Foreign Toys and Sweets

“Lady Letizia, Lord Ferdinand has sent you an invitation.”

Sergius paid me a visit, carrying a wooden board on behalf of Lord Ferdinand. It was at the tail end of fall, only a few days away from the start of winter socializing. Roswitha briefly glanced at the wooden board that Sergius had delivered before passing it on to me. It turned out to be an invitation to lunch, asking if I would be interested in sharing a meal with him before the onset of winter socializing, as things would get very busy afterwards.

“How unusual. To think Lord Ferdinand would invite me to a meal instead of a lesson. Did something happen, Sergius?”

Since Sergius is the son of my head attendant, Roswitha, and also one of Lord Ferdinand’s retainers, he is always the one that visits me to convey messages, providing thorough explanations each time.

“Lord Ferdinand has just received a shipment from Ehrenfest, including dishes prepared with the seasonings and recipes you sent during the summer. Lady Rozemyne, in her letter to Lord Ferdinand, suggested that he extend a meal invitation to you.”

Sergius shared with me, wearing a delighted smile, that Justus had completed the poison-testing for the dishes and confirmed their deliciousness. Lady Rozemyne also included some sweets and responded to my letter, which brought me great joy, prompting me to gladly accept the invitation.

I’m eager to discover what recipes Lady Rozemyne decided to use in the food she sent us. I cannot wait to find out.

◆

Thanks to Lord Ferdinand’s invitation, I visited the western building for the first time. There has been no prior reason for me to explore it, given that it housed the chambers of the second and third wives. While it shared similarities with the northern building, each floor contained only one room. As a result, the western building was smaller compared to the northern one, where archduke candidates resided from their baptisms until they came of age.

“I thank you ever so much for your invitation.”

Shortly before the summer funeral, Lord Ferdinand was granted a room in the western building by royal decree. It marked my first time visiting his chambers, and he appeared notably more relaxed in this setting.

Since he’s allowing himself to freely express his exhaustion, he must truly be more at ease now than when he was staying in the main building.

According to Sergius, Lord Ferdinand has transformed the hidden room within his chambers into a workshop, where he dedicates a significant amount of his time. He even contemplated placing a bench in his workshop for sleeping, Justus and Eckhart objected, expressing concerns that he might become unresponsive to their calls.

Once Lord Ferdinand had graciously offered me a seat, Justus skillfully produced a succession of dishes from a time-stopping magic tool. It marked the first occasion I witnessed dishes being presented in this fashion rather than being brought in from the kitchen, and I thoroughly enjoyed observing the process. While curiosity tempted me to sneak a peek into the magic tool, I refrained from doing so as it would have been impolite, contenting myself with gazing at the items as they were revealed.

“Lady Rozemyne sent us a wide variety of meals, Lady Letizia. It would seem that she is very eager to hear your thoughts on them. To start, this is inspired by pome stew served with garneschel.”

Justus began to describe the various dishes that were on the table, none seemed immediately familiar to me. I wondered which recipes from those I had sent to Lady Rozemyne might have been used for these particular dishes.

Justus used Lady Rozemyne’s letter for reference as he explained each dish to me. I would need to start eating after Lord Ferdinand tested the dishes for poison, but I was merely frozen in place, gripping my cutlery. A notable absence caught my attention—there was no garneschel on my plate. Was this truly pome stew with garneschel, or had Justus unintentionally omitted it while serving the dish?

Perplexed by my plate, I observed as Lord Ferdinand set aside his cutlery. Taking up a piece of soft bread, he offered me a wry smile.

“Lady Letizia, you may consider this dish to be pome stew served with pork rather than garneschel. The use of Ahrensbach seasonings should make it taste somewhat familiar, but with the lack of garneschel… You might want to consider it an entirely new dish.”

Taking Lord Ferdinand’s suggestion to heart, I opted to view this as an entirely new dish. As I delicately sliced through the meat with my knife, I sensed that it had been stewed to a perfect tenderness. Upon tasting it, the meat seemed to almost melt away, leaving behind a sumptuous richness in my mouth. It intrigued me how familiar ingredients could create such a distinctly new flavor. The pork harbored an array of hidden tastes that harmonized seamlessly with the seasonings.

This is delicious!

It truly was delightful, and as Lord Ferdinand mentioned, this was an entirely different dish. It was nothing like the pome stew served with garneschel. Not just the difference between garneschel and pork, but the ratios of the seasonings used were also very different. It was hard to imagine that this dish was inspired by a recipe that I had sent. Despite its distinct nature, its taste was exquisite, bringing me great satisfaction.

