The Secret of the Greenhouse (2)
Yakgwa.
The undisputed champion of Korea’s traditional oil-and-honey pastries.
A snack whose preparation was relatively simple—so long as you didn’t mind the cleanup.
The reason Karem decided to make yakgwa was nothing particularly special. He had simply been eating the leftover gulab jamun (or rather, a denser, fried-and-syrup-soaked version of it) he had promised Catherine and Mary, when the idea struck him.
Of course, Karem had no idea how to make jocheong, the essential rice-syrup ingredient. He saw no real need to learn, either. Wasn’t that made from glutinous rice or plain rice? There was no rice here.
So he simply used honey instead. It was easier that way, too.
The oil spattering in every direction while frying was a nuisance, but Mary handled all the cleanup anyway, so that problem sorted itself out.
Because it had been a pure experiment, the shape wasn’t the classic flattened flower of traditional yakgwa. Instead, each piece looked more like a cookie with a deep hollow in the center. The taste, however, was outstanding: crisp yet tender, crumbling softly; a sweetness that clung thickly to the tongue only to vanish the moment you swallowed; and the rich, nutty fragrance of walnut oil in place of the sesame oil he didn’t have.
“You little sneak! You’ve been hiding struffoli from your employer? Making it behind my back? The size is a bit large, but still—”
“Crisp and soft at the same time? How can such a contradictory, paradoxical texture even exist? It’s like the best outer crust of a pie married to the softest center of a butter cake!”
And so Karem’s experimental batch—both the original yakgwa and the black yakgwa—vanished mercilessly into the two women’s mouths.
Wait—hang on a second.
“Hold on. Struffoli? What’s that?”
“Hm? Don’t tell me you made it without even knowing?”
“Uh… looks that way?”
“Well, it’s a special treat they make in Serbianus for holidays and festivals. A traditional sweet the locals have been eating since before the Palatino Empire was even born.”
“Do you know how to make it?”
“I don’t know the exact recipe either—”
“Even roughly is fine.”
“You cut the dough into pieces about the size of a finger joint, fry them, toss them in syrup as if marinating them, then sprinkle candied fruit or nuts over the top.”
So the world really was wide, and people everywhere lived more or less the same way. Karem never imagined a food could exist that was nearly identical once you removed the toppings. Then again, foods and ingredients with different names but the same essence weren’t all that rare—cheese, for example. Anyway.
“Lady Alicia.”
“Mmph-nom-nom. Hm? What is it?”
“Your ability to craft sentences describing flavor seems to have improved quite a bit.”
“Heh-heh, right? My governess, Baroness Poppins, even praised me for it.”
“Hahaha, is that so.”
Well, anyone stuffing their cheeks that full would probably get better at talking about food. Still, she seemed a little too delighted… Ah well. She was cute, so it was fine.
Karem wore a fatherly smile that didn’t quite match his age. Then, catching Catherine’s impatient glance that clearly said “What are you waiting for?”, he held out a half-broken piece of the black yakgwa.
“Mmm… I thought the color looked suspiciously dark. The black ones are made with date-palm syrup? From the sand tortoises?”
“I figured just soaking everything in plain honey would be boring, so I tried it as an experiment.”
The result of experiment stacked upon experiment was… peculiar. Not bad—actually rather excellent.
“But the black ones were a bit too sweet for my taste.”
“Really?”
“Seems they suit the two of you just fine, though.”
Catherine took another bite of the black yakgwa Karem offered and chewed thoughtfully, nodding. Alicia, holding a different piece in each hand, nodded along in agreement.
“Come to think of it, Lady Alicia.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“What brings you here today? Snacks? An escape? Isn’t it still class time?”
Karem fed the last bite of what had now become struffoli into Catherine’s mouth, picked up a fresh piece, and asked.
The first few times it happened, Karem, Mary, and Catherine had all been shocked. Naturally the latecomers—Olivier and the other mages—had been just as stunned. But as the saying goes, repeated stimuli become familiar. For the original members of the Mage’s Tower, Alicia’s sudden appearances had long since turned into everyday life. How were you supposed to notice and prevent someone that even Mary, who owned the home ground, and Catherine, an archmage, couldn’t detect? Getting used to it was the only option. Besides, expecting a child of an age that radiated pure life force from every pore to sit still in one place was already an unreasonable demand.
