I shrugged and agreed enthusiastically with her words. "It's a special feeling for certain."
"…Right," Odeletta said with a nod and a strange smile, and after a moment she continued. "Have you prepared a gift for the Duke?"
"Oh?" I was slightly taken aback. Give Claude a…gift?
'Ah, come to think of it…'
It wasn't just a party we were going to in a few days; it was a birthday celebration. I had been too focused on the fact that the party would be held at the Escliffe mansion in a few days, and I felt embarrassed at my sudden forgetfulness.
"Look at my mind, goodness," I softly scolded myself. I hadn't prepared a gift at all.
Odeletta looked at me with startled surprise. "You didn't prepare anything?"
"I was too focused on the fact that the party would be in a few days. I completely forgot that it was about celebrating his birthday," I said.
"My goodness, Marie," Odeletta said with a shake of her head. "I understand what you're saying, but that's too much. Aren't you two close friends?"
"…"
She was right, but I couldn't find anything to say and kept my mouth closed. Just as Odeletta said, Claude and I were friends, so it would be appropriate for me to give him a gift. I brought my hand to my forehead in shame.
'Why did I only realize something this important right now?'
I wish I had come to my senses a little earlier. This was my terrible mistake. This was as severe as fire on the ground.
I scrambled my thoughts in an attempt to think of a good gift. A handkerchief was my first idea, but that was overdone. I had already given a handkerchief to Odeletta once, and then to Xavier before that. There was nothing wrong with giving the same thing to Claude, but I wanted to present something more special.
'I'm tired of embroidering handkerchiefs anyway.'
But what on earth could I give him? I had no other talent than making handkerchiefs. Since everyone was from a well-to-family, a heartfelt gift was preferable to an expensive one, like a thousand folded paper cranes. Something like that was best in terms of expressing sincerity, though something more practical might be better.
"It's alright. You still have some time," Odeletta said in an attempt to soothe me. "Do you have anything in mind?"
"I thought about a handkerchief, but I'm tired of that. I've already made it for two people."
"Two…people?" Odeletta asked slowly. "Have you ever given a handkerchief to anyone else besides me?"
"Why, are you jealous?" I teased, but the expression on her face remained serious. I quickly explained. "I gave one to the Crown Prince. I made it so I wouldn't go empty-handed when I went to Thurman Palace."
"Ah…" Odeletta nodded with an unreadable look on her face.
I remained focused on my dilemma. When I thought 'Should I just give a handkerchief then?' another idea suddenly struck my mind.
'Cheong is a very heartfelt gift.'
There didn't seem to be a culture of making cheong here, a Korean food of sweetened fruit syrups, marmalades and preserves. Of course, I didn't know everything about this place yet, so I could be wrong.
"I'll make it once." I made it in Korea before. It was a fairly elaborate process, but it wasn't too difficult to do.
"Hm? What is that?" Odeletta asked.
"Cheong. Do you know about it?"
"I've heard about it," she replied with a nod. "But it's not a common sweet in Yonas."
I guessed as much. I came to a decision. "Then I should make cheong and give it to you as a gift."
I wondered if it would suit her taste, but I've never met anyone who disliked cheong. Of course, making broad generalizations was a pitfall, but I can't imagine anyone disliking cheong unless it was made to be completely tasteless.
Odeletta looked at me with slight surprise. "You know how to make cheong, Marie?"
I hesitated, hoping not to cause a misunderstanding. "I saw it in a book before," I fibbed.
"Oh, that's amazing," she said, her face alight with interest. "What are you going to make it out of?"
"Well…how about oranges or lemons?"
Those were the two easiest.
Odeletta made a look of approval, and then smiled at me. "Can you make one for me when you have the time?" she asked.
"Of course," I replied, nodding my head. It would be great to make a jar not only for Claude, but my other close friends as well. I gave her a wide smile. "I'll be sure that it will be delicious, so please look forward to it."
***
Upon returning to Bellafleur mansion, the first thing I did was instruct Florinda to wash oranges and lemons, and prepare plenty of sugar. As soon as the ingredients were ready, I made two jars of orange cheong in the kitchen. One was Claude's and the other was mine, and I would make more a little later to give to Odeletta and Xavier.
Although making cheong looked easy at first glance, it was more complicated and laborious than I remembered. Florinda, who was observing me from the side, stepped up and helped me complete some small tasks.
With her help, I was able to complete the orange cheong sooner than I anticipated.
"Now we just let it age for a few days, then it will be ready to eat," I said with a look of pride.
"You let it age?" Florinda asked.
"Yes. It's more delicious that way."
"That's interesting. How did you come up with this, My Lady?" she said with a keen sparkle in her eyes, and I smiled awkwardly and gave her the same answer I gave Odeletta.
"I saw it in a book."
"Ah, I see. It's not a common sweet in Yonas." Florinda gave a nod, then asked me another question a moment later. "If it tastes good, why don't you start a business with this?"
"What?" I blinked dumbfoundedly as I tried to process the idea. After a few moments, I chuckled and shook my head.
Florinda looked at me in confusion. "What doesn't make sense?"
"Business? That's too grand."
"It's just business," she said with a shrug. "Don't think of it as too complicated. It may not explode in popularity, but I'm sure no one has ever introduced this type of sweet before."
"…Really?"
I tended to accept other people's suggestions easily. When Florinda saw that my interest was piqued, she continued to press on with her gift of persuasion.
"Yes, My Lady. Of course, I can't say anything for sure since I haven't tasted anything yet, but if it's delicious, you should try to sell it. Who knows, what if you'll make a lot of money?"
Florinda's words were starting to sound more and more appealing. Even though the debts the Bellafleur family owed the Cornohen family weren't that bad and we had enough money to relax and eat for the rest of our lives, I was caught by the idea. The money problem was terrible, of course, but if I had to live in the world of this book for the rest of my life, it was absolutely necessary to have at least one job. Otherwise I would end up bored out of my mind.
I may be able to prattle on about the novel for a day or two, but it was impossible to endure it for decades. Of course, the pillars of the story were still standing, but there was no guarantee how long it would last. One needed to work anyway.
"Umm…I'll decide once it's been tasted."
I already knew the taste of my fruit cheong. I've tried it many times. But there was no guarantee that it would suit the tastes of the people here, but if the reviews were good, then selling it wouldn't be a bad idea.
Unlike what Florinda suggested, however, I didn't intend to make a fortune out of it. I just wanted to work on my domestic craft. The kitchen was like a small workshop, so I could do enough to fend off boredom. That would be a lot of fun.
"If you open up a shop, please make me your employee!" Florinda exclaimed.
"Of course, Florinda. If I do, it's all because of you." I handed her the glass jar of orange cheong with a broad smile. "Let's open it together in three days."