The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Cork and the Two Researchers

“Lady Melfina, shall I prepare a carriage for our transport?”

“No, it’s within the castle grounds, so I’ll walk. If I don’t move around a little, I’ll get out of shape.”

I answered Marie’s words with a smile and stepped out of the lord’s mansion. Despite the fine weather, the wind that was blowing had an unexpected chill to it.

Summer in the north is a season of blessings, but it is fleetingly short. Once the last of the corn was harvested, the signs of summer’s departure were already close at hand.

“The workload has been decreasing little by little. I’d like to go on a picnic again this year.”

“Serleine also seems to have been shut up in his room writing recently, aside from his walks with Felice. I think it would be a good change of pace.”

“I’ve been so busy, I’ve made Serleine feel lonely. I’m truly glad Felice is with him.”

We try to have breakfast and dinner together as much as possible, but it’s not uncommon for me to miss them when I have inspections or meetings with the civil officials. The patient Serleine doesn’t voice his loneliness, but as a prince from another country, there aren’t many people he can open his heart to.

In the winter, we’ll be able to spend the whole day together, but I also felt the desire to make time for him as soon as possible.

“Shall we bring sandwiches, pie, and some apple cider?”

“It might also be nice to have the soldiers catch some fish in the lake. We could offer a reward to whoever catches the biggest one on the spot.”

“Since Lloyd started working at the lord’s mansion, we’ve had fewer opportunities to eat fish. Perhaps I should participate in that competition myself.”

When I looked back, Lloyd, who was carrying our luggage, let out a wry smile.

“Then I will prepare the fishing gear. We’ll have those who wish to participate join in… It would probably be best to prepare enough for everyone, just in case.”

We walked for a while, exchanging casual conversation. Besides Lloyd, my guard knight Theodore and, today, the two administrators Helmut and Günter, were accompanying me.

In the area around where the original lord’s mansion stood, new buildings were being constructed one after another. The newest glass workshop, in particular, with all its windows made of flat glass, had a more sophisticated atmosphere than the lord’s mansion.

“It seems Ricardo put a lot of effort into building it. The workshop has already moved, and he’s truly reliable.”

“Ah, Lady Mel!”

As we were walking towards the glass workshop, Rena, who had noticed us, came running like a bullet and landed with a soft “poof” against Melfina’s skirt. I patted her cute head and took her hand.

“Thank you for coming today, Rena.”

“Thank you for inviting me!”

A smile naturally formed on my lips at her grown-up reply.

When we met last spring and summer, she spoke with a lisp, but it seems a child’s growth truly happens in the blink of an eye.

In front of the workshop, the glass craftsmen and the ale brewers from the brewery built next door, separated by a wide pathway, were already gathered. Julius, tall with blue hair, greeted Melfina with a smile, while Rod, beside him, had a relieved expression.

The inside of the glass workshop tended to get hot. Even now, with the furnace lit, it was much warmer than outside despite the open windows.

“Thank you all for gathering today. The ale and glass have both been very well-received from the outside, which has been a great help to me.”

“The brewing is still a matter of trial and error, but I will one day catch up to your ladyship’s skill.”

“As for the glass, we’re still doing our best just to get used to the new techniques. We’ve somehow managed to produce flat glass consistently, but there’s still a lot of unevenness, so it will likely take a little more time to become proficient.”

The craftsmen said as much, but both groups were highly motivated, and I could feel their skill levels rising day by day. As I smiled brightly with pleasure, Julius spoke to me as if in a hurry.

“My lady, about today’s matter.”

“Yes, I know everyone is busy, so let’s get to the main topic. Lloyd.”
“Yes.”

Lloyd spread out the contents of the luggage he was carrying onto the large desk set up in the workshop.

At first glance, it was just a thick piece of shaved wood surface. There were several that were greatly warped inwards from drying.

About half of the thick bark had round holes drilled into them.

“This is the bark of a tree that grows in the Spanish Empire. As you can see, the hollowed-out part is used by fitting it into the mouth of a bottle.”

At Melfina’s words, Lloyd placed a bottled item on the table.

“This is something I had you make when the workshop first started operating.”

The contents of the bottle were jam that Melfina had made, and cheese cut into cubes and steeped in olive oil. After the cork was inserted, it was sealed by pouring wax over the top.

“Yes, I’ve made several bottled items experimentally since then. I made them as soon as I got the cork, so they have all been sitting for over two weeks.”

A stir went through the crowd at those words.

The cylindrically hollowed-out cork was exactly the same as the cork stoppers she had seen in her previous life. In her past life, they often had brands burned into them depending on the origin or manufacturer, but that was about the only difference.

“Please, everyone, take one in your hands. As you’ll see when you touch it, cork is elastic. You fit this round cutout into the mouth of a bottle and then seal it with wax from above. By shutting it off from the air, you can extend the period before alcohol or oil oxidizes… that is, turns sour or gives off a bad smell.”

