Chapter 253: Traveling Through the Middle Ages 253

Chapter 253: Transmigration to the Middle Ages 253

Five Years Later

Time can fly by, which is why sayings like "time flies" exist. It seemed that after changing Guillaume’s fate of an untimely death, Louisa no longer had urgent deadlines to watch for, and time suddenly accelerated. Before she knew it, five years had passed.

Much had changed in those five years, yet it also felt as if nothing had changed—the court remained the same, and though some faces had come and gone, at first glance, most were still familiar. Even the newcomers, after spending time here, gradually began to resemble the old-timers...

"Is the cleaning done? Be thorough—the Countess of Beaufort will inspect soon!" One of Louisa's personal maids entered the Queen's chambers, glanced around, and addressed the working chambermaids.

Her words were mainly directed at the maids... While the labor was mostly done by chambermaids, personal maids held a different status and typically only spoke to other maids, never bypassing them to order chambermaids directly. This was partly due to the strict hierarchy of the court—even though Louisa herself didn’t pay much attention to such distinctions and was quite indulgent and informal with the chambermaids, the broader structure remained unchanged.

On the other hand, this also aligned with certain principles of management. Bypassing proper channels, even with good intentions, could sometimes lead to trouble!

One of the maids overseeing the cleaning and handling more delicate duties promptly replied, "Almost done! As you can see, just the final touches remain... Everyone knows the Queen insists on a clean environment, and no one would dare slack off here. Though the recent rain delayed our work, we’ll have everything ready before Her Majesty returns tonight—no doubt about it!"

The personal maid scanned the chambers and inspected several areas, finding no issues. She nodded. "You’ve done well. I will speak favorably to the Countess of Beaufort. Maintain your diligence, but don’t cut corners just to save time."

"Remember, after working hard for days, it would be a shame to disappoint Her Majesty over the last bit of work. On the other hand, if you do well in these final hours, the Queen will surely reward you generously."

This was common knowledge in the court: The Queen despised those who used their offices improperly and had strict rules in place. Yet she was far from stingy—quite the opposite. With her substantial means, she was often generous, especially with those who pleased her, rewarding them handsomely.

Half a year ago, Guillaume had left to inspect his territories, leaving Louisa to oversee affairs in Cité. Then, a month and a half ago, Louisa traveled to Bruaud for inspections, afterward reuniting with Guillaume on his return. They spent about ten days in a picturesque, tranquil town south of Cité before leisurely making their way back.

Upon receiving the news, the court in Cité immediately launched into intensive cleaning. Louisa’s chambers had been unoccupied for a month and a half, and though routine cleaning had been done, her standards demanded a thorough cleaning before she could comfortably settle back in. Such matters didn’t even require her instructions—her attendants handled them flawlessly. After all, that was their job.

It wasn’t just Louisa’s chambers; Crown Prince Maxim’s suite also needed a thorough cleaning. In contrast, His Majesty the King’s quarters required only a cursory cleaning, as he mostly resided with Louisa.

The personal maid then inspected the Crown Prince’s suite and nodded. "This is fine too... However, Princess Elsa’s room seems far from ready. That’s not good. Her Majesty cares more about the children’s rooms than her own. You should have prioritized the princess’s quarters!"

Louisa did indeed prioritize the children’s rooms. If a corner in her own chambers was overlooked, it might only affect her mood. But for children with weaker immune systems, it could lead to illness—and in this perilous medieval era, childhood illnesses were never trivial matters.

Yes, children... In these five years, Louisa had given birth to a daughter, named Elsa. Unlike the first time, the second delivery was smoother and less daunting. While the public expressed disappointment that the Queen hadn’t borne a second prince, given her secure position, no one dared voice such sentiments to her face.

Their disappointment wasn’t necessarily directed at Louisa—it was simply concern that the King had only one legitimate heir, which felt precarious in this high-risk era. Even though Maxim was naturally robust and had grown up strong under Louisa’s careful nurture, people still feared sudden accidents.

