Aromatic Coffee and Bushberry Pie

Hazel Mayfield had no interest in politics whatsoever. Perhaps it was nothing to brag about, but she had always considered it a positive trait.

The way she saw it, if you were walking down the street and someone threw waste down at you from up high, you would get a good look at that person’s face. If you were hit with waste a second time, you’d remember that person’s name. But if it happened a third time, you’d wait around warily and watch to see just how long the bastard would stick around.

Such was the way of life, and the fact that Hazel—who was on the lower end of the class spectrum—could live perfectly fine without knowing a single thing about politics, meant that the government was doing its job well.

Wasn’t that enough?

It was Hazel’s wish to be able to continue to live without knowing anything about the higher-ups of her world. However, her wish was shattered one fine spring day, at a mere nineteen years old.

Hazel stared blankly at the sign with her family name on it, planted right in the middle of the grand and majestic imperial garden. Everyone knew that the young and ambitious Emperor Ramstein the Ninth was extensively revamping the capital. And obviously, the first thing he’d opted to renovate was his own home.

The old palace that Hazel had once visited with her grandfather had been constructed several centuries ago. It was old and inconvenient, and more than anything it was too small. In every way possible, it was simply not fit for the dignity and grandeur of the great Vrahtania Empire. Hence, why the emperor had purchased all the land surrounding the former palace.

High-ranking aristocrats and peasants alike gladly sold their homes to the almighty emperor at his request. There was just one person who refused to cooperate: the audacious gambler, Baron Archibald Sebastian Mayfield.

“Oh, Grandfather...” Hazel muttered, her face blanching as she shook her head. “This is preposterous. We can’t fight the emperor. We need to surrender like the vagrants by the fortress wall. That’s the wise thing to do.”

Then she surprised herself by approaching the temporary gate before she knew what she was doing. And the next moment, she found her right hand landing on the gate handle too.

Hazel truly meant to pull her hand back, but it remained frozen. So instead, her eyes trailed over to the patch of land just visible beyond the crack in the gate. It felt like someone was whispering to her, Hazel, you see that? That’s land. Land. The only plot of land in this world that’s in your name.

As though she were in a trance, Hazel pushed the gate open and walked in, directly into a bed of gnarled weeds growing wildly in all directions.

Standing at the center of the plot was a small house. Just like her grandfather had said, it was just big enough for her to live alone. What’s more... Hazel glanced down. Through the thick weeds, she could see the soil, and her heart began to race.

“Don’t be scared,” she murmured. “I’m your owner.”

She brought her hand to the soil and slightly dug her fingertips in. She could immediately tell it was fresh earth, rich with nutrients. It had been given plenty of time to rest, having been neglected for such a long time, and now it seemed to be calling out to her, begging her to plant something.

“Oh!” Hazel lost all control then and there. “As long as this document is in my name, nobody can take that land away from me!”

Hadn’t she vowed to protect this land herself? Country people never made vows if they didn’t mean it because they might get cursed. Once the words left her lips, she felt obligated to keep her promise.

Hazel looked at the house’s battered old doorplate. Suddenly swept with a powerful impulse, she opened her bag and took out a piece of chalk made of limestone. Then she wrote the name she’d dreamed of every single night.

Marronnier Farm.

Hazel was overcome with inexplicable emotion as she vividly recalled that beautiful southern farm in the middle of Marronnier Forest. She could almost see Uncle Carl, Aunt Martha, Emily, Belle, and Noel all standing right in front of her.

Finally, she had her own farm. Of course, she had the most fearsome and intimidating neighbor in the world...

But let’s think of it this way! Hazel thought, using a tactic she often employed to rally herself. Are you going to tremble in fright and do nothing, or start running the farm you’ve dreamed of for eleven years?

There was no question about it. Even His Majesty the Emperor couldn’t easily kick out the legal and rightful owner of this land. And even if he did, she didn’t have to worry. Because Hazel had already rooted herself in this land, so she’d have to be dead before they could force her out!

It was a rather extreme conclusion born of bold and daring youth, but nevertheless Hazel felt much more at ease as she cast her worries aside. Now, all that was left in its place was... her new house and land. Her heart swelled once again.

“Let’s begin!”

The front door squeaked loudly in protest as Hazel made her way inside.

The house was in a grave mess. Everything was covered in thick layers of dust, and the walls were cracked and exposing the brick from the exterior. The floor was filthy from all the people who’d stopped by over the years. But on the bright side, the bedroom had a large window, just like Hazel had always wanted.

The wood oven in the kitchen was spacious and sturdy. There was still a bit of kindling and firewood left inside, so if she just cleared the dust, she could even put it to use right away. She opened the kitchen cabinets and found them full of pots and pans and plates.

“Looks like a family lived here,” Hazel muttered excitedly to herself.

She already had a ton of ideas on how she would make a farm out of this place. Feeling butterflies in her stomach, she unpacked her treasure box. There were still about two hours left until sunset. After putting on her straw hat, Hazel transferred her precious farming tools and seeds into a basket and stepped back outside.

She looked around at the sea of weeds rippling under the afternoon sun. And among the weeds, something familiar caught her eye—green potato stems already covered with dense leaves.

