CH 21.1

“Okay, on your way back up north, stop by the company and pick up your stuff.”

—What was that thing?

Lucas crossed his legs, tapping his fingertips on his earrings, made of mint-coloured agate.

“The wheat harvest is not very good this year. So this wheat is a last-minute purchase, don’t you forget. Michael.”

Lucas, who had stocked up in the capital and decided to bring the remaining wheat back to the north, called Michael.

—Yes? Can you make do with the wheat you took?

“Well, it’s better than nothing, but they say the other crops are fine.”

—What other crops? Potatoes?

“Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and maybe some dried corn?”

—Hmm… Still, wheat is important. Bread is very important.

“…Hmm, come to think of it… How are things going with that young lady?”

Lucas’s question, Michael blurted out.

—What? Why would Uncle want to know about Chloe?

“Because I advised you the other day, that’s why I asked. Why are you shouting at me like this, I hope you didn’t make a mistake, be nice to the young lady.”

—Heh! I’m doing well enough without Uncle telling me. I’m not lying. And we even share the same hobbies nowadays.

“Haha…”

Lucas chuckled at the mention of a shared hobby, which, given the context of the story, would be reading romance novels.

—Ah, really! Are we done then? I need to call Chloe. Bye.

“Yeah, okay.”

—Yes!

Michael’s voice faded as he quickly disconnected the connection without the slightest bit of regret. Lucas leaned back in his chair and thought about the commoners’ groceries.

Wheat would be the first thing to go, but it wouldn’t be enough to get them through the winter.

They would have to make do with potatoes, sweet potatoes, and dried corn.

“Maybe we could distribute some jerky or cheese or something.”

In his office, without Owen, who had returned home after a long absence, Lucas thought long and hard.

“Ma’am, you can’t go out alone!”

“Just for a little while, I’m just feeling stuffy. Let’s just go out to the patronage for a bit and get some fresh air, okay?”

In the corridor leading from the first floor to the patronage, Lila and Jessie argued for a moment.

“Even if it’s the patronage, it’s outside the mansion, and the Duke said you should never go outside alone.”

“It was just as dangerous in the mansion, but nothing’s happened the last few days, so it’s okay, it’s okay.”

“But…”

“Please Jessie… I’m so frustrated, just for five minutes. I’ll just go out for that long and then I’ll be back.”

Jessie pursed her lips, unable to respond to Lila’s plea. Lila took her hand.

“Come on, let’s not tell the Duke. Just the two of us, really! I’ll only take ten steps. Okay?”

“…Phew, you really shouldn’t do this, the Duke is so trusting.”

“Yes, Jessie? Yes?”

Lila said, tugging on Jessie’s hand. The sunlight streaming in through the large windows fell on Lila’s face.

She was beautiful to look at, and with the light, she was dazzling.

Jessie nodded dazedly, his expression blank.

“Okay, just ten steps, really.”

Excited, Lila lifted the hem of her skirt and set off at a brisk walk.

Once outside the sponsored walk, Lila inhaled as much fresh air as she could. The numbingly cold air cleared her head.

“Whoa, it’s been a while since I’ve hit the ground.”

Lila began to take as big a stride as she could.

“My lady, it’s really only ten steps!”

“Okay, Jessie!”

Lila ran as far as she could at a brisk pace and saw the gardener collecting and burning the fallen leaves.

A little further away, the gardener was putting the leaves in a large iron pot and burning them.

“That’s where I should put the sweet potatoes and chestnuts…”

As she watched the flames roar, she thought of sweet potatoes and chestnuts. Her mouth watered.

Lila demanded, as if she had forgotten her promise to Jessie.

“Jessie, do you happen to have any sweet potatoes and chestnuts?”

“Sweet potatoes and chestnuts?”

“Uh. If you do, can you get me some?”

“I should have some, but… what are you going to use them for?”

Lila urged a puzzled Jessie.

“Just get it to me. Quick.”

“Okay, well, don’t move from here, and I’ll be right back!”

“Okay, don’t worry!”

Jessie hesitated for a moment, looking at Lila, then quickly stamped her foot. Lila clasped her hands together as she watched Jessie run off with the hem of her skirt hiked up high.

“Sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes!”

It wasn’t quite winter yet, but the mood was right. Lila thought she’d bake them and give them to Lucas.

Jessie was quick on her feet, and in no time at all, she was back with a basket full of sweet potatoes and chestnuts.

“Here you go, ma’am. But what are you going to use these for? These aren’t exactly the sort of things you’d eat, ma’am. If there’s anything you want, just let me know. I’ll go to the kitchen and give them your instructions.”

Chestnuts were okay because they were used in desserts, but sweet potatoes were too watery to be steamed like a fluffy potato, so they had to be eaten raw, or roughly chopped up and added to soups.

This, too, was the way of the common people who did not have access to wheat.

“Wait. Just follow me, Jessie.”

Lila scrambled after her, forgetting that she was only going to take ten steps. The gardener, shovelling and burning a mountain of leaves, recognised her and bowed deeply.

“Du, Duchess! How do you do!”

“Good day.”

At Lila’s greeting, the gardener hurriedly bowed his head, seemingly at a loss for words.

