Episode 5: We Went on a Picnic.
Ati basically eats alone.
Morning, noon, and night.
The Marquis makes excuses and never eats in the dining hall.
Ati has no one to talk to and is served by a caretaker who only speaks when necessary, always eating alone in silence.
That’s no good!!!
Meals are as important as sleep in life!
Eating is living!! Living is eating!!!
It’s an event that repeats until you die, whether you like it or not.
It’s an obligation to keep yourself alive and healthy, but it’s a waste to repeat it with just a sense of duty and routine!!
So, that’s why.
I put Ati on a horse and came for a long ride.
You might be wondering, why a long ride when we’re talking about meals?
Well, if we’re going to eat something delicious, it’s boring to eat in the same old dining hall. So, I combined it with a picnic!
There’s no tutor or servant to nag about table manners.
Huh? It’s not for my sake. It’s not like that.
I borrowed the most gentle horse from the mansion and had the meal packed into a rucksack.
I put Ati on the saddle first, then immediately straddled behind her.
To the housefolk who were making a fuss about how dangerous it was, I just said, “Come along if you’re worried,” and set off.
Did they think I was the kind of woman who would stop if they told me to? If so, I should have told them to get rid of that idea quickly.
At my real home, if they wanted to stop me, they would tackle me without saying a word. With about three men, too. Well, I’d dodge them, though.
Since Ati is riding, I didn’t pick up too much speed, just a brisk trot.
But she probably had never ridden a horse directly before. Ati was clinging to the saddle, stiff as a board.
“Ati, if you tense up, your neck will hurt.”
I put Ati’s back against my womb, as she had been shaking her head back and forth with the horse’s movements.
“Try to feel like you’re snuggling right up against my tummy.”
But Ati was still tense, her body rigid. I gently wrapped my arms around her from the front. I could feel Ati’s incredibly fast heartbeat through her back. So cute! So cute!! So cute!!!
“You can feel the horse’s body moving, right? Can you feel my body moving with it? Try to feel the rhythm.”
I can’t explain this in words. You just have to feel the rhythm of the horse with your body and match it.
Well, you’ll get used to it! I’m here, too!
I rode the horse at a speed that wouldn’t be too hard on Ati.
We left the mansion and headed not towards the city, but towards the gentle hills and the grasslands beyond.
“Look! The trees nearby pass by quickly, but the mountains in the distance don’t get any closer! Isn’t that strange!”
At my words, Ati compared the distant mountains to the trees that had passed by.
She doesn’t go out much, so it might be new and interesting to her. Her reaction is so innocent, it’s adorable. I feel like I’m going to burn out from the cuteness. I want to teach her all sorts of things!
“I can feel the wind when we run! My face is cold! Oh, but I can smell flowers in the wind! I wonder what kind of flowers they are!”
When I said that about the sweet scent in the wind, Ati tilted her face up slightly. Is she sniffing? Is she trying to pick up the scent of the flowers? Cute! Is she trying so hard to sniff with that little nose of hers? Just imagining it makes me tremble with moe!!
“…Winter Daphne…”
Huh?
“Winter, Daphne.”
When I asked her again, Ati spoke a little more clearly.
Winter, Daphne? Ah, Winter Daphne!
“That’s the scent of Winter Daphne! Ati is so knowledgeable!”
To be able to tell the name of a flower from its scent! This girl is a genius after all! Cute and a genius! Is she already perfect!? This is talent, right!? It’s talent! A gift! Could she become a perfumer with this ability!? If there’s such a profession, that is! If not, we can create one! Can’t the Marquis create a job for his cute daughter with his authority? A job that women can take on. If he tries, I think the Marquis can do it.
While chatting with Ati about this and that, we both fully enjoyed the scenery from horseback.
I found a tree on a small hill that looked perfect for a picnic.
I spread a sheet at the base of the tree and sat down next to Ati.
I told them that anything would be fine, but the mansion’s cooks packed all sorts of things.
So much food for one woman and a child. Oh, even juice. No fruit wine (wine), huh? I see, I see. Damn it.
