Encouraged by this generous treatment, Sophia resolved to make things work here.
A few days later, Sophia found herself with little to do. While she and Julius shared meals and tea, gradually deepening their acquaintance, he was busy with work during the day, leaving her unoccupied.
Having spent her entire life working at the viscountcy, Sophia had no hobbies to pass the time. Left with no choice, she wandered the mansion’s vast gardens with Mari and Mira accompanying her.
In the garden, her attention was drawn to a tree. Curious, she stopped to examine it.
“Are these figs?” she asked.
“Yes, some are ripe and ready to eat,” Mari replied.
Sophia had only ever seen fruits and vegetables displayed in market stalls. She knew of figs but had never eaten one. Her focus had always been on strawberries or oranges sold in bulk for a single coin, so she’d never had the chance to try them.
The mansion’s garden was a different world to her. Seasonal flowers bloomed, fruit trees bore their bounty, and small birds perched on branches, eyeing the ripening fruit.
“This is amazing,” she murmured.
Lost in the scenery, she wandered aimlessly and ended up at the service entrance behind the mansion. A farmer had just arrived with a cart full of produce for delivery.
Peeking curiously at the cart, Sophia saw a variety of vegetables and fruits piled high, as if it were a market stall.
Oh, oranges!
The sight of them reminded Sophia of her desire to make marmalade. She was captivated by the plump, beautiful oranges.
But as the farmer prepared to leave without unloading them, she couldn’t help but ask, “Those oranges?”
“Oh, these? They grew too large, so I’m taking them home for my family. We’ll share some with neighbors, and whatever’s left will be thrown away,” the farmer explained.
“Th-thrown away?! You’re going to throw away such wonderful oranges?”
“Uh… yeah. We get so many of these every day that it’s no big deal.”
To Sophia, who would have eagerly bought such beautiful oranges at the market, the thought of them being discarded was unthinkable.
“Please, could you let me have these oranges? I’m happy to pay for them, even just a small amount!”
“M-my lady?!” Mari and Mira, who had been silently watching on Julius’s orders to let Sophia act freely, were shocked and tried to stop her.
* * *
In the end, Sophia acquired the oversized oranges. Now, she was in the kitchen with Mari and Mira, boiling a large pot of marmalade.
“When you asked for those unsellable oranges, I didn’t know what to do!” Mari said, exasperated.
“Well, I don’t like using perfect oranges for jam. It feels wasteful. It’s better when they’re misshapen, bruised, or otherwise imperfect,” Sophia replied.
“You know you could use the oranges delivered for the household, right?”
“Nope, this is better!” Sophia said decisively.
This “orange incident” served to break the ice between Sophia and the two maids. Though initially nervous around her as a lady from the capital, they found her endearing as she enthusiastically insisted on making marmalade and now stood before them, sleeves rolled up, stirring the pot herself.
0 Comments