Chapter 27

In Mark's room, Princess Edna was crying.

"Don't cry so much. I'll bring you back a souvenir."

"…I don't want a souvenir. I want to go too. I've never been to such a fun place. It's so unfair that only you get to go. I want to eat delicious things at the farm too."

The younger sister, who had begged her brother many times but received no "yes," was now shedding tears, a first for her, and Mark was at a loss.

"Eventually, I'll be, hic, forced to marry someone, and when that happens, I won't, hic, be able to go out secretly at all. hic, hic, just this once."

Princess Edna, who had cried so much that her breathing was off, hiccupped and said such a heart-wrenching thing. Since what she said was completely true, Prince Mark sighed deeply.

"Alright. So stop crying. Just today, okay? I can't take you out multiple times."

"Hic, hic… I understand."

"Also, don't hide in the cupboard and eavesdrop anymore, got it?"

"Hic. Yes."

......

It has been a while since Gil and Al started coming to our house for lunch.

I turned eleven. The rain now covers an area with a diameter of over two kilometers. The poor neighborhood adjacent to the farm probably gets rain five days a week.

Both Al and Gil seem to be keeping their promise not to tell others about our place. No one else has come besides them. They just enjoy the commoner's food, pay, and leave. So I was surprised when Al brought his sister that day.

"Hello! I'm Dona! I'm sorry for the intrusion."

A girl as cute as a doll bowed and looked at me with interest.

"Alesia, I'm sorry for breaking our promise. My sister really wanted to come and cried so sadly."

"I see, I understand."

"My brother was talking about eating delicious things outside. Listening to it made me sad because I can hardly ever go out."

When I looked up at Al with a meaningful gaze (You talked about it in front of your sister, didn't you?), he panicked.

"No, no! I didn't talk about this place in front of my sister. She was hiding and eavesdropping. Besides, this is the first time she has ever acted so stubbornly. I'm really sorry for all the trouble. But, I also wanted her to taste the delicious food here, you see."

Seeing Al, who was sweating and bowing in apology, made me feel sorry for him. Besides, it was too late to do anything about it now.

"Alright. I can't make anything too elaborate, though."

"Of course, Alesia, thank you!"

"Thank you, Alesia!"

Dona bowed gracefully. She was wearing quite fine clothes. Under the sunshade cloth that covered her head was a light pink dress. The design was loose and looked cool.

Chana and I started the fire in the stove and boiled vegetables and mutton in a soup while roasting spices next to it. When the good smell came, we took it off the fire and put it in the pot. Then we made pita bread, stacking them as we cooked.

Since Dona had come, I decided to use the chicken I had marinated for dinner.

I cooked the chicken until the skin was crispy from the fat. After cutting it, I poured a sour, sweet, and spicy sauce over it. The herbs were freshly picked by Chana. I also took out the mulberry jam, ponka jam, and nectar jam I had prepared.

Al offered to help, so I had him bring all the eggs from the chicken coop.

I mixed six eggs with camel milk, palm sugar, and salt, and added finely chopped scallions and sliced sausages, then cooked them into fluffy pancakes on an iron plate. Since there were many people, I made another one.

When everyone returned for lunch, they were surprised to see Dona, but they smiled and said, "You look alike" and "You're cute" when Al introduced her as his sister.

Dona spread jam on the bread Peti gave her and ate it, and Al helped her try a little of every dish. She drank water and tea, saying "It's delicious, it's delicious," and ate and drank so much that Benita was worried, asking, "Is your stomach okay?"

After finishing lunch, everyone returned to work.

"Can I see the farm for a bit? I've never seen a farm before," Dona said.

I noticed that the area around her eyes was red and her eyelids were slightly swollen. She must have cried a lot.

"Dona, you can't go out much, can you?"

"…Yes."

Dona looked down sadly.

"I probably have to get married when I turn fifteen. Once I'm married, I won't be able to go out freely at all. It's just now. That's why I cried and begged my brother. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble, Alesia."

She must be a well-born lady. I understand. Noble daughters are raised to see marriage as their job.

I felt a bit nostalgic thinking about my past life.

The more privileged a girl is, the less freedom she has. She grows up without knowing the vibrancy of the city or the cold night wind of the wasteland. Once married, she can't go out alone beyond the estate. The higher the rank of a noble daughter, the more her life is like that of a caged bird.

"Dona, if you'd like, you can come again. If you let me know in advance, I'll prepare a lot of your favorite jam. I'll also make dishes that you might like."

Dona looked at me in surprise, then hugged me tightly. Her voice, saying "Thank you. I love you, Alesia," was slightly tearful.

The story of Dona's visit continues in the first half of the next chapter.