“Rozemyne makes some truly unusual changes, as you can see,” Ferdinand said with a shrug. “To think she still compared it to pome stew with garneschel despite the complete absence of garneschel…”

Lord Ferdinand maintained a graceful and seamless rhythm in his dining, exuding a gentleness in his demeanor that surpassed any previous encounters. Although the dish incorporated Ahrensbach seasonings, devoid of the nostalgic flavors of his homeland, he undoubtedly found pleasure in Lady Rozemyne’s thoughtful preparation of food.

“It certainly is delicious, but I cannot believe it came out of the recipe I sent to Lady Rozemyne. It is something else entirely. Is all food in Ehrenfest like this?”

“Rozemyne is the only one who gives her chefs such unusual requests. The dishes might be palatable, but I still wonder how she comes up with them.”

I breathed a sigh of relief when I learned that Lord Ferdinand, too, found Lady Rozemyne’s alterations of the recipe to be peculiar. It seemed these changes were not in line with the usual Ehrenfest standards.

Justus continued his explanation while looking at Lady Rozemyne’s letter.

“Lady Rozemyne is not well-versed in garneschel, so she tried her hand at crafting an Ahrensbach-style dish, substituting the unfamiliar garneschel with pork, a more common choice in Ehrenfest. The garneschel we sent found its place in a different dish called a ‘fry’. Look right here.”

Lord Ferdinand observed the dish Justus pointed out, noting its resemblance to a favorite of Lady Rozemyne’s father, called ‘pork cutlets’. It seemed Lady Rozemyne had sent us a mix of Ehrenfest dishes seasoned Ahrensbach-style and Ahrensbach dishes seasoned Ehrenfest-style. Despite being entirely new to my palate, there was a comforting familiarity that made them easy to approach.

“Rozemyne’s original recipes might be strange to your palate, but I expect people from other duchies to enjoy them more than dishes made with Lanzenave’s spices and seasonings.”

Ahrensbach-style cooking had taken influence from its Lanzenave imports, leading to many sour and intensely spicy dishes. Those from other duchies often considered them unpalatable.

“It might be wise to consider purchasing her recipes and introducing them as new Ahrensbach dishes. That can be negotiated during the upcoming Interduchy Tournament.”

Novel dishes and flavors held significant importance in noble social dining. They needed to be both unique and appealing to individuals from various duchies. However, the residents of Ahrensbach, accustomed to their local flavors, often lacked awareness of what might please others. Consequently, this responsibility frequently fell upon those who had married into Ahrensbach.

I, too, have lived in Ahrensbach since I was little, so I am also ignorant of the tastes of those from other duchies.

“Lord Ferdinand, I couldn’t help but notice that your personal chefs are all from Ahrensbach. May I ask why you didn’t bring any from Ehrenfest?”

“My personal chefs were from the temple. And since the people here would not look favorably upon them, I opted not to bring them. I believe the chefs here can master the dishes given time and the right recipes.”

I suppose that could not be helped, as the temple in Ehrenfest appears to differ from those of other duchies.

Living in the temple draws disapproval from people. Initially, some objected to Lady Detlinde’s engagement to Lord Ferdinand for this reason. While malicious gossip has lessened due to Lord Ferdinand’s excellence, it hasn’t disappeared completely.

“Did you not invite Lady Detlinde to join us for this meal?”

“It appears she is busy today with preparations for the parting banquet for the Lanzenave envoy. Incidentally, my retainers and I have been prohibited from attending, as I have taken a cold stance towards those from Lanzenave in the past. Several scholars are infiltrating the banquet in my stead to gather information.”

That brings to mind the occasion when Lord Ferdinand dispatched scholars to express his concerns about trade relations to Lady Detlinde. She responded with, “Kindly request Lord Ferdinand to refrain from behaving like Ewigeliebe.” The scholars were quite distraught after that incident.

Lady Detlinde prevented Lord Ferdinand from taking part in the negotiations with Lanzenave. The Lanzenave envoy found it more convenient to communicate requests to Lady Detlinde rather than Lord Ferdinand. Consequently, whenever Lord Ferdinand sought a meeting, they insisted on Lady Detlinde’s presence.

“That aside, I am aware you have been visiting the Lanzenave Estate at Lady Detlinde’s invitation.”

He must have been grasping for any information that he could get. I nodded in response and recalled the times I had been invited to visit the Lanzenave estate.

“I was ordered to accompany Lady Detlinde and could not refuse, so I made several visits. Those of Lanzenave wish to stay on good terms with Ahrensbach, and Lord Leonzio is exceptionally friendly.”

Whenever I visited, Lord Leonzio was quite friendly. However, it was Lady Detlinde’s behavior that raised my utmost concern. Her actions were far from fitting for someone already engaged by royal decree.

“However… Lord Ferdinand, I have seen that you do not chastise Lady Detlinde for her behavior. Should you not act more like her fiancé and indicate your disapproval of her actions?”

