I headed towards the royal castle with my grandfather. This was due to a request from the King, who insisted on having a refrigerator installed.
Moreover, it was to be placed in both the private room and the office. Perhaps the King plans to drink during work hours?
A refrigerator isn’t just for beer. It can be used to chill juices and store meat and vegetables for long periods. With so many uses, I’ll believe that it’s not just for drinking during work hours.
“Thank you for coming. Duke Bayerlein, Marquis Roxfall .”
“His Majesty, it is a great pleasure to see you in such good spirits.”
The King must have been looking forward to the refrigerator installation…
First, I set up a two-cubic-meter refrigerator in the office. It already contains slime heat-absorbing material, so once it’s installed, it can be used right away.
The slime heat-absorbing material loses its effectiveness after ten years, so it’s marked with a note that it needs to be replaced around the eighth year.
“Wow, so this is a refrigerator! Indeed, it’s very cold inside!”
The King, excited like a child, made me feel a bit warm inside.
“Next, I will install it in the inner palace.”
“Mm. Please do. I will assign Reinhardt to guide you.”
Wait, wait, I’m too afraid to be guided by a prince.
“Duke Bayerlein, young Thomas, please come this way.”
And there he was, the handsome Reinhardt, appearing again today.
It took about fifteen minutes to walk from the King’s office to the entrance of the inner palace. It was a long walk.
At the entrance of the inner palace, we had to deliver a two-cubic-meter refrigerator for both the King’s private room and the Queen’s private room, and a six-cubic-meter one for the kitchen.
Since the six-cubic-meter refrigerator was quite large, it would need to be assembled on-site.
First, I set up the refrigerator in the King’s private room. In one corner of the spacious room, the refrigerator was installed.
Just like the one in the office, since this is for the King’s use, it’s quite intricately designed with reliefs. It’s a high-end refrigerator for nobility, made specifically for the King. The functionality is the same though…
Next, instead of the Queen’s room, I placed it in the adjacent room where her attendants are stationed. Since it’s an attendant’s room, it’s reasonably spacious. I had it moved into one corner of the room.
“Why is it not placed in my room?!”
I heard a voice from the adjacent Queen’s room. Ignoring it was the best course of action.
“Enough, it’s noisy! Place it in my room!”
At that moment, the door opened. A strong-willed woman, dressed in a luxurious gown and adorned with jewels, entered.
Since my grandfather saluted, I followed suit.
“Duke Bayerlein, it’s been a while.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, as for the matter of placing the refrigerator…”
“Skip the formalities, are you the Thomas of the Roxfall family?”
“Yes, I am Thomas Bald Roxfall .”
“Thomas, have the refrigerator placed in my room.”
I glanced at my grandfather to make sure this was alright. He nodded, so I instructed the workers to install the refrigerator in the Queen’s room.
Normally, no man other than the King should enter the Queen’s room, but the Queen’s command was an exception. (Considering this carefully.)
“It’s really cold, isn’t it?”
If it’s not cold, it’s not a refrigerator! But I smiled brightly instead of saying that.
“What sort of things do you cool in this refrigerator, Thomas?”
“Well, of course, beer, but also desserts, which taste better when chilled.”
“Are those desserts the ones brought by Prince Reinhardt?”
“Most likely.”
“By the way, Thomas…”
“Yes?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had one of those desserts?”
Why is she phrasing it like a question?
This must be a subtle request. Reinhardt didn’t bring any desserts for the Queen, huh?
“I-I will bring one next time.”
“I look forward to it.”
If she says she’s looking forward to it, I can’t help but want to bring something nice.
What should I bring? I almost drowned in my thoughts, but I needed to finish installing the refrigerators first.
Leaving the Queen’s room, I looked at Reinhardt. Don’t look away.
“Reinhardt.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Didn’t you share any sweets with the Queen?”
“I-I can’t… it’s too much.”
“Thomas, Reinhardt is the seventh prince. He probably isn’t very close to the Queen.”
My grandfather intervened, and Reinhardt nodded several times.
It seems there’s some sort of conflict within the royal family.
Finally, the kitchen. The refrigerator for the kitchen needed to be assembled.
As I watched the workers putting it together, Reinhardt pulled on my sleeve.
“What’s up?”
“About the desserts earlier…”
“I know. I’ll make sure to bring them to Reinhardt’s place as well.”
“I appreciate it.”
Why does he seem so relieved?
Is the royal conflict really that serious? I’d rather not get involved too much.
After the refrigerator assembly was completed, the workers, now wearing leather gloves, installed the slime heat-absorbing material.
The slime heat-absorbing material is very cold on its own. While it’s not as cold as dry ice, -60°C is dangerous.
“Reinhardt, it’s done.”
“Thank you. I’ll report to my father. Duke Bayerlein, thank you for today.”
Today’s work is finished.
I wondered what I should bring as a dessert for the Queen. Ice cream would be great for a freezer, but for a refrigerator, maybe pudding is a classic choice.
Alright, I’ll go with pudding!
