235 - Quick Pickles and Servant Labor Conditions
I felt like Ethelbert had told me something along the lines of "you should observe a bit more," so I decided to try increasing my conversations with the maids. It is not like I can keep being shy forever. While staying in the capital, I am inevitably going to be relying on their care. The sooner I get used to them, the better.
"Since Ethelbert-sama shared some rice with us, I would like to have it for breakfast tomorrow as soon as possible."
I watched the male servants carry the tatami mats to the spring room while another servant carried the rice, then conveyed my wishes to Valerier, who had come out to greet me. I could not keep using Hermine as an intermediary forever, so I chose Valerier, who personally had the highest favorability rating with me. Valerier was the daughter of the Staff Peerage, the highest-ranking girl present, but precisely because of that, her upbringing was thorough, and she listened properly to my words even though I could only behave as someone beneath a master.
"Very well. I shall convey that to the chef."
"Also, Ethelbert-sama taught me how to cook the rice too... um, can the chef read?"
"The people of the capital are all diligent, and not only the chefs but even the servants have all mastered reading and writing. Of course, the detached palace chef can read recipes as well, so please rest assured."
I had wondered if some people might not be able to read even if I gave them a recipe, but at least for the servants working at the royal castle, that worry seemed unnecessary. Since they can read, it should be fine to hand over the rice cooking instructions that Ethelbert's detached palace chef wrote for me.
"...I would like to have some quick pickles with the rice as well."
"Quick pickles, is it..."
...Ah, so that was it. That pause was an "I do not understand" moment.
Perhaps because she is a well-bred girl, Valerier's expressions are hard to read. But from the slight tremor in her voice, I could tell that the word "quick pickles" had not gotten through to her.
...Yeah. Maybe this was my fault after all. I have been on guard because we only just met, and I have not tried to open up to them at all.
For the past few days, I had only been moving around attached to Hermine and Leonardo, and I had not tried to talk much with the newly assigned maids around me. At this rate, there was no way I would ever get used to them.
"Um, quick pickles are... you cut up cucumber or eggplant, rub them with salt, let them sit for a bit until water comes out, then squeeze that out."
It is also called salt-pressing, I explained, giving a simple description of how to make them. I have eaten pickles preserved in vinegar like pickles in this life, but I have never had simple quick pickles. I had only encountered umeboshi, the king of pickles, at Ethelbert's detached palace.
"Just rubbing with salt, is it. Would it be acceptable to serve the young lady something that can hardly be called cooking?"
"...It is a simple dish where you just rub a little salt in, but it is delicious."
I wondered if maybe it had never been served before because it was too simple to be called cooking. Since salt is the most familiar seasoning, it felt a little strange that quick pickles had never appeared as a dish.
"If it is cucumber and eggplant... would other vegetables work as well?"
"I have heard of pickling daikon radish (Nokiado) and turnips too, but I am not sure if they can be made the same way."
If I am being greedy, I would also like some takuan pickled radish, but I do not know how to make takuan. I know the ingredient is daikon radish, but can you make it by just rubbing in salt like quick pickles? If so, where does that yellow color come from? When I think yellow, I think turmeric, but did commercially sold radish get dyed on purpose?
...I have never once thought about how to make takuan before.
In my previous life, I just bought them at the store, so even when the chance to recreate them comes, I cannot really make use of it. Leonardo buys miso and soy sauce for me, but since I do not know how to make them, there is nothing I can do about it.
While wondering if I could really call something that was just salt-rubbed "cooking," Valerier promised to serve quick pickles for breakfast, so I got a little greedy and requested tonjiru too. Whether because Alfred had told them that I eat dishes made with Napaji seasonings, it seemed that seasonings like miso and soy sauce were already prepared at the detached palace. I also explained how to make tonjiru, and since it seemed more like actual cooking than quick pickles, Valerier accepted it.
...Well then, I am looking forward to tomorrow's breakfast.
As Valerier went to convey my breakfast request to the chef, Aaron came in her place. His report was about the door at the end of the hidden passage and the completion of the key replacement work.
"I would like to go confirm it. Since it is an important part of the detached palace, I believe it is a matter that I, as the master, should attend to."
Having been scolded once before about a lady exploring hidden passages, I glanced at Hermine's expression. Indeed, "exploring hidden passages" might not be very ladylike behavior, but as the master of the detached palace, I think confirming the hidden passage is important. If anything, I think leaving such an important confirmation to someone else would be worse.
"...It is a passage for Tina-san to use in an emergency, after all. I suppose it would be better for you to confirm it yourself."
If it is confirmation rather than exploration, she cannot very well deny it, Hermine said, straightening her back. As long as I try to behave as the master, it seems Hermine will not fault my actions.
