Volume 9 Chapter 1 Clam Digging
Another interlude
I bought a pair of flip-flops at the clothing store run by Ms. Ninis.
They have wooden soles and are made of fabric, simple in design without any straps, so of course, my feet are bare when I wear them.
Noblewomen have a rule that they shouldn't show their legs above the knees or below the ankles in public, so they don't wear sandals or go into the sea.
But I'm not a noblewoman, so it's no problem for me to wear sandals.
I am technically the daughter of the Rest Priest Family, though──.
"I'm a chef for Lobelia, so it's fine, right?"
I slipped my feet into the sandals, checking how they felt.
Wearing sandals with bare feet can be so refreshing.
When I told Mx. Margaret that I bought sandals, they painted my toenails with nail polish.
Mx. Margaret's nails sometimes turn red, blue, or purple. It's like that.
"Chefs can't paint their fingernails, but toenails should be okay, right?"
They said, handing me a cute little bottle of nail polish.
It's a color like cherry blossoms, and since I can see my toes perfectly in the sandals, it looks adorable.
Wearing the sandals, tying my hair up, putting on a hat, and wearing a knee-length dress with bloomers, I felt perfect.
"Perfect, clam-gathering style!"
I checked my reflection in the mirror in my bedroom, clenched my fists, and said, "Yeah!" to pump myself up.
"Pumpkin."
"Clam, Eir-Eir."
"Fried horse mackerel."
"We're having clam pasta tonight, Nel-Nel."
"...Tarte Tatin."
"Ms. Famine, why do you look a bit exasperated...? Is it because I lack girl power...?"
I guess she wants to know why I'm all dressed up but not going on a date.
Unlike Eir-Eir and Nel-Nel, who are hopping around excited about going out, Ms. Famine was a bit cold in her response.
Ms. Famine's feelings were expressed through my dad.
"A date..."
Even if you say that, I don't have a boyfriend, so I can't go on a date.
Today, I'm dressed cute, but it's not for a date; it's for clam digging.
I bought sandals so I wouldn't mind getting wet or sandy on the beach.
My nails look cute, but walking around with painted toes isn't exactly the best behavior.
That said, it's common sense for a noble lady, and in Arsubania, there are plenty of women who wear light clothes and sandals in the summer. Many women also play at the beach.
"Recently, you went bamboo shoot digging with Roxas, and today you're picking clams. Lydia really likes to pick things."
"This season has a lot of things to gather. There was a bamboo shoot digging contest, but there's no contest for clam digging. From spring to summer, everyone often gathers clams by the beach near the market. You can find clams, sea urchins, clams, and sea cucumbers."
"Sea cucumbers."
"I don't eat sea cucumbers... Mr. Tsukuyomi seems to like them, but in Bernard Kingdom, we don't eat them much. We eat octopus a lot, though."
"Fried horse mackerel!"
"Nel-Nel, you seem to like things you've never tried before... I'm not very good at cooking sea cucumbers, so today it's clams."
"Tarte Tatin..."
"Ms. Famine, please don't make that face like you hate getting dirty in the sand. The sea is fun!"
"Pumpkin pudding."
"Eir-Eir, please don't wander away from me. You're small, so it would be a disaster if the waves swept you away."
Saying that, I went down to the first floor.
I grabbed a bucket and a rake. I had some money with me. Since the beach is close to the market, I thought I might buy something to eat for lunch from a stall there.
The lunch with all the bamboo shoots I gathered with Sir Roxas was a hit.
If I can freeze the clams, they'll last a long time, so if I gather a lot of clams, I plan to have clam pasta for lunch and clam miso soup for breakfast for a while.
As I locked up Lobelia and stepped outside, for some reason, Sir Stefan was standing right in front of the shop.
"Lydia, what are you wearing...!"
I got scolded by Sir Stefan, who was super flustered.
He wrapped me up tightly in his probably secret-use cloak, and I just tilted my head, going along with it.
"Good morning, Sir Stefan."
"Good morning, Lydia. You can't go outside looking like that, half-naked. You're too cute, you might get kidnapped."
"Half-naked..."
I don't think so.
Since Sir Stefan is like the top of the nobility, just showing my legs probably looks like I'm naked to him.
"And your toenails... Lydia, you're looking like a delinquent..."
"Delinquent... defective...?"
"No, that's not what I mean. You're always my precious cute Lydia. But, aren't you a bit too influenced by those people from Arsubania? Going out like this is just... I'm worried..."
"Please don't cry in the morning, Sir Stefan."
Sir Stefan is so emotionally unstable.
On this fresh and cool early summer morning, while I patted his back as he hugged me and started crying in front of the shop, I frowned in confusion.
I'm just going clam digging. This might be a tough road ahead.
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