Private Lyrwick Manor Visiting

[Amy]

It was a bit hard to keep in touch with Magnolia over letter due to Amy living in Zalra, but she still made sure to try making contact whenever she was near the border with Falderen.

It was a friendship she was happy to have made, and Magnolia seemed to have put a pretty good impression on Amy's parents too when she escorted Amy all the way to her home.

That said... Amy had not expected to hear the children exclaim about how there was a whole squad of knights here to escort them... Amy thought that the children were pranking her, but it turned out that it was true.

Lord Trevor had arranged for it. Amy had mentioned before that she would have liked to show what Falderen was like to the children in a safe manner, and lord Trevor made it happen.

Amy's mother-in-law wasn't very keen on letting the children go to the manor with just Amy as their escort, which is... Something Amy would usually agree with very easily, but this time it wasn't just her, it was her and all the knights of lord Trevor... And well, considering no harm had been done to Amy during her time in Astorea, it should be pretty safe to assume that they would do them no harm.

And that was how Amy found herself in a carriage together with three children going all the way to Cindershire... She hadn't expected to go that far from Zalra's border again, but she couldn't say she was regretting it.

"Look, look! It's a castle!" The children said.

Could Amy see it? Well, definitely not, but she could guess that they were getting close to their destination, "That is probably lord Trevor's manor, Ryan." Was it actually a castle? Amy had no way to tell, so she just smiled in response to their excitement, "Remember that lord Trevor is an important noble, so treat him with appropriate respect, okay? Ryan? Lyre? Sylvie?"

"Okaaaay!" They responded in unison.

Amy kept smiling as she heard their voice, though her mind started wandering... Would her child have been old enough to come here if they were alive? How old would they even be by now...? A year? 2 years? 3 years? Amy had lost track of it... Or perhaps she did not want to keep track of it.

Still, Ryan, Lyre and Sylvie were a bit older, at around 8 years old each, so they might have had a hard time playing together... That didn't stop Amy from longing for the voice of the child she had never heard though-

"We're here!" Her thoughts were stopped by the children's voices. It didn't take long for her to notice that the carriage had stopped moving, and then she heard the sound of the door being opened.

"Be careful when getting out." She told them.

... No sounds of anything loud hitting the ground? It was unexpected. She was sure that they would love to jump out of the carriage and straight into the ground, ignoring her warning... It made her wonder if the request for appropriate respect for lord Trevor was actually working, somehow.

"Miss Amy, your hand please." She heard a voice... It was the same knight that first talked to her in Zalra.

I see... The children had help getting off, That certainly explained it, "Thank you." She moved her hand and let it be picked by the knight, and then she carefully moved with their guidance to go down the steps of the carriage and into hard soil.

She hit her cane on the ground, hearing the sound of solid rock... "So... Is it as pretty as you imagined?" She asked the children.

"Yes!" "It's even prettier!" "I never saw so much green in one place before!" They replied.

Amy could only smile at that... Seems like this trip was truly a good choice.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Trevor's Estate

"Of course, Miss." The guard responded briefly.

Reaching their destination, the guards started moving around to make sure Trevor's guests were safely escorted through the fancy front yard. It was a brief, one minute walk to get by the last staircase, leading to the entrance, where Magnolia was waiting patiently.

Her eyes wandered to each of their guests, bowing in a polite greeting.

"Greetings. Welcome to Lord Trevor's Estate." She said, raising her head and nodding gratefully to the guards. "Thank you for escorting our steemed guests, I shall bear the responsibility now. You may return to your routine, as per Lord Trevor's order."

With a firm salute, the guards bid their goodbyes while returning to the carriage.

As they left, Magnolia approached the four guests.

"I hope the trip has treated all of you well." She said, her gaze peering over the children before falling to @Amy. "It is good to see you again, Amy. Come, I shall guide you in..." Her eyes flickered to the children.

"Please, everyone hold hands, and no running by yourselves."

 

[Amy]

As they walked, Amy started reminiscing... It had been a long time since she had last entered a noble's manor in Falderen. She still had her eyes back then, and she wasn't aware that what she thought was a safe job as a maid, was actually her freely giving herself as a slave... It was truly a miracle that I managed to escape that place alive... Amy silently thanked lady Rhiannon for her guidance that day.

