“Understood.” The two carefully carried Rio and Miharu’s bags into the living room.
“Oh, that’s right. As a token of gratitude for being invited to the estate, I brought a gift for your parents. Will you accept it?” Rio offered.
“Why, you shouldn’t have. Just your words would have been enough,” Liselotte said a little apologetically.
“The gift is a special alcohol. There may be similar liquor in some regions, but I don’t believe you’ll find this taste in circulation around the surrounding kingdoms here, at least.”
“A special alcohol, you say?” Liselotte perked up. If it was something that wasn’t available in the Strahl region, then she couldn’t pass that up as the head of the Ricca Guild.
“You can try it yourself, if you so please. I have it on the authority of an acquaintance that it is quite an excellent item.” Rio didn’t elaborate further, but smiled cheekily instead. The alcohol he had brought was one of his own creations from the knowledge he gained in the spirit folk village and the Yagumo region, but its taste was tested and approved of by Celia, so Liselotte should be satisfied.
“...In that case, could we try it at the dinner after this?” It seemed like Liselotte wanted to drink it as soon as possible.
“Of course. There are several types that I’ve prepared, so I’ll select one that goes well with the dinner menu.” Rio nodded as he moved to his bag and opened it, then took out a cloth bag with three stylishly-designed bottles inside.
“...Those containers are lovely. The embroidery on the bag is adorable too,” Liselotte mumbled with interest. She had dealt with many high-quality liquors through her work before, but she had never seen a design such as this.
“Thank you very much. The truth is, I made both the bottle and the alcohol using the knowledge I gained from acquaintances. Miharu made the bag, too,” Rio explained, then placed the bottles back in the bag.
“Why, is that true?” Liselotte was amazed. At the very least, no amateur could have done such a thing.
“Yes — please accept this.” Rio held the bag with the three bottles out and approached Liselotte.
“Then I shall graciously accept your gift.” Liselotte bowed and took the bag from Rio. Aria stepped forward and received it from Liselotte to carry.
“Now, Lady Liselotte, if you’d come this way.” Ricardo placed a hand over his chest.
“Well then, Sir Haruto, Lady Miharu. I have preparations to attend to, so I will excuse myself here. I shall see you again later,” Liselotte said with a grin, leaving the room with Ricardo and the attendant ladies.
◇ ◇ ◇
After that, Rio parted ways with Miharu and went into one of the bedrooms, where he removed his sword and armor. He wasn’t prohibited from being armed as a guest on the estate, but wearing a sword to dinner didn’t really show good manners.
He was wearing proper clothes already, and had been told there was no need to change into anything, so his preparations for dinner were complete, other than washing his hands and rinsing his mouth. Rio finished up in the bathroom and wandered back to the living room to sit down. Shortly afterward, Miharu appeared in the living room, having finished her own preparations.
“Sorry for the wait, Haruto.”
According to Ricardo, someone would be there to pick them up soon, so there most likely wasn’t any time to pour some tea and relax. In reality, no sooner had they confirmed their plans with Aishia through telepathy, a female servant arrived to pick them up.
“Sir Haruto, Lady Miharu, I have come to escort you to dinner. Are you ready to leave?”
“Yes, thank you for coming for us,” Rio said with a smile. The servant in the maid outfit led Rio and Miharu to the dining room. The space was of a truly extravagant layout. The interior was furnished with antique furniture and the large stained glass window colored the room.
Furthermore, Liselotte and her parents were already seated and waiting inside. When Rio and Miharu appeared, the three of them all stood up at once. At the same time, Ricardo and the other servants of the house were quietly waiting by the wall. Liselotte’s attendant, Aria, was included among them.
“Thank you for coming today, Haruto, Miharu. Welcome to the Duke Cretia family residence in the capital. I’d like to extend my warmest welcome to you. I am Liselotte’s father, Cedric Cretia.” Cedric welcomed Rio and Miharu with a friendly and sociable tone. He was in his mid-forties, but he had a youthful handsomeness to him that seemed fitting as Liselotte’s father.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Haruto. Thank you very much for inviting us on this occasion.” Rio said respectfully, then placed his right hand over his chest.
