Tearmoon Empire, Volume 7, page 23
Nevertheless, he could still swallow it if he was alone in his grievances. According to his daughters, Princess Mia was a virtuous person. She was also in the process of consolidating Tearmoon’s political power in her hands. Whatever she chose to do with it, it would undoubtedly be beneficial to Perujin.
But etched into the king’s mind were the hunched forms of his people, their backs to the searing sun, their sweat wetting the soil. He saw them whenever he closed his eyes. Some of them were no longer here; they were ghosts of past laborers who’d placed the country’s future on their shoulders.
Could he allow the seeds they’d toiled so arduously to sow bear fruit in such a fashion? To reward their sacrifice with a Perujin like this?
A voice echoed seductively in his ears. Crops were weapons. They had the potential of becoming deadly armaments that could kill the monster that was the empire. That which their ancestors had spent generations building up could be used to strike back at those who looked down on them. The king felt his heart waver at the thought.
“What exactly are you proposing? If we hold back on our crop exports, Tearmoon will be knocking on my doors within the week.”
“It’s very simple, Your Majesty. Simply raise your prices. But not by an unreasonable amount. Keep it appropriate...or perhaps just a little more than appropriate. Not enough for Tearmoon to consider sending troops down to pressure you. You just need to push the price up a tiny bit. Then, when they’ve gotten used to the new price, push it up again.” Shalloak narrowed his gaze. “By the way, Your Majesty, would you happen to know the trick to cooking alive the eight-limbed fish known as an Archdaemon’s familiar?”
The king arched an eyebrow at this sudden question.
“It’s also very simple,” explained Shalloak. “If you suddenly drop it in a pot of hot water, it will escape. Instead, you slowly heat the water. That way, by the time it realizes what’s going on, it’s too late—it will already be cooked.”
He grinned.
“What’s important is the rate at which you fan the flame. And that kind of delicate adjustment is what we merchants are best at. So how about it, Your Majesty? May I be entrusted with the task of negotiating with Tearmoon?”
“So that’s what you’re after. I understand now. Unfortunately, I cannot give you an immediate answer... Tell me, Mr. Cornrogue, will you be attending the Thanksharvest Festival?”
“I certainly will, and I plan to turn a good profit, at that.”
“In that case, I will give you your answer after the festival is over.”
So ended their talk. Neither party was aware of the princess who’d been hiding within earshot. Nor did they know that, like a pair of bamboo shoots sharing underground rhizomes, she and her Tearmoon counterpart were far more connected than they outwardly appeared.
This doesn’t sound good at all... What should I do?
Rania hid in a room next to the audience chamber, urging her quickening breaths to still. The room was familiar to her. She and her sister used to play here frequently when they were young. A crack ran along the wall separating the room from the audience chamber, and their young thirst for mischief had often led them to press their ears to it and eavesdrop. Such behavior would normally be unthinkable for someone of royal blood, but Perujin, being a smaller country, was laxer in its standards and allowed for a degree of organic spontaneity.
I mean, I doubt father will actually do what he said, but...
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t rid herself of a lingering sense of unease. What if it had been her past self listening to the man, before she’d met Mia? Would she have been able to turn his offer down? Her heart wavered.
It’s going to be a big problem if father goes along with the idea. Princess Mia needs to know. But...should I be telling her?
What her father was considering amounted to a direct act of betrayal toward Tearmoon. If things went badly, he might end up angering Mia. Nothing good could come of that. After a period of contemplation, she resolved to act immediately. She needed to get word to Mia as soon as possible.
I have to tell Princess Mia. She’ll know what to do!
The one thing that didn’t waver was her trust in Mia.
Chapter 17: Princess Mia...Enjoys a Fruit-Picking Session
A day’s journey past the border of Tearmoon lay a small village, where Mia’s group waited to meet up with Rania. Fruit farming was prevalent throughout the village, with vast stretches of farmland dotted by a few houses in the center. The settlement was surrounded by fields. With harvest season in full swing, branches sagged with the weight of their fruits while swaying gently in the breeze.
