Libitina, Sorcha and Sydney stayed at the Josephian's mansion for a night. The conservative aristocrats may think that the Josephian's were beneath the Royals, but Sorcha and Sydney were not as concerned with status. Otherwise, they would never have become friends with Libitina, Samantha or Christopher. Sorcha left before dawn rose, under the cover of the darkness with her private service. When Libitina walked down the stairs after dressing up, she only saw Sydney drinking his coffee in the dining area.
"Where are the rest?" Libitina asked, adjusting the mask on her face.
"Good morning to you, too," Sydney laughed. "Outside."
Libitina grabbed a piece of fresh toast off the table and walked to the balcony. Below the balcony was a large field of flowers and carefully pruned shrubs. As a fief that has focused on agriculture for generations, the Josephians had a green thumb and each of their seven daughters loved to cultivate their own flowers in the common garden.
A morning shower had left the garden wet with dew. Libitina could see two small figures huddling together under a tree in the corner of the garden. A sense of déjà vu overwhelmed her and she started to approach the pair quietly.
"Look, this is cute too."
"This one has a nicer shape. Like the rubber of a pencil."
"The spots on this one is prettier…"
Libitina passed by Samantha's guard and walked up quietly to them.
"What in the world are you up to?"
When the cold voice travelled to their ears, the black-haired Christopher and red-haired Samantha jumped. "Gosh, Lina, you scared us," Samantha pressed her chest. Christopher immediately stood up and bowed neatly to Libitina, who looked on silently.
"Good Morning, Lady Merveille."
"Please, call me Libitina and treat me as a friend, or I'll be mad," Libitina replied emotionlessly.
"G-good morning, L-Libitina."
Christopher noticed that she was curious about their little gathering. "Oh, w-we were just looking at the mushrooms under the tree," Christopher quickly stepped aside to show Libitina the bottom of the tree trunk, where a group of fungus that had sprouted after the rain.
"Aren't they cute, Lina?" Samantha hooked her arm around Libitina's. "It's just a pity that we don't have anyone in our estate who knows about fungus well enough to differentiate which is safe to eat. I'm craving for mushroom soup."
"Well, buy some, then."
"No reputable stall sells mushrooms, silly," Samantha laughed at her stone-faced friend. "You can pluck it off the road, it's a free sale! Besides, it's hard to trust the random peddlers that come and go because we don't know where they get their mushrooms from. How do we know if it's safe to eat then? I only eat mushrooms when Christopher gives them to me." The young girl had a faint blush on her face that she did not notice.
"Y-yes, Libitina," Christopher chimed in shyly. "Most people don't like the taste of mushrooms either, since there is a rather pungent smell. There is almost no nutrition from it too, so most people don't buy mushrooms. However, my father and I did learn how to differentiate the safe ones from some gatherers in our fief."
Libitina was very surprised. She was not a fan of mushrooms, so she never noticed that most of the Clomodorian dishes she has eaten had little to no mushrooms. She knew how popular mushrooms were in her previous world, and it pained her that she completely overlooked this business opportunity.
"Do mushrooms often grow in your fief, then?" Libitina asked Christopher eagerly, grabbing his arm in excitement. Since the Josephian and Shantire fiefs were closed to each other, there was a high probability that these two fiefs have wetter climates suitable for mycelia to grow. If so, the hilly areas of the Shantire fief could become a treasure trove instead of a hinder to its growth.
"Y-yes, L-Libitina," Christopher nodded his head like a frightened rabbit under the eagle gaze of Libitina's eyes. It was even scarier since her large brown eyes drew bigger without a change in expression, and she looked more like a predator than before. "It's a main source of food for some of the poorer people in our fiefs, although it does not fill the stomach as well as wheat or bread. But cases of poisoning still happen, so most of us still avoid eating them."
'That's great!' Libitina was exuberant. 'That means that there are definitely experts on mushrooms in the Shantire fief. I can't believe that I can start a mushroom fever in Clomodor. Christopher, you've come to the right person for help.' However, on the outside, she simply let go of Christopher's sleeve and gave him a pleased look, as if he was a pet that made her happy with his performance.
"Erm, Libitina, I think you are scaring him a little," Samantha giggled.
"No, I'm not scared, don't talk nonsense, Sammy," Christopher immediately nudged Samantha and gave her a look. Samantha clicked her tongue in amusement.
"Christopher, I have a great idea for your fief. Let's get there right after breakfast!" Libitina declared as she spun around magnificently to return to the dining area. However, the edge of her dress caught onto a twig that had fallen from the rain, and she staggered.
An arm shot out from her side and caught her falling body just before she hit the ground.
It was only then that she finally noticed the guard from the Josephian House. The silent soldier guarding the Josephian's Seventh lady and had never raised his head now looked at her in the eye.