10 — A Return to Normal
10 — A Return to Normal
“That Mr. Fisalis... no matter where he goes, he’s always the same.”
I was drinking tea and relaxing in the salon after another tearful dinner alone in our stupidly big dining room. The arrival of my in-laws and Chamomile during a period of otherwise next to no guests had left me absolutely beat. And on top of everything, that letter! My brain was fried.
Perhaps hoping it would help my recovery, Dahlia offered me some sweets as I drank the tea she had brewed for me. They were the same little cakes I’d given Chamomile to take with her. We had so many, I had even split them among the servants, too. As could be expected of anything Cartham made, they truly healed the body and soul. And the taste! It was out of this world!
This is the life! Lying around, eating cake!
“He certainly is. We servants, too, were put at ease to learn he was in good health,” Rohtas replied calmly.
Oh? Hm, I guess it makes sense that they would. Even though Rohtas has faith in Mr. Fisalis and the knights, he must have felt a sense of relief today when he heard from the report how Mr. Fisalis was doing.
“Speaking of the letter, he talked a lot about his duchy in the south. He said the local specialty there was fruit. And what was the other thing...? Oh, yes, the mining industry. I wonder if that’s where those famous beef-blood rubies come from.” I hadn’t been terribly interested in the contents of the letter as I had read it, so I sort of struggled to remember the details. I was thinking of the ruby my mother-in-law had given me as a souvenir but...
“That would be a pigeon-blood, Madam. And in that case, they are another duchy’s specialty. Our southern’s duchy’s claim to fame is diamonds.”
Wow, I didn’t remember any of that right. Thank you for correcting me without making a big deal out of it, Rohtas!
So, the mines in the southern duchy are famous for their diamonds, then. I bet those are really expensive, too.
“Whoa! Diamonds, who would have thought?” Is there anything that duchy doesn’t have? Aren’t they maybe monopolizing this kingdom’s produce industry, though?
“Mm. But in terms of rarity value, the pigeon-blood rubies are more valuable because there are fewer of them produced,” Rohtas politely explained.
That duchy sounds amazing! They have a hand in everything from agriculture to mining, no economic weaknesses! Their finances must be in great shape, too! Not that I really care about fancy gems all that much.
“He wrote about how strong local fruit production is in the south, but he didn’t specify what kind. Are they not frequently seen here in the capital?” I don’t think I’ve seen them at my favorite greengrocer or fruit stand, anyway. Whenever they got some famous produce in, it was always prominently displayed, complete with a high price tag. Those were for rich people, though! I always got an aggressive ‘these aren’t for you peasants!’ feeling from those displays. Er, at any rate, those fruits never touched my lips.
“Correct. Distribution in neighboring kingdoms is given precedence.”
Exporting them would bring in profits, though! That would be a good business decision.
“I see, I see. I’ve just wanted to try some ever since I read about them in Mr. Fisalis’ letter. But now I hear they’re not distributed in the capital. Oh well.” I wanted to try some if I could get them here, but it’s not as if I absolutely have to have them, or that they’re something worth inconveniencing anyone to get. I’ll abandon that plan here and now.
But...
“If you would like to sample some, I can arrange to have them brought here,” Rohtas said offhandedly.
“Huh? You mean you can get some?”
“Of course. I can provide you anything our duchy produces, if you so desire it, Madam,” he said with one of his usual reassuring smiles.
And that was when it finally hit me that I had made it to the big leagues. Let me just take back what I said before.
“In that case, I would like to try some!”
“As you wish, Madam,” Rohtas replied with a polite bow before exiting the salon.
The next morning:
As I was eating my breakfast alone, radiating my now constant gloomy aura, the doorman called for Rohtas, “Sir. There’s a messenger in the entrance.”
“A messenger? Where could they have come from?” Rohtas mumbled with raised eyebrows. Apparently, we were not expecting any guests that day. It was unusual to see Rohtas caught unprepared, so I observed in silence.
“Yes sir. It’s from the Royal Palace. He brought a royal decree as well.” The doorman presented the envelope that the messenger had delivered. Rohtas and the doorman’s conversation was happening right by the entrance, so I couldn’t hear much of what they said, but I caught a glimpse of a white envelope.
I saw Rohtas quickly inspect its contents. “I see. Let us take a look. Pardon me for just a moment, Madam,” he called to me in apology before walking out the door.