Lila looked at the gardener warmly. The garden was the only tidy place in the messy ducal estate.

So the gardeners were the only servants to escape Lucas and Lila’s wrath.

“Jessie, I want you to throw the sweet potatoes into this pot first.”

“Yes?”

When Jessie froze at the unintelligible order, Lila stepped in.

“Okay, just throw them in one by one, carefully, like this.”

First came the large sweet potato, then the chestnuts. Jessie clumsily tossed the first sweet potato into the pot.

Lila watched with a twinkle in her eye.

‘Too bad. It would have been better with tin foil… If we just throw it in, it’s going to burn, but the kernels will be delicious.’

She was excited because she loved to buy and eat sweet potatoes and sweet chestnuts in winter during the Lunar New Year.

“Add more leaves.”

The gardener reluctantly complied with Lila’s request, moving with a creaking sound.

Beneath the roaring leaves, the sweet potatoes began to smell delicious.

“Come on, Jessie. Throw in the chestnuts!”

With only Lila’s confident command to guide her, Jessie grabbed the chestnuts and threw them in with one motion.

Lila looked forward to the roasted chestnuts she had seen in her past life. It was her first time baking, but she was confident because the cooking method did not seem difficult.

“Very good!”

As Lila was smelling the aroma and smiling with satisfaction, Lucas came out of his office.

After taking care of his urgent business, he had some time to kill. As soon as he realised there was nothing else to do, he decided to visit Lila.

Finding the Duchess’s room empty, Lucas felt a surge of anxiety.

“Where has she gone?”

He muttered and stomped up the stairs. Descending to the ground floor, Lucas turned to a passing servant.

“Do you know where my wife is?”

The new servant didn’t show the same displeasure at Lucas as the previous employees.

This was because Vincent had chosen not to employ the children of noble families, but rather the children of commoners and wealthy families.

Vincent’s judgement was correct. It was the aristocracy that judged people by their appearance.

Vincent was determined to teach them all about manners and work, however painstakingly.

With an awkward but eager look in his eyes, the servant answered Lucas energetically.

“The Duchess is currently in the sponsorship area. Do you need my guidance?”

The change in his employees was refreshing. His eyes widened for a moment at the new treatment in his familiar home, then narrowed slightly.

“I’ll know better than you. Continue with your business.”

Lucas felt a subtle but pleasant twinge of amusement at his servant’s attitude.

Distracted, his feet automatically made their way to the sponsorship area. Once outside, he found Lila.

He imagined her mauve hair flowing beneath a cloudless blue sky, and he couldn’t help but draw a gentle smile.

As if to betray his tranquil appreciation, a piercing scream pierced his eardrums.

“Ouch! Aah, hot!”

“Ma’am, ma’am!”

“Ma’am!”

At the sound of a voice he could only recognise with one ear, Lucas spun on his heels and turned to her.

“Lila!”

He landed in a corner of the backyard, and what he saw was pandemonium.

“Aah!”

Despite the screaming, flailing Lila and the desperate struggles of Jessie and the gardener to protect her, the roasted chestnuts shot into her like arrows.

“Ma’am, ma’am! Aah, hot!”

“Jessie!”

Lucas, who had been watching the trio’s desperate struggles in despair, suddenly burst out laughing.

He couldn’t help himself. When he’d heard the screams, he’d thought something had happened to the heroine, some sort of trial or something.

But there they were, the three of them, sheltering from the night in front of a pot of burning leaves.

“Hahaha!”

Indeed, his wife had a knack for surprising him in more ways than one. Lucas bared his teeth and folded his arms at the waist.

Lila didn’t notice, even as he giggled next to her.

“I didn’t realise chestnuts were so dangerous!”

Wasn’t it just a matter of throwing the chestnuts into the fire, or was there some other way to roast them?

No matter how hard she tried, Lila couldn’t figure it out. When making roasted chestnuts, they should have made cuts at night in advance.

BOOM! POP!

The chestnuts exploded and flew out like firecrackers. Meanwhile, the ripe sweet potatoes smelled delicious.

Unbeknownst to them, the embers from the chestnuts had spread to the pile of leaves beside them.

The three men who hadn’t noticed just stood there dumbfounded, one too busy laughing.

“Lu, Lucas?”

Lila cried, pulling at her hair as she realised Lucas’s presence.

Lucas, who had chuckled at her call, wiped the smile off his face and turned serious.

“What happens when you leave the mansion?”

“…Nothing has happened lately.”

“Well, it’s only been a few days. You should be careful.”

“But…”

I was tired of being stuck in my room, and besides…

“I was craving sweet potatoes and roasted chestnuts.”

“Sweet potatoes and roasted chestnuts? Hmm, I don’t know what it is, but the recipe is very dangerous.”

“No… it’s not like this…”

Lucas, who had been chatting away, looked at Lila’s hair.

“Good thing your hair isn’t burnt or anything.”

Lucas smiled, relieved to see her dress and exposed skin.

Unaware that he was genuinely smiling, Lila felt her heart tickle at his gesture.

She giggled along with him, but suddenly the gardener shouted.

“Fire, fire!”