However, this wasn’t because their family’s tea leaves were particularly good quality.

‘Indeed, business is about promotion and customer acquisition! Expensive customers at that.’

House Person’s tea tasting event, held annually, played the biggest role in recruiting such customers.

After hearing the trading company masters’ reports, Marquis Person was nodding when he suddenly had another thought and turned his gaze to his secretary.

“By the way, that baron or viscount should be ready to give up his stubbornness by now…… Is there still no contact?”

“Ah, you mean the coffee bean matter? Just in case, I’ve already dealt with shops showing interest. He’ll definitely contact us soon, unable to hold out.”

“Tsk. He’s holding out uselessly long.”

To the marquis muttering with displeasure, one trading company master quickly interjected to flatter him.

“Don’t worry, Marquis. It’s just a small trading company from a noble family in the country after all. We’ll soon monopolize it.”

“Of course it should be so! More than that, are you certain? If we reach out carelessly and it becomes neither here nor there, you’ll have to take responsibility.”

The marquis turned his head with glittering eyes to look at the trading company masters.

At that gaze, the trading company masters who had finished their reports swallowed once and looked at each other.

The Person family.

Though known to the world as a loyal retainer of House Frey, in recent decades they had been showing quite different moves from what was known.

From around the time Antu II inherited the throne, the marquis family’s aggressive business expansion had led to talk among trading company masters that House Person might be trying to surpass House Frey.

Such a greedy marquis couldn’t be satisfied with just the profits from the tea business.

At the marquis’s extreme demands to find exclusive products worth selling, what the trading company masters had found was coffee.

“If we just settle the exclusive matter well, it will definitely sell like hotcakes.”

“Moreover, whose name is behind this business? It’s House Person!”

“What can the Oren Trading Company do? Haha!”

The trading company masters competed to flatter the marquis.

“Ah! Come to think of it, your daughter is leading the tasting event this time?”

“You must be so pleased to have such a clever daughter.”

“I heard too. This time she’s gathering many young ladies who debuted in society.”

“Well, well, if this goes well, we could charge three times the tea price.”

Today happened to be the day the tasting event was held.

And every year after the tasting event ended, families aligned with the marquis family would compete to express their intention to purchase tea leaves.

After hours of meetings, excited again by the trading company masters’ flattery, Marquis Person entered the marquis family mansion contentedly.

For some reason, the butler who had been hovering near the door quickly ran out to greet the marquis.

“So, how many tea leaf orders came in today? The Borden family must have pre-ordered a year’s worth as they do every year, right?”

“Th, that is…… Not a single one……”

“What?”

The marquis, who hadn’t properly understood, frowned and asked again. At that sight, the butler turned pale and prostrated himself on the floor.

“N, not a single one came in.”

“How does that make sense!”

The marquis, who had raised his voice in anger, strode into the mansion.

However, what greeted Marquis Person were servants running around frantically busy.

“Did you send out all the letters? What about the servant sent to Newport?”

“A letter just arrived from a trading company, but they say it’s an unfamiliar item!”

Among the servants coming and going with letters, the marquis, who had barely come to his senses, grabbed one servant and asked.

“What…… What’s this? Why is the house in such chaos?”

“Yes, Miss said she wants to purchase something called coffee.”

“Co, coffee? How does Elisa know about that……”

Marquis Person was startled.

“They say it’s the latest trend in the capital. It became a topic among the young ladies at the tea tasting event.”

“Latest trend? That can’t be……”

Coffee was clearly something he had blocked from being traded by any trading company in the capital, yet it was the latest trend.

No, more than that, it was a tasting event to promote the family’s tea, so why coffee?

Flustered by the succession of unexpected words, he suddenly saw one of the trading company masters he had just parted from rushing frantically into the mansion.

“Marquis! This is terrible.”

In the hands of the one running breathlessly was a letter.

Marquis Person, who hastily unfolded the letter, gradually frowned mercilessly.

[Marquis Person, I have come to contract with House Frey. Since House Person is a longtime retainer of House Frey, I believe you will be happier than anyone about my decision. I’ll be busy for a while, so I won’t be able to see you again. Well then. — Oren Trading Company]

“What is this! Suddenly House Frey!”