Needless to say, Mia was...
“My, look at this one. Doesn’t it look ripe to eat?”
...In the midst of enjoying a fruit-picking session.
Wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and work clothes with long sleeves and pant legs she’d borrowed from the villagers, Mia looked every bit the professional fruit picker.
“It looks so delicious; they all do. Edible gems, truly. Mmm... They smell so good.”
Sweets Sommelier Mia twisted a fruit off its branch, brought it to her nose, and filled her lungs with its pleasant aroma. Then, she held it up to the light and studied its color with an intense gaze.
“Hm, it has received plenty of the sun’s blessing. Finely ripened... Maybe a tad overripe, but that often results in a sweeter fruit. This one should be a treat for the tongue.”
Hanging tantalizingly before Mia and her group were fruits known as rubyfruits. They were red and oval-shaped with a large pit surrounded by a thin layer of flesh which, after peeling the skin, was normally consumed by biting off pieces with the front teeth. Its flavor was a delectable mix of sweetness and acidity.
“Ah, look here, Tatiana! There’s lots over here too!” Some distance away, a beaming Bel waved at the younger girl.
“S-Slow down, Miss Bel. You’ll stumble again if you keep running like that.”
Tatiana hurried after her. The two had started chatting in the carriage and became fast friends. Mia smiled as she watched them frolic about.
It’s nice to see that Bel’s managed to make another friend after Citrina. Mia’s inner grandmother was delighted.
“All right, keep your eyes peeled, you two! Make sure you pick all the ripe ones. It’ll be a waste if we miss any.” Mia herself was also having a blast. “Aaah, what an extraordinary experience this is. Picking fresh fruits and eating them on the spot. Now this is what I call true luxury!”
She’d already spoken to Ludwig and received approval for her plan to chow down on their spoils during break time. When it came to things like these, Mia was meticulous.
“I can barely wait. No, I can’t wait! Oooooh, break time needs to come faster!”
It had originally been Anne’s idea to go fruit-picking. Since Mia needed to leave early for Perujin and deal with a thorny negotiation, Anne had been worried that the stress would lead her to binge sweets. Hoping to help her mistress get some exercise beforehand, she’d proposed a fruit-picking trip. Judging by the fact that Mia was ready to fill every inch of her gut with fresh fruits though, it’s reasonable to assume that she wasn’t aware of her loyal subject’s true intentions.
As it turned out, the fruit-picking session had an unexpected side effect—influencing the locals’ opinions of Mia. Villagers watched her saunter through the orchards with increasingly fond expressions. The cause of their fondness was, of course, the fact that she was helping with their harvest.
Now, Mia was a princess. Her proficiency when it came to farm work was frankly abysmal. It was arguable that she was actually slowing the villagers down with her participation. Objectively speaking, she was a terrible laborer. The very fact that she was helping, however, carried great symbolic meaning.
To the villagers here, a princess was someone who shared their sweat and toil. Someone who led them both in spirit and by example during the harvest. And that was exactly what Mia did. The princess of mighty Tearmoon was matching their own, doing the work of agriculture that their country was known for. And not just that...
“Why don’t we stop for a break,” suggested the village mayor before nervously asking, “Princess Mia, are you, uh...sure you wish to eat these?”
The mayor had good reason to be nervous. While rubyfruits were undoubtedly delicious, they were slightly difficult to eat. The skin was too thin to pare with a knife, so naturally, the eater had to peel it off with their hands. Being a very juicy fruit, this inevitably resulted in uncomfortably sticky hands. Furthermore, with only a slim layer of flesh covering the large pit, it was unfeasible to shave off the edible part with a knife and present it on a platter, forcing the eater to directly bite into the flesh with their teeth.
In other words, eating rubyfruits required one to exhibit somewhat vulgar table manners. This made them a frequent target of mockery by Tearmoon nobles unfamiliar with their intricacies, who associated both the fruits and their eaters with crassness and unsophistication.