It seemed Lady Georgine was making every effort to keep Lady Detlinde and Lord Leonzio apart, but I had never witnessed her fiancé, Lord Ferdinand, taking any similar actions. Instead of acting like Ewigeliebe, it seemed he had completely distanced himself from her.

Lord Ferdinand responded to my question with a venomous grin.

“I appreciate the advice, Lady Letizia, but my intention was to gradually diminish her faction over time, so I find the current situation to be exceedingly convenient. Her retainers have been changing so rapidly that the plan is advancing at a favorable pace.”

I had heard that Lady Detlinde was pressuring the retainers who criticized her frequent visits to the Lanzenave estate to step down from their positions. Consequently, the surveillance by her retainers had slackened since the middle of summer, making it challenging to deter Lady Detlinde from regularly slipping out. Even Lady Georgine’s endeavors seemed inadequate, prompting Lady Alstede, Lady Detlinde’s sister, who had already married down to archnoble status, to visit Lady Detlinde’s chambers to keep a watchful eye on her.

That was probably why Lady Detlinde began inviting me to visit the Lanzenave estate, as an excuse to go there herself.

“Lady Letizia, what manner of place is the Lanzenave estate? I cannot approach it, as Lady Detlinde views me with suspicion.”

“That reminds me—she said that if you and Lord Leonzio met, you would duel over her hand in marriage.”

I found it hard to believe that Lord Ferdinand would do anything of the sort, considering that he was using the circumstances to whittle away Lady Detlinde’s faction. However, Lady Detlinde appeared to be serious about protecting Lord Leonzio from harm. Lord Ferdinand briefly closed his eyes upon hearing my response and asked me if I had noticed anything else with a smile on his face.

Did he decide to simply stop thinking about it? I did the same thing, so I can relate.

“Lord Leonzio shares blood with the Yurgenschmidt royal family, and it would seem that he personally connected with the Sovereign knight commander this summer. Though the occurrence during the funeral created so many discussions, I am unsure how close they are or what truly happened.”

At the previous aub’s funeral, several Sovereign knights had acted violently, prompting immediate intervention by the Sovereign knight commander to quell the disturbance. Following the incident, numerous meetings were convened among the Sovereign Knight’s Order, Ahrensbach, and Lanzenave to address the matter.

Lady Detlinde argued that the knights, who unexpectedly turned violent during a funeral visit to another duchy, posed a threat and pressed for their execution. To safeguard the honor of the Sovereign Knight’s Order, deter future misconduct, and demonstrate goodwill to Ahrensbach, the knight commander reportedly took action against the implicated knights.

Lord Ferdinand had called for a thorough investigation of the incident instead of immediately executing them as a means of deterrence, but his request had apparently been denied. Since the executed knights were from Ehrenfest, the Sovereign knight commander hinted at the possibility of an Ehrenfest-lead conspiracy against the king and Ahrensbach.

“Lord Leonzio of Lanzenave associating with Lord Raublut…” Ferdinand muttered. “I do not know how much Lady Detlinde’s words can be trusted, but this is a serious cause for concern.”

“I would not expect the Sovereign knight commander to do anything suspicious, especially after he went to such lengths to resolve the funeral incident.”

The disturbance had been prevented from becoming a major issue only because Lord Raublut had acted quickly to suppress the violent knights. I found his actions praiseworthy, which made me puzzled about Lord Ferdinand’s apparent wariness towards him.

“I am more concerned about Lady Detlinde,” Ferdinand said with a smile. “Who knows what is being whispered into her ear?”

That makes sense. Certainly, Lady Detlinde’s behavior is what we should be the most wary of.

“According to Lady Detlinde, there is a door in the Lanzenave Estate that can only be opened by the aub. The room beyond it apparently exists for Lanzenave princesses going to the Sovereignty.”

I could only imagine the problems that would have arisen if a princess had come when our foundation was not dyed. When I said that, Lord Ferdinand let out a small laugh.

“It would seem Lady Detlinde finally finished dyeing the foundation a few days ago. I heard a report from the scholars that they have started making the brooches to be presented to the Royal Academy students only yesterday. I suppose I will need to begin offering my mana as well.”

“Shouldn’t that wait until after the Starbinding Ceremony, Lord Ferdinand?”

“It will require a somewhat bothersome contract, but I should be able to complete the registration to enter the Mana Replenishment hall with the aub’s permission. You shall use this opportunity to start practicing Mana Replenishment as well, Lady Letizia.”

Ah, the amount of training is going to increase yet again.

I already had my hands full with just my current studies, and on top of that, they’ve thrown in temple rituals during spring and fall. Now, there’s this additional task of supplying mana to the foundation. I get that they’re accelerating my education to prepare me for the role of aub once I come of age, but it feels like I’m on the verge of being crushed by my workload.

