Chapter 5 – Part 13

“I’m looking forward to it because Miss Palman said it had the most beautiful view in all of Luben”

Blinking at Emily’s words, Palman had to search his memory.

It was something she’d said at the party where she and Emily had first met, when they’d made fun of the nameless Zenfield. Aristocrats were people with multiple villas in scenic locations.

Such places couldn’t be compared to here.

“That was a lie.”

“I know.”

Emily laughed mischievously, finding Palman’s embarrassment endearing.

“But the air is really nice here. Just taking a walk would be nice.”

“Why don’t you go to your house first, then? I’ll go over there when my mom gets out of the store.”

“Um……. I can wait with you; do you mind if I sit in a chair?”

“You can wait there…”

With that, Palman quickly grabbed a spare chair.

There were still many things about the mansion that she needed to get used to, and she felt like a jagged stone in the middle of four people.

Even though the four of them did not reject Emily, she felt that the atmosphere was uneasy.

Feeling unnecessarily nervous, Palman kept glancing in Emily’s direction as she said she would wait for her.

Her mother should be here soon.

Emily noticed her lack of restlessness and looked around the store.

“Have you been drinking a lot of wine?”

“What? Uh, no. I’ve only tried a few.”

“Really? What do you want to try the most here? I’ll buy it.”

“You don’t have to buy it on purpose; the Marquis has already bought a lot.”

Palmer waved her hand, saying there was no need to do it on purpose.

“Brother?”

Emily’s eyes widened.

“Yes, with very expensive wines.”

Palman chuckled softly, remembering Lord Grit’s affectionate moments with Ms. Ruby.

“Well, my brother’s purchase is different from mine, and I owe you a lot. So I’ll buy a lot while I’m here. How about a bottle today? Is that okay?”

“It’s really okay.”

Despite Palmanr’s protest, Emily stood up and looked around at the wines displayed in the store.

“Even if I say not to, you’ll probably buy it anyway, right?”

Palman asked as she followed her. Emily nodded with a smile.

“Then I’ll buy what you like.”

Although they were about the same age, Emily, who had been mingling in social circles lately, knew more than Palmer.

“My favorite lately is Kerna wine; it’s sweet and delicious.”

As tasty as it was expensive.

Palman swallowed her words and took out the Kerna wine.

“Can you give me a minute?”

Emily paid for the wine and left the store for a while. Meanwhile, Palman wiped the table where she had placed a few bottles of wine in a corner. Since they couldn’t drink from the same bottle, she also took out two clean wine glasses that her mother had brought.

Just as she finished wiping the glasses and placing them on the table, Emily returned.

“Put it here.”

The maid placed what she had brought on the table.

“We can’t just drink wine.”

Emily had brought thinly sliced pork and cheese, cut to a size suitable for eating. The maid finished her tasks and left the store again.

“I bought it hastily from a nearby store.”

Emily gracefully opened the wine and filled the glass, then swirled it lightly.

Palman watched, mesmerized by the naturalness of the action.

“I came to buy wine.”

“Ah, Tereva. Welcome.”

The arrival of the visitor jolted Palman to her feet. When she realized it was Tereva, she immediately tensed.

She is one of the few regulars at Zenfield who enjoys a glass of wine and is also notoriously picky. That was fine in the case of Laura, who knew all about wine, but she was still too young and not an expert yet when it came to wine.

“You have a visitor.”

At Tereva’s words, Emily casually swirled her wine glass.

“Yes. What can I get you? The usual?”

“No. Today, I want to try something special.”

Tereva glanced at Emily in her splendid outfit.

Anyone passing by could tell that she was a noble and that any wine she drank would be appropriate for a special occasion. She pointed to the wine on the table.

“It’s called Kerna; it’s sweet, and it’s good for special occasions.”

Recalling Emily’s recent words, Palman took out the Kerna wine.

“It’s 50 lera per bottle.”

“50 leras?”

Tereva, who didn’t know the exact price, asked in a bewildered voice.

“What if I buy it and it’s not sweet?”

She looked at Emily, who was staring at her, and coughed unnecessarily loudly.

“Oh, there’s no way that would happen. This winery is very picky about managing its products…”

“Well, maybe it’s not to my taste, so are you going to give me my money back?”

“That’s a little difficult. If you’ve already tasted the wine, we can’t sell it back.”

Palman looked puzzled but said what he had to say.

“Um…”

Tereva looked troubled.

She was torn between wanting to drink good wine and wanting to pay for it.

“A glass is 8 litres.”

Emily picked up a glass that hadn’t been touched yet.

“It’s the cost of checking whether the wine tastes sweet or not.”

When Tereva and Palman’s gazes turned to her, she explained the price.

“…So?”

With a cautious tone, Tereva asked Emily, who was wearing elegant clothes and speaking confidently.

“If you buy it after you try it, you won’t have any regrets. You’ve tasted it yourself, and if it doesn’t suit your taste, you won’t have spent a lot of money. So, the value of this one glass is worth it, isn’t it?”

Her convincing words left Tereva in thought.

“This drink and this glass are all yours.”

She released the glass and slid it towards her.

Then she took a sip of wine from her own glass.

“I like it.”

When Tereva reached for her glass, Emily beat her to it.

“Let me pay for it first.”

At Emily’s nod, Tereva paid Palman
“Mmm.”

She took a sip of the wine.

“Here you go.”

Emily picked up the plate and handed it over. It was a choice between pork and cheese.
* * *

“Wow! My Lady, you’re amazing. How did you come up with such an idea?”

After finishing a glass, Tereva eventually bought the Kerna wine. After she left, Palmer began to fuss.

“You looked uneasy earlier.”

Emily felt bad, but she also felt more confident knowing that Palman was inexperienced. Emily thought for a moment about how she could sell the wine while removing the awkwardness.

“Maybe if people are curious about the wine, like they are now, you could offer them a glass to taste before they decide to buy.”

It was just a brief thought from Emily to help Palman in an awkward situation, but it seemed like a good method to use in the future.

“But wouldn’t that be a loss?”

“No.”

To Palman’s worried question, Emily shook her head.

“This wine comes in seven glasses.”

Emily, who had recently enjoyed wine frequently, knew the details.

“So, if we charge 8 Lera per glass, it adds up to 56 Lera.”

“But originally, one bottle only cost 50 Lera.”

“That’s right, but with one glass, you get your money’s worth. This way, they can gauge if this wine suits them or not.”

It seemed like a reasonable approach, especially considering the recent encounter with Tereva.

“Instead of rushing them to finish one glass, we can’t do that. It might also be good to provide a small table and something that goes well with wine at a fixed price. If possible, it could be a simple way to enhance the experience.”

Emily held up a plate.

As she explained it to Palman, it sounded pretty good, so she kept talking.

Emily and Palman continued to talk about how to sell wine until Laura arrived while sipping the wine Emily recently purchased.

***

“That sounds like a great idea.”

As soon as Laura came out of the shop, Emily and Palman put aside their tour of Zenfield and came to Ruby’s mansion.

“Then, would there be something that pairs well with each wine? It might be good to recommend something different each time.”

Palman asked as she listened to Emily.

“While there are foods that go well with wine, everyone’s taste is different. Plus, preparing too many ingredients from the beginning might lead to losses.”

“Is that so?”

“First, go with something safe that goes well with anything.”

“That sounds good, doesn’t it?”

Palman nodded in agreement with Emily’s suggestion.

“It feels exciting. Don’t you think so?”

“It seems that way.”

Emily’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Ruby and Eli, sitting on the sofa, watched the two engrossed in conversation with satisfaction.