Chapter 33

This is the English translation:

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As the season approached summer, it was often rainy, but today the sky was clear and the weather was pleasant. The sunlight was strong, but it wasn't yet unbearably hot. It was the perfect weather to enjoy a cold tea outdoors.

In the garden, hydrangeas were in bloom. The contrast between the green leaves and the blue flowers was striking, delighting the eyes of those who saw them. Jill set up a table at the boundary between the garden and the mansion, creating a terrace seating area to take advantage of the scenery.

Incidentally, Jill had never tended the garden. Conrad's notes mentioned that "no difficult maintenance is required, as the garden and forest maintain themselves." However, it was only recently that Jill realized how the garden and forest were maintained.

"Karrappa is mowing the grass," Garda said, puzzled. In front of them, Karrappa was skillfully cutting the weeds with scissors.

"Yes, we should give him a treat later. Macarons... they might have a bit too much sugar for monsters, so I'll make something with the leftover egg yolks."

For some reason, the monsters that had taken up residence in the forest and garden began to tend the trees and plants. In return, the monsters would never go hungry as long as they lived there, thanks to the abundant flowers and fruits. A mysterious symbiotic relationship had formed between the garden and the monsters.

"Oh, it's normal..."

"I've also become less surprised by ordinary things recently..."

Jill chuckled at the indescribable mutterings of Garda and Matthew.

"Well, what surprises me is your current outfits," Jill said.

"You're the one who made the clothes and told us to wear them!" Matthew protested.

Jill ignored Matthew's protest and smiled contentedly. The scene was exactly as she had envisioned.

"Alright, you look good in them," Garda said, though his comment didn't really help.

"It's not much of a compliment, is it?"

All five of them were wearing aloha shirts.

Jill was wearing a green aloha shirt with large coconut leaves outlined in white. Despite the bold pattern, it had a refreshing feel.

Matthew, on the other hand, was wearing a pink shirt with colorful hibiscus, the most flamboyant pattern of all. Surprisingly, it matched his tall and calm demeanor.

"Haha, clothes are to be worn, not just to be seen," Garda said, clearly pleased with his aloha shirt. His shirt was black with a mountain and moon design. The moon was dyed in a vivid yellow, giving it a less somber impression. It suited Garda, who was a diligent craftsman but also had a playful side.

"Right, it's fun. Even Mrs. Emily's tea party is a bit more subdued," Maureen said, laughing along with Garda. Her shirt was white with a yellow canary design, drawn in a charming style that exuded warmth and charm. It reflected Jill's inner image of Maureen, though she kept it a secret.

"Well, let's enjoy some tea. Since Lord Jill prepared both the clothes and the tea for us," Ionia said, sipping iced tea with a cool expression. His shirt was a combination of blue, navy, and white, depicting waves.

Jill had once seen a strange painting in the "Acacia" book, featuring a large wave and distant mountains. It was by a famous artist named Hokusai, and Jill had immediately liked it and turned it into an aloha shirt. Ionia, like Jill, seemed to have been touched by something and chose it himself, saying, "I want to wear this!"

"Still, you must have wanted to see us in these clothes, right? Not that it's a bad thing, of course," Matthew asked, somewhat embarrassed.

"I can't really tell how they look just by wearing them myself... I've made quite a few clothes, and it's best to have others wear them. I want to make both women's and men's clothes," Jill explained.

"I really like it. If you don't mind, can I buy it? I'll pay whatever you ask for the fabric and the shirt," Matthew said.

"Wait a minute, the fabric is based on your paintings, but the design is Jill's, so we need some kind of contract or agreement. People might mistake you for the designer if you wear it," Jill interjected.

"Hey, you guys are so business-minded. Why don't you enjoy it more gracefully?" Garda said.

"Coming from you, that doesn't sit well," Matthew said, drinking iced tea and picking up a pastry. He smiled at the unexpected deliciousness of the pastry.

"The clothes are one thing, but these are colorful too... They're almost too beautiful to eat."

The pastries on the table were macarons. They looked different from the white macarons sold in Shelland.

"The light green ones have mugwort mixed in. The pink ones have raspberries. And there are others, of course."

Macarons in the same colors as the aloha shirts were arranged by color.

In fact, Jill had struggled more with making the macarons for the tea party than with creating the yuzen-dyed fabric. Macarons are made by mixing egg whites with sugar to create a meringue, then adding ground almonds and baking them. There's not much room for creativity in the materials themselves, and the focus is on sweetness and texture. The baking technique directly affects the taste of the macarons.

This time, Jill deliberately added coloring ingredients to the otherwise plain materials. She mixed mugwort, raspberries, and black sesame seeds into the meringue.

Coloring the dough itself was easy, but the baking process became problematic. The moisture content of the dough changed with the addition of other ingredients, resulting in some being overcooked and others undercooked.

Jill wanted the macarons to have a crispy outer texture and a soft, rich inner texture. She wouldn't have been satisfied with just a visually appealing macaron, given her culinary philosophy learned from Conrad.

Jill experimented to create delicious macarons with color. She spent more time on this than on the yuzen-dyed fabric or the aloha shirts, and the tea party almost didn't happen on time.

"The cream is delicious too... It makes my tongue feel a bit spoiled," Garda said.

The fillings of the macarons were also colorful. Some had a slightly firm cream made by mixing whipped cream and jam, while others had a light and refreshing filling made by blending mashed edamame with cream. Each one had a different flavor.

"The green ones are lighter than usual macarons. The tea is wonderful too..."

"Ah, I also prepared iced tea made with cold water. Please try it if you like."

To complement the sweet macarons, Jill made iced tea by cooling tea steeped in hot water. But to enjoy a more mellow tea after the sweetness and astringency, she also prepared iced tea made with cold water. Matthew, a tea lover, was beaming.

