The Young Lady's Hidden Smile and the Cola Contract

"Is it really okay?" Marinette stared at me with deep suspicion. Since it was undeniably my fault with no room for excuses, I could only offer an awkward smile.

"It's been a while since I last cooked, so I slipped up a bit. I won't make the same mistake again, so there's no need to worry."

"...I can't trust that, so I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Since it involved handling fire, I'd prefer if she stayed back, but she didn't seem like the type to listen even if I asked, so I didn't stop her.

Sizzle. The eggs and bacon browning to a perfect golden hue.

"Slurp." It must have looked quite appetizing, because Marinette couldn't tear her eyes away.

Ding! Right on cue, the toaster rang out, announcing that the bread was done.

I pulled the perfectly toasted slices from the toaster and placed one on each plate.

Marinette no longer seemed worried about my cooking skills; her eyes were sparkling now.

I picked up the jar of sugar and glanced at her.

"Would you like to sprinkle the sugar?"

"Yes!"

It was a simple task—just a few taps of sugar—but Marinette excitedly grabbed the jar.

"Sprinkle it evenly, please."

"Got it."

With her small hands gripping the jar tightly, she gently dusted the toast with sugar.

I smiled warmly and layered the eggs and bacon on top of the sugar-sprinkled bread.

"There. It's complete."

"Whoa!"

Marinette snatched up the finished toast immediately. Oh, that's still hot.

"Ouch." Sure enough, she yelped and quickly set it back down.

"Let it cool a little before you eat. I'll grab some milk in the meantime."

"I want strawberry milk."

What a picky young lady.

I fetched one bottle of plain milk and one of strawberry milk from the refrigerator.

Munch, munch. Unable to wait even that short while, Marinette was already eating the toast. It must still have been hot, because she kept switching it between her hands, but she refused to put it down. She must have been really hungry.

"Eat slowly. No one's going to steal it from you."

"Okay."

I opened the strawberry milk and set it in front of her, then picked up my own toast.

The toast had cooled enough that it wasn't burning anymore. The crispy bacon and soft-boiled egg blended perfectly, a delight with every bite.

No wonder ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Marinette is devouring it like that.

It would never happen, but if the family ever fell apart, opening a toast shop didn't seem like a bad fallback.

A month had passed since I'd started looking after Marinette. She still occasionally tormented the servants, but the frequency had dropped dramatically, and in front of me she acted like a perfectly normal young lady her age.

As usual, Cani came looking for me in my room today. With a proud face, I boasted to her.

"The servants must have noticed how much gentler the young lady has become lately, right? That's all because of me."

I expected enthusiastic praise from Cani, but for some reason she only made a lukewarm expression and didn't give me the reaction I'd hoped for.

"I don't really notice anything?"

"Huh? Isn't it just that you've been avoiding her, so you haven't felt the change?"

I couldn't agree at all with Cani's claim that she couldn't sense any difference in Marinette. Just looking at the expression Marinette usually wore was enough to see how much she'd changed. The early days when she always walked around completely expressionless were now unimaginable. Lately, Marinette went about with bright smiles. She even greeted others first in the mornings.

When I pointed this out, Cani reacted as if she couldn't believe it.

"The young lady I see is still expressionless and always ignores greetings, though?"

"Really?"

Cani didn't seem to be joking, which left me confused. She stroked her chin as if she had a beard, pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"It does seem like she only shows her gentle side in front of you, Young Master."

It sounded like important information, so I tried to hear more.

"Tell me more about that st—"

Knock, knock. At that moment, a knock cut off my question.

"Eek." ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Startled, Cani dove under the bed without even waiting to hear the rest.

Feeling a strong sense of déjà vu, I opened the door. Sure enough, the head maid was standing there again.

"Is it about Father again?"

"No, sir. The Magic Tower has finished reviewing your notes, Young Master. They contacted us to say you may visit anytime. I came to inform you."

"Oh!"

Finally! I'd been worried that a whole month had passed with no word and the whole thing had fizzled out, but it seemed everything was proceeding smoothly.

I quickly pulled an outer robe from the closet and put it on.

