Simmering Jams at the Edge of the Forest

lly obligated to accompany me for the next few days, would also have to come along.

The ironclad rule was that men were not allowed at women’s association gatherings.
The wives said it was a pity that they had lost a chance to admire the two handsome men of the capital up close, but they did not make an exception for the rule-breaking.
As expected.

That was why I stayed home in a daze…I was looking forward to it because Tanya, the blacksmith, was going to show off her new pie today.
If Lady Adelaide had not said that she would get me a slice, I would have locked the two men in the chicken coop and snuck out.

Tanya’s pies were delicious.
That crispy crust! And yet the filling was juicy as could be! Ah, I was drooling.

After cleaning, doing laundry and seeing Lady Adelaide off with her lunch basket and sewing kit, it was time for me to get ready for lunch.
However, the menu was the same as the one I had for Mark, so I just heated up the ratatouille and cut the petite bread in half and lightly toasted it with garlic butter.
Hmmm, it smelled appetizingly good.

The smell of garlic after a meal, which bothered everyone in different parts of the world, was masked by the generous amount of parsley in the salad.
I’d heard that cheese and apples were good to eat and green tea helped, but parsley was the major here.

A little different from the original world, this parsley was less bitter, more fragrant, very easy to eat, and one of my favorites.
There were a few trees planted in a corner of the field behind our house, but they were very fertile, and even though we kept tearing them off and eating them, we always found that they were full of thick, colorful greenery.
If such a thing existed in Japan, I would put a planter on the balcony of my apartment and grow it.

“Ah, it smells so good~.
I haven’t moved this much in a long time and I’m starving.”

“…Smells delicious.”

Look, here comes Mr.
Hungry, dizzy with the delicious smells.
Normally, he should just be watching, but he spent the entire morning with me cleaning and whatnot and helped a lot, thank you very much.
Thanks to his work, even the handrails on the stairs and the tops of the display cabinets, which were usually out of reach, were glowing.

That was great.
Magic was a great way to clean up.
To show my appreciation, I had added more roast beef to the sandwiches.

So, let’s have it with gusto at noon without worrying about the smell.

**

‘Good morning, Walter.
You could use a little more rest.’

How could I talk to my son in such a normal way after not seeing him for eight years? Thinking back, the last time I was at the residence in the capital, I only greeted him minimally and called him by name less and less.

My son was often busy with work and never came home; and his wife who was only too eager to socialize.
Butlers and housekeepers, who had been there when I married for decades, were polite but not confidantes.

One year after my son and his wife got married and moved in together, I told them that I would retire in Meissery as of that date, which I had decided on my own.

“…It is already a decision in mother’s mind, anyway.
Do as you like.
We’ll take care of the property and other paperwork for you.”

He looked the same as my husband and said the same things.

Indeed, I was only able to be involved in my son’s upbringing for a short time when he was little, even though I gave birth to him through my own gut wrenching experience.
My mother-in-law refused to allow me to hold my son, pet him, or make him tea to drink, saying that I was spoiling him and ruining him.

I could never get it across with all my words or with all my heart.
If I tried to fit in with their style, I was blatantly rejected.
It was as if I was living alone in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language.

I could only catch glimpses of my son, whose face and behavior were becoming more and more like my husband’s from afar.
I didn’t have to tell what happened between my husband and me.
Still, it was the contract between the two families and my will that kept us from getting divorced or separated.

And it was also my intention to make my retreat to Meissery and not in my hometown… I didn’t want to go back to a place that reminded me of happier times.
I was afraid that I might start to envy and hate my loved ones who lived peacefully in their hometowns.

I guessed my son, who grew up with such biased ideas and relationships, but never cursed me when I tried to leave, was a gentle child by nature.
If I had been able to raise him differently, he would have been able to build a warm home for himself, and I felt so sorry for my own lack of strength.

The moment I left the capital and was well accustomed to life in the village, Daniel regrettably left the royal palace and set up a clinic in Meissery.
This man was also a victim of being pushed around by me and my family, but he always supported me in the shadows.
I had nothing to give back to him and yet he was going to continue to live in the same place… That was enough.

“Ms.
Adelaide, your son is so big.
He looks like your husband.”

“How are you doing?”

“Hugh was a skinny little guy, but he’s grown a lot.”

Hey, hey, how about our niece for your son? What a calm mind to take in the idle chatter.

Was it the years of not seeing each other that did it, or was it the poison of Margaret and Walter’s accompanying company? My son was still a strong and expressive man, but I was surprised to see that his mood had somehow softened.

Back then, I had no idea that he would be able to treat people in such a natural way.

‘Let’s feed them lots of good food and give them lots of welcome.’

How much I was saved by Margaret, who cheerfully declared that if that didn’t work, she would treat them to her special cookies.
This child really brought such a warm light at the end of my life.

‘You live to fight and make up.’

She had lost her parents early in life, and her eyes gazed into the distance.

I kept moving my embroidery needle, thinking strongly that the week my son would spend there would be comparable to the past ten years, and wondered what else he liked to eat, while reeling back the distant memories.