49 — Chapter 49

Usually, the maid Sophie accompanies me, but today a court lady is with us as well because of the Queen’s letter. Charlotte Evans is the lady who delivered the Hanon to our house before.

“Lady Charlotte, if I may, I have something I would like to ask.”

Charlotte’s brown hair is braided and styled without a single stray strand, and she wears the black uniform of a court lady. She has a somewhat unapproachable aura, but if I don’t ask now, I’ll be in trouble later.

“Her Majesty Queen Victoria mentioned that everything necessary for the summer villa would be provided, but I believe there are things I should bring myself. Since I don’t have a mother, I must give instructions to my maid myself. Please, tell me what I should prepare.”

“Her Majesty will certainly have the essentials for living at the villa provided—clothes, dresses, nightwear, and undergarments. However, you might find it more comfortable to bring undergarments and nightwear you are accustomed to wearing. There is a sea at the summer villa, so you will need old clothes to use as swimwear. I believe it would also be convenient to bring casual clothes for playing outdoors.”

In short, one set of high-quality dresses, clothes, and nightwear will be provided, but I’ll need to bring my own changes. Also, old clothes for swimming and outdoor play. I’m glad I asked.

“Thank you. Also… must I bring a maid with me?”

Lady Charlotte looked surprised.

“If you do not have a maid, Her Majesty would surely assign one to you, but I believe you would find it much easier to be cared for by a maid of your own choosing.”

Well, obviously I’d prefer Mary over a stranger. But we only have Mary at the house.

“Um, what should a maid bring for herself?”

“Your maid will know that herself.”

True; I’ll leave that to Mary. The carriage arrived at the house. Charlotte, the court lady, handed the Queen’s letter to Wyatt, and Sophie, the maid, handed over the basket containing eggs and other supplies.

Please, let Father refuse the invitation to the villa! It’s a futile wish, so I won’t bother praying to God.

Since whatever happens will happen, I head to the greenhouse with my brothers to pick the ripened tomatoes, eggplants, and cucumbers. I take three small, bright red tomatoes, wash them until they are cold and clean, and bite into one.

“Freshly picked tomatoes are so delicious.”

“Yeah, I love tomatoes!”

Ah, if only I could spend my summer vacation like this.

At dinner, seeing the delighted look on my father’s face, I realized the trip to the villa was set in stone.

“Patience, it seems Her Majesty Queen Victoria is taking you to the summer villa because you have been so diligent in your duties as Lady Margaret’s lady-in-waiting. It is a truly gracious offer.”

So he really isn’t turning it down. Disappointing.

“Father, but I intended to spend the summer vacation with my brothers. And even though they said I could bring a maid, we only have Mary.”

As if suddenly realizing something, Father opened his grey eyes wide.

“I see… we only have Mary. This house has become quite lonely.”

This is no time for sentimentalism about being “lonely.” Honestly, I don’t even need a maid to come along. I’ve been living on my own in the dormitory, after all.

Father, lacking his usual life skills as always, insisted, “You must take a maid,” but the manor would be in trouble if Mary left. I’ll have to consult with Wyatt.

Dinner has improved significantly lately. The soup is packed with vegetables and beans. The bread is… well, a little softer. The meat was grilled chicken breast, thinly sliced and arranged nicely. It even had a tomato sauce on it. And for dessert, crepes with strawberry sauce! I gave the recipe to Eva. The thinness of the crepes is truly impressive.

“This is my first time eating this.”

Right—the first crepes in this other world.

“I gave Eva a recipe that’s a thinner version of the pancakes we had before. It’s a sweet called a ‘crepe’.”

I wonder if my brothers got to eat some too? I eat the crepes with my father. The tea has become slightly stronger. It’s still weak, though.

After dinner, I talk with my brothers in the nursery for a bit.

“Sister, I can do double-unders now!”

“Nasius, you worked so hard!”

“I can do double-unders several times in a row!”

“You did great too, Henry.”

I kiss them both and say “Goodnight.” Bliss! Sigh, I was supposed to be able to live like this for the whole summer vacation.

On Saturday, I spent the morning making Nasius’s birthday cake. Eva did the actual baking, but I helped by using Household Magic to whisk the egg whites and the fresh cream. We cut the sponge cake through the middle and spread cream and strawberry jam.

“Decorate the top of the cake with eight of the whole berries from the strawberry jam. There’s enough for everyone, so please eat up.”

I wish I had a piping bag and nozzles for the cream. Still, we managed to make a wonderful birthday cake—bright red strawberries on top of pure white cream. Since we don’t have thin birthday candles, I stood one of the thinnest regular candles I could find.

The birthday cake was served for dessert at lunch.

“Happy Birthday!”

Nasius’s grey eyes went wide with surprise. Henry’s blue eyes were round, too.

“This is incredible. Patience, you have a real talent for cooking.”

I’m happy to be praised, but it’s Nasius’s birthday.

“Come now, Nasius. Make a wish and blow out the candle.”

Nasius looked puzzled. It seems this custom doesn’t exist in this world.

“It’s a trend among the girls at the Royal Academy. Go on, blow it out!”

He puffed out his cheeks and went whoosh, blowing out the flame. Clap, clap! As I started applauding, Henry, Father, and then Mary, Wyatt, Eva, and George all joined in.

“Sister, I’ve never had a birthday like this.”

Nasius gave me a kiss. Truly happy! …I really wanted to spend the summer vacation together.