“I’m Miharu Ayase. Thank you very much for everything today.” Miharu copied Rio and greeted him nervously too.
“I’ve heard a lot about the two of you from Liselotte. Firstly, Haruto: thank you for saving Liselotte in Amande. If you hadn’t been there, the damage would have been unrecoverable. On behalf of the Duke Cretia estate, I’d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Cedric said, bowing his head deeply.
“No, it was an action I took for my own benefit as well.” Rio shook his head with slight discomfort. It was the undeniable truth that he had acted out of the calculative plan to make Liselotte indebted to him for the sake of Miharu’s future, and his fight with Lucius had been a personal grudge.
“Hahaha. Even so, the fact of the matter is, you saved my beloved Liselotte. As long as your intent wasn’t to do my daughter wrong, the reasons for your actions are not an issue.” Cedric laughed heartily. As expected of a duke, he was a friendly and open-hearted person.
“Thank you,” Rio bowed his head deeply.
“Now, you two are the main guests tonight. Please have a seat. We have prepared this modest dinner with gratitude,” Cedric said.
Ricardo and Aria quietly walked over to them. “Please have a seat,” the two said, pulling the chairs out for them.
“Thank you very much,” Rio nodded, sitting down in the chair. Miharu also sat down nervously in the chair Aria pulled out for her. The Cretia family also sat down on the chairs pulled out by their other servants.
“Darling, I’d like to greet the two of them too. Introduce me,” the woman seated beside Cedric said. She was Cedric’s wife and Liselotte’s mother, Julianne. Julianne had been watching their exchange with a grin, happy about something as she watched Rio and Miharu.
“Oh, right. Sorry, Julianne. Haruto, Miharu, allow me to introduce you to my wife and Liselotte’s mother, Julianne.” Cedric smiled warmly.
“Hehe, good evening. I’m Julianne Cretia. I hope the two of you find your stay here pleasant.” Julianne chuckled as she spoke to Rio and Miharu. As Liselotte’s mother, she had the same clear sky blue hair as her daughter, with deep blue eyes and an extremely gentle-looking face. There was no clear indication of her age, but she was young enough to be mistaken for Liselotte’s sister to an outsider.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Haruto. I am embarrassed to admit I nearly mistook you for Lady Liselotte’s elder sister,” Rio said with a smile.
“Oh, you flatter me.” Julianne smiled bashfully, a faint blush on her cheeks.
“Hahaha, isn’t that right? Julianne is a beauty,” Cedric agreed with a cheerful smile.
“Oh stop, darling...” Julianne placed a hand against her cheek and turned away from Cedric in embarrassment. The gesture was quite elegant and suited her well.
The couple were as innocent as newlyweds. Rio and Miharu watched them pleasantly.
“My apologies, Sir Haruto, Lady Miharu. The two of them are always like this. Embarrassing to witness and so close, there’s practically no space for me between them,” Liselotte said to Rio and Miharu with a strained smile.
“I think it’s wonderful for a couple to have a harmonious relationship.” Rio said with a smile.
“Yes, I’m envious of their relationship,” Miharu agreed with a gentle smile.
“Oh? You think so too? It looks like we’ll get along well, then. Appetizers will be brought in soon, but let’s have a drink first. A toast to this wonderful meeting. Why, this is just a dinner between close friends, so there’s no need for any of that stiff language,” Cedric rejoiced happily.
“Do you drink alcohol, Lady Miharu?” Liselotte asked.
Due to the laws in Japan, minors like Miharu were not allowed to drink alcohol, but there were no such laws in this world. Or rather, people were treated as adults from the age of fifteen, so there was no problem for Miharu to drink here.
That being said, as someone born and raised in Japan, whether Miharu would drink alcohol or not was another matter, so Liselotte had been considerate by asking.
“I barely drink at all, but if it’s just for the first toast...” Miharu replied. Though it was a world where the intake of alcohol wasn’t forbidden, she still felt a bit wary towards drinking. At the same time, she didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere of their dinner.