“Sure thing. Oh, I’m alone again...” I muttered to the nearly empty dining room. With Rohtas gone, it was suddenly down to just Dahlia and Mimosa.
“I wonder what it could be, coming from the Royal Palace? It seemed urgent, too,” I wondered aloud to them.
“I wonder, too. But you have nothing to worry about, Madam, with Rohtas taking care of things,” Dahlia replied.
“You’re probably right...”
Rohtas abruptly returned while Dahlia and I were discussing the arrival of the royal messenger.
“Oh, that was quick. What did the royal messenger want, then?”
“Lord Fisalis is to appear at the palace at once, so I’ve sent a servant to the cottage.”
A royal messenger came for my father-in-law? I guess that shouldn’t be too surprising. It’s not like the message was addressed to me!
“Father Fisalis? Hmm, I wonder why.” He’ll probably come here soon, so I’ll find out then.
I finished my breakfast in a hurry.
When I went out to the carriage porch to receive my in-laws after the servant retrieved them, a messenger carriage from the Royal Palace had been pulled up beside it.
“Your Father’s been called away for a war council, so we’ll have to go to the Royal Palace for a little while,” my mother-in-law told me gently. She was dressed to the nines and looked all ready to go.
As she turned and elegantly lifted her foot to step up into the carriage, my father-in-law complained, “I don’t really want to go... No one’s listening to me, are they? I’m supposed to be retired!” as his own servant and the messenger resolutely trotted along behind my mother-in-law.
“Whatever you say, sir. Of course you’re retired. But when His Majesty himself calls for you, you can’t exactly tell him no,” the royal messenger humored him. The messenger must be an old acquaintance if he’s joking around with him like that, considering he’s a former duke!
“Come along now, my lord, enough grumbling.”
“Nooo! I’d rather be doing anything but this!”
Everyone ignored his pleas, and even I pretended not to hear him.
“I know, dear, I know. I’ll be with you the whole time. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can leave,” Lady Fisalis snickered over her shoulder as she watched my father-in-law’s meltdown.
“Of course you say that, you’re only going to be having tea with the queen consort!” he said back to her with an envious look in his eyes.
“But it’s my job to cheer on my husband from the inner palace! I’m not just laughing and drinking tea, you know. Get in the carriage, dear. See you, Vi! I don’t know when we’ll be back, so tell them not to make dinner for us!” Lady Fisalis called to me with a smile, paying no attention at all to her husband’s whining.
Ah, I feel something stabbing me. No, really, I think I’ve been stabbed! My mother-in-law’s brutal rebukes against my father-in-law were so sharp, even I felt them! ‘Words like knives’ is a common saying among women, right? Whoever thought of it, I think I understand what they mean now. ...This is why I hate sociali— I mean, I’m just no good at small talk, and besides, Rohtas always says you don’t need to be happy and spunky all the time...
Lady Fisalis must have noticed my look of alarm, because she then said, “Oh, goodness, please don’t look so gloomy, Vi. There’s no point in trying to change something that can’t be changed. To be honest, I rarely hold tea parties completely voluntarily, and if I’m invited to one, I’m rather forced to go, you know? The same goes for parties,” she added, attempting to patch things up with a smile.
“I understand,” I replied stiffly. She really drove that point home.
With that, she waved goodbye to me as she took her seat in the carriage and shut the door.
“I’ll let Cartham know you won’t be here for dinner. Have a nice time!”
“I’ll try!” my father-in-law turned around to say back to me, which was very kind of him, considering he was not going voluntarily.
—
It was dead silent in the manor, like the calm after a storm.
“Will they be back very late, do you think?” I asked Rohtas, as I was having some tea in the salon.
“The summons was for a Royal Council, so I expect they will return no earlier than evening. I presume they will be eating dinner there as well. Or rather, that is what I gathered from the royal decree.”
“Seems like it. So... how about we have dinner like. We. Normally. Do?”
No response.
Oh ho, I see you dodging my gaze, you sneaky man.
“What do you say?” I pressed, changing my position so I could force eye contact.
“...Well. I suppose...” he reluctantly agreed, not even trying to hide how much he wanted to say no. Oh, come on! Don’t be like that! Er, no, wait. It would be super weird if you weren’t like that.
We were back to normal!
“Eh he he he he! Back to our old routine!”
“...So it seems. I had a feeling you would suggest that,” he sighed resignedly.
