by Yu Sakurai
But that was a problem for another time. I washed my whisk, dried it off, and began the process of making ice cream.
My first step was to measure out each ingredient into metal cups and bowls.
Then I separated the egg whites from the yolks into two more bowls.
I added sugar to the egg whites and whisked, whisked, whisked, and whisked some more…
…It got tiring fast.
And that was still from using the whisk. I don’t think I would have been strong enough to do the same job with a wooden spatula.
When I lived in Japan, I tried various techniques like chilling the egg whites in the fridge in advance, hoping it would save me some time. But now, I just wanted to play it by the book, or else I could easily mess something up.
I continued to whisk the whites until they formed peaks.
Next, I added more sugar to the bowl of cream and the bowl of egg yolks, mixing them well.
I then mixed the three bowls together, and finally, I stirred in the honey with my spatula.
Once I was sure the mixture was properly blended, I poured the bowl’s contents into three smaller vats.
Now it was time for more magic.
I picked up a large, flat-bottom pot and used a Water Magic spell to cover the inside with ice.
After carefully sprinkling salt onto the ice, I set the vats inside the pot.
I’d used this “refrigerant” technique in a science class experiment long ago.
The salt would keep the environment much colder than ice could on its own.
…But unfortunately, I didn’t really remember the correct ratio of salt to use, so I couldn’t just lock the ice cream away out of sight.
There was a box I could use to store my vats, but it wasn’t as insulated as I needed, and for that reason, I had to separate the mixture into three different pots and keep them in the icebox with different amounts of salt each time.
I added even more salt and ice a few times along the way, feeling the amount of magical energy I still had in my body each time.
“It’s not like before. I still feel great…”
Fire Magic is my specialty.
Normally, it takes a lot of my energy to use Water Magic, since it’s fire’s opposing element.
But for some reason, today, I wasn’t exhausting myself even after making large amounts of ice.
Even before that, my many attempts at creating a whisk didn’t seem to have drained me either.
I’d felt it ever since yesterday—my magic was flowing better than ever.
I was using the energy in my body efficiently and minimizing its loss. It was a remarkable improvement.
…I bet it’s because I remember my past life now.
Naturally, magic didn’t exist on the Earth I knew.
The “me” from that life was now sensing the foreign presence of magical energy inside her body, and even as Laetitia, I felt it more keenly than ever.
It was like an invisible web of blood vessels spiraling throughout my body, and I was probably the only one in this world who experienced that sensation.
Everyone in this world was born with magical energy to some extent. It was a natural part of the body, no different from flesh or blood. Though, the fact that my magic now felt unfamiliar in my own body was troubling to me.
Even years of studying under master sorcerers never made me so hyperaware of my own energy. The change in my body was a dramatic one, and it came about from regaining the memories of my past life.
If I had been using only 10 percent of my body’s magic at best before this, now that I had my past-life memories, I was somewhere around 60 percent use.
This was even more extraordinary when I considered that master sorcerers used less than 30 percent of their magical energy—an amount I had more than doubled for myself.
Even before this, my Gramwell blood held more magical energy than almost anyone in the kingdom. I was practically cheating at this point. If Sumia, the girl known as the Goddess, was to challenge me with her Light Magic, I could almost certainly overpower her spells with a single blow.
…Not that I had any real intention of using an attack spell on anyone.
An attack spell is designed to be used on someone else, after all.
I’d had practice battles with my older brothers, but I didn’t actually want to fight anyone in real life.
Dangerous situations like that were best avoided. I only needed the magic I used in my daily life—and in my cooking, of course.
Anything showier than that wasn’t safe and could leave people suspicious of me too.
Two hours passed as I kept my head busy thinking about these things.
“It’s done…!”
The smooth, frozen ice cream in two of the vats was now glimmering in the light.
One tray looked particularly messy, probably because I used the least amount of salt and it didn’t get cold enough, but the other two trays appeared to be successes.
The tray I used the most salt on was now holding perfectly smooth ice cream. I’d taken it out of the box many times, stirring it with a spoon to get some air into the mixture along the way. Now I knew that using a lot of salt was the best way to get the ice cream frozen.
I grinned at my finished vats. The kitchen staff came over, looking at my creation with curiosity.
“You’ve arrived at the perfect time, everyone. Would you each like to try some of this ice cream with me?”
“Say, what is that stuff? Frozen candy or something of the sort? If it’s too expensive, maybe it’s not something we should be eating.”
“There’s no need to worry about that. The ingredients aren’t that expensive, and I planned on sharing it with the kitchen staff in the first place.”
“Really? You did?”
“I thought that warm places make the best setting for a cold treat.”
I enjoyed eating ice cream during the winter too, but I usually had it in the spring and summer.
However, spring was only just arriving in Elltoria.
Despite my craving for ice cream, the cold air of the season was inescapable…
Except inside this kitchen.
