That Wonderful, Delicious Red One (2)

“Oh, so you only came to ask when the thing you’re after will be ready to harvest again. You should’ve just said so from the start.”

The witch-sama said this with a broad grin inside the hut she had shown us to.

“There was someone who used to sneak in and take fruit without permission, you see. I’ve been a little touchy about it ever since. Sorry.”

“No, no, I was the one at fault. I just got so excited when I saw such a wonderful farm.”

I spoke as I arranged the muffins I had brought on a plate and poured tea into the witch-sama’s cup.

At first, I had thought she was terrifying, but now that we were actually talking, she seemed like an ordinary girl just like me.

Anne and I both breathed sighs of relief.

“Still, I’ve been in charge of this farm for years, and you’re the first maid who’s ever brought me snacks. You’re pretty thoughtful.”

With that, the witch-sama picked up one of the muffins I had made.

After examining it closely, she took a bite.

“…Delicious! You’re good! I’d expect nothing less from a maid serving the prince!”

“I’m honored by your praise. It’s also delicious with some of this jam.”

As I spoke, I gently offered her some strawberry jam.

It had been made using strawberries grown on this very farm, and the witch-sama scooped some up with a knife and spread a thin layer over the muffin.

After staring at it for a moment, she took another bite.

“Mmm, yes! Refined and not too sweet! That’s my strawberries for you—they really do good work!”

“Oh? You can actually tell?”

“Of course I can. The produce grown here is practically like my own children. And I like that you didn’t overdo the sugar. You’ve got good instincts.”

The witch-sama finished the large muffin in no time at all, then bestowed that compliment upon me.

There was something especially satisfying about having the person who grew the ingredients enjoy what I made from them.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Agata. I’m a Court Witch. Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, Witch-sama. My name is Shirley, and this is Anne. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Oh, don’t call me Witch-sama. Agata is fine. Just Agata. We’re probably not that far apart in age, so drop the formal speech too.”

As Anne and I pinched our skirts and greeted her, she replied while licking the jam from her fingers.

“Then I’ll take you up on that. Agata, nice to meet you.”

“Good, much better. …Still, there’s something different about you compared to the others.”

“Eh?”

Her unexpected remark made me flinch.

Could she somehow tell that I possessed memories of my previous life…?

I tensed, wondering whether witches could sense things like that, but Agata continued.

“Culinary Maids are usually daughters from respectable families, you know. It gives them a chance to get close to the prince. But you’re a commoner like me, aren’t you? I could tell right away.”

…Oh. So that was what she meant.

Indeed, it seemed Culinary Maids were often daughters of nobles or wealthy merchant families.

Apparently Christina-oneesama of Team One was even the fourth daughter of a powerful noble family. Anne beside me had also said she was the fifth daughter of a merchant household so large that mine could not even compare.

Hearing that, one might wonder, Wait, why would girls from such good families have to do this kind of work?

Wouldn’t daughters from prestigious families have more marriage prospects than they knew what to do with? I had thought the same thing.

But according to Anne, while daughters of wealthy households could indeed marry into other prominent families through arranged marriages, that generally applied to the eldest daughter, the second daughter, and perhaps the third at most. After that, their value dropped sharply.

Parents would apparently spend plenty of time and money giving the first three daughters lessons and a thorough education, but once there were more of them, their efforts tended to become rather halfhearted, and they would say things like, “You’ll have to improve your own value yourself.”

Of course, they could probably still marry even if they did nothing, but by becoming Snack Maids with close ties to royalty, they could use that achievement to raise their own standing.

In other words, they all desperately honed their snack-making skills and became Snack Maids as a form of career advancement.

Which meant their backgrounds and social positions were worlds apart from mine, since I was merely the daughter of a self-made merchant and a complete commoner.

“That’s exactly it. And then I suddenly got made a Team Head, so it’s been a nightmare. At first, no one would even take me seriously. I nearly cried.”

“Ahh, the prince absolutely refuses to eat anything mediocre, after all. I often provide fruit too, and if the quality isn’t good enough, it gets sent straight back. It’s such a pain!”

We traded stories about our troubles and burst out laughing together.

Agata was cheerful, easy to talk to, and a very nice person.

Still, if the head maid or someone like her ever found out we were talking this way, I was sure we would both suffer terribly.

I had better be careful.

“So? What ingredient did you run out of? You usually serve Sacru, don’t you? Then is it fruit for drying?”

At last, the conversation returned to the matter at hand, so I nodded and answered.

“Actually… it’s cacao.”