In reality, she had drunk several times in similar situations at the spirit folk village already. She didn’t have a high tolerance, but getting drunk wouldn’t be a problem if she didn’t drink glass after glass.
“There are drink options without alcohol, so I’ll have that prepared for you afterward. That’s right — I’m also very interested in the alcohol Sir Haruto gifted us...” Liselotte noted.
“You may drink it as an accompaniment to the meal, but there is an alcohol that would suit an aperitif too,” said Rio. Cedric was listening in with great interest.
“Then, could we have you select that one for us?”
“Sure.”
“Aria, bring the alcohol from earlier,” Liselotte called out to Aria who was waiting by the wall.
“Understood,” Aria nodded, bringing the bag of bottles from the serving table over to the dining table. The bottles inside each had their own color; there was a blue, red, and white one.
“The blue bottle would best suit an aperitif. The acidity helps stimulate the appetite,” Rio said.
“Then I shall have that one,” Liselotte decided.
“How interesting. I wish to try that one, too.”
“Then, me too.”
There were other aperitifs available, but Cedric and Julianne immediately decided on the same alcohol. Since that was the case, Rio and Miharu settled on the same as well.
“Allow me to pour it.” Aria grasped the blue bottle with familiar movements, pouring it into a metal glass. Once the alcohol had been poured out for everyone, Liselotte and her parents peered inside the goblet with great interest.
“It looks similar to beer in appearance, but this scent is... apple?” Liselotte analyzed the alcohol based on appearance and smell. The glass was filled with a clear liquid similar in color to beer without foam, the sharp scent similar to an apple’s acidity rather than sweetness.
“Yes, it is as you have guessed,” Rio nodded.
“I look forward to the taste. Shall we have the toast now? Does everyone have their glasses ready?” Cedric urged, eager to drink the alcohol. Everyone at the table took their glasses in their hands and awaited Cedric’s next words.
“To commemorate this wonderful new meeting — cheers!” Cedric announced.
“Cheers!” Everyone raised their glasses before bringing it to their mouths. Rio was curious about the reaction to his creation and promptly turned his gaze to Liselotte and her parents.
“...Delicious!” Liselotte’s eyes were wide with shock. The appearance was similar to foamless beer, but its taste was closer to an expensive white wine.
It was less sweet and alcoholic than wine, making it an easier taste in the mouth. There was also the acidity of the apple that truly stimulated appetite.
“There certainly is an acidity to it, but it’s very easy to drink. The sweetness of the apple is gone, but that’s precisely what makes it perfect as an aperitif. It leaves a wonderful taste in the mouth,” Cedric commended openly.
“Indeed, I could drink many glasses of this. It would suit the meal too, which leaves me in a pickle. I’m not very tolerant of alcohol...” Julianne said, having also greatly enjoyed the taste and scent of the drink.
“I’m glad to hear it was to your liking.” Rio’s lips turned upwards in relief.
“I’ve rarely encountered such good alcohol before. Where did you obtain this?” Cedric asked curiously.
“Father, this alcohol was made by Sir Haruto himself,” Liselotte said.
“What? This is your creation? The quality is more than enough to be sold as a high-class spirit...” Cedric’s eyes widened in surprise.
Rio shook his head slowly. “The ingredients didn’t cost all that much, and it’s not that hard to make, either. There are two other bottles to try, so please feel free to compare the taste.”
“Hahaha, it looks like I have one more thing to enjoy during this dinner.” Cedric laughed heartily.
Is this something he made with his knowledge from his previous life too? If so, perhaps Sir Haruto’s family home was some kind of brewery... At any rate, I’ll have to negotiate with him to gain this alcohol’s production method along with Lady Miharu’s cakes. A fire was quietly lit within Liselotte’s merchant soul.
“Oh? Now that you’ve introduced us to such a wonderful alcohol, it looks like Liselotte’s thinking about selling it as a product in the Ricca Guild.” As her father, Cedric saw through what Liselotte was thinking right away, and he changed the topic cheerfully.
