Chapter 128 Great Praise
"By the way, what will you do about your home after marriage? I don't mind if you stay in the main residence, but you can’t keep your current room as it is. Wouldn’t it be better to renovate one of the buildings inside the castle?"
Sara was surprised by the Marquis's words.
"Uncle, Miss Rebecca, I don’t mind becoming an adopted daughter, but it feels a bit awkward to disturb a newlywed couple. Since this is a good opportunity, I think it would be fine to move my room to the Maiden's Tower. However, I might need to think about moving the servants or hiring new ones."
It is wonderful that the newlywed couple gets along so well, but Sara also feels it's a bit much to see them being lovey-dovey right in front of her.
"Isn't it too early to live apart?"
"The renovation of the room that Paracelsus used has just been finished."
"Hmm..."
"Well, you should decide soon. You need to complete the wedding by next season and officially get married. Preparing the room will take some time."
"Understood. I will consult Revi promptly."
Actually, when Sara spoke, the servants in the main residence all felt disappointed. With her cheerful and fearless personality, Sara, who surprises the servants but never makes unreasonable demands, is a beloved child among them.
Sara is extremely popular, especially with the maids in the office who have helped her with her duties, so many servants hope to follow her to wherever she moves. Even if they hire new servants, they probably won’t be assigned to where Sara is.
"Oh, right. I have a gift for Uncle and Miss Rebecca."
Sara winked at Maria and had her bring over a box filled with Elma brandy. It was also decorated with a cute lace ribbon.
"What could this be?"
Robert received the wooden box from Maria and quietly opened it on the table. Suddenly, the 'Love Song' that Sara had recorded started to play.
"Oh wow!"
"Whoa!?"
'Could it be that in this world, there aren't even any audio devices or music boxes? Hey, this could sell, right?'
After listening to the music for a while, Robert and Rebecca peeked inside the wooden box.
"This glass bottle's carving is amazing. The proposal was unexpected, so I can't believe there was time to ask the glass workshop..."
"I made that using magic. The design is by Ms. Amelia (Pharmacist Girl). The one who made the sound-producing box is Ms. Alicia (Alchemist Girl). I heard she recreated a device invented by Paracelsus. I played the piano, but it was a bit embarrassing."
Rebecca was touched and her eyes were glistening, while the Marquis and Robert looked at the box with surprise.
"This is an incredible invention. The recreation by Lady Alicia is truly impressive. I only gave a brief greeting during the ergot fungus incident, but I didn’t know she was this skilled."
"But what I want to brag about the most is what's inside the bottle."
Sara couldn't contain her excitement and was breathing a bit heavily.
"Could it be that this is something distilled from Elma liquor?"
"That's right! We finally made Elma brandy. This is the first barrel, a special occasion. I cheated a bit and used magic to age it, but if we do it properly, we will slowly age it in the barrel for a few years before shipping."
Behind Maria, maids were ready with tasting glasses, lining them up on the table. Since it felt wrong to open the sealed bottle meant as a gift, Elma brandy was prepared in regular unadorned bottles for tasting.
"This bottle is 3 years old, and this one is ten years old. The taste should change with the aging period. Unfortunately, I can't drink it, but Mike loved it. Would you like to try some?"
Suddenly, a small calico cat jumped out right above Sara's head.
"I want to drink too! You said you would let me drink slowly later~."
"Oh, Mike. Thanks for looking after me in the royal capital."
"Good evening, Will. I'm also grateful for the delicious alcohol."
The Marquis reached out to Mike with a smiling face, and Mike happily settled into the Marquis's arms.
"You two are really close, huh? That fairy is Sara's friend, right?"
"We're drinking buddies. A friend doesn't have to be just one person."
"I never thought Mike liked alcohol that much. You shouldn't cause too much trouble for my grandfather, okay?"
"Don't worry about it, Sara~. A lovely drinking buddy is hard to come by."
"But grandfather, shouldn’t you be careful about getting too drunk after drinking? The servants might be surprised!"
"Haha, so you found out. I drank too much for my age. Thanks to Mike, it was warm."
"I haven't even slept with Mike yet, that's unfair!"
Robert looked at the little calico cat and tilted his head, thinking, 'Beautiful?' 'Sleeping together?' Mike noticed his gaze and lightly kicked Marquis's arm. Mike jumped into the air and spun around, transforming into a human shape. This time, Mike had ears and a tail as part of the human form.
"Whoa!?"
"Huh?"
Surprised, Robert stepped back, while Jeffrey instinctively reached for the sword at his waist.
"Calm down. Jeffrey, let go of your sword. This is Mike. The cat changed into a person."