“I may not be in my uniform, but I can still act like I normally dooo,” I sang to myself as I polished the windows with camellia oil.
I just couldn’t hold back from trying to polish those windows until they shone like diamonds! I delighted in the squeaking sound my fingers made when I ran them over the window panes. Oh, how I’ve missed this work!
“Oooh! I wanna do the laundry next! And de-wrinkle the sheets!” The Fisalis Manor Secret Technique: Human Iron no Jutsu! I am of course referring to our method of flapping the wrinkles out of our bed linens without using a steam iron.
They’re dried quickly by the air passing through them and the wrinkles are pressed out by the pressure from moving up and down; since there’s air moving all through them, they come out nice and soft. A wonderful secret technique to be sure! I was very impressed by this method when I first saw it upon moving into the manor.
It takes six people to do, and I never get tired of it! I wish I could bounce on top of the sheet as it wafts up and down, but, alas, I know that’s impossible. What’s that? How do I know... if I’ve never tried?
“Alright, Madam? Could you please take that corner?”
“Sure!”
“Is everyone ready?”
“Ready!” we all replied.
“On the count of three! One, two!”
Fwah-pa! Fwah-pa!
The snow white sheet filled with air and reflected the sunlight under the bright blue sky. What a refreshing sight!
“Doing this after so long really tires you out, but... boy, does it feel good!”
We raised and lowered the sheet in time with our breathing. It takes a lot of muscle to get wet sheets flying, but seeing them all dry out wrinkle-free makes for a fantastic recharge! And it’s great exercise! I felt a little sad, though, doing these things we usually did when Mr. Fisalis was around, so when evening came, I called it quits. It was startling how I had gotten used to him being around.
“I knew I should have worn my uniform. I got my dress all sweaty and dusty,” I said to myself as I got changed in my room after we were done. I had worked up such a sweat doing the laundry that I thought I had better change for dinner.
“Er, but Madam? You were only wearing one of your usual dresses today. What does it matter that you got it dirty?” Closet Commander Mimosa asked disapprovingly at the mention of my uniform making a return.
“It just does? You don’t care when your uniform gets dirty, do you?”
“No, but... What would you do if the former duke and duchess suddenly came back?”
“That would be a problem, wouldn’t it?” I crossed my arms in thought over what Mimosa said.
“Please don’t go overboard with any ideas,” she jabbed. Just ignore her.
“If something were to change, with my father- and mother-in-law, we would get a message about it, right? We’d be in the clear. It’s no different than what we usually do!” There were maids assigned to wait on my mother-in-law at the cottage, after all. My in-laws told me they were fine on their own, but they would still need help from time to time, so we had a group of three servants in rotation at the cottage for them.
Oh! Another rotation system at the cottage! No, but this is different than the last time, this time, everyone’s actually happy to work there. That, and my in-law’s movements are reported in detail to Rohtas and Dahlia back in the main house. And that’s as close to any forewarning as we’re going to get.
The same could be said for when Mr. Fisalis and I came home after our date.
“So as long as we keep up appearances, she should be just fine! It’s worked until now, hasn’t it? All I need to do is transform once we get word that they’re on their way home! Should we call it the In-Law Shift?”
What, why are you staring at me like that, Mimosa?
“Alrighty then, let’s do it this way starting tomorrow!” I’ll just assume your silence is a ‘yes’! Heh heh heh, now that’s what I call positive thinking!
It turned out that my father-in-law had to go to the Royal Palace every day after that. It looked like a kidnapping every time. The royal messenger who came the first day continued to come to the manor every morning after that, and when I saw how bluntly he spoke to my father-in-law and assumed they were old friends and eventually found out that the messenger was a former subordinate of his.
That explains why he can manhandle... I mean, why he knows my father-in-law like the back of his hand!
And so every morning, their little scene, their little battle scene, unfolded before their attendance at the palace. You deserve a raise, royal messenger.
Every morning, my mother-in-law went along with them to the palace, too. I got the feeling he’d only go if she went, too. He was like a spoiled little boy! ...But that didn’t have anything to do with me, so I’ll spare you the details.
I understand that my mother-in-law had tea and whatnot with the queen consort every day. She always said, “this is just part of my job✰” but unlike her husband and his job, she actually seemed to enjoy it.
And I, after seeing them off with a big smile, would run excitedly back to my room.
“Hmm, what chore shall I tackle today?”
I really wasn’t made for the celebrity life!