"I'll head over to the Magic Tower."

"Yes, please be careful. And make sure to take a guard knight with you."

"Yeah. No need to worry."

I was still curious about the rest of the story from Cani, but I could always ask when I got back.

The Carde Magic Tower, the only one located in the Edgar Count Territory. It had been founded five hundred years ago by the legendary eighth-circle mage Carde. Because it held enormous influence over the Edgar territory's economy and security, it had maintained a close relationship with the Edgar family for generations.

The tower stood a staggering twenty stories tall.

"Whoa..."

Back on Earth, buildings were everywhere, so it hadn't been particularly impressive. But in this world where most structures didn't exceed two stories, seeing a twenty-story building felt utterly overwhelming.

"Haha, it's an honor to meet you, Young Master. I am Matado, Master of the Carde Magic Tower."

Surprisingly, the Master of the Carde Magic Tower was a friendly young man with a warm smile. For such a major tower, reaching the position of master at such a young age meant he had to be exceptionally talented.

"Hello."

I gave a polite bow. I was only eight years old. An eight-year-old trying to act too much like an adult would only create discomfort. So I offered a cute belly bow appropriate for my appearance.

In any world, a well-mannered child earned favor. The tower master seemed pleased by my polite greeting and smiled back.

Since he was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one who would be making my cola, this level of courtesy was the least I could offer.

"Then shall we go inside and discuss things?"

"Yes!"

The Magic Tower lobby was practically wallpapered in gold, showing exactly how much wealth they had to burn. But what surprised me most was that the Carde Magic Tower had installed something similar to an elevator. If they could build elevators, there was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no way they couldn't make cola. My faith in the Magic Tower grew by leaps and bounds.

The facility I reached following the tower master was arranged like a modern laboratory. As if they'd been prepped in advance, mages wearing white coats stood lined up in front of the lab.

"These are the friends who specialize in research and development here at the tower. I'm not well-versed in this field, so I'll take my leave first."

"Thank you."

Once the tower master left, a mage with messy hair and deep dark circles under his eyes bowed his head.

"I'm Betty, team leader of the Food Development Department. Please take good care of us as we develop this together."

"Yes!"

The engineers who would create my cola. They looked beautiful to me.

The mage who shuffled forward like a zombie with matted hair.

Tap. With trembling hands, he set down the 232nd cola prototype.

"Hmm."

Channeling the spirit of a strict food critic, I closed my eyes and took a sip.

The sharp bite of carbonation and the strong rush of sweetness. It was the exact taste I'd longed for.

Tears streamed down my face as I stood and hugged the mage.

"Ah... ah..."

Because of our height difference it looked more like I was the one being hugged, but the mage seemed deeply moved by my embrace and shed tears of his own.

"I'm finally free!"

Shouting with joy, he bolted out of the laboratory. After suffering that much, it was only fair to let him have a day of freedom. Starting tomorrow he'd be assigned to air conditioner development, after all.

Carefully tucking the cola recipe against my chest, I went straight to find the team leader. I hadn't developed it purely for money, but I had no intention of sitting on an idea that could clearly generate a fortune.

"This... will definitely make money..."

Since I'd already drunk the prototype, the team leader's eyes widened after tasting a fresh batch made according to the recipe.

"Right?"

The team leader seemed completely captivated by the bold flavor, repeatedly sipping the cola and letting out sounds of admiration.

"It's astonishing. It really wakes you up—it seems to have a stimulating effect as well."

The cola developed in this world followed the traditional method and included cola nuts. Since cola nuts contained a significant amount of caffeine, it could also serve as a standout coffee substitute.

The team leader pulled a contract from his drawer.

"Young Master, please work with us. We'll handle sales, promotion, and production. All you need to do is grant permission for the cola to be sold."

"What about the ratio?"

"We'll give you twenty percent of the revenue."

"Perfect!"

After concluding the excellent deal, the team leader and I shook hands. With a child's body, getting directly involved in production and sales would have been realistically impossible. There was no reason to refuse when they would handle everything and still offer me twenty percent.

A world where money duplicated just by breathing. This world was truly beautiful.