The walk was too short to let her reminisce much though. Soon enough, she heard a familiar voice that brought a smile to her face.

"Oh, it's the maid!" "The real scary one!" "So she really does work for a noble!" Amy held back a sigh as she heard the children's words... Also, she was slightly disappointed at Sylvie's lack of trust on her.

"Ryan, her name is Magnolia. Lyre, that is rude. Sylvie... Yes, she does. I believe I have not given you any reason to doubt my words, have I?" Amy addressed each of them.

"Oh, right! Nice to see ya again!" Ryan could use some more politeness.

"Sorry..." Amy hoped that Lyre's words were addressed to Magnolia and not her, but she had no way of checking.

"Well, it's not like you could see any fancy clothes on this lord Trevor or anything..." Sylvie... Was in a strangely confrontational mood today.

Amy decided to not address it for now, "It is good to meet you again, Magnolia. It certainly has been a while. And the trip was quite wonderful." She gave her a slight curtsy.

Then after receiving further instructions, Amy held out her free hand that wasn't holding her cane, "You heard her, everyone..." Then she thought for a second before deciding, "Sylvie, will you make sure the four of us safely follow Magnolia, please?" Amy figured it was probably a good idea to entrust Sylvie with guiding her to see if it would improve the little girl's mood.

"Fiiine." Sylvie replied.

"But I didn't guide you today yet!" Ryan complained.

"You get the next time, okay?" Amy told him. And the one after that would be left to Lyre, even if she hadn't said anything.

It didn't take long for her to hear a few steps moving around, until eventually a hand held hers... That shape was Ryan's. Then Lyre was probably in the middle, and Sylvie should be in the front guiding them.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

The children were clearly being a handful for @Amy, and Magnolia didn't seem to react to the complete lack of etiquette coming from them. After all, they were children, she couldn't expect much from them in that matter. It was true, however, if this was your average Falderen noble's estate, it would be her job as the head maid to politely invite the guests to leave immediately.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Ryan. So is the same for Ms. Lyre and Ms. Sylvie." She bowed her head to the children, raising again to continue.

"Yes, safely follow me. Lord Trevor is an unusual noble and he has the habit of creating all kinds of magical traps, so it is dangerous to touch things without knowing what it is." She said flatly, guiding the group into the entrance, that was met with a great hall and a large stair case that parted to two different directions, on top of the half dozen paths one could choose to go aside from the stairs.

Magnolia guided them to one of the entrances by the side of the stairs, remaining in the first floor for now.

"I suppose you are all hungry, correct? It was a long travel, so why not have a quick meal first?"

 

[Amy]

The children let out a surprised gasp at Magnolia treating them with politeness.

Following that, once Magnolia mentioned the traps, the kids all exclaimed, "Eh!?"

Then there were a few seconds of silence where Amy waited for them to start guiding her... Except no movement actually came, so Amy had to ask, "Is something the matter?"

"S-she's not saying the truth, is she!?" Lyre asked first.

"That is something I cannot answer. I am afraid I am not particularly good at figuring out if Magnolia's statements are truthful or jokes, so I would suggest taking all her statements as factual." Amy certainly enjoyed being able to simply say the plain truth this time. It was much easier than trying to figure out a way to convince the children to behave.

That said, the four of them were still in the same place as before... "Shall we get moving? We should not keep Magnolia waiting."

"L-let's!" The voices were a bit tearful... That was not within her plans.

"Please be at ease. Both Magnolia and lord Trevor mean no harm. We are their guests and we will be treated well while we stay.

"Had they wished us any harm, I can assure you that I would have not even been capable of returning home that time when Magnolia escorted me.

"She is my friend, understand? And friends treat each other well." It is not like Amy had actual standards to compare Magnolia to measure if she was a good friend or not though. She rarely spoke to anyone other than her family in the first place.

Still, Amy meant what she said, and she hoped that this would ease the children a bit.

"Okay..." After she heard their words, they finally started moving after Magnolia.

