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Episode 78
The way to Betra was by carriage or by boat.
People usually chose the boat. Naturally, Viscount Starace, Zenobio, and Camilla also decided to take the boat.
“Boats are fun, you know. People who went on vacation in the summer said the Betra canals are so romantic and beautiful!”
Camilla, wearing a fur-lined cloak, grinned as she waited at the pier.
Before long, the boat they were waiting for arrived. In their eyes, the boatman rowing toward the city center wore “strange” striped clothing.
Camilla was especially excited. This place had been so famous all summer that even she, who hardly ever socialized, knew about it.
Though she didn’t show it, she was thrilled at the thought of finally seeing Betra’s scenery.
Even if it’s winter, it’ll be fine. How different could it be from summer? Once this fog clears…
Wait a second. Why is the fog this thick?
“Viscount. Hey. Don’t you think something’s off?”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me like that!”
Zenobio snapped, but his eyes darted nervously around, as if the fog swallowing them halfway had spooked him.
“It’s not like we’re rowing to a haunted castle. Why does the scenery look like this?”
The striped boatman, rowing silently, almost looked like the ferryman of the underworld. Then suddenly, he spoke.
“Is this your first time here?”
“No? We’ve been here before. Do we look so poor we wouldn’t have visited Betra?”
Zenobio shot back sharply. The boatman burst into hearty laughter.
“My, my, such a temper on a young man. I didn’t mean it like that. I just wondered if you’d ever seen Betra in winter.”
“Obviously not, or we wouldn’t be like this.”
“Then listen carefully. Betra is famous as a romantic city in the summer, but in truth, in winter it shows a different face.”
The boatman’s expression turned eerie.
“Half the city is water. When the cold winter air meets it, a fog like steam covers everything. The canals don’t freeze, but the river water is cold as ice.”
Camilla instinctively reached her hand into the water, only to jerk it back in shock—the chill seeped straight into her bones.
“In weather like this, accidents are common. Unless you’re a skilled boatman, the boats bump into each other. That’s why we hang lamps at the stern.”
Even though it was midday, the surroundings were blanketed in mist. Only a crimson lamp glowed faintly. It looked like the lifeline for this short trip.
“Is it really that dangerous?”
“Of course. And it rains almost every day. When you watch tiny raindrops fall and vanish into the dark, swelling river right outside your doorstep, it’s terrifying. You start wondering—just how deep is that riverbed?”
Viscount Starace’s teeth chattered. Suddenly, the boat felt far too small. As if it might tip at any second, he hunched toward the middle, scooting his bottom nervously.
“Wh-Whose idea was it to take a boat in the first place?!”
“We should’ve just come in by carriage in winter!”
Barely half an hour, yet their nerves were so frayed it felt like their necks were stiff.
Only when they finally reached the inner docks of Betra and set foot on solid ground did they feel relief.
“I thought I was going to die.”
“Oh, and newcomers! Be careful near the square! In winter the waters rise, and flooding is common.”
The three checked the name of the pier.
<Betra Square>
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
Zenobio couldn’t hold back a curse. The boatman had already disappeared into the fog.
Not that they could see anything anyway. Everything was just a blurry haze. One wrong step and they might fall straight into the water.
“This way. We’ve got to head further inland—it’s safer.”
“Argh! Who stepped on my foot?!”
Huddled tightly together, stooped low for fear of misstepping into the water, they shuffled along. They didn’t fall in, but all ended up with sore backs.
“Damn it. This is the worst. I just want to go home.”
Zenobio swore endlessly, while Camilla felt embarrassed by her brother.
Fortunately, by following the main road diligently, they soon reached their destination—Valentina’s Tea House.
“Welcome!”
Desperate for a warm cup of tea, they hurried inside.
The attendants seemed almost as if they had been waiting, promptly taking their coats and cloaks, and guiding them to seats.
This upscale tea house seemed to know its customers’ tastes just by looking at them. They were each served a tea perfectly suited to their liking.
As the warmth seeped into their bodies, their heads cleared, and they remembered their real purpose—meeting the owner.
“I am Valentina, the proprietor here.”
The owner came out readily. Everything was going smoothly.
“The tea here is exquisite. I wished to speak with the person who makes such fine tea.”
The viscount, as the eldest, gave in to his niece and nephew’s urging and spoke.
“I’m glad it pleases your palate. We note the teas for the coming month on these mini calendars at the tables. Please, take one and visit us regularly.”
Camilla noticed a stack of small business-card-sized mini calendars placed neatly at the edge of the table.
“This is it! All we have to do is take one, right?”
“Wait. This feels too easy.”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter how naive my daughter may be, as an entrance test this is far too simple.”
As if being his daughter gave him authority to say something. Camilla crossed her arms, glaring at the viscount with annoyance.
The viscount politely asked Valentina,
“Is what’s written here truly the teas for next month?”
“……”
“By any chance, is there a separate list… for, say, VIPs?”
After a few moments, Valentina’s lips curved into a graceful smile.
“So you even know about that? Impressive! Nobles really are different.”
The viscount stiffened his neck proudly. For the first time in ages, he’d saved face in front of the two youngsters.
“Then please, tell us about the real teas for next month.”
Valentina went inside, then returned holding a golden calendar.
“This isn’t for just anyone. But since you clearly have a discerning eye, I’ll make an exception. This is the ‘Special of Specials’ tea menu, reserved only for our top clientele.”
On it was boldly written the true special teas of the coming month—completely different from the trivial notes on the paper scraps left on tables.
“See? This must be what we were meant to retrieve!”
“Whoa!”
“No matter what traps she laid, we outsmarted her. We can think too, you know.”
On top of that, Valentina was so kind she even indulged Zenobio’s clumsy attempts at small talk.
“I’ll likely be settling in this city soon, so I look forward to your support. I run an information guild, and once I finish this job, I’ll drop by the tea house again.”
“We’d be glad to be acquainted with information guilds outside Betra. After all, we are merchants.”
With promises for future friendship, they returned to the capital successfully.
So what if the weather had ruined their sightseeing? Once they lived in Betra, they would enjoy the city in all four seasons anyway.
“Hey. We brought it back.”
Zenobio triumphantly tossed the ‘Special of Specials’ tea menu for next month to Viola.
As usual, Viola lounged arrogantly as she checked what they’d brought.
They waited, holding their breath, for her to say the word pass. Surely she’d accept it—why was she dragging it out?
“Fail.”
“What??”
Zenobio’s eyes nearly popped out. He lunged forward toward the sofa. Fail? Did she just say fail?
“We did exactly what you told us! Are you training us like dogs or something?”
“I failed you because you didn’t bring the right information. Don’t compare it to training.”
“There wasn’t a problem! We even saw through your trap—”
“Saw through? Hardly.”
Viola let out a lilting laugh. Who knew she could even make such an expression?
“Let me kindly tell you why you failed.”
From her radiated a charisma they had never seen before.