"We replaced the door as Tina-sama ordered. As you can see, the key can only be inserted from the inside."
"Indeed, it has been replaced exactly as ordered."
I opened and closed the door several times, checking the keyhole. With the previous door, the key could be inserted from both outside and inside, but with this new door, the key can only be unlocked from the inside. Since this door was originally installed as an escape route, there was no need to open it from outside. It is a door for going out, and there is no need to allow intruders in from outside.
"Leonyaldo Big Brother, please put up the talisman."
"...It is a piece of paper, is it not."
"It is a ghost-repelling talisman. Ethelbert-sama said so."
I handed Leonardo a piece of paper that Ethelbert had written on, as he stepped outside the door. The paper, written in fine brushstrokes with "Show your face once in a while, you fool," carried Ethelbert's affection, if I was not mistaken. I did not know who the message was addressed to, but it was certainly someone Ethelbert knew.
"Who do you suppose will see it?"
"If he calls it a ghost, could it be the previous master of the detached palace?"
As I checked the paper neatly affixed to the door, Giselle also came to this side of the door, seeming to want to confirm as well.
"The previous master... someone before Princess Claudine?"
"Before Princess Claudine, the younger brother of His Majesty King Christoph supposedly used it."
"The king's younger brother... where is he now?"
"Lord Rannvald should have passed away from illness about fifteen... no, sixteen years ago."
They were close brothers with a large age gap, and it is said that the current king, who was still a prince at the time, was so grief-stricken that he could not even eat. After the funeral, he apparently visited his younger brother's grave every day, scolding his prematurely departed brother.
...But if there is a grave and they had a funeral, that means it is a different person, right?
The mention of a ghost would fit perfectly, but if he is actually alive and kicking, then the coffin during the funeral and the grave would be empty. If he went missing, I suppose it could be him, but holding a funeral for an empty coffin would be cruel to the attendees who were made to participate. No matter how troublesome and strong-willed the royal family might be, I do not want them joking around about matters of life and death.
...Come to think of it, before the ghost story, Ethelbert-sama was looking at Leonyaldo-san's face, was he not?
I tilted my head, wondering what that was about, as I locked the hidden passage. At any rate, the door whose key location was unknown had been replaced. For now, that was a relief.
When I got out of the bath and went to the dining room, along with dinner there were several small plates with eggplant quick pickles on them. It seemed they had tried making them right away.
"The plates are different colors?"
"These are made with the amount of salt you instructed, and the ones on the other plates are what the chef adjusted after tasting."
It seemed they were unfamiliar with the process, confused by such a simple cooking method, and after some deliberation had made several samples. They felt reluctant to have me, their master, do a taste test, but I was the only one who knew what quick pickles should taste like since I was the one who wanted to eat them. So they had brought prototypes, knowing it might be rude.
...Rather than being served a strong flavor from the start, I would much rather have several options, rude or not.
"This one has the lightest flavor."
When I indicated the light-colored plate, they told me this was made with the salt amount I had specified. So thinking the opposite, I tried the quick pickle on the dark-colored plate, and it was surprisingly salty. It was something that could not be called "quick pickle" at all.
...That is extreme.
Having learned that the dark plate was strongly salty, I tasted them from the lightest one onward. Six plates had been prepared in total, and the one I liked was the second plate from the lightest.
After a dinner that was slightly lighter in flavor than before, I requested the lesson from Hermine that I had missed today due to being called to Ethelbert's detached palace. Usually this would be the time I spent playing Saik or Reversi with Leonardo, but today there was something I wanted to ask about while I still remembered it.
"Hermine-sensei, does this country not have something like a labor standards law?"
"I am afraid I am not familiar with this 'labor standards law' that Tina-san speaks of..."
Come to think of it, Ethelbert had pointed that out too, I recalled. It almost derailed the conversation so it was ignored, but the "labor standards law" I was talking about was a Japanese law, so of course it was not a law of this country. There was no way Ethelbert or Hermine would understand what I meant.
"Um, it is a law about labor from another country. It sets standards like working hours and wages... the minimum that must be observed for working conditions. Does this country not have rules like that?"
"...Tina-san has said she does not want to become a noble, has she not? Are you saying you wish to study law? If you want to study it professionally, I could introduce a specialist tutor far more competent than myself..."
The words that followed, suggesting that being summoned to Ethelbert's detached palace meant she intended to become a royal bride, made me hurriedly shake my head in denial. I was just a little curious. I had no desire to become a royal bride.
"Once I am done with the king's business, I plan to return to the city of Grenore and live quietly making embroidery and lace. I absolutely do not want to become a royal bride piled high with responsibilities and obligations."
