Chapter 139: An Intoxicating Night (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: An Intoxicating Night (1)
I didn't realize he’d be this happy.
Walking beside Loik, who was visibly high-spirited, I felt a small pang of guilt.
– "The paths are dark at night. Surely you'll need a guide?"
It was only after declining the village elder and the residents' offers—half-worried and half-disappointed—about ten times that we were finally able to head out into the Elfberry forest alone.
The wind was a bit chilly, but the small forest path, bathed in the faint glow of starlight, was breathtakingly beautiful.
– "Annette, look at this."
Loik held a small magic crystal lantern up to the fruit hanging beneath the snow-covered leaves.
Faintly pink berries, about the size of a pinky finger, were clustered everywhere.
– "Wow! That’s amazing!"
An exclamation escaped my lips before I could stop it.
During the day, they had looked shriveled like dried fruit, but now that night had fallen, the berries were plump and full.
– "So this is why they have to be harvested at night."
I plucked a berry and popped it into my mouth.
The skin was a bit tart, but the fruit inside was sweet and tangy. The familiar, sugary aroma of Snow Wine exploded in my mouth.
– "Do you want to try one, Loik?"
I popped one into the mouth of Loik, who was holding the lantern. He barely chewed before swallowing it whole.
– "It’s delicious."
– "Right? The elder said we could eat as many as we want. I’m going to pick a ton!"
I began gathering handfuls of Elfberries and piling them into the folds of Loik’s cloak.
"By the way, there’s so much to do," I said, feeding another Elfberry to Loik as he held the cloak up with both hands. "Elfberries might grow in abundance, but we’ll need to build roads to transport them in bulk. We have to manage the groundwater, too. And we’ll need to put together a workforce to brew the wine right away..."
Was there a merchant guild capable of handling all this?
To delicately manage every stage—from wine production to manufacturing, distribution, and promotion—there needed to be a proper system in place.
Moreover, since Pogen was sacred ground, the guild would need the finesse to lead the villagers well without damaging the estate.
Most importantly, since the goal was to develop a specialty product for Blenheim, they needed the will and the ability to cooperate closely with the Grand Duke’s castle.
I was busy munching on Elfberries and pouring out my worries to Loik when he suddenly spoke, watching me intently.
"Annette, why don't you do it yourself?"
"Me? Do what?"
"The merchant guild."
Loik adjusted his grip on the cloak with one hand and used the other to gently wipe a drop of juice from the corner of my mouth.
"Oh, come on. How could I? I don't have any experience."
"Why do you say you have no experience? You built that entire massive shopping district. Of everyone I know, no one has a better sense for business than you, Annette."
"But a merchant guild is different. For something like this, networking is important, and..."
"You seem to keep forgetting, but you are the Grand Duchess of Blenheim."
"The bottom line is, I don't have any money."
"...Don't say things like that."
Loik’s lips curved downward as if he were hurt.
"The wealthiest family in the North—no, in the entire Empire—is Blenheim. There is no reason for my wife to be unable to form a guild because of a lack of funds."
"Still..."
"If it truly weighs on your mind, I will formally invest in you."
"Invest?"
"From my perspective, it’s practically a steal, so it’s a deal where I can’t possibly lose."
Loik shrugged, saying that if I were a talent he had met outside, he would have paid a fortune just to bring me to Blenheim.
Faced with his confident words, I began to consider it seriously.
To be honest, no matter which merchant guild took the job, they probably wouldn't satisfy me.
While I had never manufactured a product myself, I had spent my past life constantly assisting countless advertisers as they planned and launched new products.
In fact, ever since I thought about making Snow Wine a local specialty, I had been drawing up blueprints in my head.
This is a chance to make the wine exactly the way I want.
It was the perfect opportunity to realize all the ideas I’d only ever dreamed of while standing beside my clients. My heart began to race, just as it had when I was planning the shopping district.
"Would it really be okay for me to start a guild?"
"The only problem will be that it’s too successful," Loik said, arching an eyebrow. "Besides, the villagers are only being cooperative because it’s you. No matter who else does it, they could never do it as well as you, Annette."
"I'll think about it."
I nodded, watching Loik pop the last remaining Elfberry into my mouth.
It seemed we had finished off that entire pile of berries.
As we walked a bit further, a mountain slope that dropped off sharply like a cliff revealed itself. Beyond the trees, the scenery at the foot of the mountain was laid out before us.