The mayor’s concern about whether Mia would be willing to tolerate the awkward process of eating rubyfruits, though understandable, proved unfounded.
“Yes! Finally! I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
Grinning from ear to ear, Mia picked up a rubyfruit, eagerly peeled off the skin, and sunk her teeth into its flesh without the slightest hesitation. Sucking audibly on the juices that flowed out, she gnawed her way down to the seed. Her childlike indifference to the stickiness of the whole affair instantly soothed the atmosphere.
“My, what’s the matter, everyone?” she asked, noticing the curious looks around her. “Am I eating it wrong?”
“Oh, don’t mind us,” the mayor said with a gentle smile. “That’s exactly how we do it too. It’s the tastiest way to eat rubyfruit. It’s just that we’ve run into some Tearmoon nobles before who refused to eat them because it makes their hands dirty, or because they felt the method is unseemly, and so on.”
“Huh. Well, they’re missing out. Getting your hands dirty is the best part! It makes eating these so much more fun,” she replied as she sucked the juice off her fingertips.
Coincidentally, the gesture bore a striking resemblance to how Rania used to do the same.
“Quite, quite. I see now that Tearmoon’s princesses are not so different from our own.” The mayor spoke what all the villagers were thinking. The sight etched itself into their minds as an eternal reminder of Mia’s likeability. It swept away all the prejudices they’d held about her station, leaving only affection for one of their own princess’s best friends.
Now, anyone who single-handedly erases negative preconceived notions from a group of people should definitely pat themselves on the back, but Mia did no such thing. Was it modesty? Of course not. It was complete ignorance. As far as she was concerned, all she did was enjoy a pleasant day of picking and eating rubyfruits.
Ludwig and Anne watched the events unfold from a distance.
“As usual, Her Highness leaves me utterly speechless. She has already won over the villagers. I was almost certain she agreed to this fruit-picking proposal for Miss Bel and Miss Tatiana’s benefit, but I had no idea she was planning to pursue it in this fashion...” Ludwig sighed in awe but soon furrowed his brows in concern. “With that said, though I recognize the value in gaining their trust, I cannot help but worry about Her Highness’s health. I hope she doesn’t force herself to eat more than an appropriate amount...”
Anne shook her head reassuringly. “It’ll be okay. I have a feeling that rubyfruits are not something you can eat too much of.”
Her prophetic turn made Ludwig lift an eyebrow. He looked dubiously at her, then back at Mia. “Wait, is she...”
Mia was peeling her third rubyfruit, but her motions clearly lacked the verve of her first. At that rate, a fourth one seemed unlikely.
“It’s the same with my little siblings. When they eat things that are a bit of a pain to prepare, they end up feeling full just from the work it takes,” explained Anne.
She’d suggested picking rubyfruits for that very reason after hearing from villagers about how they were difficult to peel. Chalk one up for Mia’s right hand, who just took a round over her stomach.
“I see. That was very clever of you, Miss Anne,” said Ludwig, evidently impressed.
Anne flashed the quickest of smug smiles before walking over to Mia.
“Excuse me, milady,” she said, wiping Mia’s mouth.
“My, thank you. Why don’t you sit down and try one too? These are really good.”
Another period of merry chitchat ensued, after which...
“Princess Mia? What are you...”
“Oh, Rania. You’re here.”
...Rania Tafrif Perujin, princess of Agricultural Country Perujin, arrived on the scene.
“I see... Fruit-picking with the villagers...” said Rania.
“Yes. It was a wonderful experience.” Mia grinned before tactfully adding, “I do worry whether I was getting in everyone’s way, though...”
Right now, Mia was on a roll. All those fruit juices must have gotten her brain juices flowing.
After meeting up with Rania, they’d relocated to the mayor’s home for lunch.
“Wow, so this is the famous Perujin specialty, the tahkoe.”
It took some time, but Mia’s patience was rewarded by the arrival of a thin wrapping of yellowish bread filled with meat and vegetables. It was traditional Perujin cuisine.