A year ago, Maxim had still been living with Louisa in a specially prepared nursery within the Queen’s chambers. Some might have deemed it improper for the Crown Prince to occupy just one room, but Louisa believed it strengthened their bond. More importantly, it made it easier for her and Guillaume to protect and educate the child, so they ignored outside murmurs of disapproval.

The reason for moving him out a year ago was twofold: the growing murmurs couldn’t be ignored forever, and the child needed his own space as he grew older (though by Louisa’s standards, having his own bedroom was independence enough).

Thus, Louisa arranged a large suite adjacent to her chambers for Maxim. This satisfied protocol while keeping his care nearly unchanged.

As for the one-year-old princess, her young age and status meant no one remarked upon her staying in the Queen’s chambers. Like Maxim before her, Elsa simply had her own room there.

The palace was abustle with preparations for the royal family’s return, and though things seemed chaotic at times, everything always came to proper order by the time the King and Queen arrived. What they saw was always a court functioning with perfect order.

This time was no exception. Even though the royals arrived late, the well-prepared court remained orderly.

"...Thank you. I feel much better after you combed my hair," Louisa said, relaxing as she observed her reflection in the mirror—freshly bathed, in her sleeping robes, with Madam Hugo behind her.

Upon returning to court, as was her habit, no matter how many tasks awaited her, she would first take a bath after the journey. Afterward, her damp hair could usually air-dry, but sometimes she had it carefully brushed—a slow, soothing hair brushing with a horn comb to promote comfort.

"...There’s just been so much to handle lately," Louisa sighed deeply.

Madam Hugo replied gently, "No matter how many duties demand your attention, Your Majesty must prioritize your health."

Louisa had indeed been busy. The new palace was mostly complete, and the court in Cité could soon relocate. A few finishing touches remained, but they wouldn’t disrupt operations. Like the Château de Troyes where Louisa had lived as a child, it had been gradually completed over the years—especially the Red Tower, which hadn’t even been finished when she returned to Bruaud.

Truthfully, constructing a large palace in under a decade to a habitable state was quite fast for the era. Though some projects had been quicker, this wasn’t a remarkable feat—just a matter of sufficient funds, enough workers, and ample materials speeding things along.

The relocation of the Île de la Cité Palace was undoubtedly a major event, one that was complex and involved countless details to manage. Because of this, after returning to the Île de la Cité, Louisa found herself overwhelmed for quite some time.

Seeing her in such a state, Guillaume couldn’t help but advise her: "Only at times like these do I wish you were a simple, gentle, and loving queen who knew nothing of these matters. I never intended for you to work so hard—hand these tasks off to others. In my experience, no matter how urgent something seems, once you delegate it, it will always get done in the end."

When it came to delegation, Guillaume had always been quite experienced.

He didn’t even give Louisa a chance to refuse, simply taking her off to Rambouillet Castle for hunting and relaxation. This time, they didn’t even bring their two children, Maxim and Elsa, enjoying a completely carefree romantic getaway as a couple. And when Louisa returned, just as Guillaume had said, her subordinates—though looking exhausted—had indeed gotten everything done.

Faced with this, Louisa, feeling just a *little* guilty, could only compensate them with more generous bonuses...

"...Is the banquet ready?" Louisa confirmed with Gina and Jeanne.

The two—one a secretary, the other a head chef—assured her in unison that everything was fine. Truth be told, among all the tasks they had handled these days, the "relocation banquet" for the new palace was the simplest. Banquets were a common occurrence in court, and everyone had plenty of experience. Even the grandest of feasts had established protocols to follow.

So, they simply referenced previous menus, guest arrangements, and other details, and followed them closely.

If there was anything special about this relocation banquet, it was probably the use of "champagne."

This champagne was largely Louisa’s innovation... After sampling various locally produced wines and finding them lacking in quality—even those touted as the finest had their flaws—she had ordered improvements to winemaking techniques. In truth, it wasn’t anything groundbreaking, just standardizing production methods. And standardized production in this era didn’t strip the wine of its "soul"; it only improved and stabilized its quality!