It was almost time for the workers to begin preparing dinner, so they’d already lit a number of stoves throughout the kitchen. Slowly but surely, the temperature had risen in the room.
The conditions could hardly be more perfect for ice cream.
“Goodness…!”
The head chef took his first bite and froze in shock.
“It’s cold and soft, yet with such a delicate, sweet taste… This is wonderful!”
He stared at the ice cream bowl, spoon still in hand.
I could tell from the intensity of his look that he wasn’t just being polite.
For further proof, I watched him take two more spoonfuls of the ice cream, nodding his head vigorously with each bite.
He likes it. That’s a relief.
I felt a smile spread across my face, then watched as the other cooks in the gallery raised their eyebrows in surprise. It was true that I’d been extremely focused lately, even around the house. Perhaps my smile was an unusual sight.
I felt a bit bad about startling them, but I couldn’t help it.
Having my cooking praised lifted my spirits.
Being able to share tasty food with others was a blessing, and all the more so when it was something I made with my own two hands.
With a spring in my step, I scooped up a bite of ice cream from the tray and brought it to my mouth.
The cold treat was a pleasant contrast to the warm, humid room.
“My lady, this is delicious. The more it melts, the more you can taste the sweet, mild flavor of honey.”
Lucian also seemed pleased with the results.
The ice cream was light in both flavor and texture. I felt like I could practically eat the rest of it all by myself.
I had been nervous about the whole endeavor, what with the lack of stoves and refrigerators li
ke I was used to on Earth, but the project turned out to be a success. I might even be able to combine my own craftiness and magic to create all kinds of other dishes.
Cheesecake. Cookies. Salisbury steak. Cream soup.
The list of foods I craved filled my head. I pondered each meal while savoring the sweet taste of ice cream on my tongue.
After finishing my own serving, I cast a glance at the kitchen workers.
Some of them seemed a bit uncomfortable as they attempted to take bites of the ice cream. They’d never had it before, so it was a novel experience.
It was also my first attempt at making it since my reincarnation, so it wasn’t perfect. The ice cream still had a few spots that were uneven in consistency. Some of the workers seemed to have found the areas that had frozen completely solid.
“If it’s too firm, please pour a little extra honey on top.”
I took out the honey, which I’d kept slightly warmer than room temperature.
There was honey already mixed into the ice cream itself, but I saved enough for us to use as an extra topping if we wanted it. I also wasn’t sure if the honey flavor would be very strong in the finished product, so I wanted a back-up option just in case.
Fine dining in my kingdom generally consists of extremely savory dishes that are doused in spices.
I knew that for our staff, who always prepared such foods for our family, it was possible they might not take to sweet, cold treats.
Hesitantly, the cooks approached the jar of honey and drizzled it over their bowls like I suggested.
The warm honey, golden and glittering, seeped into the surface of the ice cream.
The chefs looked nervous as they took their next bites.
“It’s so smooth…!!”
Satisfied, they quickly plunged their spoons back in, over and over again.
A warm topping on a cold dessert. Faint traces of honey in each scoop of ice cream, with another rich layer of it on top.
It was a clever, tasty combination of flavors and textures.
“Thank you for the treat, my lady. That ‘ice cream’ of yours was delicious.”
The head chef conveyed the thanks of the staff for letting them share my creation.
“I’ve never had any food with that kind of texture before…and it was a bit of a shock at first, if I’m being honest. I’ve had frozen ice sweets, but never ones made with frozen cream. Where did you learn this recipe?”
“It was from a rare cookbook from another kingdom… I read it as part of my education to become the crown princess, for my future dealings with foreign lands.”
I felt bad about lying, but I couldn’t exactly respond with “I made it in a past life!”
The kitchen staff looked surprised but convinced by my explanation.
“I see. Well, that’s very impressive! I wouldn’t have guessed the crown princess would need to study such things…”
They all seemed to agree. The expressions on their faces, however, looked somewhat sympathetic.
I was already the “former” crown princess.
Guilt crept into me for saddening them. At the same time, I watched the lie about the “incredible crown princess education” I received as it started to spread among all the staff.
“My lady, as for the vat of ice cream that didn’t freeze very well, do you think we could eat it if we try freezing it again?”
“Could it perhaps be made into a sauce of some kind instead?” I suggested.
Melting the ice cream down to refreeze it wouldn’t have any effect on the crystallization.
Since we couldn’t regain that light and fluffy texture, I had another idea of my own.
“A sauce?”
“That’s right. It’s a bit sweet, but I think it would go well with a meat dish of some kind. I’d like it if you could refrain from using too many other seasonings, and that way, you can savor the taste of the ice cream on its own.”
“Yes, that sounds like it could come out nicely…”
The head chef’s face looked a little gloomy.
“My lady, can I ask if you’ve grown bored of the savory meals we make for you?”
He was visibly nervous.