“...Oh, Father.” Liselotte’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
“If you’d like, I’d be open to negotiations just like Miharu’s cakes,” Rio said with a chuckle.
“Would you really? I would love to discuss it further!” Liselotte nodded happily. The appetizers were brought in from the kitchen and placed on the table, and dinner was set to begin.
As dinner commenced, Cedric led the conversation skillfully, helping create a consistently warm atmosphere full of laughter. Julianna laughed heartily, luring Miharu and Liselotte into laughing as well, which Rio watched with a peaceful smile on his face. Miharu also found the alcohol to be delicious, continuing to drink many glasses with Julianne and Liselotte despite saying she would only have one. On the other hand, Rio accompanied Cedric in drinking several glasses.
“Liselotte is a kind and considerate child just like Julianne, but at the same time, she’s grown up to be a strong-willed woman, unlike Julianne.” The alcohol eventually circulated in Cedric’s system, making him feel uplifted as he began talking about Liselotte.
“F-Father?” Taken aback, Liselotte looked to her father in a fluster. However, Cedric was grinning as he continued talking to Rio and Miharu seated opposite him.
“To live as a noble, you cannot ignore this thing called personal connections. You understand this, right?”
“Yes, I am aware.” Rio nodded without hesitation.
“Connections from house to house. In other words, marriage is the best method of forming those personal connections. Marriage is a difficult social phenomenon for nobles to avoid, for the sake of continuing their family line and for the sake of creating personal connections. That’s why nobles have political marriages. They also have arranged marriage interviews for them... Even if the people involved do not want to,” Cedric said, a somewhat troubled smile on his face.
“Liselotte wasn’t an exception to that either. As a duke family, many marriage proposals came from other families. From a very young age, too. In reality, most of them were just introductions, but with how important harmonious relationships are in a noble society, it would have been a poor move to refuse them all,” Cedric explained to a silently listening Rio and Miharu.
“As you can see, Liselotte isn’t exactly hard on the eyes, either. With her good looks, many families came forth with proposals for marriage interviews. Of course, it was difficult to accept them all, so we only chose the ones that were hard to reject and had Liselotte meet them,” Cedric concluded w
ith a nostalgic smile on his face.
“Geez...” Liselotte looked like she wanted to object to Cedric, but at the same time, she was exceedingly aware of Rio and Miharu and blushed red with embarrassment. Julianne was watching her daughter with a pleased smile.
“I believe it was when she was seven years old. After her first marriage interview, and then several more after that, Liselotte came into my office to talk to me. ‘If I graduate early from the secondary division of the royal academy, I want you to listen to my requests,’ she said.”
“F-Father, perhaps you could stop there...” Liselotte had ascertained what her father was trying to talk about and attempted to change the topic with a twitching smile. However, with the guests right in front of her, she couldn’t be too pushy with him.
Julianne stopped Liselotte with a charming smile, after which Liselotte backed down with a small sigh. “There’s no need for that, dear. It’s the perfect opportunity to have Haruto and Miharu know how wonderful you are.”
Cedric huffed with laughter as he gazed upon his beloved daughter. “Liselotte was only seven years old at the time, but I felt something bloodcurdling from her. I wondered what the reason was for such behavior, so I asked her to explain. Do you know what she said in response?” he asked Rio and Miharu with true delight.
Rio exchanged a glance with Miharu beside him before taking a stab at it. “Based on the story so far, did it have something to do with arranged marriages?”
“Exactly. Liselotte said this, sharply and tersely: ‘Father, I do not wish to enter an arranged marriage with a partner I do not desire. I wish to choose who to marry myself. That is why I wish to obtain enough power to decide who I want to marry myself.’ And so, in order to do that, she requested assistance in establishing the Ricca Guild, as well as entrusting her the management of part of my territory. Have I mentioned that she was seven years old during this?” Cedric nodded firmly, holding back his laughter as he chatted away with enthusiasm.
“So she was already exceptionally intelligent at that age.” Rio chuckled, looking at Liselotte.
Heroes in the Moonlight Page 6