Finally, the tray of tarts was arranged.
Liv brushed on another layer of butter, then sprinkled them with sugar and cinnamon.
They just needed to be baked in the bread oven.
Julia and Tess carefully slid the metal baking tray into the oven.
All they had to do now was wait.
Liv watched the warm stove and the busy Julia and Tess.
Her heart was filled with sweetness, and for a moment, she couldn’t help but want to cry.
But this was different from the time she had first turned into a girl, when she couldn’t stop her tears due to the shock of thousands of times that substrate; these were tears of happiness.
As a child, as the middle son of the Green family, she had never received any special attention or treatment.
To be fair, her parents had done their best for their children compared to others in the village.
Her father worked from dawn to dusk, transporting miscellaneous fish from a small private port by the sea, then drying and salting them at home to sell to the merchants in Landingset.
They had pooled money with several neighbors to buy a cow, and because they contributed the least, they were responsible for its care.
There was also plowing and planting wheat; her parents often went out together and returned very late, stepping through the mud.
To supplement the family income, her mother not only helped plow the fields but also raised some poultry.
Generally speaking, they never got to eat any of it themselves.
She hadn’t lived such a hard life even in her previous world.
She remembered that her mother was happiest after the harvest when she went to glean the remaining stalks of wheat.
Picking up more at that time meant more for the family.
Her mother had held her as a young child while knitting clothes, while her father sat beside them telling stories of warships fighting sea monsters.
She still remembered the story where the first mate was exhausted and about to die when a dragon plummeted from the thick clouds, snatched the sea monster, and carried it away.
The first mate cried out, “Evil dragon, you stole my prey!”
It was a funny story, though unfortunately, it was the only one her father knew.
She had never refused to acknowledge her parents in this world; they had never mistreated her.
But this world was too bitter.
Even at the foot of the wealthiest city in the world, it was difficult just to eat one’s fill.
However, it would be hard for her to ever reunite with them now.
She hoped that the compensation money would allow them to live better, let her brother Arlan go to school in town, and allow her sister Penny to marry into a good family without being looked down upon by others.
‘But I really want to reunite with them,’ she thought.
Unknowingly, Liv’s eyes filled with tears again.
She thought it was her new body acting up and tried to reach out and wipe them away.
Suddenly, she was embraced.
She felt more than one person holding her.
Forcing the tears down and blinking, she could finally see clearly that it was Tess and Julia holding her.
They were the people who knew her fate and were so close to her.
Liv could no longer control herself and began to wail.
The fate of the ancient book, supreme power, the intrigue of the Republic—at least for this one minute, let them yield to this girl’s tears.
In the dining room, after a good cry, a happy Liv hummed a crude country nursery rhyme while Julia and Tess tapped their hands and feet to the beat.
The table was neatly filled with twenty-four candied fruit tarts.
Tess suggested, “I’ve heard that sweets make people happy. Since our lovely little Liv cried, we should eat one first to cheer up.”
Julia agreed.
Liv happily chose from the tray of tarts, finally selecting an orange-segment tart.
The rich juice was dripping from the edges.
Tess and Julia both deflated.
It was impossible to tell who had made this particular tart, so this first round ended in a draw.
Liv happily rested her chin in her hands, sipping the syrup from the top before biting into the pastry edge.
She immediately let out a satisfied “Mmm.”
Indeed, one of the happiest things in the world was eating a mixture of sugar and fat.
Tess unceremoniously took one as well, which was clearly Julia’s casual work.
Julia understood Tess’s intent and took one that was clearly crafted with great care by Tess.
Tess’s hand holding the tart immediately trembled, and she looked at Julia with a murderous gaze.
Julia shrugged and took a big bite.
After Liv finished, she reached out for a quince tart.
Tess and Julia were surprised to find that this one was also indistinguishable.
Tess couldn’t stay calm anymore and blurted out, “Haha, Liv, you really have an eye for quality. I made this one for you. Look at that delicate ‘bowl’ shape—it can hold much more fruit and jam.”
Julia smiled, seemingly nonchalant.
“Tess, lying isn’t good. This is clearly one I made. It’s modeled after our Landingset style of dessert, with a thinner base so the whole tart looks translucent.”
The two began to argue back and forth.
Liv savored her food slowly, eating until she had finished three tarts in a row.
Only then did Tess and Julia realize that Liv seemed to specifically choose tarts where they couldn’t tell who had made them.
They understood completely.
Liv was being diplomatic.
Even though Liv looked the most childish, she had chosen the most mature way to eat in order to protect their dignity.
They looked at each other and smiled, continuing to eat.
Tarts were indeed quite cloying, so they finally decided to call the maids to join them.
Just like that, the dining room became even more lively.
Feeling dazed from the food, Liv found herself thinking, ‘How wonderful it would be if it were winter.’
They could all sit around the stove, eating steaming fish soup and stew.
It would never be cold, and they would never be sleepy.
Big Sister Julia and Tess would tell her stories.
Of course, Liv knew many stories to tell herself.
Her favorite was the one about the two little halflings carrying a terrible magical object all the way to the Mount Orodruin.
This story had been in her heart, kept inside from her previous life to this one.
Whenever her father was tired and didn’t want to tell a story, she would tell it to them.
It was because of this that her parents felt they might have given birth to a genius.
They borrowed a lot from relatives and sold many things from their home just so she could go to the academy in the suburbs.
Only then was she able to take root in Landingset.
So sleepy, so happy, so warm.
And so, dazed by the sugar and oil, Liv fell asleep with her head on the table.
Julia and Tess worked together to pick Liv up, carried her to the large bed in the Queen’s Suite, and tucked her in.
Lights out, door closed.
Goodnight, Liv.
It wasn’t until they were far from the Queen’s Suite that Julia asked Tess.
“You secretly dismissed the messenger from my family just now. Where is the letter he left? Did you read it?”
Tess shook her head.
“I wouldn’t read a letter from your family. I don’t want people saying I’m prying into Republic secrets. There, it’s right by the door. Go take a look.”
Julia walked softly to the door, afraid that even at this distance, she might disturb Liv’s sleep.
She opened the letter.
Only one sentence was written on it.
“The Governor insists on resigning next week.”
It was signed with her father Domenico’s private seal.