Then, with Magnolia's suggestion, the kids instantly seemed to brighten up, "I want tiger!" "Get me leopard, please!" "A wolf for me!" It seemed like they assumed that a noble's house would automatically have whatever food they wanted... Not the worst expectation to have, but not an ideal one as a guest.

Amy tapped her cane on the ground thrice, which should have, hopefully, made the children turn her way, "I believe the meal is already prepared, so we will have to eat what is available. Moreover, what we eat here might be different from what we eat in Zalra, please be understanding of that."

Some deflated words came out of the children's mouth, but Amy decided to not address them, "A meal would be most appreciated, Magnolia." since they would probably change their minds after the meal was in front of them anyways. It is not like they had ever had a chance of eating a high class meal, after all... In fact, Amy never had such opportunity either, but she was at least used to Falderen's cuisine, so it would probably surprise her less than it would the children.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia never elaborated if what she was telling about the traps was the truth or a joke, but she still had her attention focused in any of the children's attempt to sidetrack toward any of the decorations of the manor. Or any door that they weren't meant to open or enter.

"I can assure that none of you will suffer any harm from us, nor from any uninvited hostile. Your safety is our responsibility." Magnolia said, to make sure both @Amy and the children felt more at ease. "Which means it is my job to tell you to not touch anything that may be harmful to your physical, and psychological, integrity."

As they moved into the dining room, Magnolia listened carefully to the requests of the hungry children, turning to them as she pulled the chairs for them to seat.

"My apologies, but tigers and leopards aren't on the menu of this week." Those were quite exotic animals for the area they were in, after all. "However, we had a... Wolf hunting season recently. So we can provide a meal with wolf meat."

She explained, her eyes shimmering very slightly in a grim flickering before adding:

"Of course, along with the dear specialties of the region of Lyrwick."

 

[Amy]

Amy paid attention to the sound of the steps and of her cane as they moved. It was not easy to keep track of four different set of steps and of her own cane, but she could at least be confident that no child had decided to move far from their group, so Amy assumed that they were all moving in line behind Magnolia.

That said... At certain points during their walk, Amy did notice that she could actually see a few magical loci, I suppose Magnolia's words were truthful after all, she thought to herself, but she refrained from saying it out loud. If it was something she thought that the kids needed confirmation on, then Magnolia would have given the confirmation herself.

So, Amy just nodded to Magnolia's words, "Please be sure to follow Magnolia's instructions." She told the children.

She did not hear any reply though, but she also did not think that the children were ignoring her... Perhaps they had just nodded. It would not be the first time that someone tried giving Amy a visual cue to what they were thinking... Amy did not know how frequent that was though, since she only became aware of it when someone told her that it was happening.

Once she heard the doors open and they walked a bit forward, Amy started hearing the sounds of things being dragged... It did not take long for her to hear Sylvie say, "Here, you can sit here, Amy." and then she had her hand directed towards touching a hard surface, before it was let go of by Ryan.

"Thank you." Amy smiled towards the direction of Sylvie's voice, then carefully moved around what she was touching, until she sat down at what seemed to be a chair.

Following that, she heard the noises of the children also sitting down, and after that, Magnolia's words, which Amy complemented, "Bear in mind that the taste will still differ significantly from what we are used to in Zalra." A crystallized wolf, even after having the crystals removed through appropriate rituals to make it consumable, still had its taste permanently altered by Zalrea's curse. It was simply a different experience from eating normal food in Falderen, "And thank you for heeding the children's requests." Amy told Magnolia.

"What specialties!?" The children asked in unison with very expectant voices... This time they were definitely ignoring Amy.

... She supposed that it was fine. They would probably enjoy it one way or another.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Listening to the words regarding the difference in taste and the question about the specialties, Magnolia gave it a moment of thought. "I've never tried any meat coming from Zalra, but I have to assume the crystalized conditions probably make the meat toughter. Or at the very least, it changes its taste considerably."

Her eyes then shifted to @Amy, bowing her head quickly. "Please, Amy. Do not mention it. You are our special guests today and for as long as you stay with us, please consider yourselves at home."

Magnolia then carefully moved around to pick up the plates and wares, carefully distributing them across the table.

