A Pre-wedding Trip in the Name of a Field Investigation 5
「Blake-sama, so you were here.」
The person who appeared was a man in his mid-fifties with tanned skin,
wearing work clothes. Seeing us, he took off his straw hat and bowed his head.
「Gray, what's wrong?」
「Well, I came to do some work and saw the Earl family's carriage parked.
I heard that you had returned home, Blake-sama, so I came looking,
thinking you might be here.」
As if asking, Who are they?, his brown eyes looked at us. The
fact that he is bowing slightly is probably because he knows we are nobles from
our clothing.
「Ashren-sama, this is Gray, who works at
this botanical garden. Gray, this is Ashren-sama, the younger
brother of my older brother's boss, and his fiancée, Layla-sama.」
「Well, well, to think you came all the way to this frontier land... Is
there a special occasion?」
When Gray looked at Blake-san inquiringly, Blake-san
patted Gray's shoulder as if to say the timing was perfect.
「I have entrusted him with the care of the Monitares trees. Gray,
Ashren-sama and the others have come to see the Monitares flowers. Could
you guide us to the tree that is blooming the most beautifully?」
「Yes. The timing was just right. I was looking for you, Blake-sama,
regarding the Monitares sap. Could you take a look together?」
「Oh, you've collected some? Perfect timing. Please, let me see.」
Sap? As Ashren-sama and I exchanged
glances, Blake-san said, "I will explain the details as we
walk."
Having quenched our thirst with cold well water and left the greenhouse
while pressing handkerchiefs against our necks, we listened to the explanation
from Blake-san and Gray while walking along a narrow path.
「In this region, the sap of the Kachi tree is used instead of sugar.
Although it is a special product, it does not last long, making transportation
to the royal capital difficult. So, I asked Gray to collect various saps
to find a replacement.」
The botanical garden is vast, and there are many servants besides Gray.
Of the saps collected by several of them over a year, the one that had
sweetness was apparently from the Monitares tree.
「The sap of the Kachi tree was prepared with black tea last night, so I
believe you had some. How was it?」
Being told that, I recalled last night and my cheeks turned red. Blake-san
looked at me with a puzzled face, which made me panic even more and become
flustered.
「I-It was delicious. It had a sweetness different from sugar...」
「It went well with the cookies, didn't it? I truly enjoyed it.」
I don't think it can be helped that I inadvertently glared at Ashren-sama,
who stated this calmly.
Perhaps sensing that he shouldn't step in any further regarding the
increasingly red-faced me, Blake-san averted his gaze. Although he
muttered, "Maybe sharing a room would have been better," I feel
uneasy that he might be having an outrageous misunderstanding.
「...So, I asked Gray to collect the Monitares sap last month.
With the Kachi tree, a sufficient amount can be collected in one night, but
this one was not like that and took some time.」
「What kind of taste does the Monitares sap have?」
「Right now, I can only answer that it is 'sweet'. I have only given it a
quick lick and haven't truly tasted it yet.」
Is that because the amount that can be collected is small? I was
thinking that if it's such a precious item, distribution might be difficult,
when Blake-san continued his words.
「Monitares sap is eaten in the Tarteria Kingdom as well, so its
taste is guaranteed. However, the temperatures in the Tarteria Kingdom
and the Hadren Earl's territory are different. Since some plants contain
poison depending on the temperature, we are refraining from eating it until we
know it is safe to consume.」
He said that after tasting it, they rinsed their mouths without
swallowing, and as a pharmacological researcher, I am nothing but impressed by
such thoroughness.
I know of several medicinal herbs whose efficacy changes depending on
the temperature, and not consuming them until safety is proven is a fundamental
rule. Though, I sometimes lose to curiosity and end up consuming them anyway.
「He understands the basics better than you do, Layla.」
「I don't swallow it either, you know?」
Since I have a prior conviction, I can't argue back strongly, but I
haven't crossed the line of things you absolutely shouldn't do.
As we talked, the number of tall trees increased. The round, thick
leaves were smooth and glossy. When I reached out and stroked the surface, they
told me this was the Monitares tree.
I feel it's a little larger than the one I saw in the illustrated
reference book, but that might be due to selective breeding. They say it's
identical to the original other than its size.
There was a mark where the tree trunk had been shaved off about twenty
centimeters with a knife, and a bucket was hanging below it. To efficiently
catch the dripping sap, the rim was not a full circle but crescent-shaped, and
the indented part adhered tightly to the trunk. It was as if it were
custom-made.
