaps after the negotiations, we can teach you how to create meals. Allow your units to bond more.”
“We are bonded. The cybernetics do that,” he said, not understanding what she meant. “Do meals bond you?”
“Yes, in a way,” she said and sipped on her water. “And your food preparation machine is quite nice. This is an excellent salad.”
He took another bite of his. “What makes it so excellent?”
“The crispness of the lettuce. The poultry is also wonderful. And the dressing.”
“Dressing?”
“The sauce,” she said, tapping the bottle. “It is one of my favorite garnishes for salads. I have not had it in an eon, it seems.”
“I am glad you enjoy your food.”
“Do you?”
He nodded. “It is pleasing to my pallet, though the poultry is my favorite part.”
“You would get along well with Eleanor. She loves meat of any kind.”
“And the other princess?”
“She loves sweets. Desserts are her favorite.”
“What is a dessert? What makes it special?”
Bianca smiled, and the smile brought him joy. There was a spark in her eye, and he admired it.
“Desserts are very sweet, and they are even better if they have more chocolate.”
“Is that what she thinks?”
“That is the rule. The more chocolate, the better.” She grinned again. “I may have a sweet tooth as well.”
“Perhaps they learned this from you.”
“Perhaps.”
“Were you the princesses’ caretaker after?” he asked as he took a bite of his salad. And he had to admit, he was starting to like the crunchy greens.
“When she died, I took over caring for her daughters as if they were my own. I fulfilled the position of governess for the children.”
“A governess? Like a leader?”
“In a matter of speaking. A Terran governess is more of a private teacher who sees to the well-being of the children. Usually, they are employed by families to take care of the children.”
He blinked. This did not make sense from what he knew about Terran family structure. “I am confused. I thought the family took care of the children.”
“Is that what you do here?”
“We have no children.”
