Chapter 26

At the Serio farm, a shed for silkworm breeding was built.

"Is the work easier now?"

"Thank you, Father. Even though that silk won't bring in any profit."

"No, it's not all about making money. Besides, thanks to you, we've made enough. It's fine. God is watching over everything."

"That's right. Your strength must be something God has deemed necessary for everyone."

Then, a hoarse voice cut in.

"Don't worry. The silk is steadily helping people."

Isabel, whose knee had fully recovered, now comes to our place once or twice a week, walking. "It's fine as long as I can have lunch with everyone," she says, helping with the silkworm breeding and weaving without taking any pay.

Mother also offers Isabel some vegetables or food to take home when she leaves.

When Gil first came and said, "I buy fruit here and pay for my meals, so I'd like to have lunch," Father politely declined. But Gil didn't give up.

He is a soldier at the palace, and the last time he ate a peti, he told his friend how delicious it was, and his friend said, "I want to try it too."

"Sorry, but could you let my friend have some freshly made peti?"

Gil, who seemed well-bred, bowed and asked, and in the end, Father couldn't refuse. So, Chana and I made peti for Gil and his friend.

"This is Al, Gil's friend. Thank you for letting me eat here. I appreciate it."

Al, who is also a soldier, wore similar commoner's clothes like Gil. He had long black hair tied with a leather cord, and his greenish-blue eyes were beautiful and intelligent. His horse was as impressive and large as Gil's.

(They both have such good horses at their age; they must be important nobles.)

Thinking this, I said, "If the word gets out, it will be a problem, so please keep our meals a secret," and accepted the request.

For a ten-year-old farm kid to set conditions for nobles is incredibly bold, but I used the child's special weapon: a half-crying face, saying, "I'm only ten, so I can't make that much." And it's true that Mother and Aunt are busy with field work.

Chana and I made peti and served them fresh. Gil and Al ate them silently and quickly, finishing all six in no time. They also ate the bean and potato soup, scallion and egg stir-fry, and lamb and leafy vegetable stew, saying, "Delicious, delicious."

"All of it was very delicious. You learned how to make peti from a book, right?"

"Yes, Al."

"Do you often buy and read books?"

"No, I read them at the library. The library is wonderful, isn't it?"

Al looked surprised, so it seems that peasants rarely go to the library.

"Also, the water in this house is exceptionally good."

"Maybe it's because we use a lot of charcoal in the filter."

For me, charcoal is a secret weapon. I use it to solve almost any problem.

When they left, they said, "This is the payment," and offered a large silver coin. Mother said, "I can't accept such a large amount," and took two small silver coins from each. At first, Mother said one coin per person was enough, but they argued, saying, "You've put in a lot of effort, so that's too little."

I thought their visits would end there, but for some reason, Gil and Al continued to come and eat occasionally after making a reservation.

When the tall Gil and Al lower their brows and look like they really want to eat, it makes them look like sad dogs, and it feels like we're being mean by refusing.

Well, it's fine. The work doesn't change much even with two more people. Plus, they seem to enjoy talking with everyone, and the farm people have gotten used to them and don't mind their visits.

The rain has spread far beyond our farm. It's no longer just our farm that's suspicious. Probably.

Besides, I'm happy that they praise the simple, home-cooked meals my mother taught me, saying, "Delicious!" even though they could eat at fancy restaurants.

When I said this, Al smiled and said, "No, it's more delicious and fun to eat here than anywhere else."

One day, after having a meal at the farm, Prince Marcus seemed to be deep in thought on his way back.

Gil, who was quietly leading the horses to avoid damaging the nectarines, ponkas, and mulberries, glanced at his master. Gil knew that Prince Marcus, his master, had been struggling with how to handle the farm.

The prince wants to learn and spread knowledge that could benefit the country from them.

But he is struggling to decide whether this knowledge is something that can be shared, or if it's a unique magic that they might run away and disappear if they find out who they really are.

(He probably wants to avoid using force as much as possible.)

Gil thinks this shows his master's thoughtful and kind nature.