Chapter 66

By September, the air had taken on an autumn edge. The heat eased and life grew more pleasant, but I couldn’t shake the memory of that first winter’s bite—those frigid temperatures I felt when I reincarnated have become traumatic.

“Is there enough firewood? Maybe I should make even more preserved food.”

Even if I complain that the Grangers are short on cash because Father is unemployed, winter doesn’t care. I want to be thoroughly prepared.

“We can’t grow summer vegetables in the backyard anymore. After we harvest the corn, let’s plant winter crops like turnips.”

The original Patience never even knew corn existed here, so I leave the choice of vegetables to George.

The harvested corn will be dried and ground into flour, though I keep some fresh. I really want corn cream soup—I’d like to serve it at Henry and Patience’s birthday party; both were born in autumn.

Maybe it’s thanks for teaching recipes at the Summer Detached Palace that the royal carriage brings two baskets of eggs, sugar, butter, and heavy cream whenever it returns to the capital. Or perhaps it’s a reward for helping with salt production. Either way, it’s modest but helpful.

Sometimes I bake sweets, and other times I have Eva use the ingredients for everyday cooking. Our diet needs improving: Patience is no longer skin and bones, my brothers seem to grow taller by the week, Father has escaped his skeletal state, and the other servants, while still thin, are no longer gaunt.

Given my greediest past, I know I must watch overeating, but that’s at least a problem that doesn’t worry the Granger household.

My birthday and Henry’s are a week apart. Since I rely on the Queen for eggs and butter, I’ll time the cake to match their arrivals.

No—thinking greedy thoughts will bring bad luck. Knock on wood, knock on wood.

Careful. The cake depends on timing, but I definitely want that corn soup. And meat for the main course. I like fish, but inland Romano makes fish hard to get. The Summer Detached Palace was good for that, though it was a shame Prince Keith hates fish.

Because I don’t know much about this world, I asked Wyatt how much firewood we’d need, but he brushed me off: “There is no need for the young lady to worry.” The original Patience died, so I can’t help being anxious.

I asked Eva if we had enough preserved food—especially since there’s one more person this year and Matthew is still growing.

“If we have this much, we can make it through the winter.”

Her answer eased me a little, but I’m still going to make more. I want the pantry shelves filled to the brim.

In the backyard garden we have turnips, potatoes, broccoli, and Romano greens. These Romano greens are supposed to be incredibly nutritious; they look like a cross between spinach and bok choy from my previous life. They can be blanched for a side, added to soups, or even used as baby food.

Packed with nutrition is exactly what we need: my brothers are growing, Father secludes himself in the study and needs better food, and Romano greens grow fast. They swelled after just a little Lifestyle Magic.

“It’s great that even the thinned seedlings can be used for cooking.”

I pull up the small plants with my brothers. If seedlings are too crowded they don’t thrive. I also picked the thinned turnip greens and had Matthew give them to Eva.

“Today we’re having cornbread.”

I used Lifestyle Magic to dry the corn and grind it into flour; Eva finished the baking.

“Is it yummy?”

Henry acts like anything I touch becomes delicious.

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

I want to give them more and more good things to eat. I even think about giving him a kiss.

“Let’s increase the apples and pears, too.”

George and Matthew picked apples and pears; some we turned into compote and jarred. I didn’t use much sugar, so they might not last until spring, but they’ll see us through winter.

“The pears were delicious.”

Nasius seems to like pears. (No pun intended—nashi is the word for pear in Japanese.) He looks taken with the syrupy sweetness of the European-style pears.

“Let’s make a pear dessert next time.”

Nasius is smiling so happily—he’s adorable. But I can’t kiss him the way I do Henry. Now that he’s nine, he blushes at kisses except in the morning and before bed. It’s a little sad.

The home garden is thriving, and I’ve settled into Academy life and my duties as Princess Margaret’s lady-in-waiting.

I know I’ve been reincarnated into a world with magic, so I use it. And with magic stones around, monsters are a given. Still, because I’d never actually seen one, I thought it wasn’t my concern. I didn’t encounter monsters on the road to the Summer Detached Palace either.

I didn’t realize the royal routes are cleared and guarded in advance by knights.

That’s why I was shocked to learn the reason for Prince Richard’s absence from the High Dining Hall (the Salon).

“I wonder if Brother is out subjugating monsters right now? I hear monsters get violent before winter; I hope he’s okay.”

I knew Prince Richard wasn’t there, but I assumed he had other business.

“Brother will be fine. He said the knights would accompany him, didn’t he?”

Prince Keith and Princess Margaret spoke casually, and Keith sounded almost envious.

“Wait—monster subjugation is dangerous, isn’t it?”

Prince Keith explained eagerly when I looked surprised.

“When winter comes, food grows scarce and monsters hibernate. Before that, they get violent in autumn. Students from the Knight Course join the subjugation each year. Monster meat is tasty. Have you ever eaten it, Patience?”

Back then, my image of a monster was something like a bear or a wild boar, so I imagined the Knight Course students were simply hunting under the knights’ supervision.

“Patience, don’t worry; Brother Richard will be fine. It’s part of the annual winter prep. More importantly, is the new song for the Harvest Festival ready?”

Princess Margaret is still obsessed with music. Winter preparations? To me that meant stocking more preserved food.

“We can’t lose to that Chorus Club. There’s no way we can lose to that level of performance.”

The Harvest Festival feels different from the Aoba Festival. Aoba was like a school fair; the Harvest Festival is more like a farewell for the graduating sixth-years.

Cultural clubs take center stage in the auditorium—Margaret’s full-bore hostility toward the Chorus Club from the Aoba Festival continues. Please stop fighting. President Melissa is graduating, too, and the new president, Albert, looks like he’ll only pour oil on the fire instead of calming things down. He’s going to get scolded by Student Council President Rufus. Oh, right—Prince Richard isn’t the Student Council President anymore; he’s graduating soon. It feels oddly lonely.

What is this? This monster is huge.

The next day, I gaped at the beast loaded onto the cart. A wild boar the size of an elephant?

Yet the people around me acted unsurprised.

“Hmm, this year’s monster is relatively small. This winter probably won’t be very cold.”

“Last year’s was huge. That winter was severe, too. Looks like we’ll manage without deaths in the territory this year.”

I see—the cold I experienced right after reincarnation was considered severe even for the Kingdom of Lawrence, and people did die.

“Brother Richard brought down a Big Boar! It’s a decent size.”

Prince Keith boasted about his brother.

“It seems the monsters killed by the Knight Order were brought to the Royal Palace too. I wonder how big those are. A winter like last year’s would be troublesome.”

Hugo nodded at Ralph’s remark.

“My territory is in the north, so a harsh winter is a matter of life and death.”

If Romano’s winter felt harsh to me, the north must be far worse.

“I heard the Knight Order and adventurers killed many monsters as well. That should mean fewer monsters wandering in winter. Besides, the capital’s citizens won’t struggle with winter prep.”

Prince Keith actually worries about the people’s lives. This elephant-sized boar is called a Big Boar, and apparently people eat it. I wonder if it’s truly delicious. Winter preparations in this world go far beyond anything I knew.