Perhaps, as a chef, he’d begun to grow suspicious of the quality of those overseasoned meals he always made for the nobles, while continuing to follow his orders at the same time.
That was probably why he looked so uneasy in his response.
“It’s nothing like that. I suppose I’d just like to try something new every now and then.”
Truthfully, the chef wasn’t wrong at all, but there was a reason I couldn’t admit it.
I’d spent my whole life eating rich, spice-filled foods without complaint. It would be odd if I suddenly started rejecting them now. A demand like that could even end up getting the kitchen staff fired.
Most chefs in my kingdom were commoners in rank. They could not disobey nobles. As a duke’s daughter, if I told the head chef that his food wasn’t satisfactory, it would cast a lot of pressure onto the poor man.
It wouldn’t be long before I left this house for foreign lands.
I decided to keep my nose out of the kitchen staff’s business when it came to the daily menus, since it could spell trouble for them after I was gone. I would stick to making small treats whenever I took to the kitchen.
Hmm.
Still, I really wished it didn’t have to be such a hassle. I was getting impatient.
When I made it to my new home, I needed to be sure that better cooking opportunities would be available.
Unsure of where the future would take me, I sat down with the head chef to discuss how he could use my leftover ice cream.
◇ ◇ ◇
I spent the next few days completing everything I needed to formalize the end of my engagement. In my spare time, I was able to use the kitchen for a bit of cooking too.
Despite my leisurely pace, I knew that Father was hard at work for my sake, and that fact filled me with guilt.
Father was already a busy man, but now I’d dragged him into this mess with Fritz on top of that. He’d become busier than I’d ever seen him before.
My mind was occupied with concern for Father’s health, when Lucian appeared, carrying documents in his hands.
I flipped through the report as quickly as I could. When I finished, Lucian spoke.
“I’ve read the results of the investigation, and it appears you were right, my lady… If this report had been finished before your engagement was annulled…would things have turned out better for you?”
“…I can’t say for certain, but I don’t think it would have made a difference.”
I was grateful the report provided answers to my questions, but still, it didn’t really matter in the end.
I was pretty sure my engagement would already be over by this point, regardless of when the report came out. I was explaining my reasoning to Lucian when a soft knock came from the door.
“Come in. What is it?”
“There’s a letter for you, my lady. It’s from…”
My eyes met with the name of the crown prince on the envelope.
The maid told me she’d found it unexpectedly in the pile of mail addressed to our house.
I read the letter. Inside was a request to meet with me privately that night so that Fritz could apologize for his actions.
◇ ◇ ◇
“WHEN I informed my father of my actions, he gave me a stern lecture, and I came to realize how cruelly I treated you. I know it may be too late, but I’d like to offer you an apology and discuss where to go from here. Would I be able to see you tonight? There’s a place I’d like to meet, away from the eyes of all the gossiping nobles. Please bring no more than one or two servants with you, so as not to stand out.”
The letter had instructed me to meet Fritz at the old ruins in the capital city’s western district.
It was a quiet place—large pillars still stood tall, though at crooked angles, and the remnants
of stone structures lined the ground.
Night had fallen and the ruins were empty, aside from Lucian and myself. The moon bathed the deserted grounds in light from above.
Despite their central location in the capital city, the ruins were preserved for the purpose of being a monument to the ancient history of our kingdom.
We refer to our land as “the Kingdom of Elltoria,” but many other countries call us “Lesser Elltoria.” This is to distinguish us from our former name, “the Great Elltorian Empire.”
The Great Elltorian Empire had once controlled over half of the land on the western continent. Its influence is still felt throughout other countries even now.
Modern language was one such example. The most-spoken language on the western continent was called Elltorian. Other Elltorian dialects were used as well.
Much like English was on Earth, Elltorian was the best language to speak when dealing with international affairs. The countries of the western continent still showed many traces of the Great Elltorian Empire to this day.
Now, our kingdom was located where the capital of the Great Elltorian Empire once stood.
The empire’s golden age was almost a thousand years ago.
But during that time, a string of incompetent rulers caused the land to fracture, and… I won’t go into the whole story, but when the dust settled, we were left with the Kingdom of Elltoria where I lived today.
Elltoria was left with less than 10 percent of the territory we’d possessed under the empire.
If we had any assets to boast of, it was our long history and the number of sorcerers we produced among our highest ranks.
Most people agree that out of hundreds of people, only one or two will typically possess the magic required to become a sorcerer. But magic does have a genetic element to it as well, and a child born to a sorcerer will often wield excellent powers of their own.
As a result, certain families, even now, produced many skilled sorcerers.
The rulers of the Great Elltorian Empire were made up of many sorcerers, and their descendants, the nobles of Elltoria today, still reflected their numbers. It was why we valued our kingdom’s history and our family lineage, though it was also why many nobles looked down on commoners as well.
Nearly 30 percent of high society in Elltoria is composed of sorcerers.