Small lights flickered from the houses of the various villages lined up along the winding stream.
I was looking down at the peaceful view, listening to the sound of the trees swaying in the wind, when I felt a heavy gaze on me. I turned my head.
Loik was staring intently at my face, as if the scenery didn't matter at all.
"What are you thinking about?"
At my question, the corners of Loik’s mouth lifted slightly.
"I was thinking... that we’re finally alone."
"I-I'm sorry."
The apology came out instinctively.
"I didn't mean to leave you alone the whole time."
Loik furrowed his brows deeply.
"Annette, you have a bad habit."
"Pardon?"
"Always saying you're sorry."
Did I?
But that was unavoidable for someone with a subservient mindset of a permanent underdog, ingrained to the bone. For an 'underdog,' saying 'I'm sorry' on the inhale and 'My apologies' on the exhale was the default setting.
"From now on, the word 'sorry' is banned," Loik said, gently brushing back my hair that had been ruffled by the wind. "Because you are someone whose very existence gives no reason to be sorry."
"Even if, by some miracle, you actually did something wrong, do not say you're sorry. Repeat after me: 'So what? What are you going to do about it?'"
Pfft. A laugh burst out of me at the way Loik was mimicking my tone.
"Hurry, repeat it."
"So what? What are you going to do about it?"
"I'm pretty and lovely, so it's fine."
"You really want me to say that with my own mouth?"
Who on earth was I supposed to say that to?
But under his persistent gaze, I eventually played along.
"I'm pretty and totally lovely, so it's fine."
"I didn't say the word 'totally,' but..."
"So what? What are you going to do about it? I'm pretty and totally, totally lovely, so it's fine!"
I shouted the last part loud enough for it to echo through the mountains.
"As expected, Annette is smart and learns quickly."
Loik smiled with satisfaction.
Somehow, saying those words out loud made me feel better.
"And... what fault could you possibly have? The ones who follow us around without a shred of tact are the sinners."
Loik, who had been smiling just a moment ago, narrowed his eyes in frustration.
"If you start the wine business, even more of those bastards will probably swarm around you like bees."
He rubbed his face irritably.
Wait, he was just praising me a second ago, saying I’d be an amazing guild master.
"Do you hate the idea?" I asked.
Loik replied with a slightly gloomy face.
"Then why did you tell me to start the guild earlier?"
"I hate the thought of you working so much, but..."
"But?"
"...If you become the guild master, you won't be able to leave Blenheim easily."
His voice, which had dropped to a low register, tickled my ear. My mouth fell open at the unexpected words.
"...Are you afraid of me leaving Blenheim?"
"It is likely the greatest fear of my life."
I stared at Loik blankly, lost for words. As the wind blew, his bangs fluttered, revealing his handsome forehead.
I didn't realize Loik was already worrying about something like that...
"But it's alright," Loik said, suddenly snapping his head up. "Because my chest is firm."
Did I hear him right?
"If you see my chest, Annette, you probably won't be able to leave easily either."
Loik took a deep breath, puffing out his chest. His already thick torso expanded significantly.
Wait, something was wrong.
Only then did I look closely at Loik’s face. His dark pupils were completely unfocused.
I wondered why he was saying such bizarre things.
"Loik, are you drunk?"
"I am not drunk."
Like hell he wasn't. His face was completely slack.
The elder had mentioned earlier that eating raw Elfberries could make one intoxicated.
But Loik is a Sword Master; he shouldn't be able to get drunk.
Besides, I had eaten them with him and I was perfectly fine, so what on earth...?
"Would you like to feel it?"
With a languid expression, Loik began to unbutton his shirt with his large hands.
Wait, why are you taking your clothes off here?!
"I've been training hard lately, so it's even firmer than usual..."
As his solid, well-defined pectoral muscles were revealed, the tips of my ears turned bright red.
"St-stop saying 'firm'!"
I desperately grabbed the middle of Loik’s shirt as the buttons continued to come undone.
"And why are you suddenly talking about your chest! When did I ever say I liked chests?"
"...The knights said... that women like firm chests..."
"I really can't with them!"
I scolded him while re-fastening the buttons one by one.
"I need to give them all a piece of my mind! The things those people say in front of the innocent Grand Duke!"
"But I thought you liked it too, Annette..." Loik said, his pronunciation becoming increasingly slurred. "You touched me while I was sleeping."