"Among the specialties, there is grilled bloodied boar with spinach. Potato bowl with cheese and shredded lamb filling." Magnolia mentioned a couple of them, before adding: "There is also flowery salad. It is more of a decorative dish, but vegetarians seem to be fond to it."

 

[Amy]

Amy just listened as Magnolia spoke at first, deciding to wait until she was done to reply to everything.

The children had different ideas though, "What's spinach?" "And cheese!?" "How do you eat flowers?" The children asked one after another as they heard about the specialties.

... Amy thought that it would be a bit too hard to answer those questions, so she decided to wait. The children could figure this out when the food was in front of them.

Then, once she noticed Magnolia had finished her explanation, Amy decided to reply again, "Thank you for your hospitality, Magnolia... And it is as you said, Zalrea's curse naturally creates considerably changes in the food that we eat."

"How can you be so sure of that!?" Sylvie suddenly asked.

"Stop being so annoying." Lyre said. Amy couldn't see where she was looking, but she had a feeling that this wasn't aimed at her nor at Magnolia... Which was not ideal.

"What!? Say that again!?" Sylvie exclaimed, and then Amy heard a sound of something being pushed.

"Sylvie, I believe I told you pretty clearly during the trip that I cannot guarantee your safety if you cause trouble within a human's residence." Amy said flatly before things escalated any further... Certainly, Magnolia had just told them to feel at home, but Amy thought that it was not a good idea to take those words to heart.

Especially because Amy had already been hearing some loud steps, but they halted by the time she had finished her sentence.

"Lyre, apologize to Sylvie, that was uncalled for." Amy then added.

"Huh? B-but she..." Lyre started to reply, but Amy stopped her.

"I do not need you to defend me, although the sentiment is appreciated, it is fundamentally unnecessary. Please do not cause trouble to Magnolia." Amy explained.

Amy then looked towards the last place she heard a loud step from, "And you apologize to Magnolia, Sylvie. This aggressive behavior is beyond unacceptable. It could even end all four of us." Amy did not believe that Magnolia and lord Trevor would do anything to them, of course, but it was important for the children to learn what it meant to misbehave outside of Zalra.

Following that, Amy could hear two begrudging apologies being uttered... And the sound of something being dragged around again, so Sylvie probably sat down too.

... They should at least try to make it sound genuine, even if they don't want to actually apologize. Amy thought... And so, she said, "My deepest apologies for their behavior, Magnolia. It seems like it was a mistake to bring the children with me."

"H-hey, hold on..." Ryan, the innocent one in this mess, tried to intervene, but Amy did not reply to him, deciding to wait for what Magnolia would tell the children.

Instead, she just decided to go back to what made this whole argument start, "And to answer your question, Sylvie, I lived in Falderen before going to Zalra. I still remember how I thought I had found a safe house to work in, only to find out that they actually brought me in to have a slave. I barely escaped that place with my life... And this is what might happen to you if you continue behaving like that." Was it too much of a scare for the children when she knew they were in a safe place? Certainly, but Amy did not want this behavior to be repeated, "And due to that, I know what Falderen's cuisine is like. I never lived in Lyrwick in specific, but I know enough to understand that the food will be different from Zalra's."

... Except she started hearing crying noises... Dearest lady Rhiannon, I apologize for being so unfit for this. Every time something like this happened, Amy thought back on the child she lost... Would she have also hurt her child in the same way she hurt those children?

What was she supposed to do here? Retracting her words would harm her credibility, but she did not mean to make the children cry... "P-perhaps it would be for the best to look forward to the meals instead of crying...?" Amy desperately tried to sooth them. It was rare for her to stagger, but she was truly at a loss in those moments.

... Charming them with the idea of food was not working.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia saw the curiosity of the children overflowing. A lot.

They were children, after all, so it was only natural. But they were children coming from a harsh environment, coming to a place that the common folk cared not for their well being. Things then went out of hand, with @Amy's patience running thin along with her clear worry for all the types of troubles the children could get themselves in if they kept being too rowdy.

And then... Crying.

The maid watched the crying children intently, with Amy's staggering making Magnolia feel concerned about her friend. It seemed like these three were really being a handful for her.

"Crying on the table of a noble is unacceptable." Magnolia said firmly, her gaze lowering to the children. "This calls for a punishment for this grave behavior."