Since they were already refining winemaking techniques, producing champagne ahead of schedule was an easy step.

The first half of champagne production was no different from making white wine. Unlike red wine, white wine was fermented without grape skins, using only the juice. That was why it was clear rather than wine-red—white wine was still common at the time, but red wine, fermented with skins, was growing in popularity and often considered superior. Thus, the tastes of the upper class were shifting toward deep red wines.

In any case, after the pressed grape juice was clarified and the tiny fragments of pulp and skin settled, they were removed before transferring the juice to fermentation barrels. After about a month of fermentation, the yeast and sediment were removed—resulting in regular white wine. To make champagne, however, required secondary fermentation.

The difference between champagne and ordinary wine lay in this secondary fermentation.

Secondary fermentation took place in bottles, which was quite dangerous in the early days due to the poor quality of glass bottles. The pressure from carbonation often caused them to explode. Fortunately, in recent years, Troyes had seen significant advancements in glass production, ensuring bottle quality was reliable enough.

To successfully produce champagne, after transferring the wine to glass bottles for secondary fermentation, an appropriate amount of sugar, yeast, and yeast nutrients were added. Not only were cork stoppers used, but a small wire "cap" was also twisted over the cork to prevent it from being forced out by the gas inside.

Then, it was simply a matter of storing the bottles in the wine cellar and waiting. By winter, Louisa had already uncorked a bottle and confirmed its success. However, she hadn’t unveiled the champagne yet, as this effervescent drink was best served chilled in summer. Even historically, champagne had long been a high-end summer beverage!

To ensure this new wine would impress the notoriously picky nobility, Louisa strategically waited until now—early May, before the summer heat, fitting for a summer evening banquet.

Of course, at this point, it couldn’t be called "champagne." In her past life, champagne was named after the Champagne region! Early on, other places could produce similar sparkling wines, but unless they came from Champagne, they couldn’t bear the name—this was both brand-building and a way to monopolize profits.

Louisa decided to name it "Royal Sparkling Wine." Though the brewing technique would soon become widespread, and any winery capable of producing wine could replicate it, only those that met certain standards—large-scale operations with standardized processes, and whose annual submissions earned quality ratings—could display the royal crest on their bottles and call it "Royal Sparkling Wine."

The rest would simply be ordinary sparkling wine.

This was a fairly common branding method in later eras, but for now, it would suffice.

With a satisfying pop, Louisa personally opened a bottle of "Royal Sparkling Wine" at the banquet and invited others to follow suit. Smiling, she said, "Don’t worry, it’s just a new kind of wine. I think it’s perfect for summer, especially for celebratory occasions."

What were they celebrating? The move? The completion of the new palace, marking the peak of the King and Queen’s authority? There were too many things to celebrate; any one of them seemed fitting.

But if Louisa had to say, it had nothing to do with any of those things. She simply wanted to celebrate—to celebrate that she still remembered much of her past life, that she still saw herself as a modern person. It meant she hadn’t suffered any real setbacks in these years, hadn’t been worn down by the Middle Ages.

That was certainly a good thing, a silver lining within the "misfortune" of being transported back to the Middle Ages.

Lightly tapping her golden spoon against her glass, she brought the room to silence and raised her cup. "Then, the first toast—to tomorrow!"

No matter what, even in the Middle Ages, Louisa still looked forward to every "tomorrow." She hoped tomorrow would come as usual, that it would be better—from this perspective, the 21st century and the Middle Ages weren’t so different as places for people to live.

The guests exchanged glances. Though "toasting to tomorrow" was an unfamiliar phrase, since it was the Queen’s proposal, no one objected. They all raised their glasses and echoed, "To tomorrow!"

After such a toast, perhaps "tomorrow" really would be better—sipping the chilled, slightly effervescent sparkling wine, Louisa couldn’t help but think so.

—The End

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