281 - The Nurse Maid and the Cheesecake
I think it's because Kalisa joined the maids at the detached palace that I've let my guard down. Or rather, let it slip too much. I'm having trouble putting the mask of a proper lady back on, and Hermine's lectures are increasing in number. This is also partly my fault for still not being able to fully control my emotions, so I have no choice but to accept it.
...You know, the capital is a place where even I get poisoned by some thrill-seeker. Is it really alright to have Elke and the others stay here?
I'm worried that the next time poison is brought in without anyone knowing, Elke and Petrona might end up in the same situation as Stina and her maid. They've started stationing dogs by my side when I eat, but poison doesn't only enter through the mouth. If I need to be wary of things other than food, then Elke and the others might unknowingly be made to carry poison. If that happens, the two of them would quickly be branded as criminals. For attempting to poison me.
...I absolutely have to send Elke and Petrona back to Grenore safely.
About all I can do is watch out for poison myself. Still, that should be more useful than living without any suspicion like I did before.
"...Jinbei isn't here!"
"Jinbei?"
"What's that?"
I had been showing the three of them around my room as their new workplace, but Kalisa reacted to the fact that the giant bear plushie wasn't inside the bed canopy. Elke and Petrona, who had no idea what "Jinbei" meant when the name was suddenly mentioned, were confused by the reaction of their senior maid, Kalisa.
...Come to think of it, I might never have called Elke and the others to my room in Grenore.
Even when I invited the two of them to the residence, it would have been to the living room or reception room. They've probably never seen the giant bear plushie that sits on my bed.
...Actually, is it even okay for an eleven-year-old to sleep with a plushie?
It's not really the size of a plushie, but in terms of description, "sleeping with a plushie" is correct. Even if it is a giant plushie that, when stood up, easily exceeds Leonardo's height.
...But Jinbei is more like a pillow than a plushie...?
Or maybe a backrest. It's not the kind of use you'd imagine from the phrase "sleeping with a plushie."
"I had heard from Alf-sama that the room in the capital would be arranged to resemble your room in Grenore, so you wouldn't feel any discomfort, young lady..."
The story was different, Kalisa said indignantly. The story she heard through Alf was apparently that Alfred would arrange the room at the detached palace to resemble my room in Grenore, so I wouldn't feel any discomfort or stress.
"...Since Alf-sama said it would be fine, I was confidently educating the two of them..."
In a situation like this, she should have come to the capital first even if it meant putting their education on hold, and with that, Kalisa's nurse maid soul was set ablaze. She's supposed to be here as a maid in the capital, so it'd be a problem if she kept coddling me in nurse maid mode forever, but somehow I feel relieved and the tension drains from my shoulders. I've been feeling a little cramped lately, like I'm being rushed to grow up, told I'm too old to keep relying on my big brother, and pushed toward proper lady-like behavior. Of course, I understand it's necessary, but I want to become an adult at my own pace. Even if that's not allowed, I don't like being rushed too much.
"Kali..."
I was about to hug Kalisa again, to fill the loneliness of the past while. I reached out toward Kalisa, but it seemed some strange switch had been flipped in her. She turned back to me with a bright smile and began saying something that sounded like something my big brother (Leonardo) would say.
"Young lady, I will make a Jinbei!"
"Eh? Not 'shall I make one' or 'won't you make one?' but 'I will make one!' is it?"
It wasn't a question of whether it was necessary, it was a statement of necessity. Apparently, to Kalisa, the absence of a giant bear plushie in my room was that important. She said that even when they prepared the Mandez residence for me, she was secretly shocked by the absence of the bear plushie that sits in my Grenore room. A Mandez room without a plushie with that much presence simply could not be called "arranged as my room" at all, she said.
...She doesn't have to go that far, you know. Well, I mean, I was thinking it'd be nice to have one...
I'd been thinking about it just a moment ago as a hiding place for the jewelry box Basilia gave me. If Kalisa is offering to make one, I feel like I can take her up on it.
"...Jinbei is staying home in Grenore, so I'd like a cat or a dog."
She asked if something other than a bear was fine, so I insisted that I like both cats and dogs. The bear plushie was something Leonardo bought on a whim, not something I particularly asked for. Since she's kindly offering to make one, I felt it would be better to leave Jinbei as the sole one in Grenore and have a different, clearly identifiable animal.
"...Then let's make it a dog. You already have two dogs with you, young lady, so if we add one more, it will match the crest of the Grenore Knights."
"The Grenore Knights' crest... that is Cerberus, is it not."
In my previous life's knowledge, I think it was a guardian of the underworld, but in this world's knowledge, it is a guardian of treasure. As a hiding place for treasures, it might be perfect.
Since Kalisa was kind enough to make it, I got a little greedy and placed some orders. I wanted it about a size smaller than Jinbei, and since I would be moving rooms with the seasons, I would appreciate it if the arms and body could be taken apart for transport. I had also thought a bit about the bear plushie, wondering if it could be made with a door on its belly so I could store things inside. I threw out one request after another as they came to mind, and Kalisa revised them into feasible plans. It is good that Kalisa is so motivated, but Elke and Petrona were left a bit behind. Maybe they had only known the shy, quiet Kalisa before coming to the capital.
