/
“… What?”
‘Where did she go?’
Erin and Einz, who sat next to her, looked surprised.
The countess let out a clear sounding laugh at their surprised expressions.
“Now that I think about it, a lord’s daughter hiding out on a stowaway ship and going into an enemy territory could be a bit shocking.”
The Countess recounted her memories of the time with a wistful look in her eyes.
⚘
“After spending several days at the bottom of the ship, I stepped out onto the warm, sunlit shore. I was then surrounded by white sandy beach. I had been to the west coast before, but I had never seen such a beautiful white sandy beach…”
She looked around for a while, taking in the sights of the seaside town.
The cries of seagulls overhead mingled with the cool lapping of the waves.
She was thirsty and hungry as she wandered the unintelligible seaside streets.
She was so hungry that she went into a shop that looked like a restaurant and ordered something off the menu.
The owner frowned at her raggedy clothes, but when she took out her money, he brought her a steaming bowl of food.
She was given a spicy baked fish, which is a yellow and dull dish, and a white dessert that was placed on a plate.
To her aristocratic upbringing, the food was just average.
It was spicy, salty, strongly flavored, and unpalatable.
But the white dessert was memorable and delicious.
The white creamy dessert had an unusual aroma.
She was mesmerized by its flavor and aroma alone.
She even wondered what the ingredients were, but she didn’t know how to speak the language well enough, so she couldn’t ask.
She ordered three plates of dessert and ate them all, but she couldn’t figure out what they were made of.
“That.. Then how did you get back to the country?”
“I was lucky, my father’s men, who were chasing me, saw me sneaking across the border at dusk that day, it was a shameful memory from my immature childhood.”
The Countess laughed, with her eyes rolling at the back of her head as if embarrassed by the story, but Erin could understand her feelings.
Even though she was the daughter of a noble, life must have been tough for her, who was a young girl with the blood from an enemy nation.
It must have been even harder for a young girl who had lost her mother.
The stares of her relatives would have been unbearable, not to mention the stares coming from her neighbors?
It would have been too much for a young girl to bear at that time.
It was for this reason that she left home and traveled to her mother’s hometown.
The countess looked at the glass vial with wistfulness in her eyes.
“I didn’t know what flavor it was for 20 years. I asked merchants, I scurried around for books, but I still couldn’t figure out what it was.”
The Countess turned back to Erin and spoke.
“But this time, when I smelled the scent of these petals coming from a general store in the capital, I was able to learn its identity— Jasmine. It is said to be a flower used as a spice in faraway exotic lands, that can only be found by crossing the southern seas past Artheon, and it is unknown in the country.”
Not long ago, the Empire went to war with Artheon, which claimed the southern part of the continent.
When war broke out, merchants came and went, and supplies went straight into the capital, bringing in goods that were unavailable while trade was blocked.
After the war ended with the empire’s victory, the capital was then filled with specialties from the southern coast that they hadn’t even seen before.
These petals must have come in that way.
“May I have a moment to examine them?”
“Of course.”
The Countess handed Erin the glass vial.
She took the vial from the Countess and unscrewed the lid.
As soon as she opened it, she immediately smelled the fresh, floral scent.
“Ah, this smells so good.”
The petals were dried to a crisp, but the scent was still there.
The scent was surprisingly strong, but not overpowering.
On the contrary, the fragrant floral scent was subtle and refreshing.
It lingered long even after Erin had put the vial of petals down.
The Countess then explained,
“I heard that they use this flower as a flavoring for food, and they also drink it as tea in the south.”
“Flower tea.”
Erin wasn’t usually a fan of tea, but if it was made from such a fragrant flower, she knew she would like it, if only for the scent alone.
‘Maybe we should start stocking some flower teas in the shop?’
They only sell coffee, simple black tea, and milk tea in the shop at the moment, but with sales always increasing, it would be more convenient to have some other options.
“I’ve had the chefs at the manor try it to add some flavor to the cakes and pies we eat, but they’ve all been unsuccessful. That’s because although it has a similar flavor, I don’t like it, and when I tried tasting it, the desserts they made seemed to mask the flavor of the flowers, which is not what I wanted.”
The Countess stroked the glass vial and recounted her story wistfully.
