TVBDS 22

 Chapter 22

It was a full two weeks later, one afternoon, while sharing a Sachertorte snack with Antoine, that I suddenly remembered the preserves.

“Antoine, play by yourself for a bit. I’m going to see Father.”

“Come with me!”

“Hm… maybe I should?”

His small hand wriggled as he clasped mine tightly.

Since no mention of an explosion in Father’s study had reached us, I considered half the mission a success.

Once again, someone was already in the study before us.

A familiar face to both Antoine and me: Uncle Guillaume.

“Uncle is here too? Antoine, you should greet him.”

Shyly, Antoine only nodded and clung to my waist.

Uncle looked completely at ease, as if Father’s study were his own private space.

By comparison, our father—dressed in noble formality suitable even for the house—seemed almost like a guest.

Wait, those trousers Uncle was wearing looked strangely familiar.

That vivid blue color and stiff fabric…

“De Nîmes! You’re wearing it too, Uncle?”

“This one? Haha, at first I thought it was ridiculous, but once I tried it, it didn’t restrict movement and even rolling on dirt was fine! Among the workers, it’s practically impossible to get enough of these.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The price is reasonable, so many people try it and end up buying a few more.”

I couldn’t imagine what kind of work would make the owner of a major trading house roll in the dirt, but it was good to know it was popular.

“By the way, wasn’t it your idea, Adelaide, to make clothes from sails? Huh… between that and the phonograph, you sure manage to surprise this uncle often.”

“It’s nothing I did. Anyone could come up with the idea verbally.”

It wasn’t false humility.

If Father had ignored my suggestion, would he have even made De Nîmes trousers?

But there was no time to linger on that.

“Father, have you seen any glass jars?”

“Glass jars?”

“I’m sure I left them here somewhere… Ah, here they are.”

Fortunately, Father’s desk hadn’t changed much in two weeks, so I quickly found the preserves.

“Preserves?”

Uncle Guillaume looked intrigued.

“They’re apricot preserves in sugar syrup. I made them myself.”

“I was a bit hungry anyway. May I have one?”

“Huh?”

Uncle’s eyes gleamed strangely, and he went so far as to pull plates and forks from the cupboard as if taking the study owner’s place.

But after knowing the contents had been left at room temperature for a full two weeks, was such a reaction really warranted?

“I’ll enjoy it.”

“Uh, wait, wait!”

Before I could stop him, the wax seal I had secured over the edges of the jar broke, and the cork popped out with a loud pop.

“Um, Uncle! Actually, the apricots—”

Munch, mumble… huh?

“…Are they still edible?”

Uncle’s mouth was already full of apricot, so much so that I worried he might collapse from a blood sugar spike before any food poisoning.

“…gulp. Delicious! You made these well.”

He even licked the syrup off his hands, nodding approvingly.

Success!

Only now could I secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

“You….”

I wasn’t the only one shocked by Uncle’s actions.

“Do you know… how long these were left out before you ate them…?”

Thanks to my overly proactive little friend, Father seemed to have aged several years in just a few minutes.

“…Two weeks.”

“Huh?”

“Two weeks, that’s how long. And you ate it like it was nothing? What kind of omnivorous beast are you?”

“…It’s been two weeks?”

Blinking rapidly, Uncle repeated the question, his face a portrait of disbelief.

“You… you’re really okay with that?”

It was only then that he realized what he had eaten, and his face went pale in an instant.

“Ugh!”

“Now, now. Since these were made by my daughter, you’re not planning to spit them out in front of the maker, are you?”

Unable to spit or swallow, Uncle made a pitiful face.

But it lasted only a moment; the wrinkles on his brow smoothed away like sugar dissolving in water, and he returned to a face radiating pure joy from sweetness.

“…Why is it so good?”

He genuinely seemed unable to understand.

Hearing that hurt me a little…

“Ah, Adelaide, how did you manage this?”

I smiled and explained.

“Even the same soup lasts longer if you cool it and then boil it again, right? So I reheated the fruit preserves while still in the jars. And I sealed the cork with wax so nothing dirty could get in.”

“Ho… and so even after two weeks, it’s still fine?”

I nodded confidently.

“Father, you said it’s hard to eat fresh fruit at sea, right?”

“Exactly. You don’t mean—”

“I’ll ask the kitchen to make lots of preserves. So even in the middle of the ocean, you can enjoy fresh fruit.”

This time, Father could eat to his heart’s content.

“My daughter is really clever, you know that?”

The scratching of Charles’ pen, which had moved ceaselessly, came to a stop.

Instead of responding, Guillaume glanced up to gauge the expression of his business partner and longtime friend.

It seemed Adelaide’s preserves had thoroughly impressed him; Charles’ mouth had been smiling for a long time and showed no sign of dropping.

“When did my daughter become so grown-up….”

“Children can grow so much even in just a short time apart.”

On the surface, it sounded like ordinary parental pride. But Guillaume could read the true sentiment hidden in those words.

“And yet, I still have to go aboard a ship with such a child at home….”

As expected, a muttered sigh followed.

Charles, eldest son of the House of Charmois, heir to a long-preserved family legacy.

From the moment he was born, he wanted to be free from the duties imposed upon him.

So he befriended the commoner Guillaume.

Rather than tending the estate, he went out to sea and explored the world.

Instead of protecting the inheritance, he discovered new cultures.

He never regretted that choice.

But when he looked back, he saw children growing up without him and a wife praying daily for their health.

Whether a few months or a year, each time he returned, a stranger-like child would call him Father.

The son who once crawled along the floor could now walk alone.

The daughter who cried herself to swollen eyes the day before departure no longer wept.

Gradually, witnessing their growth stopped being a joy.

Instead, he felt regret, longing, and guilt.

Husband to a beloved wife. Father to two children.

Could leaving all that behind to go to sea really be the right choice?

Moreover, he had recently even found Adèle’s grown-up appearance unfamiliar.

Charles had no answer.

“Perhaps this voyage will be the last one I personally take.”

Guillaume’s eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed like needles.

As a merchant, he prided himself on his ability to read people.

He saw that his friend had already made his decision, even if Charles himself hadn’t realized it yet.

“If that’s the case, should you cancel the voyage? Going to sea with that mindset won’t be comfortable. Money isn’t urgent, is it?”

As I subtly probed by organizing papers, as expected, Charles did not react immediately but went into deep thought with a serious expression.

“Don’t end up like me.”

Guillaume tapped Charles on the shoulder and gave heartfelt advice.

Even after the guest left, the study light remained on for a long time.