Published: December 4th 2024, 8:20:18 am
Person You Don’t Want to Upset
Heading to the dining room for breakfast, I couldn’t help but wonder: was it okay to leave in the middle of meal prep?
Breakfast was served.
"Whoa, what’s this? It’s amazing~!!"
Brother Gene seemed to really enjoy the French toast.
"The usual soup feels so bland now."
Father was focused on the soup.
"The salad is colorful and delicious!"
Mother was happily savoring the salad.
"This omelet has cheese in it. It’s so good! Oh~ Jo, how I wish I could take you to the dormitory with me."
Brother Noel, that’s simply not possible.
It was a relief to see that everyone enjoyed the meal. I’ll have to thank the kitchen staff later.
---
"Brother Noel, Brother Gene, here are the cookies and dried fruits I promised. Oh, and some for Nathan too."
From my storage, I handed them their requested items.
Gray and Nancy’s eldest son, Nathan, was the same age as Brother Noel and was heading to the capital with them.
"Thank you! Ahh~ I don’t want to part with you, Jo. Can’t you come with us? Please?"
As he spoke, Brother Noel hugged me.
This is too sweet! It’s sugar overload!
I can tolerate hugs, but the occasional forehead kisses are crossing a line. That’s something he should save for his girlfriend.
"Thanks, Jo. I’ll treasure these. When I’m back, you’ll cook something tasty again, right?"
Brother Gene, if you’re going to give Brother Noel a knowing look, please help me out~
"Yes, I’ll practice some new recipes."
"Thanks, Jo. You even prepared my share.”
“You also do your best, Nathan.”
Nathan patted my head with a kind smile.
"Noel, enough of this. You’re going to be late."
At Mother’s words, Brother Noel reluctantly let go of me.
"””We are off.”””
With that, they stepped through the door.
This wasn’t an ordinary door. It connected directly to our residence in the capital. Normally, it would take three days by carriage to reach the capital, but Mother—once the deputy commander of the Magician Division—had declared carriages too bothersome and created this marvelous invention with a simple remark.
It reminded me of that pink door from a certain futuristic blue robot’s collection, though ours wasn’t pink; it was burgundy.
Thanks to that door, my brothers were able to return home every weekend.
While it wasn’t impossible to commute to the academy from home, the rule was that students without jobs had to experience dorm life to "learn things beyond academics."
With Father and Mother busy in their offices, I made my way to the dining hall. I had promised Nancy I’d be there.
---
Tap, tap, tap... bang!
"Good morning!"
"Young lady, please open doors quietly."
Nancy smiled as she said this, though her eyes were anything but cheerful.
"O-okay. Sorry about that."
"Ahaha, good morning, Jo. What’s up?"
"Oh, good morning, Zack. I brought some cookies and dried fruits we made yesterday. I wanted to share them with everyone."
From my storage, I pulled out the cookies and dried fruits.
"Yay! I’ve been wanting to try these. Father had some, but we didn’t get any."
"Zack, thank the young lady first."
"Oh, sorry! Thank you, Joan."
"Ehehe. You're welcome. Make sure everyone gets some."
The other servants also expressed their gratitude. That alone made all the effort worth it.
Ah, the maids were hoarding the dried fruits first. They must already know how effective they are.
Even Nancy was focusing on the grapes and nababas.
I’ll slip her some extra mixed dried fruits later as a subtle bribe. Nancy is someone you definitely don’t want to upset.
Oh, I need to talk about soft bread too. Natural yeast is a hassle, but for delicious meals, it’s worth it.
----------
Natural Yeast
Leaving the dining room, I headed to the kitchen.
"Excuse me~"
"Good morning, Young lady."
Aww~ Annie is adorable even first thing in the morning~
There were only three people in the kitchen.
"Huh? Where’s Mr. Abe?"
"Oh, the head chef’s off today. He always takes Light Days off."
Apparently, the cooks have fixed days off depending on the week. Ah, so it’s like a regular day off system.
"What brings you here, Young lady?"
"Oh, it’s about the soft bread we were talking about earlier."
"Soft bread? What’s that?"
Annie, who wasn’t here earlier, asked curiously.
"I was thinking we could make bread softer."
"Is that even possible?"
"Yes, but it takes a bit of effort."
That "bit of effort" is actually a week-long process, but to someone like me, that’s nothing. After all, "just the other day" can mean ten years ago in my mind.
Looking around the kitchen, I spotted a bottle of just the right size.
"Mr. Arthur, could you clean this for me again?"
"Sure thing. Clean!"
"Thank you. Now, fill this bottle with chopped ripples (apples) and lukewarm water. And that’s it."
You can also use raisins instead of apples, but making raisins is a hassle, so apples it is.
“”"… Huh?!"””
"Hehe. By day two, the water will change color and produce some bubbles. At that point, shake the bottle well two to three times a day, open the lid to let in some air, and then close it again to let it sit. On day four, transfer it to the refrigerator, and by day six, you’ll have your bread starter ready."