“Hm? Today’s free time, so I came.”
“So it wasn’t a natural disaster after all…?”
“Baroness Poppins said something came up back home.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re so unusually energetic—”
“Hm? What was that?”
“Nothing, nothing. Have a little more.”
“Okay!”
Karem plugged Alicia’s mouth with another yakgwa. Sudden free time. So that was why she was so happy.
“…Hm? Ah!”
Alicia, who had been nibbling the date-palm-syrup yakgwa like a squirrel, suddenly cried out.
“That’s right! Corvus wanted to meet you, Karem!”
“Corvus… who might that be?”
Karem’s question was only natural. The number of people who worked or stayed in Winterhome alone was already enormous. Memorizing all those names was beyond him.
“Corvus… Corvus… who was that again?”
Catherine tapped the table with her index finger, tilting her head, then snapped her fingers.
“Right, I remember. The greenhouse caretaker’s name is Corvus.”
“Have you met him?”
“No. One of the people who requested repairs for broken magic tools, I think? The name was in the old Palatino Imperial style, so it stuck with me.”
“I see.”
The greenhouse, though. Karem had heard the name often enough while going back and forth between the tower and the castle. A building made entirely of thick glass from roof to outer walls. Inside, just like Winterhome itself, hot-spring water kept everything warm, so vegetables, fruits, and plants from every region and climate were grown there. Naturally it was a strictly controlled facility; without prior permission or official business, no one was allowed inside.
“Still, I probably can’t go in, can I?”
“Hm? You? Why not?”
“Well… I never received prior permission.”
Alicia’s tiny face scrunched up, then smoothed out again.
“Heh-heh. I am Alicia. There is nowhere in this castle I cannot go!”
“…Well, that is true.”
Who would dare block the path of Lady Alicia of the Felwinter family on her own home ground of Winterhome? Except for a few genuinely dangerous or restricted areas, this entire massive fortress-castle was basically her playground. With her status and her stubbornness combined, there was nowhere she couldn’t drag someone along.
That left only one final gatekeeper.
Karem glanced sideways at Catherine. She rolled the last piece of yakgwa her retainer had offered around in her mouth and waved a hand.
“Well, isn’t this a good opportunity? Even I need prior permission to enter.”
“Um, then I should—”
“Go have fun with Lady Alicia, I mean. I happen to have a banquet to attend this evening. Just be back before sunset.”
Oh—she was worried about him. Karem felt a small swell of emotion. After all, this was the first curfew he had ever heard of in this life.
“You still have to attend dinner in the great hall.”
“Ah… right, of course.”
“Anyway, what should we have for a late-night snack tonight…”
Karem’s brief moment of gratitude vanished just as quickly. Typical.
“Contractor. May I also request a late-night snack for myself?”
“I don’t mind.”
Mary had appeared at Catherine’s side at some point and was already gathering the scattered plates and sweeping up crumbs. Alicia flinched visibly at the sudden arrival, but recovered at once, grabbed Karem’s hand, and began tugging him toward the door.
“Then let’s go straight to the greenhouse! There’s all sorts of amazing things there!”
It was only the strength of a five-year-old little girl. Shaking her off would have been easy, but Karem wasn’t crazy enough to do that. Nor could he refuse her invitation. With no other choice, the boy pretended to be reluctantly dragged along, receiving Catherine and Mary’s send-off as he left the room.
“By the way, I heard hot-spring water flows like a river inside the greenhouse. Is that true?”
“Not just that—cold water and lukewarm water flow together too. And they raise lots of tiny, colorful fish. Once you see it, even you will be amazed, Karem!”
“Cold and lukewarm I can understand, but fish in hot-spring water?”
“That’s right! That part’s a little weird, though.”
“Wouldn’t they just get boiled?”
“…Huh? Now that you mention it…”
Karem had heard of fish that lived in hot springs in his previous life—doctor fish that ate dead skin, or something like that. He had never heard of any other fish that lived in scalding water. There might be magical creatures with completely different habits, like fire-resistant salamanders, but Alicia clearly didn’t know either; she tilted her head left and right, rolling her eyes.
“Mmm, we can just ask Corvus when we get there.”