The craftsmen looked on with interest, some picking up the pre-cut corks, others holding the bottled items up to the light coming in from the window.

There were even some who touched and examined the uncut cork.

“I see. So, the combination of the bottle and cork allows for longer preservation than storing in a barrel, is that it?”

While they said this, the craftsmen seemed to not fully grasp its usefulness.

In this world, the mainstream methods of food preservation were salting or drying on top of that, and it was normal for alcoholic beverages to be produced and consumed locally.

Ale was drunk before the next batch finished fermenting, and wine would turn to vinegar if left for too long, so it wasn’t something that kept well.

What’s more, glass is fragile. It was a natural reaction to think that even if it lasted a little longer, it couldn’t match the convenience of a barrel.

“I believe you will understand its value if I say that wine, bottled with sufficient care, can last for ten or even twenty years.”

At Melfina’s words, a murmur went through everyone except Julius and Rena.

“Also, if heated food is sealed in a bottle, spoilage will be considerably delayed or will not occur at all. For the time being, we will focus on developing fillings such as alcohol, oil-preserved foods, and salted foods, but ultimately, I would like to aim for a state where the food inside does not spoil.”

In reality, for food products, the limit would likely be a few years considering the durability of the cork and changes in the contents, but even so, considering the preservation techniques of this world, it could be called a revolution.

If the contents were wine, or even distilled spirits, it would by no means be an exaggeration.

“Is such a thing possible…”

“Twenty years for wine. Honestly, I can’t even imagine it.”

“Putting aside the matter of years, if that could be realized, it would make securing food for the winter much easier.”

“It could also serve as a provision against famine.”

Melfina watched with a gentle, unwavering smile as they began to seriously discuss the combination of cork and bottle.

Cork is light but bulky, so it is not a very suitable material for transportation by carriage.

It was something she had been able to import from the Spanish Empire thanks to the smooth progress of the water transport.

The merchant who had brought it had been quite inquisitive, asking what she intended to do with such a large quantity of it and how on earth she planned to use it.

“Lady Melfina, this is something that cannot be harvested within the Kingdom of Francesca, is it not? If the development of bottling goes well and the usefulness of cork becomes known, will the price not soar?”

The craftsmen’s attention focused on Helmut’s question.

It was obvious that there would be no point in developing it if the raw material prices skyrocketed and it became unavailable.

In response, Melfina answered calmly.

“I invested in an entrepreneur and had them secure aid for the management of a cork forest and sign an exclusive contract for the next ten years. It will take two or three years for people to understand why we use cork to seal bottles, and a similar amount of time for them to fail at simply trying to copy it and figure out the principle. By the time a movement to purchase large quantities of cork actually begins, I intend to expand the scale of the contract.”

“Hmm… However, I think there is a high probability that the manager will take a deal to sell at a higher price.”

“By that time, I believe the next generation of technology will be on track. But cork is a useful material, so I would very much like to have a long relationship with them.”

In this world, cork can only be harvested from oak trees that grow in the Spanish Empire and the Republic of Romana.

There might be a possibility in the southern part of the Kingdom of Francesca, but it would likely be difficult in the cold climate of the Enkar region at least.

For a while, she would have no choice but to rely on imports, but it was clear that dependence on imports would worsen the balance of expenditures. By the time the usefulness of cork spreads and the price rises, she would have to reduce its usage and develop technology that could do the same thing with a different material.

“For bottles containing oil or alcohol, they are made to fit the size of the cork mouth, so I don’t think it will be that difficult. I believe a craftsman with the skill to make plate glass can achieve it before long. What I would like to ask of the glass workshop craftsmen is mainly research into ale bottles.”

“Ale bottles? You mean they can’t be filled in the same way as oil and such?”

The head of the glass workshop asked with a stern expression.

“That’s right. For things like wine and oil, as long as the glass itself is not handled roughly, there is almost no fear of breakage. However, with carbonated… fizzy things, the internal pressure rises, so there is a risk that a bottle with insufficient strength will burst from the inside. From now on, you will be making something that can withstand that internal pressure, but for that, I will ask for the cooperation of these two. —Rod, Rena. Step forward.”

The two, who had been waiting quietly until then, were called by name. After exchanging a look, they timidly stood on either side of Melfina.

The craftsmen, too, looked clearly bewildered at being introduced to two children.

“The older brother, Rod, has already been recognized for his Talents in Calculation and Analysis. The younger sister, Rena, has not yet received her Blessing, but I believe she too has a rare Talent. It was she who, together with the alchemist Lord Julius, conducted the experiments to prevent food from spoiling in bottles.”

“I’m Rena! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“I’m Rod. I will do my best to be of service to Lady Melfina.”

Rena, with her characteristic lack of pretension, greeted them energetically, and as if pushed by his sister’s voice, Rod also straightened his back and spoke up.

“Regarding this research, I have delegated my authority to these two. You may consider their words to be my own.”