Chapter 37: The End of the Rest Zone
Oh man, the summer heat was just relentless!
For the next couple of days, I didn’t see Aili or Angel. I just stayed at home, smelling flowers and reading books. On the first day, the maids at the 2nd mansion were busy clearing out the weeds in the garden. They bought some saplings, and when I saw they were Honey Fruit Trees, I wanted to “borrow” a couple. But Sharman, with her icy demeanor, flat-out refused.
“Miss Silvya, forgive my rudeness, but you’re not cut out for garden care. The courtyard at the 3rd mansion has always been my domain. Besides, nurturing Honey Fruit saplings is a meticulous job. If I were to plant some over there, I’d be running back and forth. Honestly, that’s a bit of a hassle.”
With that, she precisely planned where the new trees would go and ordered the maids to start planting.
I knew that without Sharman, if I left for the academy and came back, most of the plants would be wilting. Taking care of trees isn’t something I’ve the expertise in, unlike Daisy. Let’s face it, I just don’t have the motivation to learn. So, it turned out that Sharman made all the decisions on the plant arrangements in the 3rd mansion’s courtyard. I’d only occasionally help out by watering or fertilizing, treating it like a form of life therapy.
But despite my chaotic gardening skills, I still wanted those Honey Fruit Trees! So, I kept pestering Sharman, sharing my story about the Honey Fruit Tree from before and how I intended to make a secret fruit pie for Victoria once they bore fruit. I whined a bit, “Oh woe is me…”, and eventually, she agreed.
“All right, I can give you a few Honey Fruit saplings. But, for my convenience in managing them later, Miss Silvya, you must allow me to make a few minor adjustments to your wall…”
“What adjustments?”
“Adjustments for easier maintenance of the courtyard.”
“Like a side door?”
“…There’s some ingress and egress, but close enough.”
During our little negotiation, Sharman’s expression stayed chill as a winter morning, and her eyes revealed no emotion as she stared at me blankly. Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder if she’s actually Victoria’s long-lost second cousin or something.
And thus, the deal for the Honey Fruit Trees was struck!
As for the modifications Sharman mentioned, I couldn’t care less. Whatever she decided, fine by me, as long as I could see those trees when I came back! I’d just water and fertilize a little here and there, then make that fruit pie next year for Victoria.
Just like that, my three-day rest zone was over in the blink of an eye.
On the final afternoon, I collected all the clothes drying on the terrace, tidied up the usual rooms, and by the time I checked the ice in the bedroom basin, it was mostly melted. I decided to leave it for the next time I returned—sure, it looked messy with all those basins lying around, but boy did they keep the place cool at night!
The guest room that Sarah and Daisy had stayed in was on the first floor, so I tidied that up too. I swapped the bed sheets, firmly closed the windows, then suddenly remembered Carlos had actually slept in this room.
So, wait a minute, Sarah has technically shared a bed with her idol, that loser’s son!?
…Ew—
Goosebumps suddenly crawled up my arms.
I really had no intentions of telling her this…
In the evening, I strapped on my little crossbody bag, donned my wide-brimmed hat, and stepped out of the mansion onto the empty Longdoll Street, feeling as sprightly as a spring chicken. I swayed my arms, softly humming “Once Upon a Forest,” but after a few lines, I blanked on the lyrics. So, I just hummed the tune until I unintentionally transitioned to “So hungry, so hungry, I’m really so hungry…” then patted my stomach and made my way to the War Chariot.
Back at the academy, I sprinted up to the Sylvan Lake tower, flung open the dorm room door, and roared like an angry lion: “Pea Cakes!”
“Ahhhh—”
“Yikes!”
“Oh my gosh—”
The girls’ startled screams echoed throughout the room.
Inside the dorm, Sophia and Daisy were working at the desk, while Sarah was leaning back, peeking around the two of them—three heads huddled together, intently focused on who-knows-what, until my shout startled them so badly that chaos reigned, topsy-turvy! Sophia was slapping her chest, Daisy nearly jumped out of her chair, mumbling “Wha… what? Pea cakes?” At the same time, Sarah spun around with wide eyes: “Peilo, you scared me to d*ath!”
“Hey.”
I grinned sheepishly, strolled in, closed the door, and stuck my tongue out at the three of them. I then marched straight up to Sarah and stretched out my hand. “Sarah, I want to eat pea cakes.”
Sarah’s eyes widened even more.