Thanks to Kalisa coming, life at the detached palace suddenly feels much closer to Grenore. Part of it is that the cooks have been replaced, but Kalisa knows my taste preferences. The seasoning that had gradually changed from what the previous master liked is now being adjusted to my preferences all at once, since Kalisa is taking the lead in conveying my tastes to the kitchen.
The snacks during break time, which the cooks used to make, have also been replaced by Kalisa's homemade ones. While making pudding and cheesecake in the simple kitchen set up in the waiting room, she continued educating Elke and Petrona.
"...If you notice anything off, even a little, absolutely do not touch it. Report it to the guard, Aaron-sama."
While explaining, Kalisa opened the door of a locked cabinet and showed the inside to Elke and Petrona. Everything in the cabinet that holds food I will eat is unopened and brand new. That way, if someone opens it and mixes something in, it can be noticed immediately. Previously, Valerier and Nadine managed the key to this cabinet. Normally, such an important item would be entrusted to a lady's maid rather than a regular maid, but due to Alfred's introduction and her history as my nurse maid, Kalisa was given charge of it. Because she would never, ever expose the child she had protected to danger.
...I understand they are doing very important education, okay?
But why is even Giselle joining Kalisa's lecture? Giselle stands behind me as my guard, but occasionally I hear what sounds like admiring murmurs like "I see" and "So that is what it means..." Seeing her learning like this since taking up my guard duty, I cannot help but feel that the White Knights really are just for show. Even Leonardo, who is fair and just, says they "can barely be trusted with gate duty." Knowing about the White Knight who arranged a night visit, my personal opinion is "cannot even be trusted with gate duty."
She took out unopened flour and sugar from the cabinet and had Elke and Petrona confirm they were indeed unopened. The other ingredients brought from the kitchen, like eggs, butter, and cheese, were checked in a different way.
"Then, young lady, how shall we do it today?"
"Um, well, I have heard that cheesecake is good if you put water on a baking sheet and steam-bake it, with a cookie crust on the bottom, and add Nuzer inside."
Nuzer is what dried grapes are called in this world. I recalled a delicious cheesecake recipe from my previous life, but since I did not remember the exact measurements, I decided to have it recreated based on my favorite shop's recipe. After all, I only have a vague half-remembered memory, so I have no idea if it will actually turn out tasty.
...But I do not think steam-baking it, putting a cookie crust on the bottom, or adding dried grapes would make it taste bad.
If there is a problem, it would be that since this is a first attempt, the flavors might not harmonize. If it turns out really delicious, I am sure Kalisa will make it a few more times and adjust, so there is no need to think about it today. In fact, even though I only mentioned it as a passing idea, Kalisa is already starting to think about adjusting the flavors. Since we are putting cookies on the bottom, should we reduce the sweetness? Or is it more about texture than flavor?
"Then, young lady. Once it is done, I will serve it at break time, so please do your best with your work."
"Haa-i."
I let out a relaxed response to Kalisa, who sent me off telling me to do my best with the transcription work, and hurriedly covered my mouth. Ever since Kalisa arrived, my guard has been down continuously. Which is why Hermine was standing right beside me with a look that said she had something to say.
"Umm... I am looking forward to it, Kalisa."
I straightened my posture and corrected myself like a proper lady, wondering if that was better. When I glanced up at Hermine, she had a wry smile on her face.
"...I think it was a bit too long."
As promised, I brought the modified cheesecake, which arrived at break time, to my mouth and complained to Jasper, who was keeping me company during my break again today. The improvements were based on things I had only half-heard, but the finished cheesecake turned out quite different. First, perhaps due to the steam-baking, the texture was moist and soft. Yet thanks to the cookie crust on the bottom, it also had a crisp bite, and the flavor of the dried grapes was a nice accent. Thanks to Christoph, I had eaten cheesecake from various shops, but given how different the texture was, I do not think any of those were steam-baked. At this rate, I might give some as a gift to Basilia someday. As I was thinking that I had not seen any rare cheesecake around here, Jasper offered something like consolation for my complaints.
"Meetings of bigwigs are about like this, are they not."
"They are too long. I am starting to suspect they are deliberately dragging out the meetings to keep me tied to the capital."
I complained like that, but Jasper's words made more sense. This affects not just the country, but all the people living within range of the Sedovara Church's blessings. The order in which to revive Saint Yuuta Hiraga's secret arts probably is not something that can be decided overnight. Even if you said, "Here is a list. We will revive three from it. Please choose those three," there probably is not a single ruler who could immediately say, "Then this one and this one!"
...I want to hurry up and make medicine and go back to Grenore.
The transcription I am making for my own use is not even half done yet, but I am already getting tired of the transcription work. Unfortunately, I do not have Jasper's patience or concentration when it comes to transcription. I wanted to move on to the next task already.
Time is up. A heartwarming part after a long while. Will fix typos and errors at a later date.
There will be no update tomorrow.