The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 126

Chapter 126: Proposal and Warm Cheesecake

What Julius brought was a sweet and sour berry, ripe and a deep red color, about one centimeter in size.

Upon appraisal, it was identified as a forberry. It’s a type of fruit that grows on trees and looks quite similar to blueberries.

When I requested to meet with Serleine’s maid, a slightly plump maid quickly made the arrangements. I hardly had to wait, and Serleine came out of the room with a bright expression.

“What’s the matter, sister?”

“Serleine, would you like to cook together for the first time in a while? I’ve been cooped up in my office lately, and I feel like doing it to my heart’s content.”

Although it was a sudden proposal, Serleine’s expression brightened immediately.

“Yes, definitely!”

We entered the kitchen side by side, tying his hair back and putting on an apron for the first time in a while.

During the winter, I had many opportunities to cook various dishes and enjoy meals with the residents of the lord’s mansion, but as spring came, the busyness of launching various business proposals and new ventures left me with no such leeway.

Melfina, along with her bodyguards and assistants, Marie, Cedric, Ed, Cliff, and Rad, have all been working under new circumstances.

Especially Ed, who has been burdened with preparing meals for the officials and clerks who often come and go, adding to his workload.

Serleine’s doctor, Simon, also has more free time now that Serleine’s health has stabilized, aside from the morning examinations, so he frequently enters the section of Melfina’s garden where medicinal herbs are cultivated.

Within the lord’s mansion, Serleine is the only one left behind in the midst of all this busyness.

—I should have paid more attention to him.

Serleine is incredibly patient… one could say he has a resilient personality. It had always been like this since the very first day I came to the Enkar region.

During the winter, we spent long hours together in the lounge, and he started to show a much more childlike expression, but recently Serleine has begun to exhibit a bit more restraint in his emotions again.

As the first prince and the crown prince, it may be a necessary trait for Serleine.

However, while he is in the Enkar region, I also hope he can spend his childhood laughing and enjoying himself, freely calling Melfina “sister” in private.

“I have some fruits that I received from the village. I’m thinking of making some sweets with them.”

“They’re sweet treats that come from the witch’s house, right?”

In this world, sugar isn’t commonly circulated as a food item, so sweets generally don’t use sugar. Instead, there are baked goods like cookies and biscuits, and if one is feeling extravagant, there are things like bread and cakes that are sweetened with honey as a finishing touch.

“Exactly. I want to make something like those sweet houses someday.”

I put the forberries and an equal weight of sugar into a pot and heat it on the magic stone stove.

“Could you crush the biscuits, Serleine? Once they’re coarsely crushed, add the butter and knead it well. Marie, could you heat up the oven?”

“Yes, sister.”

“Leave it to me.”

The look on his face as he crushes the biscuits in the bowl with a pestle is very serious. While watching him from the side, I carefully stir the contents of the pot, ensuring it doesn’t burn, and slowly add the dried lemon peel to simmer.

“Using that much sugar is quite a luxurious way to eat, isn’t it? Is it candying?”

“No, this is called jam.”

As the heat permeates the fruit, the sweet and sour scent of forberries begins to mingle with the sugary aroma, filling the kitchen. It’s a sweet, sweet smell that makes my mouth water.

“Just this smell alone is a feast.”

Serleine says this with a somewhat enchanted expression. Indeed, it’s rare to encounter such a sweet scent here. Even the aroma alone is incredibly intense.
I kneaded the cream cheese well, added sugar and eggs, and mixed them thoroughly, then incorporated a small amount of heated flour. By not over-kneading and gradually mixing in the heavy cream, the batter was ready.

I packed the biscuits that Serleine had prepared into the mold to form the base and carefully poured the batter on top. As I lifted the mold and tapped it lightly, I noticed Serleine looking up at me with a curious expression.

“By giving it a light shake like this, I’m removing the air trapped inside. If you leave it as it is, the air will expand while baking and create holes.”

I placed the mold in the preheated magic stone oven and closed the lid. I also lowered the heat on the pot and left it by the window for a while to let the flavors meld.

“It will take a little time to bake, so how about we have some tea?”

We moved to the dining room connected to the kitchen, and Melfina personally brewed the tea. Just as I was relaxing with a warm cup of tea, it was Serleine who spoke first.

“Sorry, sister.”

“Serleine?”

“I heard from the knights that you were trying to talk to me.”

“…Yes, I wanted to discuss that as well.”

Serleine, who had been cheerful just moments ago, now drooped his shoulders sadly.

“After watching the martial arts tournament, I thought I wanted to become stronger too. My health has been good recently, and I’ve grown a bit taller, so I thought I might be able to handle some basic training, and I couldn’t help but feel restless.”

Serleine is turning thirteen this year. It’s the right age to enter the knight order as an apprentice.

The further north one goes, the stronger the monsters become, and men are expected to seek strength, which I gradually understood through conversations with Julius and Serleine. In the Kingdom of Luxen, located further north than the Enkar region, it’s considered virtuous to be brave, especially for those of higher status.

Serleine’s frail constitution is due to his overwhelming magical power, and his severe cough is a local endemic disease in the Kingdom of Luxen. Neither of these issues is his fault, yet the pressure on Serleine, who has grown at a slower rate than his actual age and appears quite youthful, must have been quite severe.
With his health improving and his height increasing, it was only natural that the restraint on those suppressed emotions would loosen.

“I consulted with His Highness Julius, and he mentioned that if you have a large amount of magical power, it’s best not to exert yourself too much before you finish growing. Once your height has reached its maximum, the issues caused by magical power will mostly resolve, so it’s probably not too late after that.”