“Let’s see... This must be some sort of thin flatbread. Or maybe a crepe? The dryness reminds me of the bread used for rituals that they make without any raising agents...”
Following an initial analysis, she bit off a piece. A rush of piquant spices hit her tongue, which soon melted away to reveal the mellow sweetness of well-baked dough.
“Mmm, I see. There’s a unique flavor and sweetness to it. Now then, let’s try the whole thing.”
Being extra careful so the filling wouldn’t fall out, Mia took a big cross-sectional bite. An explosion of flavor ensued: There was the tartness of ambermoon tomatoes. The sharp stringing of red mustard on her tongue. A mix of spices she couldn’t name. Then, the savory juices of roasted meat. Crunchy greens provided a hint of bitterness, adding further depth to the multi-layered taste.
“Wow, that was quite the novel culinary experience. Oho ho. I’ve been wanting to try these ever since hearing about them from Rania. They are indeed very good.”
For the record, though it may come as a surprise to some, Mia could handle her spice. Not only could she eat spicy food in the first place, she could enjoy them to the full extent. This was to the head chef’s credit, who’d been serving her all sorts of different food in the belief that a wide palate was a good palate. From bitter to sweet, sour to spicy, Mia’s tongue had become a veteran of the gastronomic battlefield. Although she struggled against a number of foods at first, she was now capable of enjoying even stringent bitterness. The plainness of boiled foods likewise posed no challenge. One could say that her palate had matured.
One could also say that her palate resembled that of the average grandmother, but not everything that could be said, should be said.
Anyway, the point is, Mia was now perfectly capable of enjoying spicy foods. Along with sweet ones, salty ones, bitter ones, sour ones, and whatever else was out there. She had the ability to find any and all flavors delicious. Which was a pretty dangerous superpower, if you think about it from a body weight perspective. On the bright side, it did at least make her extremely tolerant toward the dietary habits of other cultures. She kept an open mind and an even opener gut when it came to trying new food.
“I must say though, this bread is very intriguing. If I look at only the filling, I feel like I might as well be eating a sandwich, but for some reason, wrapping this bread around it changes its flavor completely.”
“The dough is made from the flour of a type of grain known as fullmoon corn. It’s a relative of wheat.”
“Ah, so it’s not wheat flour. That explains it,” mumbled Mia as she took another bite. “Mmm, but it’s definitely very good. I see. It possesses different qualities from wheat flour, so naturally, there are other methods of preparation more suited to it. Rather than making it into the bread I’m familiar with, this kind of flatbread seems to make better use of its inherent flavor.”
Every locality is best enjoyed through local methods best-suited to it, and food is no exception. Assuming that mushrooms taste great no matter how they’re cooked betrays a lack of diligence and attention. The true pleasure of mushroom cuisine comes from carefully considering the unique characteristics of each species and devising synergistic methods of preparation.
“Clearly, if I wish to truly appreciate all the different crops available in Perujin, I’ll need to study cooking methods and recipes too. And to do that, I’ll have to eat more...”
What had started as a reasonable thought ended on a rather worrying note.
Once Mia had finished enjoying all the food available, Rania slowly lowered her head, her expression apologetic.
“I’m very sorry things ended up like this, Princess Mia. I apologize for this situation my father has created...”
“There’s no need for apologies, Rania. I’d appreciate it if you could explain the situation to me, though. What happened, exactly? You wrote in your letter that Shalloak Cornrogue is going to stir up trouble...”
Mia sneaked a glance at Tatiana to find her looking down at the ground with a grim expression. Getting her to cooperate was probably going to require as accurate a grasp of the situation as possible, so Mia prompted Rania to continue.
“A little while ago, this merchant named Shalloak Cornrogue showed up,” explained Rania. “It’s the Thanksharvest season, so there are always more merchants coming and going around this time than usual. Sometimes, it leads to new business deals, so father takes the time to personally receive each of them. Shalloak was one of those merchants.”