Since this is important, I will say it as many times as I need to. If I had ambition and confidence, marrying into the royal family might be a chance to gain status and influence, but sadly, all I have is the Japanese tendency toward non-interference and the ability to avoid responsibility. I do not even want to be in the position of a noble's daughter, so there is no way I would want to become a royal bride.
"...But Ethelbert-sama taught me something. That maids and servants are bound to their work all day long. That they have no real breaks, and that is probably why sometimes they feel like letting their guard down."
Regarding Rebecca and Ulrika, I had consulted Hermine first. So this phrase "when they feel like letting their guard down" was understandable even without further explanation. What Ethelbert had said was essentially an intercession for Rebecca. "Humans get tired and let their guard down sometimes. Forgive a single mistake." Since she had only spoken her true feelings when she thought the master was not watching, let it slide just once. If she showed no sign of improvement, he also advised that it would be fine to prepare a replacement and then formally dismiss her.
"What you are seeking is information about the employment forms and working conditions of maids and servants in this country, is it not?"
"Yes. I have been concerned for a while that the Grenore residence is managed only by Tabitha and Bart, so I thought I would take this opportunity to consider improvements there too."
With the silver-white knights staying at the residence, the number of people living there had increased. Since it was too difficult for just Tabitha and Bart to manage and maintain, from last year I had had Kalisa and Salisa come as temporary helpers on a one-year limited contract. Once the silver-white knights finished their duties and moved out, I could reduce the numbers again, but Tabitha and Bart were getting on in years. Eventually their physical strength would decline, so I should look for successors early, and I think regular breaks are necessary. Really, it was long overdue.
"The servants at the Grenore residence are servants (Brownies), so they have no need for the concept of vacation..."
To put it in Iridal's terms, servants (Brownies) are like furniture in the residence. Their role is to be there at the residence, so there is no such thing as vacation. No one would say to a piece of furniture, "You must be tired after today. Take tomorrow off." Furniture is a tool used by the people of the house. A tool that is not used has no meaning in being there as a tool.
However, when it comes to servants (human employees), the story is different. Servants are, after all, human beings, and sometimes need rest. If they think the working conditions like wages do not suit them, they even have the freedom to change workplaces. The master's side also needs to prepare appropriate treatment so that the servants will not run away.
"...If you are concerned about it, why do you not try managing the working hours of the detached palace servants while consulting with Nadine?"
While being asked about the labor standards law from time to time, Hermine taught me about the working conditions of servants in this country. Though she said there were actually more detailed laws, and if I wanted to study them in depth, she could arrange a specialist tutor.
"Within the detached palace, Tina-san is the master. You are free to change the working hours and holidays of the servants as you like."
However, even if she said I could change things however I liked, there were some jobs that could not function without a minimum level of service, so consulting Nadine was absolutely necessary. Nadine seemed to serve as something like training wheels for me, since I could not possibly manage the detached palace on my own. The reason she had not shown her face much since greeting me on the first day I came to the detached palace was apparently because she was managing the detached palace's servants on my behalf. My personal care was left to the maids, and those maids were the four whom Nadine trusted to be entrusted with the master. Including Rebecca.
...The one I understand least is Nadine.
According to Ethelbert, Nadine was apparently an excellent nurse. Rebecca and Ulrika were also maids recognized by that excellent Nadine.
...If she is so excellent, how did she raise Diet to be like that? If she is so excellent, why would she hit on Leonyaldo-san during work hours, or push her own work onto others saying she does not want to care for the sick?
I could not quite make sense of it, and Hermine told me that managing servants was also a lady's duty. The husband works outside, and the wife controls the servants and manages the home, she said.
...I give up. Even if I think about it, I do not understand.
As for Rebecca, setting her aside, at least Ulrika has not hit on Leonardo where I can see her since then. Knowing that I had witnessed her must have made her tighten up.
As for Nadine, I felt that precisely because I had strange preconceptions about her, I could not see her clearly with my own eyes and mind. The stories I had heard before and the evaluations from those around me after seeing her in person in the capital were too different, and I was confused.
...In any case, my goal is to grasp and improve the working hours of servants. Honestly, being bound to the workplace 24 hours a day with only one day off every two weeks is way too harsh.
The working conditions I heard from Hermine were too black by the standards of my previous life as a Japanese person. I think the working conditions are harsh enough to make genuine black companies look gray. First comes understanding the reality, then improving it.
By the way, it seems daikon radish is dried to remove moisture before being pickled. Tina judged it too vague and that she "did not know," but she should have seen footage of making takuan on TV or something in her previous life. If she seriously wanted to eat takuan and felt like challenging herself, I think she would try, even if she failed. Apparently the yellow color is dyed. The ones we made at home before were white.
Typos and omissions again another day. Fixed any typos and omissions I found.