THE TEA PARTY

"Papa." She said as she took a sip of the tea. "Could you tell me more about the farmers in Amberale? Do the nobles plant crops— I mean, hire people to do so?"

Wilson wondered why she'd want to know that but nevertheless, he still provided information.

"The majority of farmers in Amberale are the commoners who grow crops and sell them for a living. And no, the nobles do not hire people to grow crops as they mostly bring in food from other countries. But why do you need this information Tia?" Wilson asked curiously.

"That means that much of the commoners are dependent on agriculture, as many peasant farmers rely on their production to feed their families. Others depend on farming for their source of income, so a famine could have catastrophic effects on the livelihood of peasant farmers and the entire region's food supply." Aristia explained.

"A famine?" Wilson asked perplexed. "We haven't had a famine for more than fifty years. I don't see why a famine would arise now, especially with the constant rain."

"Yes, we haven't had a famine in fifty years, but what about fifty plus one?" She reasoned and Wilson stared at her amusedly.

"Anyway," She shook her head. "In a situation where locust swarms invade from another region, it could could cause famine even with the presence of rain."

A look of contemplation passed through Wilson's face on hearing that. "That's true. But there hasn't been any incidence of locust swarms in a long time." Wilson said, waiting to see how she'd reply to this. He knew she had a proposition to make and couldn't wait to hear it but he was having fun watching her counter his questions.

"Does that mean there won't be any incidences in a 'long time' plus one? Isn't it better that we prepare just in case it happens?" Aristia asked with a sly smile and raised eyebrows.

The people who produced crops in Amberale were farmers who planted crops and sold them for a living. Others worked as merchants, opened businesses, or as maids and servants for well-to-do families. But the nobles of the kingdom rarely employed farmers.

So, Aristia had a plan.

"You have a point." Wilson said, amused by her answer to his question. She was right though; just because it hadn't happened in a long time didn't mean it wouldn't happen again.

So he asked curiously to know what she'd say since he could guess that she wanted to propose a solution. "So what can we do to control the situation if a locust swarm invades?"

[It's time to bring in my plan.]

"Intensify food production in the present time that can lead to increased food preservation and storage." She stated.

"How so?" Wilson asked, interested.

"Simple, hire people to work on the lands, that way you can create employment while also making food available." Aristia said.

Wilson nodded, "You said something about food preservation and storage?"

"Uh-huh. We can build storage facilities. The granaries and store houses could be used to store grains and other food crops, and during the famine we could sell the stored grain at regulated prices so that the commoners would be able to afford it." She said with a business smile.

"I plan to work with the cooks and kitchen staff to start implementing the food preservation techniques on a small scale. Once we see positive results, we can expand the efforts to a larger scale. Additionally, I plan to research and experiment with local ingredients to see which ones are best suited for each preservation method." Aristia explained.

Wilson was both shocked and impressed with how she had planned it all out so well. Even he wouldn't have been able to think of such a measure. It was a good plan; there would be food, employment and they'd be able to benefit personally.

"But, the food we store in the store houses might be enough to feed the people in our territory but not the whole kingdom." Wilson informed.

Aristia nodded, "I was getting to that part. You can inform Duke Anton, Marquis Eldridge and Marquis Kiran. I'm guessing you have a good relationship with them. They could also do the same. That way, we could cover a large populace."

[Even though there might not be much stored vegetables, vegetables like cabbage, carrots, onions, parsnips, pumpkin, beets and potatoes can be stored up to a month or more than. Grains like wheat, rice, barley, maize, oats, and millet are staple grains known for their long shelf life when stored properly. There's also beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas and nuts and dried fruits. I guess we will get used to eating grain and dried fruits then as most of them have a shelf life of six months to one year.]

"How am I to convince them of a possible famine?" Wilson asked, wanting to hear her answer.

"You will have to figure it out yourself. Have a good day, father." Aristia curtsied lightly, leaving Wilson both stunned and amused.

Aristia knew that her father's support was crucial to making her ideas a reality. With their combined efforts, she believed they could make a difference and prevent the suffering that the famine had caused in the book.

As she left, she started to think about the famine which was one of the major events and the start of the book. It started with how the Amberale Grand Duchy contributed to the piecing back up of the kingdom by using a large amount of funds to provide food from other kingdoms. Though, other nobles contributed, the main focus was that Aristia was the one who convinced her father to do that even though there was a high chance that the other kingdoms would refuse the trade as a way to bring down their Kingdom. Thus, she was hailed and praised for her bravery and wit in contributing.

Her action wasn't much to Aristia because anyone with a functioning brain would think of that. So why would she be praised for something that anyone could have thought of?

The reason was because she was a noble child. Noble children were accustomed to getting what they wanted when they wanted. And during the time of famine, they still had food as usual so they wouldn't need to worry about anything and only cared about themselves. But, Aristia thought of others; the commoners, so she was liked by the commoners and called benevolent by the nobles. That was also how her story started as a child genius.

[Sheesh.]

Was all Aristia thought as she walked back to her room. She knew her plan wasn't foolproof but there was nothing she could do as this was a backward, ancient world and there were no chemicals or tools. Even in the modern world, locust swarms was still a problem.

***

In the blink of an eye, another week had passed and soon, the day of the tea party arrived. Various noble households across the capital of Amberale started getting ready to attend. Aristia throughout the last week had been attending classes, teaching Alaric, and testing out the ingredients for storage.

The maids had woken Aristia up early from her sleep and were getting her ready.

They bathed her with scented oils and combed her hair. Then, they left it down and clipped it with a crystal hairpin. They helped her put on the dress they picked at the store and exited the room, leaving Aristia staring at her pretty doll face in the mirror.

Soon, it was time to leave and the family of four got into the lavish carriage and set off in the direction of the tea party.

On arrival, a servant led them to the garden where other families had already arrived and were conversing.

A servant announced their arrival and not long after, some nobles surrounded to them. This reminded Aristia of the times back in her world when she'd be surrounded just like this by people trying to strike up a conversation and build connections.

Excusing themselves from the crowd, they made their way over to the host who was also approaching them.

"I am glad you came, Your Highness." A feminine voice called out.

"Why, of course I would. I have asked that you do not refer to me as Grand Duchess or Your Highness, have I not? We are friends." Catherine said to Duchess Alistair who smiled at her.

The Duchess bowed to Wilson in greeting who nodded in acknowledgement, "Greetings Grand Duke Amberale."

Aristia followed suit curtsying lightly, making Alaric bow as they greeted "Greetings Duchess."

Alistair frowned lightly, "Duchess? Why, that's too formal! Am I not your aunt?" She pouted and Aristia look up to see her. She blinked in surprise.