That does remind me that I’ve always wanted a little sister... No, snap out of it. Now is not the time to be thinking about that; learning about Ms. Ristia’s personality takes priority. Charlotte thought, renewing her resolve, but...
“Ah... it’s so cold and sweet. Light, yet dense with a full-bodied taste, and the way it melts in your mouth is superb. So this is... This is... vanilla ice cream!!”
She soon fell victim to the delights of the vanilla ice cream Ristia brought for her.
“I cannot believe...! I cannot believe that a sweet so delicious could exist in this world! I have never seen nor heard of such a treat, let alone eaten one!” Not even Charlotte, the daughter of a count, had ever eaten something this delectable. If royalty ever found out about vanilla ice cream, then they would probably employ the chefs at this establishment at any costs. That basically meant that it wasn’t impossible to become enormously wealthy if one were able to keep the recipe of this vanilla ice cream to themselves. It could very well help expand Count Warren’s territory in huge ways—that was just how shockingly delicious it was. “You will have to excuse me for my ignorance regarding this ‘vanilla ice cream,’ but where on earth did you ever get the recipe for it?” she asked to make idle gossip—to the untrained ear, at least, but in reality, it was a casual form of prying for information.
“I’m not too sure myself, but it’s a recipe that my ancestors brought from their homeland.”
“Then, this vanilla ice cream is normally sold in this faraway land, I take it?” she asked, thinking that she could likely use that as a point to investigate further, but contrary to Charlotte’s expectations, Ristia told her that might not be possible with an awkward grin.
“...Not possible? But why?”
“I’ve heard that the homeland of my ancestors isn’t a part of this world.”
“Oh... I understand now. Terribly sorry to ask that.” That suggested that... the land was extinct. That was how Charlotte interpreted the statement, and she offered a heartfelt apology. However, at the same time, she frantically spun her gears to think of her next course of action. In one hand, she had a recipe for a sweet treat unknown to these lands; in the other, Ristia, the only one who knew about it. Either Ristia was the only one with this knowledge, or there was a very select group of people who also had it. It was a recipe she now desired at any cost.
“But, Big Sis, why do you ask? Are you interested in learning how to make vanilla ice cream, by any chance?”
“Huh? Uh, no. Why, I wouldn’t...”
Oh, God. The jig might be up! Charlotte panicked. This is an issue that requires the utmost care and discretion. If she were to find out that I was after that recipe by any means, then there would be no telling what kind of unreasonable demand she would throw my way in exchange. I’ve got to smooth this situation over immediately, Charlotte thought hard until she was presented with a thin piece of material similar to the menu.
“Wh-What might this be?”
“It’s called paper, a substitute for parchment.”
“‘Paper’? I see... Something this thin and smooth is an incredible piece of technology.”
“Well, I’m hoping you get to look at what’s written on the paper, as opposed to the paper itself.”
“Written on the paper? Oh, indeed, there does seem to be something written down here that is... Whaaa?!”
The sentence scribbled onto the paper took Charlotte’s breath away, because on the very first line were the words: “How to Make Delicious Vanilla Ice Cream.”
“Don’t tell me that... this is...” Although she considered the idea preposterous, Charlotte scanned the recipe written on the paper. Regardless of whether it contained the real recipe or not, it certainly had the process for making vanilla ice cream on it.
—What is she trying to pull here? Is this some sort of trap? Or is this a fake recipe to throw me off the trail? ...Yes, there many ingredients here I’m not familiar with, so I can’t be sure if it’s the genuine article or not just by looking over it. Since she divulged the recipe so readily, there’s always the possibility that she’s trying to give me the runaround, implying that it’s my fault if I can’t replicate it, thought Charlotte to herself.
“Something you don’t understand on there, Big Sis?”
“Huh?! Y-You’re just going to... tell it to me?!”
“Sure. We’re not very busy with customers right now, so it’s fine.”
“Th-Then would you mind explaining what this ‘vanilla extract’ is?”
“That? You just cure a seedpod of a plant called ‘vanilla,’ and...”
Ristia began her explanation, but Charlotte barely understood any of it. That was why she was convinced that she was just attempting to bamboozle her with no real intentions of telling her how to make vanilla ice cream for herself. That was, until...
“Oh, I know. Would you care to watch it being made in the kitchen?”
“Y-Y-You’re going to simply l-l-let me see?!”
“Yup, sure am. Also, I’ll share a vanilla seedling if you need it.”
“Whaaaaaaaaaaa?!”
Ristia was holding out a literal money tree to her without an ounce of hesitation. Charlotte couldn’t imagine what her angle was behind doing this no matter how hard she thought. She was then shown to the kitchen as promised and taught the proper process, so the entire situation was making even less sense as it went on.
—Is this a dream? Or did I get forced into a deal with the devil without knowing? Will I be able to make it out of here alive?
Ristia was simply teaching Charlotte a little of this and that, addressing her as an older sister while secretly assuming the role of older sister herself. It was a sentiment that Charlotte would never be able to guess, so she was left in a state of utter confusion.
“Wh-Why did you go through the effort of teaching me the recipe?” The fear that she might not escape from this place with her life was practically crushing her soul, but she fought with herself to get her question out. As for Ristia’s response...
“If I see a child in need, I want to help them; nothing more, nothing less.” Ristia’s crimson eyes squinted from her big smile. It was a simple and clean smile with tenderness that enveloped Charlotte in the midst of her panic attack.
“Wh-Who in blazes... are you?”
“Me? I’m just a normal girl.”
“A normal girl... you say?” That was the epitome of a cruel joke. This girl was more elegant than Charlotte and her noble upbringing, and despite having knowledge that would produce a fortune, she lacked any monetary desire. All of that was bundled with a personality rich in benevolence, not willing to turn a blind eye to a child in need.
There is no way in the world someone like that is a normal girl, Charlotte thought.
“Manager Ristia, can you come here?”
“Okie dokie~ Oh, um... sorry, got to go. If you still want to look around, feel free to peruse all you’d like. And if there’s something you don’t get, Maria is always open to questions,” Ristia said before returning to the floor. Even though she saw her life flash before her eyes, Charlotte was left unattended with no consequences. She looked on as Ristia walked off, dumbfounded by the whole ordeal.
“Hey, Sister... Uh, I mean, Big Sis. If there’s something you don’t get, ask me, okay?” Charlotte jumped from hearing the voice addressing her so suddenly from behind. When she hurried to turn herself around, there stood a brown-skinned young girl with silver hair. She exuded an extremely mature and captivating aura in contrast to her youthful appearance, but she evoked a much more normal image than Ristia, which calmed Charlotte down ever so slightly.