“Lord Ferdinand… I was told that new sweets from Lady Rozemyne have arrived.”

“Indeed, she sent more than usual to be given to you—at your request, apparently. In her response to my letters, she told me not to push someone your age too hard, despite what Ahrensbach’s circumstances might demand.”

Lady Rozemyne is such a kind person.

I use the shumil plushie that speaks in Lady Rozemyne’s voice as a way for me to get praise from Lord Ferdinand, and he only does so reluctantly. Lady Rozemyne has even taken the time to send me sweets. If not for her, I might have given up on completing Lord Ferdinand’s tasks long ago. It was so rare to see someone who was not one of my retainers be worried about the pacing of Lord Ferdinand’s education.

“That reminds me, Lady Rozemyne was not the only one to give me sweets. I received a jar of Lanzenave sweets from Lord Leonzio. They are like feystones in appearance, and each one can be enjoyed for a very long time.”

“Oh…?”

It seemed that Lord Ferdinand had a slight interest in the sweets. This was quite unusual.

“I received splendid toys as well. Would you care to see?”

“Yes, I am interested. I wonder what kind of toys they have over there…”

“Unlike the educational toys from Ehrenfest, they are rather strange and can only be used once, but they are unique and terribly fun. Lord Leonzio showed me how to use them. Roswitha, could you fetch the sweets and toys?”

When you pull the string attached to them, flower petals of all colors shoot out and flutter around the room. Even though each one can only be used once, they are beautiful and always manage to raise my spirits.

◆

After our meal, I had Roswitha fetch the sweets and toys from my room, as Lord Ferdinand had expressed an interest in them. I gave him one of the Lanzenave sweets, and as soon as he put it in his mouth, he grimaced and said, “This is much too sweet,” quickly crunching the candy into pieces.

How could he eat it so wastefully, when they can be savored for such a long time? I won’t be offering him any more.

“Are these the Lanzenave toys you told me about?”

Lord Ferdinand turned his attention to the toys after taking a generous sip of tea, as if to wash away the lingering sweetness in his mouth, so I used one of them to demonstrate. I held the tube and gave the string a firm tug, and a burst of flower petals of various colors filled the room, turning the room’s interior into spring despite the winter season.

“Was that not positively stunning?”

“May I have one of those toys? I am eager to find out how they are made.”

“What…?”

I had received only eight toys and fifteen of the clear, feystone-like sweets from Lord Leonzio. It was by no means a large number. I had planned on offering some of these rare toys and sweets to Lady Rozemyne, so I did not expect to have to give any to Lord Ferdinand.

What should I do?

As I struggled to decide, the words from Lady Rozemyne’s letters flashed through my mind. She had repeatedly given me various pieces of advice in her letters such as, “When you truly feel overwhelmed, you need to firmly ask for your workload to be reduced,” and, “If there is something Ferdinand wants, you should keep it safely in reserve as it can be a valuable tool for negotiations.”

This may be an opportunity to put her advice to use.

I picked up two of the toys and a glass bottle containing three of the sweets before looking Lord Ferdinand in the eye.

“U-Um, Lord Ferdinand… I intended to give these to Lady Rozemyne. B-But if you reduce my workload… I will allow you to take one!”

My voice cracked as I forced out the last few words, but I managed to say what I wanted. I glanced up at Lord Ferdinand’s face, only to see him wearing a clearly exasperated expression.

“Lady Letizia, has Rozemyne been putting strange ideas into your head, by chance?”

“She is not to blame. Rather, I… Um…”

I searched for my next words, glancing at the sweets and toys. Lord Ferdinand’s retainer seemed to be suppressing a laugh, and Lord Ferdinand himself released a heavy sigh. Fearing I might have faltered, I was relieved when Lord Ferdinand adopted an expression that suggested he had surrendered.

“Very well. In return for one of those toys, I will reduce your workload to some degree. However, take care not to accept too much advice from Rozemyne; she can be a bad influence at times.”

“Understood.”

I managed to get Lord Ferdinand to lighten my workload. Can this really be deemed a negative influence?

Lord Ferdinand assured me that his retainer at the Royal Academy would take care of anything I sent for Lady Rozemyne, so I decided to write a letter and included the Lanzenave sweets and toys.

I hope Lady Rozemyne also finds them enjoyable.

◆

One of Lord Ferdinand’s retainers, who is also a student at the Royal Academy, conducts research with Lady Rozemyne in a laboratory. So I had anticipated a swift response to my letter, but unfortunately, she fell ill after playing a crucial role in the Dedication Ritual.

Even as winter drew to a close, I still have not received a response from her.