When I arrive at my father's study room, there are my uncle Jason and uncle Jake as well in there and they seem to have a conversation. Seeing me coming with a maid carrying a tray in her hand, they stop their conversation and greet me.
"Henry! You should say if you making new dishes again. If I know that, I will have breakfast in here, instead"
It's my uncle Jason who open the talk with his regret about not having breakfast in here.
"Hahaha….then have lunch and dinner in here, uncle. There're still more new dishes to introduce"
"Like what you brought here in that tray, son?"
"That's right, father, I want your opinion about this dish if you still can eat. But if you still full, then I will ask uncle Jason's opinion instead"
"What? Do you want me to missed the first experience to taste your new dish? No way! Bring it on!"
"Henry, tell me you not only bring one serving. I also want to taste your new dish here"
"Don't worry uncle, I bring three serving with me. Actually, I want to eat with my sister too but you can have it instead of me, uncle"
"Hahaha…good nephew. Is that mean I can taste that new dish right now?"
"Yes, sure"
I let the maid bring two bowls of potato curry and arrange it for my uncle and my father before she retreating to the kitchen. While they taste the new dish, I ask uncle Jake as the one who ever managed the maid and servant matters in the castle
"Uncle Jake, do you know how many exactly people live in this castle? The composition of maid, servant, and soldier and their ages?
"Yes, young master Henry. I know the composition of people in Harvard castle. Let me start with the personal maid first, your father didn't use a personal maid, only use one assistant, that's me. The second madam has one personal maid as well as your sisters they also have one personal maid. Their age is over thirty years old because they also act as a nanny for young misses Mary, Karen, and Christine"
Uncle Jake pause his words to take a breath. I've met with my sister's personal maid, and I can guess her age already. It's my stepmother and half-sister's personal maid that I haven't met yet.
"What about the rest, uncle Jake?"
"The other three personal maids are yours, young master Henry. I believe I don't need to explain, right? So, total personal maids in this castle are 8 people. Other maids work as an ordinary maid, with jobs like cleaning, washing, preparing the meal, preparing bath etc. their total number is 52 people. If breakdown in ages, 5 people under 15 years old, they are new maids from slaves that freed by Master and raised in this castle, 7 senior maids who age over thirty years old and held supervisor position of other maids, the rest 10 maids with ages over thirty and already married, 30 maids are maids with age between 16 to 30 years old. So with the personal maid, we have total number 60 maids in this castle"
"How about the servant and officers, Uncle?"
"The male servants work in the kitchen as cooks, stable, miscellaneous works, and in the garden as the gardener. We have 20 cooks including helpers, 11 people in stable, 4 people in garden and 15 people in miscellaneous work. These people in miscellaneous work, 10 people with age over twenty years old, 5 people with age under 15 years old, former slave raise in the castle and haven't decided their position yet whether they will keep work as servant or change to the soldier. There are 5 officers in this castle, one for the kitchen, one for storage room with 5 aides, one for the stable with 5 aides, one for manage finance matters who have 10 aides, those tax collectors, and one head butler, you know, my replacement, Mr. Nicholas. So total maid, servant, and officers in this castle are 135 people, excluding master's families"
"As for soldier, you know they live in the outer wall, young master. Consist of 10 commanders, 150 elite soldiers, 30 castle guards and 10 supports people like blacksmith to repair their armor and weapons, cooks to make the food, and doctor to keep their health. 30 elite soldiers had been sent to the border fort in turn to strengthen our forces in the border, 10 people for each border fort, north, east and west border. So basically, there are 170 people live in soldier barrack, excluding your uncle Jason's people"
Hearing detailed explanation from uncle Jake make me admire him, although he already old but he still had the personnel matter in his grasp, worth to be my father's personal assistant.
"Uncle Jake, if possible I want to meet those maids and servant that work inside the castle this afternoon. I want to brief them about their works during Earl Stamfort's stay in our castle"
"Yes, young master. I will inform Nicholas to gather them in the hall this afternoon, around 5 p.m. Is that alright?"
"Yes, thank you, uncle"
My conversation with uncle Jake finishes as my father and uncle Jason also finish their bowl. I see their bowl all clean, and the content already moved to their belly. They now enjoying eating garnished fruit and vegetables that I bring along with curry bowl.
"Henry, what is this dish called? Although I see there's no meat inside, the taste is good"
"That dish called curry, uncle. There's also curry with meat too, I just make the simple version for all castle resident to enjoy"
"Son, this dish can use for soldier menu when they in the front line. Simple yet delicious will make soldier can eat to their full. You know sometimes, they only can eat boiled potato on the battlefield because of lack of meat available in front line which decreases their appetite. This dish is the answer to that problem, excellent!"
Thank you father"
"This fruit also you're made? This is my first time seeing such artistic fruit and vegetables"
"Yes, and I will serve that kind of fruit and vegetable for Earl Stamfort"
"Good, and if you can make curry with meat too, that curry can also add to the menu. Curry with potato only seems too plain to serve for them"
"I understand, father. I will come again with other dishes for you to try today"
"Hahaha…great, it seems today I will have my belly spoiled with delicious food"
"Then excuse me father, I need to see sister Eliza before this curry I brought for her getting cold. If she can eat any dish made in the kitchen now, I hope she can join the meal in the dining hall again"
My father sighed when I mention about sister Eliza join the dining hall.
"If you can make that happen, that will be good. I know there's friction between your sister and my second wife about food which make your sister doesn't want to join a meal in the dining hall. But if your dish can bring her back to the dining hall and remove the friction between them, I will grateful, son"
"I do my best to make our family become one happy family father"
"Hmm…see you get mature already make me happy, son. You can go"
"Thanks, father. see you later then"
I bid goodbye to my father, uncle Jason and uncle Jake before continue my plan to visit my sister this morning.