She approached Ryan, looking down at him. "You. Come with me, you will help me to wash the spinach"

Her gaze then shifted to Lyre. "You will choose the cheese we will use for our meal."

Then, to Sylvie. "And you." Magnolia hunched to look at the girl on eye level. "You will pluck out the petals of the flowers."

Magnolia said, straightening her pose and moving to the back door, turning to face the children and Amy.

"As for Amy. She must face punishment since she is your guardian. She will help to make sure you three are at your best behavior in the kitchen. Mr. Ryan, guide her along." The maid then opened the door, entering it and holding the door open for them.

 

[Amy]

Amy was truly at a loss on how to fix the mess she had created. Perhaps it was a bad idea to try scaring them in lord Trevor's manor, but she felt that it was important for them to learn that their actions could have terrifying consequences now instead of later, since at least lord Trevor's manor was a safe place, where they could make mistakes and live to talk about them... Especially because Amy did not know if they would choose to remain in Zalra after they grew up, and if they chose to leave, they should do so while understanding what kind of place the neighboring kingdom is.

And then... Magnolia's voice suddenly reached Amy's ears. It was unexpected. Amy did not expect her to decide to punish the children for this.

... It seems this was truly a mistake. Magnolia could be a friend, but she also had to uphold the rules of lord Trevor's manor as his servant... Amy readied herself for what was to come, and prepared herself to argue that she could take the children's punishment if it was something that she could not accept the children receiving.

... Except... What she heard was once again outside of her expectations. The punishments were... Amy had to stop herself from laughing. To think she was so worried just a second ago... Perhaps I should learn to trust people more. A hard ordeal, but Magnolia had plenty of opportunities to kidnap Amy if she so desired, and nothing of the sort happened, so it was easier to try with her.

Were the children scared of Magnolia now? Amy wondered. Was the idea of punishment scaring them? Or had they realized what was happening... It would have been easy to figure that out by seeing their expression, but that was not an option for Amy.

However, their lack of answer to Magnolia's orders might have been an answer in itself, "Children, if you do not start moving, the punishment might get worse." Amy told them, "Ryan, please?" Amy then offered her free hand to Ryan.

The fact that Magnolia paid attention to who would be the next one to guide Amy did not go unnoticed... Amy wanted to smile at that, but the situation did not call for it, so she remained stoic.

She then heard some gulping noises... Following that, the noises of objects being moved, and of steps... One of the steps got quite close to her, "W-we will be alright, right, miss Amy?" Ryan asked her.

... The situation changed, and was called for also changed, so Amy gave him a comforting smile, "You remember Magnolia's words, correct? We are their special guests and we will not be harmed. Unbecoming behavior may not be forgiven, but harm will not come our way." Was this contradicting her previous words? Perhaps, but Amy did not feel she should be making the children scared of Magnolia. It would ruin the whole point of bringing them with her.

So, she slowly moved her hand until she found Ryan's body, then carefully moved it up until it reached his head, and then she gently ruffled his hair, "So, let us move? I truly do not wish to keep Magnolia waiting any longer."

"O-okay." All three children replied... So all three were listening... Well, that was probably a good thing.

The noise of their breathing also seemed to have calmed down, which relieved Amy... When had it even sped up, I wonder? I should have been able to notice it sooner, so as to stop myself from going too far... Amy reprimanded herself as Ryan took hold of her hand and guided her. She also heard the sound of Lyre and Sylvie's steps going in the same direction, which reassured Amy that they were all moving to the kitchen.

After a few steps were taken though, Amy remembered something, so she requested, "Ryan, take me to Magnolia, please. I would like to stand right in front of her."

"Huh? O-okay...?" Ryan seemed to be confused at the request. Understandable when considering that they were about to go through a 'punishment', and Amy had just said that they should not keep her waiting, but... Certain things had to be said when they needed to be said, "You're right in front of her." He told her as they stopped moving and he helped her adjust her position.