“…Yes.”

“So, if you wouldn’t mind, I have something I would like Serleine to help with. It’s something I actually wanted to do during the winter, but I didn’t manage to get to it.”

Serleine, who had been looking down, suddenly raised his face.

“Have you heard that plant paper has started coming into the Enkar region? I want to create a simple book using it.”

“A book?”

In an age where the primary “paper” in circulation is parchment, books are incredibly precious.

The church, which produces the sacred texts, holds the most books, followed by the Ivory Tower.

Some noble families own a few books, but most of them are diaries or notes from generations of heads of the family or texts conveying land management know-how. Books as entertainment or textbooks are still a long way off.

“The Enkar region was originally a land of pioneers, so the proportion of land owned by individuals is higher compared to other villages. Up until now, this hasn’t caused many issues, but now that preparations for significant development are underway, I think it’s only a matter of time before merchants from big cities start arriving.”

“…So you’re worried that the villagers, who have lived peacefully until now, might face very unequal conditions when it comes to their land ownership, sister?”

Indeed, Serleine is quite astute. I nodded firmly in response to his words.

“Right now, the governor and the clerks are preparing to establish land transfer laws and introduce a notarization system. When entering into important contracts, they plan to have a notary act as a mediator so both parties can agree on the conditions before signing, creating two copies of the contract. However, there are almost no people in the Enkar region who can write their own names.”

It’s not just in the Enkar region; literacy is inherently a form of higher education. In larger towns and cities, it’s common for commoners not to be able to read or write, to the point where there are jobs for writing letters on behalf of others.

“In a situation where you even have to rely on someone else to write your name, it becomes impossible to determine which party is right when a problem arises. Even if someone creates a document without the contractor’s signature, a third party wouldn’t know the difference.”

When nobles shake hands after a discussion, it is considered proof that a contract has been established. The fulfillment of that contract is upheld for the sake of the nobles’ pride and dignity, but it doesn’t work that way for commoners.

If there is a complaint about having been wrongfully deceived, an objective judgment on whether it is valid requires evidence.

“That’s why I want to create a textbook for commoners to at least be able to write their names. It was difficult to do that with parchment due to the cost, but now that we have plant paper, I thought I could finally get started.”

“With how busy you are now, it would be impossible to take on so much.”

“Yes, that’s why it would be incredibly helpful if you could assist me. I plan to create several samples, make corrections, and once it’s finished, I intend to hire someone for the copying and binding. Since it will start small, I’d also appreciate your help with that instruction, of course, as long as it’s within your health limits.”

“I’ll do it! I want to help you with your work, sister!”

Serleine’s face brightened up. I felt like it had been a while since I had seen him smile so brightly like this.

“That would be very helpful. Thank you, Serleine.”

As we shared a laugh, a rich, sweet aroma wafted through the air. I opened the oven and took out the cheesecake, its surface a deep golden brown.

“It’s delicious even after it cools, but shall we enjoy it warm today?”

As I cut into the still-warm cake, it was soft and gooey, collapsing into itself. I placed a piece onto a plate and drizzled vibrant dark purple jam made from foreberries over the white cross-section, completing the visually appealing cheesecake.

“Be careful, it’s hot, so you don’t burn yourself. Marie and Cedric, please have some too.”

When I called out to the two, who had quietly watched the conversation with Serleine, Marie hurriedly prepared new tea, and while Cedric maintained a serious expression, his brown eyes sparkled with delight.

Marie took her seat first, and Melfina scooped up a portion of the cheesecake mixed with jam using a spoon and brought it to her mouth.

The creamy, unassuming cream cheese combined with sugar released a rich sweetness and heavy texture that spread lightly in her mouth. The tartness of the foreberry provided an accent, and the fragrant aroma wafted through her nose.

“—It’s delicious. Everyone, please help yourselves.”

The three quickly picked up their spoons and scooped the jam-covered parts just like Melfina.

Serleine blinked rapidly, Cedric squinted as he savored the flavor, and Marie held her mouth while gazing at Melfina, their reactions varied, but it was clear they all enjoyed it.

“This is… how should I say it, it’s incredibly sweet and delicious…”

“I’ve never tasted anything like this, but it’s rich. It’s so soft that I feel like I could eat as much as I want.”

“After clearing my palate with tea, it feels refreshing again. Plus, the baked parts have a different texture, which is interesting.”

“This is called cheesecake. There are many kinds of cakes, and this is the simplest recipe. Once we can get flour from Romana, we’ll be able to make fluffy, crispy cakes, and so on.”

Most of the wheat grown in the fields of the Francesca Kingdom is hard wheat, which is suited for making bread—often referred to as strong flour—and is not well-suited for making light and airy sponge cakes or pastry dough.

Some soft wheat is cultivated in parts of the south, but the major production area is further south in the Romana Republic. Along with plant paper, these will likely arrive in the future.

“Even though this cheesecake is so delicious, can you really make other tasty dishes?”

“Yes, I enjoy both cooking and baking, and I think it would be wonderful if we could occasionally make things together like this in the future.”

In this world, unlike in my previous life, there are many things that cannot be obtained, but with creativity, there are also things we can manage to accomplish.

Finding each of those little things will surely be enjoyable.

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it, sister!”

Serleine said cheerfully, happily bringing another spoonful to his mouth.

Before long, Cedric’s plate had become completely empty.

Marie carefully scooped a little at a time from the edge, tasting it, then sipping her tea, and eating a bit more.

As Melfina enjoyed the warm cheesecake, she thought about how their personalities shone through even in their shared sweet tooth.