A few mages walking the tower corridors flinched the moment they spotted Alicia and immediately turned around. Alicia looked baffled and glanced behind her. Naturally, there was nothing there.
“Hm? Is something behind us? There’s nothing…”
“Maybe they suddenly remembered something they had to do?”
“Is that it?”
“Even though more mages have been brought in, we’re still short-handed.”
“Mmm, you do have a point, Karem…”
To Alicia’s eyes the Mage’s Tower looked strangely understaffed compared to the rest of Winterhome. The only person cleaning the tower was Mary. Should she ask Papa to assign more servants and maids?
Alicia cheerfully entertained a thought that would have made Mary faint on the spot if she had overheard it, while continuing to drag Karem out of the tower.
Even though it had been in his previous life, Karem had seen greenhouses before—and entered them. And he had hated every second of it. Of course he had. Greenhouses were always hot so they could grow crops out of season. On top of that, sealed as they were—whether for plant growth or simply by design—they were humid enough to feel like walking through fog.
There was, however, one thing he was looking forward to.
“…Whoa.”
Karem’s eyes flew open so wide they nearly split, and a sound of pure awe escaped him.
Winterhome, including its outer grounds, was large enough to swallow an entire small village. And it wasn’t just empty space. The main keep, the barracks, the Mage’s Tower, even the warehouses—all of them were so magnificent that magic had to have been involved. Granted, the harsh climate made everything a monotonous gray, but still.
“Lady Alicia.”
“Heehee, isn’t it amazing?”
“Th-this is all glass?”
Calling the structure in front of them a mere “greenhouse” felt almost insulting. Knights and soldiers stood guard with severe expressions around a building wide enough to hold thousands of people. It was closer to a botanical garden than a greenhouse. Not just the ceiling but every wall was glass, revealing the countless trees and leaves within—exactly as Karem had imagined.
The knight at the entrance spoke as Alicia and Karem approached.
“Lady Alicia? And this is…?”
“I came to show Karem the greenhouse.”
“You know—the exclusive chef of the Supreme Magic Advisor…”
A soldier holding a halberd whispered to the knight, who then aged five years in a single sigh.
“Haa… please return before sunset.”
“Don’t worry!”
Alicia declared boldly and, in a matter of seconds, dragged Karem past the knight and soldiers who now looked five years older, straight into the greenhouse.
“Karem. How is it? Surprised? You are, right? Of course you are!”
“It’s not humid at all—it’s actually pleasant. Wait. Is there wind blowing in here right now?”
“Heeheehee.”
Seeing the exact reaction she had hoped for, Alicia’s smile stretched from ear to ear. Then she tugged him forward again.
Three streams of water cut through a space that looked exactly like a modern botanical garden—unfamiliar flowers and trees mingled with familiar greenery. It wasn’t only plants being raised; fish leapt from the streams, and birds of every brilliant plumage gathered and sang. Following the gravel path, they soon reached a small clearing surrounded by trees.
Alicia guided Karem around the greenhouse for a long while like a botanical-garden docent. Quite some time passed.
The final stop on the tour featured a boulder that looked as if a legendary hero’s sword ought to be stuck in it deep in some game forest. Beside it, a crow the size of a grown man was pulling weeds.
“A monster?!”
“Calling me a monster is rather rude.”
“Ah—excuse me. Wait, you can talk?!”
“I was joking. I am, in fact, a monster.”
“I have no idea which way to take this!”
“Caw! Caw! Caw!”
The giant crow laughed with a thoroughly crow-like cry. Moreover, the deep, magnificent voice that came from its beak was so unnecessarily cool that any industry professional would have hired it as a voice actor on the spot.
Alicia hurried over on short legs and tugged at the crow’s wing feathers.
“Corvus! Alicia brought Karem!”
“Is that so, Lady Alicia. Yet a sweet scent seems to be coming from around your hands… where might that marvelous snack you promised to bring me be?”
At those words Alicia froze so visibly it was almost painful to watch. Left with no choice, Karem spoke in her place.
“So that’s why you came. Unfortunately, all of it has long since entered Lady Alicia’s stomach.”
“Hmm. Judging by the scent without any actual snack in hand, I thought as much.”
“Ah… oh no!”
— Attached Material —
Struffoli
A picture drawn by ChatGPT.