"Thank you." She told Ryan, then to Magnolia, "Then, please excuse me for just a moment before we proceed with repenting for our actions." Amy then let go of Ryan's hand and slowly moved her hand horizontally to try finding Magnolia's arm... Once she managed to find it, she moved her hand up to get to her shoulder, and having a decent idea of the height and position... Amy got on her tiptoes and moved her head as close as she could to where Magnolia's ear should hopefully be, while also hoping that Magnolia would notice that she wanted to whisper something and would approach her too.

She couldn't know if Magnolia had understood her intention though, so she just whispered when she reached the position that she hoped was the correct one, "Thank you."

With the message delivered, Amy planted her feet on the ground again, "Thank you, Ryan. Now then, shall we?" And she offered her hand to him once more... And once it was taken, she let him guide her forward, not elaborating on what she did or why, even though she was sure that the children were curious.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

When @Amy and the children finally followed, Magnolia watched them attentively with her indifferent gaze. Though as Amy approached her for the grateful words, Magnolia hunched down to let her friend speak to her. Magnolia simply nodded at Amy, to not break the act, simply turning to look at the other children before saying:

"Of course, Amy. I won't go too hard on the children. But I can't guarantee it next time." She said, and as the group entered the kitchen...

... The kitchen didn't look fancy like the rest of the manor, but it was large and already had some cook working on the food, but there was one space in the kitchen that was empty, and it was exactly where Magnolia guided Amy and the children, who received some looks from the other cooks before they returned their attention to their job.

Magnolia turned to them.

"I presume none of you ever washed a spinach or has chosen cheese." Magnolia said, and then peered at Sylvie. "I do assume you can pluck petals out of flowers, correct? You seem smart enough for that."

Her head tilted. "I will show all of you how to do what you need to do, and I will be doing it with you as well, since Amy was very kind and asked me to take easy on you three."

 

[Amy]

Amy did not expect that reply, but she smiled at it and once again said, "Thank you." But this time out loud instead of through a whisper.

Amy also heard the children murmur amongst themselves. Perhaps commenting on Magnolia's words, but she decided to not pry on that.

Then, as they walked a bit more, Amy noticed a slight change on the noise that her cane made when hitting the ground, so she figured they had changed rooms, potentially arriving at the kitchen. It was also a bit hotter now than it was before, which further reinforced that thought.

"Whoa..." The kids muttered... It should be their first time seeing a kitchen, never mind a noble's kitchen... Amy smiled at the thought. Her reaction was pretty similar to that one on the first time she entered a noble's kitchen... Though that situation ended up being quite unpleasant after she understood what was actually happening... It was a good thing that the children did not need to go through that, and hopefully never would.

Once they stopped walking and Magnolia asked a question, Amy replied, "That they have not." The kids probably had shook their heads, but Amy could not see that, so she replied for them anyways.

"Y-yes, I think I can." Sylvie replied to the petals question.

Non-crystallized flowers were not exactly common in Zalra, so she had not really plucked petals before to the best of Amy's knowledge, but this should still be a simple enough job, so Amy was not worried.

"Uhn... What is the spinach?" "And the cheese?" Ryan and Lyre asked.

Amy was glad that the children's voices did not seem to be too fearful. There was even a bit of eagerness in them.

Hearing that Magnolia was going to help them out made Amy feel a bit left out though, "What can I do to help?" Certainly, she was told to 'make sure they were in their best behavior while in the kitchen', but it is not like Amy could monitor what they were doing, so Amy was hoping to participate too... She did not need to be a dead weight here too.

However, Amy heard hurried steps coming her way, and then she felt her cane-holding hand getting held by two smaller hands, "D-don't get yourself burnt again... Y-you can just watch over us! We'll behave!" Lyre's voice was filled with worry.

So she still remembers that... Amy's smile got some sadness behind it now... Attempting to make a light meal for her mother-in-law when she was sick had not been Amy's best idea... "I promise I will not do anything that Magnolia deems unsafe for me, please do not worry." Amy wished she was not a source of worry even for small children, but she supposed that could not be helped... All she could do was to ease them and hope to give them a nice experience here.

... She also wished she could at least see Lyre's expression now... She hoped that her worries had been eased, even if only a bit... I suppose there is something else I can do to ease her, Amy tried smiling a bit more, "Besides, I cannot really watch you like this now, can I?" Amy pointed to her glass-filled eye sockets, "I think I'll be more efficient if I try to do something a bit easier than watching you three."

