Simmering Jams at the Edge of the Forest

comfort me, to resent me for being depressed over something I couldn’t control, or simply to show the indifference of human relationships.

I remember feeling like I had a soft part in my heart crushed as I replied, ‘Yes, you’re right’.

Whether it was natural or unavoidable, what was sad was sad, and what was lonely was lonely.
I didn’t want any opinions, I just wanted to hear “I see”.

I didn’t know how we managed to stay together for six years without being able to compensate each other for such minor differences.

As I was pondering in a daze while putting away the laundry, there was a knock on the door of the housekeeping room and Lady Adelaide appeared.

“Margaret, what do you think of this? The cloth is sturdy, and the color is dark, so it won’t show much if it gets dirty.”

She was holding a navy blue one-piece dress in her hands.
If you looked closely, you could see that it was made of a woven fabric with a fine ground pattern, with a lace of the same color discreetly attached to the collar and hem.
It had a modest V-neck and sleeves that allowed for effortless movement.
I did as I was told and tried on the dress, and it fit perfectly.
I thought it looked pretty good on me.

“My, you look great.
Then, try on this one too.
But are you sure? In an old-fashioned dress like this one.”

This was good! I emphatically told her that repeatedly, and Lady Adelaide finally accepted.

Clothes… Lady Adelaide’s clothes were pretty.
Indeed, it was a little different from the way the women in the village dressed.
Perhaps, as she said, the model was old, but this one looked better to me.
Even though it was the same dress, it did not emphasize the waist and chest too much, so there was no need for a tight corset, and the roomy cut allowed for simple movement.
But that didn’t mean that the skirt was unnecessarily bulging.

This way, it was simple to the point and cute.

For the people here, there seemed to be a difference between clothes and kimonos, but for me, both clothes were far from each other.
New and old were meaningless.
I thought it was natural to think of the one you like.
And I didn’t want to haunt the villagers with bustiers and corsets.
And before that, corsets were tough on a thin Mongolian body, it would hit my bones!

Lady Adelaide took good care of her clothes, even the ones from her youth.
It was not the most admirable thing for a noblewoman to do, but I understood the feeling.

At my age of almost 30, I was less likely to jump into new designs and more likely to rotate my favorite clothes… Even if they were a little out of fashion.
Ah, I knew, it was a step towards becoming an old lady, yes.
I might understand, but I didn’t agree! It was called being open, that was.

Such was the generosity with which Lady Adelaide’s clothing collection had been given away.
I was grateful.

I heard that I had to go to the Imperial Capital once my injuries were fully healed, so I hoped to see a cloth shop over there then.
We didn’t have a big fabric store here.

This village was just far enough away to make a day trip to Imperial Capital, and since everyone went to the other side of the country to do a little shopping, the stores in the village sold only daily necessities.
A greengrocer, a butcher, a blacksmith.
We had minor items and underwear, but not much in the way of clothing.
I didn’t see any precious metal stores either.
Oh, there was no pastry shop either, just a corner of the bakery with some baked goods.
Everyone baked their own sweets.
I heard there was a gift shop in the capital that sold sweets… I was a little curious.

“But I really don’t know if you can handle it.
If your body hurts, tell Daniel immediately and take a break.
Just take it easy on yourself, okay?”

Oh, that was really sweet of you.
I had had no one to worry about my health in a long time, so every time someone told me to take it easy, I wanted to take it easy.
I would be careful.

I thanked her and hurriedly put away my clothes.
As for what this navy blue outfit was for… Actually, Dr.
Daniel, who just left, asked me to be the nursemaid at the clinic.

He asked me if I would be willing to work with the children who came to the clinic once or twice a week for half a day each.

There was no such thing as a daycare center in this village.
They wanted to help mothers with small children or elderly people who wanted to go to the clinic but could not due to their own illness or injury.
In short, it was a good luck charm between medical appointments.

If you could see a doctor in peace, you could come see him before your symptoms get worse, and as a result, you would heal faster.
That was true.

“I’m having Mark babysit for me right now, but he’s not very good.
It would be more helpful for us if he could stay by my side as my assistant.”

It was hard on Mark when the kids were around.
I didn’t know what to say, that guy was nice, but he didn’t show his true feelings, or he put a line between others.
Not so much at this time, but I also had the feeling that he was very guarded in the beginning.
In the first place, I didn’t think he was the type of person who would willingly play with children.

Blond hair, blue eyes, and tall.
He was very popular with the young girls in the village because he had a very nice face, like any prince, but he didn’t seem to be happy about it or use it well, he seemed uninterested and aloof… You okay, Mark? You must have been younger than me, but you were already withering away.
This sister would be worried.

Ha! He was that kind of guy!? No, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that.
I’ll secretly ask him next time.
Sis, I looked normal, but I had a high tolerance, don’t worry, I wouldn’t look at you funny! Ah, I should have listened to Yuko properly if this was going to happen.
I was not very knowledgeable… I might not be able to help you much.
But if you were serious, I would support you.
Leave it to me!

“Everyone in the village knows Margaret well by now.
Even if you can’t speak, you’re still able to shop, right? You can’t write with a child who can’t read, but I think you’ll be fine.”

‘I’ll pay you well’, the doctor continued mischievously.
He’d kill two birds with one stone if he made house calls like he did today, since I’d be there and it’d save the doctor a lot of trouble…Doctor.
It would give you less of an excuse to see Lady Adelaide, was that okay? Ah, you looked like you were not worried.
That was good.

“You’ll be fine.”… Yeah, thanks for buying so much for me, Dr.
Daniel.
If someone else had told me this, I would have thought that it was just flattery to keep the orison around.
But I could trust Dr.
Daniel.
There were many reasons for this, but most of all, because Lady Adelaide believed in the doctor.

That was why I decided to try my hand at being a nursemaid at the clinic next week, in between my chores at the mansion.

Footnotes

A pentode is an electronic device with five active electrodes.
The term most commonly applies to a three-grid amplifying vacuum tube.
The pentode can be used for almost all purpose for which vacuum tubes are used, including amplification, mixing, oscillation, and pulse generation, and in circuits for timing, control, and counting. A bottle or flask having a vacuum liner that prevents the escape of heat from hot contents, usually liquids, or the entrance of heat into cold contents; thermos.