"Good evening, Sir Robert, Sir Jeffrey."
Mike, who had transformed into a seductive beauty, smiled brightly at the two men. Her skin was slightly dark, and her sharp eyes had an exotic vibe. Her hair, still in the same 3 colors as her cat form, was loosely braided and hung down on one side.
"Father... did you sleep with this beauty?"
"Um, I don’t really remember. But when I woke up, it was a cat."
"That sounds so envious. Noble Mike, please come visit my house. I have various drinks ready."
"If there's alcohol, I'm always up for it~."
Mike smiled happily at Jeffrey.
"Hey, Mike! I mean, wasn't Sir Jeffrey all about his deceased wife?"
"Milady Sara. That’s one thing, and this is another. My heart belongs to her for sure, but drinking with a beautiful woman is something different."
"Sara, you’re so uptight. It’s just having drinks and chatting happily, right?"
"I’m so jealous. I want to drink and chat with Sir Jeffrey too~."
"Hey, Ms. Sara, your true feelings are showing."
"Ah!"
Sara looked around at Rebecca's suggestion and noticed Robert and Scott staring at her. Marquis was a bit away, smiling awkwardly, while Jeffrey had a grin on his face.
"Um, well, Sir Jeffrey is a wonderful person. Will you drink with me when I grow up?"
"Of course. Hurry up and become an adult."
Jeffrey gently patted Sara's head and lifted her up with just one hand.
"Sara likes Jeff more than me..."
"My father... is way too strong of a rival compared to Mister Thomas..."
Feeling happy being held by the cool Jeffrey, Sara decided to ignore the boys who were getting a bit troublesome.
"First of all, can we do a tasting? I want to hear everyone's opinions on this specialty product we plan to sell at the merchant guild."
"Is there a trick to tasting?"
"It's a bit like wine. First, check the aroma as it is. Then, gently swirl the glass and check how the smell changes. After that, take a small sip to check the aroma and taste, and chew a few times to see how the bitterness and astringency feel. Since it has a strong alcohol content, if you don’t like it, you can spit it out. Can you try this 3-year-old one first?"
The adults held their glasses and started tasting.
"This has a rich aroma."
"Sure, the alcohol is strong, but it's fruity and delicious."
"It’s sweet, so it's easy for women to drink."
"It’s just plain good. You can really feel the strong alcohol with Elma's flavor."
'I'm glad it's getting good reviews.'
"Next, please try the ten-year-old one."
The adults who tasted the 10-year-old Elma brandy in another glass were silent for a while.
"Um, did it not taste good?"
Sara asked anxiously.
"No, it's the opposite. It's so good that we can't find the words."
"The alcohol is a bit mellow, which makes the flavor smoother. It has depth and richness."
"I didn't expect such a taste from Elma liquor."
"Yeah. A lot of people think Elma liquor is just homemade liquor."
They were praising it highly.
"Can we serve this drink to the guests at the hunting tournament, Grandfather?"
"I definitely want to serve it, Sara. It would be the best hospitality."
"However, we can't make too much of it for a while, so it can be planned to set a premium price."
"That makes sense."
"I'm also thinking of auctioning some at the royal capital, but we need everyone to taste it at the hunting tournament first."
"I see. Just make sure to reserve some for the royal family."
"How much do we need, Grandfather?"
"Hmm... Wine is often offered in barrels, but this should be bottled for added value. Can we prepare about 50... no, 100 bottles?"
"Securing the bottles might be harder, but I'll check with the workshop."
'Alright! It looks like we're going to be busy!'
"By the way, should we prepare that box that makes sound too?"
"I don't think we need too many for the royal offering, Sara."
"Of course, but I think it will add a luxurious touch. I haven't confirmed how much we can mass-produce yet."
"Hmm... That sounds good."
During this exchange, Mike was slowly enjoying the Elma brandy, and across from Mike, Thomas was drinking as well. Of course, Thomas also received a tasting glass, but he seemed too nervous to speak up in front of important people like the Marquis and his employer.
At the same time, Thomas was starting to take a strong interest in the 'merchant guild' that Sara was passionately discussing. He was currently working as a tutor, but Thomas had studied economics at the academy and had actively taken courses in business management.
'How far will Miss Sara captivate me? But if she becomes a noble's adopted daughter, it will be hard to propose...'
Not very strong with alcohol, Thomas was blushing as he stared blankly at Sara. The boys he was tutoring watched him with curiosity, but both of them knew that adults sometimes acted strangely after drinking, so they thought, 'Ah, Mister Thomas is drunk.'
Indeed, Thomas was drunk. However, it was hard to tell if he was drunk from the alcohol or from being enchanted by Sara.
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