Lyre stayed silent for a bit, before giggling lightly, "Yeah... I suppose you would."

Good... That was better. Amy thought to herself... As long as the children are happy, things will be alright.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia looked at the children, seeing their confusion before looking at @Amy, pondering. "Choosing cheese is particularly difficult. Perhaps you can help Lyre with it." Magnolia said. "There is a thin line between an aged cheese and a spoiled cheese, and a good sense of smell is helpful for that."

Magnolia then rested her hands together.

"Don't worry, I will teach each of you how to handle all of these. Let's start with the cheese first then."

She gestured for Lyre to follow, while she gently guided Amy as well.

Grabbing a selection of cheese, she carefully placed five types. "Two of these are cheese made with goat milk, the other three is with cow milk." She explained. Each had a type. One was fresh, one was soft, one was hard, and one was in between. And then, there was one that looked fairly aged, even having blue-ish spots across it.

"You may try them if you want, so you can choose which one do you want to eat for our meal, but I recommend smelling it first." She said. "Both an aged and a spoiled cheese smell very strong, but a spoiled cheese has a hint of sourness in it."

Obviously, in a noble house there was no such a thing like a spoiled cheese. Everything was controlled and checked daily. If anything was remotely spoiled, it was recycled into something else for utility rather than consumption. So even if there was something slightly spoiled in there, it wouldn't be a health hazard.

 

[Amy]

Amy did not expect Magnolia to suggest her to help choosing something, since that would usually require seeing the state of the good, but it made sense once Magnolia added that a good sense of smell would help. Amy was no Felis, but she had grown used to relying more on her other senses over the last few years, "Very well. I shall be aiding Lyre with choosing the cheese, then."

Then, with Magnolia's next words, and with Amy feeling her hand being held, they started walking.

Amy also heard the steps of the other two children, so she figured they were going to see what the process was like while they waited for their own assignments. Something that brought a smile to Amy's face. it was not often that the kids had something that sparked their curiosity like this.

After that, as Magnolia brought out the cheese, Amy started wondering if she was truly going to be of any use here. How was she supposed to know what was good or not with five different varieties?

"Here, miss Amy." Amy felt her hand be held by a smaller hand, then guided forward... Which allowed her to touch something a bit soft... Then hard. Then different variations of textures.

"Thank you, Lyre." Was this going to help her understand which cheese was good or bad? Amy doubted it, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

"So... We smell, then eat, then choose what's tastiest?" Lyre asked. There was some clear eagerness in her voice. She was definitely enjoying the 'punishment' that they were receiving.

"Remember to use your hands to remove a small part of the cheese before tasting it. If you bite the whole thing, it may become unusable." Amy added.

"I know that!" Lyre replied with a somewhat annoyed tone.

... When did she learn that? Amy pondered. Amy obviously did not stay the entirety of each day with the children, but she still did not know that Lyre had been learning how to cook. Even if this was a basic thing, it was not something that she expected a child to know without being explicitly told, They are growing up fast... How many times would she have felt that if her own child had been born? Amy wondered.

... Irrelevant. They are by lady Rhiannon's side. That is all that matters. Amy told herself, trying to push the thoughts away before she became too sentimental. She would rather not cry in front of the children if she could help it.

"So, let's see..." As Lyre said that, Amy started hearing the sounds of things being picked up, and a somewhat loud sniffing sound... Then a bit of silence, then something being put back, then more silence... This was repeated a few times, before Amy finally heard, "I liked this one the most, miss Amy! What do you think!?"

Amy felt something soft touching her hand. It was probably the cheese, she figured. And if Lyre already had a favorite, then she was probably tasting them in the moments of silence.

So, Amy did what she could. She brought the small cheese piece close to her nose, smelled it, Not too strong, and ate it. Truthfully, she had no idea if that would be good or bad for the meal that was being prepared, but she figured that the specific taste balance of the meal was most likely not one of Magnolia's worries today if she had allowed her and Lyre to choose the cheese in question, "I believe this one might be suitable."

Amy heard a happy gasp, "Then this one, miss Magnolia!" Followed by Lyre's happy words.