Apparently, it was true that this land got plenty of sun because the potatoes seemed to be growing well all on their own. Soon, it would be time to harvest those tasty spring tubers. Hazel was thrilled at the unexpected gift. She went over to the backyard by the kitchen and saw a variety of vegetables like celery and chicory, along with classic household herbs like rosemary, peppermint, and sage.

The lavender plants were just budding, and Hazel already felt overjoyed just thinking of the purple flowers that would soon bloom. Next to them, she planted the seeds from her treasure box. She started with fox mint leaves, a resilient herb that would start producing leaves in only two weeks; then went on to plant anise, basil, lemongrass, wyvernclaw, and other herbs that would come in useful. The rest of them were weeds that she could pull out and throw away.

Hazel sat down with her hoe. Farmers usually detested pulling out weeds, but to her, even this was a task she found enjoyable. For some reason, ever since young, she seemed to be able to pull out weeds effortlessly, roots and all.

“Actually, you shouldn’t be called weeds,” Hazel said kindly. “I’m sure you guys have your uses too. We just haven’t found what it is yet. But right now, I need to plant my vegetables, so...”

Hazel continued to pull out the weeds, making conversation with them as she did so. She soon became engrossed in her task, not even aware of the time going by. Which was why she hadn’t ever expected in her wildest dreams... Just outside this little house with a garden, beyond the temporary wall surrounding it, a group of people was crossing the magnificent Grand Garden, heading toward her.

At the head of the group was a palace official dressed in a black uniform with a golden belt, followed by the imperial servants.

* * *

Cecil was an imperial attendant and a talented young man who’d passed the recruitment test with the highest marks. He’d already had an idea of what he was getting into, but working at the palace was no joke.

Under the command of his stern yet respectable supervisor, he had to oversee all sorts of protocols: the accounting, the outfits and meals of the imperial family, health checkups, book purchases and management, art, the carriages and horses, imperial treasures, and much, much more. And after running around all day without a single chance to take a break, he’d normally feel as heavy as a wet blanket by afternoon.

But today was different.

Cecil’s steps were as light as a feather, as were those of the imperial servants following him.

“That troublesome Lot 79 is finally done for!”

“Indeed. It’s been such an eyesore every time we passed the Grand Garden. Now we can get rid of it for good!”

“If only it had been done sooner. This is just between us, but it’s not always like father like son, don’t you think? His former Majesty would have demolished that tiny house a long time ago.”

“I know. His Majesty just had to insist that we wait until the deadline—talk about inflexible. Well, at least it ends today.”

Chattering animatedly among themselves, the group soon arrived at a scene that caught them off guard. The gate to the temporary wall surrounding Lot 79—the lone property they’d failed to purchase—was ajar.

“What’s this? Did someone sneak in to smoke again?” Cecil said, running over to fling the door open.

Having a walled-off area in the middle of the palace was bad in many ways, and not just for aesthetic reasons. Servants and workers snuck in to enjoy a drink or a cigarette, or even a secret rendezvous. One time, an aristocrat had even been caught and punished for offering bribes in this place in an attempt to monopolize palace liquor sales. Expecting to find such delinquent behavior again, Cecil and the servants barged in indignantly, only to come across something entirely different.

Smack in the middle of Lot 79, a young lady with a straw hat perched on her chestnut brown hair was crouching on the ground. Holding a small tool in one hand, she quickly and expertly pulled out weeds from the soil. In no time, the garden was cleared as the mound of weeds grew before their eyes.

Cecil blankly asked, “What are you doing here?”

Hazel, who’d been absorbed in her weeding, snapped her head up at the unfamiliar voice. Her eyes landed on a young aristocratic palace employee and the group of imperial servants flanking him.

It’s finally time. But Hazel had nothing to be ashamed of.

“I’m weeding,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Pardon?”

“I’m pulling out the weeds before planting my crops. It’s a basic farming procedure,” she explained patiently.

Oh, I see. Cecil started to nod, then stopped himself. “Wait, farming? You’re not saying you’re going to farm here, are you?”

“I am.”

“Good gracious, look at me! I didn’t even realize she was mentally unstable because she answered so normally. Let’s take her away.”

Hazel jumped to her feet. “You people can’t drag me out. Don’t you know who I am?”

“Nobody who ever said that turned out to be actually scary,” Cecil said in a dry tone. “Even if you’re the only daughter of the Gold Dragon, it won’t work. This is His Majesty’s garden.”

“Of course I’m not the Gold Dragon’s daughter. But there is one person His Majesty can’t chase away, you know… A Mayfield.”

Everyone was startled. Looking horrified, Cecil said, “Are you saying you’re the owner of this lot...? The person we failed to find after trying every trick in the book...? You’re Archibald Sebastian Mayfield?”

“Archibald Sebastian Mayfield is my grandfather. And he’s bequeathed this land to me.” Hazel scurried inside and came back out with a briefcase and pulled out each paper in turn. “Here’s the land document. This here is the official document proving that my grandfather gave this land to me. And this is a statement that shows I am his granddaughter and only heir.”

Cecil carefully looked through every document, his mouth wide open in astonishment. It was as Hazel expected.

“What do you think? It’s solid proof, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes, but...” Cecil was utterly taken aback. She’s real! The real owner of this land is here!