7. Founding Festival (4)

Saena returned to the townhouse.

Upon arrival, she instructed the attendants to move the materials and was about to enter the building when the porch appeared unusually chaotic. The butler was pacing back and forth, flustered, looking quite disoriented.

‘Is there a guest coming over?’

It seemed far too hectic to be merely preparing for a guest’s visit. The staff of the Debov family were generally well-trained, so it was unusual for them to act so disorderly.

Curious about what was going on, Saena moved forward.

“What did the merchant say?”

“They said it’s the peak season, so they don’t have any extras of the same kind.”

“You should’ve checked the wheels in advance! Haa… What are we going to do now?”

The butler, who rarely showed anger, was scolding one of the attendants. Around him, several familiar attendants and coachmen were bowing their heads in tears.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, Miss Saena.”

The butler looked at her with a troubled expression.

Though not as experienced as Uz, the chief butler of Delvon, this butler had been managing the townhouse for over five years. It was rare for him to appear so flustered.

“What’s the matter?”

The Debov family did not have a mistress, so the butler often had a lot on his plate. In the past, Saena wouldn’t have known how to help, but now, having lived as a mistress of a family in her previous life, she thought she might be able to assist.

“We’re short on the wine needed for tomorrow’s salon. While transporting it from the merchant, the carriage wheel broke, and more than half of it was shattered.”

Ah, so that’s why the attendants and coachmen were trembling and tearing up like that.

“There’s no extra stock?”

“Currently, the entire capital is hosting parties and salons, so unless it’s pre-reserved, there’s nothing to buy.”

“What about our underground cellar?”

“Of course, we have plenty of wine, but the same type is limited.”

I see. It’s not like you can serve different wines to dozens of people. That would undoubtedly cause complaints about who received the expensive wine and who got the cheaper one.

“But why wine? Aren’t most of the guests men?”

Male nobles usually prefer whiskey or stronger liquors over wine, don’t they?

“Since it’s not a banquet, the master dislikes serving overly strong alcohol.”

“Ah.”

Her father detested conversing with drunk people. Understandable.

“What wine were you originally planning to serve?”

“‘Radiant Sunlight’ from the Southern Durrain Winery, vintage year 879.”

Ah, that’s quite an expensive wine. While not exorbitantly priced, it’s costly for serving in large quantities.

So, they must have been serving wines of that caliber for every salon. It would indeed be difficult to find a suitable replacement.

“Phew… If you happen to have any good ideas, Miss.”

“There’s a merchant dealing in wines from the Eastern region, right?”

“…Yes? There is, but Eastern wines are…”

Compared to Southern wines, Eastern wines were considered inferior. That was the general consensus.

“There’s a winery in the East called Renheim. Purchase their ‘Spring Rose’ vintage year 853.”

“…But Miss, if we serve Eastern wine and it gets found out…”

“There’s a record that the weather in the East was exceptionally good in 853. Not all Eastern wines are of poor quality. Besides, this vintage is over 20 years old. It’s a hidden gem, and its price will increase a hundredfold in a few years. If there’s enough stock, buy as much as possible now.”

It was just something she suddenly remembered, but she seized the opportunity to give the order.

The reason she knew this was because, in her previous life, she had struggled immensely to find affordable yet decent-tasting wine.

Although not frequent, there were times when she had to host guests at home, and the wine issue always gave her a headache. She couldn’t ask her family for help, and Southern wines were uniformly too expensive.

So she turned to Eastern wines, and after much trial and error, she discovered this particular wine, marveling at its quality.

Afterward, she thought her red wine troubles were resolved for guest receptions, but before long, word spread, and its price skyrocketed. She deeply regretted not buying it in bulk, even if it meant going into debt.

“A hundredfold?”

“I’ll take responsibility, so buy as much as you can. Understood?”

“…Yes.”

A hundredfold was an understatement; it was currently so undervalued that the increase would likely be even greater.

“Don’t worry about the taste. It’ll receive even higher praise than the original choice. Just make sure to decant it into crystal bottles two hours before serving. It’s a heavy wine, so it needs to breathe to taste its best. Also, it’s better to conceal the label.”

“Yes, understood.”

Though he said so, he would probably still be skeptical. However, once he tasted it, his opinion would change, so Saena wasn’t too concerned.

“Since it’s an investment salon, tying it to that theme will make it even more effective.”

“Ah… That’s a brilliant idea.”

Hiding the label and proving its value through taste alone. And if it became associated with Count Debov’s reputation, the timeline for the wine’s price increase might accelerate.

“So, it’s resolved now, right?”

“Pardon? Yes. Thank you. But Miss, where on earth did you get such information…?”

The butler looked at Saena with a mix of amazement and curiosity.

She merely smiled faintly and turned to walk away.

* * *

It was the day of Duke Kramer’s visit.

Unable to resist the nanny’s pestering, she bathed early, applied a generous amount of expensive oils, and even received a massage. Choosing a dress and getting various embellishments took up not only the morning but also part of the afternoon.

By now, the investment salon hosted by Count Debov would already have started.

Separate from the investment salon, Saena had prepared one of the annex reception rooms, arranging it like a hall in advance.

Among the Debov family’s heirlooms, items related to <Arles-Promesa> were strategically displayed, giving the impression of an exhibition.

She had already given instructions regarding refreshments, tea, and other details, but she needed to check everything before Duke Kramer arrived.

Even for a single visitor, he was a Duke.

There was no need to deliberately watch for his arrival—it was unmistakable. The commotion outside announced his presence loud and clear.

Seeing the butler and attendants all tense and rushing to the porch, she double-checked to ensure nothing was amiss. She had already instructed the attendants to guide the Duke to her if he asked for her.

He arrived earlier than expected.

She had assumed he would spend more time at her father’s salon, but he appeared in the hall much sooner, as if he had only stayed long enough to fulfill a formal obligation.

“Oh, are you done already?”

“The salon is fine, but I have a more important purpose.”

His more important purpose must be here…

She didn’t know exactly what he wanted to confirm, but Saena swallowed nervously, reminding herself of her role as a guide.

“Welcome to the Debov family. Then, first…”

With a brief greeting, Saena began guiding him slowly.

The hall was arranged with items categorized by type and chronology. The first section featured materials related to paintings.

“I realized this while searching through related materials. If you look, you’ll notice that the background colors of the portraits of the family heads change at a certain point.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

There was a separate room for the family heads’ portraits, but given the family’s long history, not all portraits were displayed.

Saena had searched through the storage room for older paintings and realized something new. This was something she hadn’t even known in her previous life.

“The backgrounds here are brighter, with depictions of light halos, though the positions vary. But at a certain point, they shift to dark, solid colors. I suspect this change is somehow connected to the period when the Covenant was lost.”

“Which family head first introduced the solid background?”

“It’s not precise. I didn’t know this before, but some portraits from the middle are missing. Only their names remain.”

“Hmm…?”

“It seems to have been around 150 to 200 years ago.”

What could have happened during the period when even the family head’s portraits were lost?

Saena couldn’t figure it out.

The succession and retirement of family heads were supposed to be recorded with exact dates, yet the records from this period were strangely vague.

She had asked her father if there was any oral history passed down exclusively to the family head, but he claimed not to know. Whether he truly didn’t know or it was something only the family head was privy to remained unclear.

Even after poring over the Debov family’s genealogy and related books, she couldn’t find any definitive information. The genealogy at least listed their names, but it seemed there had been a series of premature deaths during that time.