Ati watched me prepare everything with a curious look.
She looked like she didn’t know what to do with herself, so I had Ati help with the preparations. Her hands are so small, I was a little nervous. Well, if she fails, she fails. It’s not like someone’s going to explode.
Under the clear sky and the gently blowing, slightly cool wind, we were able to have a picnic in the best location with a view of the distance.
“Itadakimasu!”
I clapped my hands together in front of my face and took a bite of the roll sandwich.
Delicious. Really delicious. I prefer hard bread, but this bread baked by the Marquis household’s proud cook is exquisite!
Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. The smoked bird and cheese sandwiched in it are the best. The tomatoes are good, too. This acidity is a perfect match for the cheese!
Not only are food, clothing, and shelter secured, but I can also eat such delicious food. I’m so happy.
I want my sisters to eat it, too.
Should I recommend raising a few more birds? But the maintenance costs are… Chickens are resistant to the cold, but they’re easy prey for wolves, so preventing that is difficult. Hmm…
While I was pondering, Ati, with a roll sandwich in front of her, widened her violet eyes as if they were about to fall out and looked up at my face.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to eat?”
I wondered why Ati wasn’t touching it, so I asked her. Ati looked intently at her small palms, then hesitantly put her hands together.
Ah, I see.
I was doing it unconsciously, but this is an unconscious habit from my previous life.
I put down the half-eaten roll and put my hands together in front of Ati again.
“This is my prayer pose. So Ati doesn’t have to imitate me. Prayer poses are different for everyone.
But, I’d be happy if you said ‘Itadakimasu’ when you eat.”
I don’t want to force her to do a prayer pose with her hands together because it depends on the religion. In fact, the prayer pose at my real home is to kneel, put your hands on your chest, and close your eyes. This style of putting your hands together is something only I do at home.
“Ita, dakimasu?”
Ati put her hands together, then tilted her head, puzzled.
Aaaaaah, cute! A surprise attack! That was a surprise attack!! My heart went boom! Boom! I wonder if there’s a hole in my body?!
I somehow roused my body, which was about to collapse, and faced Ati again.
“That’s right, ‘Itadakimasu.’ This is a greeting to thank all the people who made this meal, the people who made the ingredients, and all the living things that became ingredients.”
Gratitude for the people who dirtied their hands in my place, the people who put in the effort in my place, and the sacrifice of life.
Gratitude for all of that.
“…God?”
Ah, I see. The Marquis household has a custom of giving thanks to God for the meal. Hmm. It’s not wrong, and I shouldn’t forget that, but I don’t really feel it.
So…
“That’s right. Let’s thank God for all the blessings and opportunities He has given us! Let’s thank everyone involved in this meal!”
When I said that, Ati’s face lit up with a smile. Guh. Another surprise attack. Stop it. I feel like I’m going to have a nosebleed soon.
Then Ati put her hands together again and closed her eyes.
“Samuel, Maggie, Paul, Effie…”
She started muttering someone’s name. She’s probably just saying it in her head, how cute, how cute, how cute.
Ah, those are the names of Ati’s tutor and nanny.
“Bird-san, Cheese-san, Tomato-san, and… Vegetable-san…”
Ah, the ingredients. How cute. She’s really trying to thank all the people and things!
What is this child, an angel after all?
“Almighty God, Father, Mother…”
Her upbringing is perfect. Gratitude to her parents…
“…New, Mother. Itadakimasu.”
…Did she just say my name?
Did she say a word of thanks to me?
Ah. Wait, this is bad.
I can hear Ati’s munching sounds. She seems to be enjoying the meal.
“Mother?”
Ati has been calling out to me, noticing that I’ve been looking down since a while ago.
I try my best not to face Ati as I say,
“I think I got something in my eye.”
That’s my excuse.
I’m not crying. I’m not crying, okay?
No, I am crying. I’m deeply moved by the purity of this child’s heart. Seriously, I am.
I calmed myself down a bit, pretending that the tears and snot I roughly wiped away never existed, and then I enjoyed my meal with Ati.