"You're not trying that one?" Amy suddenly heard Sylvie's voice, who had been silent until now.

"Don't start it again..." Ryan added.

"What!? I'm just asking." Sylvie replied, "I'm curious about it, alright?"

Amy did not understand what about a cheese made Sylvie curious, but at least the children did not seem to be fighting at least, so Amy decided to stay silent for now.

"Ah, well... Doesn't it look cursed?" Lyre replied.

... Maybe I should not have stayed silent, Amy thought a bit too late, "Lyre, please remember that it is very rude to refer to the food that anyone is offering you as cursed." She started hearing some words from Lyre, but she cut her off, "Please apologize to miss Magnolia for that statement, then tell us why you said that."

There was only a small pause before Lyre said, "Sorry, miss Magnolia... I just thought that the blue spots kinda made it look like it had a bunch of Zalrisis dust on it."

... That would certainly make it look cursed. Amy thought.

The other two children went silent, so they probably had no rebuttal to that.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia simply watched the scene unfold, leaving @Amy to take care of Lyre in the way only she would be able to. Whichever cheese they decided to choose was good enough for the meal they would have, so it was all a matter of preference, and upon the choice, she nodded at Lyre.

"Very well..." But then, the children almost started arguing once again, only to be interrupted by Amy.

"Cursed, hm." Magnolia looked at Lyre, looming over her. "You are very smart, Lyre. Indeed, this cheese is cursed." She said, looking intently at the girl before leaning away to grab two leaves of lettuce.

"This cheese is cursed with a wonderful taste. But the taste is so good that you can't use it too much, otherwise, it tastes bad. So you can't be a glutton with it." Magnolia said, handing Lyre a lettuce leaf.

"Eat it." She said, letting Lyre eat the lettuce, if she wanted. Meanwhile, she sprinkled a little of the blue cheese on the other lettuce leaf, waiting for Lyre before handing it to her.

"And try this one. Feel the difference."

 

[Amy]

Amy did not know how to react when she heard that the cheese was indeed cursed... It was definitely not the case, since she would have been able to see the cheese if it was, but this did not make Amy any less confused.

"Wait, for real!?" All three children said in unison, so they seemed to be quite surprised by Magnolia's statement as well.

Magnolia's following words took Amy completely off-guard. Cursed with good taste was... Unbelievable.

... Had Amy ever had to hold back her own laugher before? Perhaps it had happened on Earth, but she had no memory of such an occasion... Right now, she was experiencing a brand new sensation as far as she knew.

"Miss Amy, are you alright?" Ryan asked worriedly.

At the very least, the children did not seem to catch on to what she was doing, which was a small relief to Amy who was trying to recompose herself... After a few seconds and a deep breath or two, she was able to calm down and respond, "Yes, I am... I was just a bit emotional as I wondered if my child would have enjoyed coming here today as well." Which was definitely something that had happened, but it was not what led to her strange reaction that worried Ryan.

"Ah..." The children did not seem to know how to react to that... Understandably so.

Which is why Amy pushed the topic away, "You should eat what Magnolia offered, Lyre." Probably the cursed cheese, but Amy had learnt to not guess those things without certainty. It could create troublesome situations.

"R-right, right. I guess I'll do that." Lyre hastily replied. Following that, munching sounds were heard, then a short pause followed by more munching sounds, until eventually, "Tasty! It's really yummy, miss Magnolia!" Lyre replied, seemingly quite pleased with what was offered to her.

"For real!? With that thing!?" Sylvie added.

Amy held back a sigh, "Sylvie... Respect."

"I-I apologize..." Sylvie quickly muttered.

Amy decided to leave this at that, "Has this experience changed your decision, Lyre?" And decided to ask her about the cheese, since she figured it was likely that she had eaten the so-called cursed one now.

"Mmmmmm..." She seemed to ponder for a bit, "Can we go with both!?"

An unsurprising choice. Amy thought while stopping herself from smiling. She was just happy that the children were feeling comfortable enough to express their wishes even when the option they wanted was not offered to them. They were probably feeling safe here, despite the act that Amy and Magnolia were pulling about this being 'punishment'.

@Magnolia