Chapter 1 (1/2)

Looking up at the cloudless blue sky, I breathed out a deep sigh. Tightly grasping my locket left as a memento, I muttered a morning greeting in my head.

”Good morning. Mother.”

I felt the sky-blue locket momentarily flash and smiled broadly.

The Spring G.o.ddess festival had finished up yesterday.  They said that the temperature would rise in the morning and the days would lengthen, but it was still a bit chilly this morning. It's not that we were calling for everlasting spring, the four seasons were still the same. Summer was hot and winter was cold. Even now, on the spring calendar, there are days where I can't go without a sweater.

I watered the flower beds in the field and started drying off the laundry crammed into the basket.

A gingham checkered table cloth, and a pink duster.  I'm already 22, with tastes like a young maiden, I understand that myself, but I can't help liking what I like. Finis.h.i.+ng with a gingham checkered ap.r.o.n, I moved on to smaller accessories. Being able to do a job surrounded by things I like makes me happy. After drying off the store's laundry, the small silly buzzer sounded. While laughing a bit, I returned to the house, my clothes, the home towel, I jammed the wash into a basket again and went back to the garden.

When mother had gotten the laundry machine it had come used. Every time it broke we would repair it carefully, you could say that we could have bought a new one with money. But I liked the small sound of the silly buzzer. Every time I heard it, I would remember laughing with my mother every day.

After I finished drying the laundry, I held the basket under my arms. I returned the basket to the top of the was.h.i.+ng machine and washed my face in the sink. I stared at myself in the mirror.

”It's only proper for a woman above 20 to wear makeup!” Remembering the loud cry of my close friend, I applied a little makeup that barely changed my complexion.

My mother's black hair and hazel eyes.

For some reason I kept my hair long, it might be because I wanted to overtake my mother in my memories.

Bundling up the hair that reached my chest, I smoothed down my bangs that were trimmed just at my eyebrows.

Changing into a off-white skirt and a black s.h.i.+rt, I then put on an ivory ap.r.o.n.

I touched the sky-blue pendant with my fingertips and prayed to my mother in the sky.

”I hope it will be another good day today.”

The Kingdom of Squire is a peaceful island country located on the southern most part of the map. Blessed by the sea, the Kingdom of Squire has long been known for their fis.h.i.+ng industry, today the kingdom was littered with harbours. The kingdom was governed by a capable royal family since long ago, and the capital city, Vanzant, was flouris.h.i.+ng, but I believe, that from the world's perspective they saw the kingdom as a countryside.

The world viewed the kingdom as rural, like this town, Arion. I was born and raised here, ”the kingdom's a countryside”, I pondered about it, it may be because I've never seen the other kingdoms.

Because, when I first visited the capital, Vanzant, even though there wasn't a festival, there were still a lot of people, I got scared and cried. To call that rural, just how much more prosperous are larger kingdoms. I haven’t got a clue.

In the rural Arion, I, Lia Schmidt, ran a sweets shop.

Cakes filled with fresh cream and pound cakes, cookies, donuts, jelly, the menus changed depending on the season or time of day, basically, it was a coffee shop where you could go and eat sweets.

Originally, I ran a cake shop with my mother. However, after my mother died, I renovated the store so that it could be run by one person, a few years ago, the number of visitors unexpectedly increased as the s.p.a.ce provided was a spot where people could regularly come and eat. Since it was foremost a coffee shop, we made further renovations to increase the numbers of tables and seats, its stayed the same since then.

By making my favourite sweets, I could see someone's happy face. My mother's recipe was here.

Such happiness was my job.

When the olive-coloured door opened, the bell rang. It meant there were visitors.

”Good morning, aunt Mary. Welcome!”

”Good morning, Lia. Today smells delicious as well.”

Lifting her plump cheeks, aunt Mary laughed.

”I just finished baking a pound cake when you arrived. Would you like a little taste?”

”Ah, are you sure?”

”Of course. I'll go wrap up your reserved cake immediately. You can eat and wait if you'd like.”

Aunt Mary who loved sweet things, looked at me like a gleeful child at my words. I was pleased and guided her to a table.

”I came too early. Sorry, Lia.”

”No, I'm sorry for making you wait.”

Hurrying over to the counter, I boiled hot water over the stove. Then I took out the tea leaves from the shelf and placed them in the kettle of boiling water. While it was steaming, I cut a slice of freshly baked pound cake.

”This cake is an experiment. So, let me hear what you think.”