"Excellent. I've been invited to tea parties before, but this is the first time I've seen such thoughtful attention to both visual and taste satisfaction."

Ionia, usually composed, was genuinely excited. Jill felt a sense of victory, clenching her fist in triumph, unseen by the others.

"But... was it alright to invite me? It feels a bit presumptuous to be invited to such a tea party after making such a bold request," Ionia said.

"It's fine. This way, we're even," Jill replied.

"Even? I was the one who brought the request."

Ionia seemed puzzled, placing his hand on his chin and looking at Jill.

"…Ionia. When I left the capital and met you by chance, there was no reason for you to travel with me."

"Ah, yes."

"But there was no reason for you to travel with me."

"No, I was having trouble finding food. Had I forgotten that I only had spices and wild herbs?"

"If you had trouble finding food, you wouldn't be able to seclude yourself in the mountains and paint."

"…I see, that makes sense."

Ionia nodded quietly.

"…But if that's the case, why do you think I approached you?"

"To guard me, pretending to be hungry. Am I wrong?"

"You're either overthinking it or not thinking enough."

"What do you mean by 'not thinking enough'?"

Jill retorted, feeling indignant.

"If you approached me to guard me, it would be too convenient for you. If you were suspicious, you would think of more greedy reasons or worry about being targeted with malice."

"But you didn't. If you wanted to kill me, you could have. If you wanted to steal something, you could have. During our journey, we walked together and shared dinner, and we weren't attacked by monsters or bandits."

"There were no monsters or bandits?"

"But the Karrappa we met on the road was attacked and injured by a monster. If the timing had been a bit different, I might have been attacked."

Everyone listened intently to Jill's story.

Ionia looked at Jill quietly.

"Ah, that's right. You also lied when Karrappa attacked you in the forest. Karrappa wasn't really trying to kill you, and you were holding back too."

"…Why do you think that?"

"Because you were pretending not to use magic."

"What's your evidence?"

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have noticed the branding technique, and it would be too reckless for someone who can paint valuable paintings to travel alone without using magic. You would have been killed by bandits."

This part was a bluff. Jill knew that even without magic, someone skilled could recognize such things. But she trusted her instincts.

"…You win. I surrender."

"I don't know what you're thinking, but when I consider each of your actions, the only explanation is that you were trying to protect me and avoid aggressive actions. …Why?"

"I'll tell you someday."

"A secret?"

"I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence.

Jill looked at Ionia intently.

The silence was broken by the sound of Jill biting into a macaron.

"Ah, delicious. My macarons are truly excellent."

"That's absolutely true."

"Since it's a tea party, let's leave it at that. Regardless of your intentions, I'm living a happy life now, and I wanted to thank you for that. That's why I invited you here."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. But if you don't tell me the truth, I won't invite you again."

"Ah, that's a problem. Please, I'll bring exotic items next time. Foreign clothes and fabrics, perhaps?"

"Are you trying to bribe me with things!?"

Jill exclaimed, and everyone around her chuckled.

"Really… But it's fine. More importantly, everyone—"

Jill paused and looked around at everyone.

"Matthew, Maureen, Garda. Thanks to your help, I'm living a happy life. Thank you so much."

"Don't worry about it. We help each other. That's how it should be."

Matthew's words were echoed by Garda and Maureen. Their smooth gestures and words warmed Jill's heart. She felt genuinely glad to have invited everyone.

"Yes, but I'm happy to have formed these connections. That's why I wanted to tell you first."

"Tell us what?"

Jill's serious and meaningful words made Matthew feel a chill. Recently, there had been many conversations about Jill's origins. Matthew worried that she might say something like, "I don't want to be a burden, so I'll leave."

"I've decided on a name for the shop."

Relief and joy mixed in everyone's sighs at Jill's words.

"What name?"

"I'm thinking of calling it 'Witch Hand Craft.'"

Jill declared with a broad smile.

"Hmm… Is it in an ancient language?"

Ionia asked, and Jill nodded.

"Yes. In the language of an ancient civilization, 'Witchcraft' refers to the skills of a witch."

"Skills of a witch… So, magic?"

Ionia asked, looking puzzled. Everyone nodded in agreement, but Jill shook her head.

"No. Modern witches only use magic, but in the past, they used a wide range of skills, including herbal medicine, astrology, and various lost sciences. Witchcraft is a general term that includes magic. And—"

Jill paused and showed her right hand to everyone.

"Hand means hand. Handcraft refers to handmade or handcrafted items. I want to do witchcraft through handcraft. I want to make magic and non-magical skills accessible and enjoyable. I want people to know that such fun things are possible. That's why the shop's name is 'Witch Hand Craft.'"

Everyone listened attentively to Jill's explanation.

"Good. This is something worth supporting."

"The sign is important. I was worried it might be a terrible name, but that's not the case."

"It feels right. I'm looking forward to the opening."

Matthew, Garda, and Maureen nodded in agreement.

"I'm looking forward to it. I want to bless it too."

Ionia's words made Jill chuckle and pretend to be nonchalant.

"Sure, thank you."

"Jill, you can be quite casual sometimes, can't you?"

"Well, anyway, thank you all for your continued support."

As Jill spoke, a shadow loomed over them.

"Of course, you're part of the group too. I'll give you a treat, so please wait."

Karrappa looked longingly at the macarons. Jill had thought about making something with the leftover egg yolks, but felt it would be unfair to give Karrappa something different.

"Alright, I'll make some meringue cookies with less sugar. I'm sorry, Maureen. Can you help me?"

"Sure. Gardeners give pastries to their helpers."

A cool breeze flowed through the garden during their friendly conversation, but the heat of summer was still present, and everyone refreshed themselves with chilled tea.

Summer was approaching.

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