"Wow, it takes a whole week!"
"Yep, but it’s worth it for how delicious the bread turns out."
Now that the natural yeast is set, what should I prepare for afternoon tea today?
Mother’s been into rum grapes lately, so perhaps a pound cake?
And since it’s warm today, maybe milange (orange) iced tea to go with it?
"Today, I want to make a rum brape pound cake. Is that okay?"
"Rum brapes in a cake?"
"Yep, that’s right. Let’s see… Ah, here’s a baking mold. Can I use this?"
I found a rectangular terrine mold.
"Go ahead. A merchant recently dropped it off as a sample for us to try out."
I wonder if that merchant could also source soy sauce or miso for us. And if I find out who made this mold, maybe they could even craft a hand mixer!
"I want to meet that merchant!"
"””Whoa!””"
"No yelling out of nowhere, Young lady! You startled us!"
"Ahaha, sorry, I got a little excited."
"Young lady, I understand your excitement, but if you want to meet the merchant, you’ll need the Master’s permission, and either the head chef or I will have to accompany you."
"Okay~”
I’ll discuss the merchant with Father later. For now, let’s bake that pound cake!
"Mix the eggs, butter, and honey, then fold in the rum brapes. After that, sift in the flour and baking powder and gently combine everything."
"That sounds simple enough. Even I could do it."
Annie said, holding the bowl steady.
"Then, grease the mold lightly, pour in the batter, and bake it. Master, I’m counting on you."
"Got it."
"Anything else you’d like to make?"
Arthur’s eyes were sparkling—no, gleaming eagerly at me.
"Umm… How about milange ice tea?"
"””Milange ice tea?””"
All three of them tilted their heads in unison.
"It’s just milange juice and iced tea. Fill a glass with plenty of ice, pour in the Milange juice first, then slowly add strong tea on top."
"Does milange go well with tea?"
"It’s delicious. Want to try?"
Personally, I also like peach iced tea and mango iced tea, but my absolute favorite is orange iced tea.
----------
So Much to Do
To convince the three skeptics, I prepared milange ice tea for them.
By the way, the fruit juice I always thought was delicious had actually been squeezed by Master using his “Body Enhancement” skill.
Freshly squeezed juice from a handsome guy… That could sell. Maybe somewhere like Ikebukuro?
"Young lady, this is delicious!"
"So tasty!"
"I can't believe how well milange juice pairs with tea."
"Right~?"
Even though it wasn’t my invention, I couldn’t resist striking a smug pose.
＊＊＊＊＊
Today’s afternoon tea was just the three of us—Father, Mother, and me. Without my brothers, it felt a bit lonely.
"Today, we have rum brape pound cake and milange ice tea."
"Mm, Joan, this is delicious. Could I serve this pound cake at my next tea party?"
"Of course, Mother."
"This milange ice tea is good too. I had no idea milanges and tea could go so well together."
"I’m glad you like it, Father."
As afternoon tea was wrapping up:
"By the way, Joan, how about starting self-defense and horseback riding lessons soon?"
Self-defense? Horseback riding?
Both were things I had wanted to try in my previous life but never had the chance to. Naturally:
"I’ll do it!! I want to!! Please let me!! When can I start?"
"C-calm down, Joan. Were you by any chance… doing these things in your past life?"
"No, I wanted to but never got the chance. I just got a little excited."
"Ah, I see. Well, how about starting tomorrow?"
"Yes, please!"
I can’t wait!
Self-defense? I wonder if it’s something like Aikido. Surely not wrestling moves, right? But aside from self-defense and horseback riding, I also want to learn more about this country.
"Father, I’d also like to study the history, geography, and general knowledge of this country."
"Oh, it’s admirable that you want to learn on your own. Gene didn’t start until we had to push him at eight."
Well, that’s because internally, I’m 82 years old!
"Alright, let’s include that in your lessons. You’ll have a lot on your plate, though. Can you handle it?"
"Yes, I want to try everything I’m curious about."
Ah, that reminds me—there was something I wanted to ask Father.
"Father, I have a request."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I’ve never seen our private guard. I’d like to visit them sometime."
"Oh, I suppose you haven’t. Let’s arrange for you to visit on the next Earth Day."
"Thank you, I’m looking forward to it. Oh, and there’s one more thing…"
"What is it?"
"The next time a merchant comes by, I’d like to see their goods."
"A merchant?"
"Yes. I want to see if they have any foods or seasonings from my… previous world, and I’d like to be introduced to a cast-metal artisan."
"A cast-metal artisan? Why is that, Joan?"
"I’d like them to make cooking tools for me."
"Cooking tools?"
"Yes, things like baking molds and hand mixers."
"”Hand mixers?”"
"Umm, they’re like automatic whisks?"
"Heh~ that does sound convenient."
"Yes, very much so!"
"Alright, you can meet with the merchant, but you must take Abe with you. Can you promise that?"
"Yes, I promise."