What on earth had happened at the tea tasting event?

It was when the marquis, with hands trembling from anger, dropped the letter.

“Oh my, Father. Welcome back! I actually have something to ask of you.”

Elisa, who had hurriedly come down the stairs, approached the marquis with a bright expression.

Then she opened her mouth in an innocent voice.

“Please get me some coffee right now!”

“……”

Finally, a lightning-like word burst from the mouth of the marquis, who was furious to the top of his head.

“Eeeeek! This wretched girl! What on earth have you done!”

***

Dustri, the owner and patissier of Newport House, was quickly turning his head.

What kind of place was Newport House?

Elegant interior, distinctive and delicious desserts, even handsome male employees.

Thanks to the word of mouth among noble ladies, it had been going from strength to strength, but Dustri had no intention of stopping here.

But.

“What on earth is this ‘coffee’!”

That very thing that everyone who came for the past few days had been asking about until their ears were worn out!

He had searched through all kinds of trading companies like catching mice, but not a single ‘c’ of coffee could be found in any trading company in the capital.

While he had been racking his brains and muttering only about coffee for a long time, one employee approached him and carefully spoke.

“Um…… Boss. Didn’t a man who said he was selling something called ‘coffee’ come a few weeks ago?”

Come to think of it, a few weeks ago, a man with quite shabby appearance had visited the shop.

This fool! Why did I just send him away! I should have at least listened to a word.

Eventually, Dustri, who found the coffee bean samples stuffed in the corner of a drawer, brewed coffee according to the instructions and tasted it, then shed a tear.

‘I let this opportunity slip away!’

An intense taste unlike any tea.

A bitter taste that went perfectly with sweet desserts!

Dustri immediately contacted the Oren Trading Company.

And next to the shabby trading company master of the Oren Trading Company, Baron Oren Denby, who had arrived after receiving Dustri’s contact, sat some noble lady wearing a pressed-down hat.

“I am Dustri Osman of Newport House.”

She’s a lady who seemed familiar from somewhere.

Though the lady wearing a pressed-down hat seemed somewhat familiar, which bothered him a bit, Dustri politely handed his business card to Oren.

“Since it’s still a product with low recognition, how about we agree on about thirty silver per box of coffee beans?”

Good quality black tea that nobles drank cost about fifty silver.

‘Thirty silver isn’t a small price.’

Perhaps because it was indeed a high amount, Oren’s face brightened considerably.

Just when it seemed the deal would end successfully.

“Thirty is impossible.”

At the tone that said it was out of the question, Dustri looked at the lady in confusion.

‘Is she not a young lady but an elder?’

The lady with an utterly old-fashioned tone despite her clear voice wore her hat pulled down deep.

Before Dustri could say more, the lady tilted her head and opened her mouth.

“Coffee beans that all the nobles in the capital are drooling over, thirty per box.”

“That may be so, but since it’s a risky item……”

“I learned to call this kind of thing thief’s mentality.”

Thief!

He was someone who even gave generous bonuses to his handsome employees!

As the word thief wounded Dustri internally, his past days of consistently running a clean shop flashed through his mind.

“Then what price range does the lady want?”

“Anything less than one hundred silver is difficult.”

At Arthe’s action of immediately jumping to one hundred, not only Dustri but even Oren gaped.

“One hundred…… That’s too excessive.”

“Only the Oren Trading Company will sell it.”

“How about seventy? Nantel mountain tea leaves are also about seventy.”

“That bitter and rich flavor, with chocolate and nut aromas……”

“I’ll make it eighty! Even the highest grade tea leaves for the imperial family are eighty.”

She had already blocked all distribution channels.

She had also set enormous penalty fees inescapably.

Arthe spread all ten fingers with a resolute face. Her expression showed no room for further compromise.

“Still, one hundred is too excessive!”

“……It is a bit excessive.”

At Dustri’s face that had even turned red, Oren whispered quietly in Arthe’s ear.

At those words, Arthe, who had been nodding and seriously pondering, opened her mouth as if she had finished thinking.

“Then I’ll contract only with Newport House for three  months.”

“Oh, that’s not bad! We can also get the image of being the originator of coffee.”

Oren quickly chimed in. Then Dustri muttered with a hesitant face.