The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: The Reincarnator's Slightly Melancholy Time

That morning, Melfina woke, climbed out of bed, and shivered.

Looking out the bedroom window of the lord's manor, she saw that it was still dim outside. In summer the sun would have been up long ago at this hour, and she felt the change of seasons keenly.

Now that the mornings and evenings had begun to bring white breath, the shipping of the corn had finally ended, and the processions of porters had thinned out, so Enkar Village had regained much of its quiet.

Construction of the detached houses was still under way, but Ricardo had promised it would be finished before the real winter arrived.

Melfina's work had also dropped off all at once, and she had finally begun to have a little breathing room in her days.

"Good morning, Felice."

The one who answered, in a voice that still kept traces of puppyhood, was her dog Felice, whom she had taken in the other day. Her coat was the color of freshly baked bread, her legs were short, and she was extremely lively. Watching her run around and around Melfina's feet, wagging her rear end, Melfina's lips curved into a smile on their own.

The breeder had already taught her the basics, and since coming to the village she had been left with the hunter Godot for training about every other day, so she behaved perfectly well in front of other people. But when she was alone with her mistress, Melfina, she showed this excitable side.

After getting dressed and going downstairs, Melfina caught a faint, pleasant smell. Her steps grew light without her meaning them to, and when she entered the kitchen, Ed, with an apron over his footman's uniform, turned around.

"Good morning, Lady Melfina."

"Good morning, Ed. Something smells wonderful."

"Today it's omelets and soup. Shall I get it ready now?"

She seemed to have come a little too early, and the rest of the household had not yet gathered. On busy days they each ate lightly on their own, but lately they often sat at the same table.

"No, wait until everyone is here."

"Then how about some warm milk?"

When she nodded, he promptly brought her a ceramic cup of warmed milk. It was one of several trial pieces that a potter, who had moved to the village shortly before autumn began, had brought over.

Even in this age, porcelain was made with a fair degree of skill. The royal palace had table sets with gorgeous painted designs, and large vases and jars painted in many colors were displayed in the great halls as noble family treasures.

"What if I taught Lewis how to make bone china?"

In her previous life, translucent, pure white ceramics had been easy to come by. They had cost no more than half a copper coin.

In this world, however, it was an unknown technique. Lewis was highly skilled, as Ricardo's recommendation had suggested, and he was a serious, conscientious craftsman. If he spent a single winter in trial and error, he might well be able to produce a table set fit to present to the royal family.

And that beautiful white would be something many people of high standing would want, as a new technique. His name would spread across the kingdom in no time, and he might even be granted the title of royal purveyor.

If that happened, the name of the master who had driven Lewis out would fall to the ground.

The people of this world were simple and unassuming, but starved for entertainment, and they had a side that could turn very cruel at times. If a scandal like that came out of a workshop in a city the guild managed, the guild would show no mercy and cut that workshop loose.

Imagining it, Melfina gave a small shudder.

"Do you think you've become a god, Melfina?"

She looked down at the cup in her hands and let out a thin breath.

When she thought things like this, she felt as though she had become something that looked down on this world from high above and moved pieces across a board.

And in fact, if she chose to, Melfina could actually do it. She could bestow honor on Lewis, and with it she could turn against the environment and the system that had mistreated him.

It would be truly easy.

A heavy, soft thud against her feet brought Melfina back to her senses with a start. Felice was looking up at her with an expression that begged for attention.

"Felice, stay."

When she held out her palm and gave the command, Felice dropped to the floor at once. The rule was to praise her lavishly whenever she carried out a command, so Melfina stroked her head, and her rump, with its docked, tailless stub, swayed from side to side.

In her previous life, docking had been called cruel and unnecessary. But in this world, Felice's breed had been developed to herd sheep. It was a piece of wisdom meant to keep long tails from being trampled and injured by the livestock, and to keep bad bacteria from getting in through such wounds and costing the dog its life.

The era was different, the place was different, even the world was different. There was no way Melfina could judge what was absolutely right.

She was sure to make many mistakes.

Even so, she must not stop thinking.

She looked down at the cup cradled in her palms.

To make a cup of even thickness with no warping took skill. And yet it had a warmth to it, a gentle shape that showed the craftsman's hand.

Lewis had made it after hearing that the lord's manor had only wooden vessels.

He was good at looking after others, she had heard. He had talked often with the villagers about the hibachi that had just been introduced, and he was also advising the two blacksmiths.

Above all, even with such skill, Melfina would not be able to protect him.

In this world, a craftsman with exceptional skill was equal to a hen that lays golden eggs. There were by no means few people who would try to seize a hen kept elsewhere, and it was taken for granted that a technique, once obtained, would be sealed off and controlled.

The reason Enkar Village had managed to stay inconspicuous so far was that this land lay at the northern edge of the country, with extremely poor access, practically an island in the middle of the land.

With knowledge from her previous life, she could make daily life more convenient and raise the existing culture up by several levels. Melfina herself had decided to make this land prosper.

But perhaps she also needed times like this, when she stopped and looked back.

She wanted to develop the Enkar region, so that no one went hungry and everyone could smile.

But she did not want to become someone who behaved like a god.

If she lost the time she spent wavering between those two, and began to act just as she pleased, then she felt she would be neither "I" nor "Melfina" any longer.

"Lady Melfina? Good morning!"

Cedric rushed into the kitchen in a flustered state. Marie peeked in from behind him.

"You weren't in your room when we came to call, and it gave us a fright."

"I woke up a bit early today, so I've been having some milk. Good morning, Marie, Cedric."

The two broke into smiles and said good morning. She could hardly remember exchanging greetings like these even at her family home.

"Marie, what's the schedule for today?"

"This morning there are several documents that need your approval. This afternoon, Rad would like to ask whether there is anything you need for the festival preparations and the last shopping trip before winter."

"Let's buy cloth and colored thread. We won't be able to go out much during the winter, and I'd like to sew some winter clothes. Then have some sugar and salt prepared by the jar, and after that..."

Cliff and Rad had come as well, so Ed began preparing breakfast. Lately, except when Melfina was making a new dish, Ed took charge of the mornings, and Eli, who commuted to the manor, took charge of lunch and dinner.

In the Francesca Kingdom, neither nobles nor commoners put much effort into breakfast. It might be only bread and ale, or just a nibble of an unsweetened biscuit, but at the lord's manor, at Melfina's wish, one warm dish was always included.

And if possible, having everyone gather and eat breakfast together made for a very good morning.

The sun had climbed fully into the sky, and everyone waited for the meal that would give them energy for the day.

As she watched them, the gloom that had lodged in Melfina's chest softly melted away.