“Fine, pea cakes are fine, but did you have to yell so loud?”
“I skipped dinner!” I rubbed my stomach, frowning dramatically.
“Skipped dinner and still have the energy to yell? What kind of logic is that…” she replied, rolling her eyes while turning to grab a white cloth bundle the size of a head and thrusting it into my hands. “Here you go! I made this myself, and if it tastes bad, you better not say a word… it’ll hurt my pride…”
“Mmhmm!”
I clutched the bundle and hurried to my bed, tossing down my hat and bag, and eagerly unwrapped it. Inside were large flatbreads stuffed with peas, bigger than my face, and quite a few of them—barely enough for dinner.
I took one in hand, cradled the rest, and took a huge bite, crunching away like a chipmunk. It had a super crispy texture, though a bit on the salty side and lacking in aroma.
“Delicious.”
“…Really? I think I may have added a bit too much salt…”
Wow, how self-aware…
I internally rolled my eyes.
But from what I knew, Sarah really didn’t like or was good at cooking, so this was likely her first attempt at pea cakes. I could imagine the challenges she’d faced. The fact she tried something outside her expertise was really touching, so I nodded seriously, “This is the best pea cake I’ve ever had.”
Hearing my praise, Sarah’s face broke into a smile, which then twisted into a frown. “Is this your first time eating pea cakes?”
What other reason could there be…
I pretended not to hear her and continued munching as I walked over to the desk.
“Hey Sophia, you’re back!”
Sophia and Daisy sat there with a rolled-up newspaper… ah, so that’s what they were looking at.
Upon my greeting, Sophia turned toward me. “Yep, things on the father front have quieted down for now; not so busy. I’ve got nothing to help with, so I’m back to classes.”
“Ahh…”
She still looked a bit shifty-eyed when she glanced at me, which made my heart sink a little, but my grin brightened nonetheless.
“Try this bread… it’s delish, and doesn’t make you gain weight.”
I held the half-eaten pea cake out to her. Sophia hesitated, mumbling something about “there’s no such thing as not gaining weight from bread,” but finally opened her mouth and delicately took a small bite. After slowly chewing and swallowing, she couldn’t help but giggle.
“When it comes to Sarah, I taste her sheer determination…”
“Hey, Sophia! What do you mean by that? You’re saying mine doesn’t taste good?!”
“Not bad.”
“Peilo thinks it’s good!”
“Well, I guess I had to say it’s not bad.”
“Then don’t eat it!”
“Not like I was planning to…”
As the debate raged, the atmosphere in the dorm became lively. Embarrassed, Sarah’s cheeks flushed, Sophia was beaming, and Daisy giggled along. I put the bundle down on the table and, amidst the cacophony, broke up the pea cakes into portions, handing each one out while grabbing a large one for myself to cradle in my hands. Finally, I asked, “So, were you girls just reading a newspaper?”
“Yeah, we saw the news about the Valen Empire… why did you give me a bite that you already took?”
Sarah leaned in closer, chewing, and some crumbs fell onto Sophia’s skirt, prompting an immediate shriek: “Sarah, you got crumbs on my clothes! It’s all greasy!”
“So what? It won’t fall off like a piece of meat.”
“My skirt is expensive!”
“Well, tough luck washing it…”
“Peilo, is everything at home okay?” Daisy asked.
“Uh-huh… I should be getting a response soon, it’ll come through.”
“Peilo, are you really going to become a princess?” Sarah held up the newspaper, pointing excitedly at a headline, “You saw this, right? We were just talking about it, do you think you’ll go back… will you go back?”
“Probably not…”
“Don’t you dare disappear on us again! If you leave, you better tell us properly… and Sophia, didn’t you know Peilo’s father is Duke Skarlick? Why didn’t you tell us…”
“Why should I? Go ask her directly…”
“Ugh, the stench of nobility…”
“Who are you calling that?”
“Sophia, let me tell you, when you weren’t around on the Festival of Five, Daisy and I went to Peilo’s house, and it was just stunning… next time you seriously have to check it out, just to bring down your high horse…”
“Sarah, if you’re so bored, go find someone to love you…”
“You should go find someone…”
“…The pea cakes are pretty good?”
“Tomorrow’s first period is the Order Class…”
…
As evening descended, the girls of 1504 clattered with laughter, buzzing with more open topics than before.
And thus, another cozy night unfolded.