「Is this bucket made to fit this trunk?」
「It is a custom-made item I had made containing a lot of tin. Tin is
soft among metals, and furthermore, it does not rust or blacken like silver. A
man can change its shape with his bare hands. If you would like, please give it
a try, Ashren-sama.」
Blake-san had Gray bring a bucket that
didn't contain sap, and handed it to Ashren-sama. When Ashren-sama
applied force to it while holding it in both hands, looking half-in-doubt, it
warped into an oval shape.
「This is amazing. I feel like I've gained superhuman strength. I could
surprise the knights with this.」
Are you planning to pull some kind of prank? Your eyes are sparkling
like a child's, you know. When it was handed to me with a "Here," I
tried putting strength into it too, but unfortunately, the shape didn't change.
I kind of felt like it bent a few millimeters, but Ashren-sama laughed
it off, saying it was just my imagination. Eh, hasn't it changed?
「Between the sap and the bucket, you have interests in various things,
don't you, Blake-san.」
「My father and older brother are exasperated with me, saying I'm too
fickle. My father tells me to learn from my older brother, who pursues his
specialized field, but I think it's more fun to do various things.」
「My mother and brother are the same type as you, Blake. Thanks to
that, the main residence is overflowing with strange things from all sorts of
countries.」
Is that so? I only knew the dining room and the adjacent guest room I
was guided to, so I didn't know. But Claude-sama is certainly erudite,
and the Director is like curiosity with arms and legs grown on it.
「And so, this here is the sap of the Monitares tree. I leave it to your
judgment whether to taste it or not, but please do not swallow it.」
Blake-san scooped the orange sap directly from
the bucket with a spoon and handed it to Ashren-sama. Of course, Ashren-sama
gave it a quick lick, received the water Gray offered, and rinsed his
mouth.
「It's delicious. It's richer than honey, yet doesn't have the cloying
sweetness that lingers on the tongue. Honestly, I like it better than the Kachi
sap I had yesterday. However, it's quite sticky.」
Blake-san showed me a new spoon, asking
"What will you do?" Of course, I borrowed it and gave it a lick as
well.
「It's delicious. It has no peculiar taste so it's easy to eat, but
because it's thick and highly sticky, the dishes it can be used in might be
limited. I wonder if it has low moisture content.」
It might not work to pour it over cookies or biscuits. After receiving
water the same way, hiding under a tree to rinse my mouth before answering, Gray
also tasted it.
Then, suddenly hearing the footsteps of several people behind us, just
as we turned around wondering what it was, a voice echoed.
「Monitares sap, huh. It's delicious, isn't it? Since it's a special
product of my country.」
At that figure, not only me but even Ashren-sama widened his
eyes. Gray didn't know who had appeared, but bowed his head.
「Prince Elliot, why are you here?」
Standing there was Prince Elliot, with tanned skin different
from Gray's and beige hair. Behind him, several guard knights were also
standing by.
「When I visited the laboratory, I heard that Layla had headed to Earl
Hadren's territory, so I chased after you. When I came to the Kanista
Kingdom, I came by sea, but the land route isn't bad either.」
I am sure I am not the only one who thought, 'You should just cross the
mountains and go back to your own country as is.'
「I thought you had stopped by on your way back to your country.」
「Of course not. Her Royal Highness Princess Stira's birthday is a
month away. I told you I am a candidate for her prince consort, didn't I?」
「In that case, how about you deepen your relationship with Her Royal
Highness Princess Stira at the castle? You could get a head start on the
others.」
「There is no need for that. If I wish it, His Majesty the King of Kanista
cannot refuse. More importantly, I want to know more about you, Layla.
Ah, of course, it's also to inspect whether transporting coal by land is
possible, but with that pavement, it's probably impossible. Though I suppose
it's a sufficient road for the Kanista Kingdom.」
This person brings up coal at every opportunity. To begin with, there
is no need to go out of the way to transport coal over the mountains by land
when there is a sea route.
Probably, he pushed his way here under the guise of an inspection to
his attendants, so he is making excuses.
Before Ashren-sama could shield me behind his back, Prince Elliot
took my hand and, of all things, dropped a kiss there.
「You were cute in your white coat, but you are lovely today as well.」
「I am sorry to be in such a sweaty and dirty stat... hya.」
Without letting me finish, Ashren-sama pulled my shoulder toward
him.
「Layla is my fiancée.」
「That just means you aren't married yet, right? The flustered face of
you, who always took the top spot with a poker face, is truly refreshing.」
How long is this person going to be jealous about their academy days? I
feel like he has various twisted complexes.
Prince Elliot had Gray bring a new spoon, scooped up a spoonful of the Monitares sap, and upon putting it in his mouth, swallowed it without hesitation. Next to him, Gray's eyes widened and he let out an "Ah," hurriedly covering his mouth with his hand.
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