She looked back at Erin and asked,
“Do you think you could make a delicious dessert that would keep the scent?”
“I don’t know, it certainly has a nice scent but—-.”
Erin took the glass vial from the Countess and breathed in the scent once more.
“But it’s too strong.”
She couldn’t quite figure out what dessert to make with it.
A scent that’s too strong and won’t easily blend into the flavors of cakes or muffins that’s commonly found in the empire…
It probably goes with the same principle, where you can’t drizzle rose or freesia fragrance oil on top of a cake to add some flavor— that’s because mixing such strong flavors can ruin the original taste, it’s like spraying air freshener on a cake.
‘I think it would be best to stick to a simple cream or pudding like the one my lady had–.’
Erin thought for a moment and then asked,
“I’m not sure what kind of dessert they eat in the South. Can you describe exactly what it was?”
“Yes, of course, I can, it’s been twenty years and I still remember it clearly.”
The Countess looked ecstatic as she recalled the memory.
“It was a dessert made of white cream in a mold made of leaves or something, and there was a fluffy transparent jelly-like substance underneath, and the white cream on top was covering it like snowflakes. It was really delicious, and it had a cool, sweet, floral scent.”
She finished describing it and turned to Erin and asked,
“Do you think you can make it?”
‘I don’t know a thing about it, nor have a clue of what it was.’
Erin listened, at a loss for words, and then asked,
“When you say white cream, do you mean whipped cream?”
“No. It was like whipped cream, but it tasted much cleaner than whipped cream. It was like curdled milk… It wasn’t very sweet.”
‘There is a clear jelly-like thing with unknown origin added, there is also an unidentified white cream on top, and it has a floral scent…’
“Once I know the identity of the white cream, it will be a bit clearer.”
“Most white creams used for desserts in the Empire are made with milk or eggs. So they usually end up as whipped cream or custard cream, meringue, or milk curdled pudding—-”
“I’ve tried them all, but no.”
Sadly the Countess said it was none of those things.
Erin finds it even more mysterious.
“It doesn’t have to be the same dessert, I don’t really mind, I just want something that can take advantage of this scent, and I don’t know if you can make me something like that.”
“Well, I don’t know—”
Erin trailed off at the end, a little unsure of herself.
She wasn’t sure if she could do it.
She knew she could create desserts of her own version, but she had never tried to develop something new.
“Doesn’t your husband work for the government, by any chance?”
“Yes, he does.”
Erin then asked the countess,
“Then if I succeed in making the dessert, may I ask one favor from your husband?”
The countess readily agreed.
“Of course, I’ll help you with anything.”
With the Countess’ assurance, Erin finally made her decision.
“Alright, then I will do what I can.”
⚘
Erin accepted the vial of dried petals and left the mansion.
The Countess’ birthday party was three weeks away.
In the meantime, she must find a way to make the southern dessert the Countess said, to have once eaten, or at least develop another dessert that can capture the scent of Jasmine.
Once the Count and Countess returns to the capital in two weeks, Erin will have to come back to her and show her progress.
“Einz, have you ever seen a flower like this in the south?”
Einz peered into the vial and shook his head.
“No, I don’t remember.”
The last time he was in the South, the war was still raging.
There would have been no time for him to look around for flowers or spices in the middle of a war.
Einz apologized, with his eyes full of regret.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help you.”
“Huh? No, don’t worry about it. It’s just I don’t know anything about southern desserts.”
Erin wondered if there was anyone in the capital who knew about the flower.
“Is there anything else I can do to help?”
“Well, Maybe you could come by the shop when you’re free and sample some of my desserts?”
“Of course! I’ll be happy to do that. I’ll come by after work every day.”
Einz’s acceptance made Erin feel happy for some reason.
Ever since she opened the shop, she had been so busy.
Now that she was more familiar with the shop and her business was on track, she thought that it would be nice to meet, and chat with Einz every day like before, even if it was just for a few minutes.
“So, where are we going now?”
“Liberty General Store.”
Erin responded casually as she climbed into the carriage.
“It’s the biggest general store in the capital, so we should go there.”
The amount of Jasmine inside the glass vial would be enough to make the dessert the Countess requested.
But she would need much more than that to develop the recipe and practice.
“I’ll see if I can get more of these flowers.”