With the memory of Lady Margery's scorn still fresh in her mind, Ophelia sought solace in the familiarity of the castle's kitchen. It was nothing like her previous life, but the kitchen was always warm and sent of spices or burnt sugar.
To her surprise, the kitchen was deserted and smelt like sweat. Undeterred, Ophelia rolled up her sleeves and set to work. The place was filthy, and she could imagine her mother- from her first life, shouting at her to clean it.
Finding a bucket and a cloth took more time than she would have liked. Unlike the main Kitchen, the one for her two was only staffed by 2 kitchen maids who also doubled as her handmaid2. That was a lot of work for two people as it meant that her tower was hugely understaffed. Even though the two maids she currently has don’t belong to her, they were on loan until she became 12.
The reason she only had two maids was that she was the only resident of her tower. It wasn’t a tower more of a small three-story home that was attached to a tower. The top floor housed her room and a small living area along with a little washroom. The kitchen was on the second floor along with an eating table, a little book room and an empty room for a guard. She was expected to know how to read and write and do small math sums. The servant quarter was a small basement level that also held the laundry room.
The reason she was getting another with a guard was due to her officially becoming a woman. In this society, you are deemed a woman at 12 as that is the age your father can give you away. It was also the age you would be blessed by the church and given your magic nature. Only nobles have a magic nature that also includes illegitimate children, though not all, some have blood that is ‘too dirty’.
Even though Nobles can have illegitimate children, no noble genuinely has more than 20 children at once. As most children join the Royal household and maids or guards if they have an offensive magic nature. They were charged to take care of their children until they left or inherited the household once a child became the legal age that wasn’t from a legal wife were often married or sent off.
Ophelia was lucky her father only had 14 children not courting herself 8 from his five legal wives, 4 from his 30 concubines and 2 illegitimate children. And from those he only had 4 daughters so it was likely Ophelia wouldn’t be sent off for a random marriage. Unfortunately, she was the only girl that was legitimate, but she was the youngest. The nest sister was already 13 and already betrothed to the second son of a neighbouring lord.
Unlike the fantasy books she used to read in this world, Illegitimate children had to be claimed by the Parent in a marriage or with a higher status would be heavily fined if found out. This was to both take accountability due to King Harrod, who sat on the throne 300 years ago had over 50 children and only 3 were legitimate from his only wife. As to be expected it led to a fight of succession once he died. None of his legitimate children won even though their mother was the daughter of a Duke. There were just too many children fighting all with different nobility backing them. The Lines of Now Kings came from a Son also called Harrod known as King Harrod II.
To cut the story short he introduced the child Fine, which by having illegitimate children not registered would introduce a fine that would grow every year as an incentive to claim the child. After him his Son introduced a Law allowing for men to marry multiple women but not the other way around. The law stated that a Man could have 5 legal Wives he had to support though that left a place for Concubines in a family. After many years of arguing and wars the number of concubines was capped at 30. Though Ophelia’s mother was neither just a handmaid that the Lord had bedded.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
With the new laws came a change in the Kingdom's architecture. Now castles had to be filled with numerous towers for all the different partners. The Keeps had to be expanded to accommodate 5 families plus guests and there was a reduction. With an expansion in the inner wall, more towers were fitted for the Concubines and illegitimate children.
The great hall and chapel were only seen in the grandest of Castles as more space was taken to create more room for large families.
Illegitimate children, though recorded in the family register didn’t have the same station as the legitimate children, it was all based on the idea of blue blood. All nobles are of a higher calling than the freeman and serf and definitely above the slaves.
Life in a medieval society was hard on girls but at least she had the protection of being an illegitimate noble. From the memories she had gained her mother was from a family of Freeman so they would be able to move if needed, unlike serfs, they were not tied to the lord of the land.
Though enough about history, All she wanted was to finish cleaning the kitchen. She was lucky the memories of this life were coming back to her; how could she forget that Ellen and Hilary were only nice during the morning when she had to attend family meals?
Her Lord Father only wanted to eat with his children in the morning and after that, they were expected to go about their lessons and the rest of the day and eat at their tables with their household.
Ellen and Hilary were only good in the morning from the look of her body they weren’t good cooks as they always under or overcooked the vegetables and any meat they roasted was raw or burnt. They only stayed to get paid as they also knew they would be back working in the main keep after Ophelia turned 12.
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Once the kitchen was cleaned, Ophelia only had half a barrel of vinegar left. She had disinfected most of the thing as she could see the mould and bacteria growth.
She located a sturdy wooden bowl and a rough-hewn wooden spoon, the implements well-worn from years of use. With practised hands, she measured out flour, water, oil and yeast with a pinch of salt for taste. Kneading the dough until it was smooth and elastic beneath her fingertips.
As the dough rose by the warmth of the hearth, Ophelia turned her attention to the task of preparing scrambled eggs. She found a cast-iron skillet hanging from a hook above the fire, its surface seasoned with age and use. Crackling eggs into a clay bowl, she whisked them with a fork, seasoning them with a pinch of salt. Also, she took the iron teapot and boiled the water before adding the leaves to sit and infuse properly.
With the skillet placed directly on the coals of the hearth, Ophelia poured the beaten eggs into the sizzling pan, stirring them gently with a wooden spatula. The eggs began to take on a velvety texture, the edges just beginning to set as she continued to stir.
As the aroma of freshly baked bread filled the kitchen, mingling with the savoury scent of cooking eggs, Ophelia couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction wash over her. Even though she was in a new world nothing beats a good tea with bread and scrambled eggs.
Finally, the loaf of bread emerged from the oven, golden brown and fragrant, while the scrambled eggs were piled onto a rustic wooden plate. With a sense of anticipation, Ophelia carried her makeshift breakfast to the long wooden table in the centre of the kitchen, where she sat down to enjoy the fruits of her labour. It had taken over two hours to cook the meal, but every bite was worth it.
As she savoured each mouthful of warm, freshly baked bread soft and white, unlike the hard rye bread she had this morning. The scheduling for food was still new for her yet the body she processed was used to it. She was busy in classes so lunch was more of a snack, biscuits and tea though Ophelia would have to do something because the tea she had consumed was more like piss water than anything else, probably some low-quality shit. The tea she was having now was even more like piss water than early. She certainly needed to find some good tea leaves. How can she be a Brit a not love tea?
Returning to her room was a bittersweet thing as it was her room yet not, it missed all the technological advances of modern society, she had to light the place for warmth before she slipped out of her medieval attire and into her nightgown, she couldn't shake the feeling of disorientation that had plagued her since her arrival in this strange new world. Her mind was still reeling from the encounter with Lady Margery, a grown woman who felt the need to pick on a child to deal with her obvious insecurities.