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Chapter : 39
After a little time had passed—
“…Ahem!”
Milena barely managed to suppress the smile that threatened to bloom across her face. She had nearly lost her dignity as a noblewoman in an instant.
Even thinking back on it now, it had been a dangerous moment.
Her gaze fell to the glass set before her.
Because of the disaster that had begun five years ago, she had had little reason to use this glass.
It was a tall, elegant piece engraved with roses by a renowned glass artisan. Before everything happened, Milena had loved steeping strong green tea in this glass. If she had ice, she would add a couple of cubes—and plenty of sugar.
Once green tea became impossible to obtain, the rose-engraved glass had simply been displayed in the cabinet.
When she heard from a noblewoman that she had barely managed to secure some green tea, Milena tried persuading Antonio to import it, but the attempt failed.
After that, she stopped even looking at the glass.
And yet—
“The glass displayed in the cabinet was so beautiful. It felt as though it held the rose garden of this estate, so I wanted to try using it. Ah, I received the head chef’s permission as well!”
The woman with light pink hair—Leila, the café owner who claimed she could craft beverages—had boldly used it.
What on earth had Hesse been thinking? He must have handed it over despite knowing how much Milena cherished it.
No matter how friendly Hesse was, he had always been strict about separating personal matters from business…
Milena decided she would question him later.
She had certainly intended to.
But when Leila brought out a large glass bottle, the situation changed.
“It’s a bit warm today. Hesse mentioned that you prefer your drinks cold, my lady… so I prepared it iced.
And since today’s desserts are all quite sweet baked goods, I made the drink slightly bitter to balance them.”
The large glass bottle was filled with a deep brown beverage. It was packed with ice, looking refreshingly cold at a glance.
Still, she couldn’t guess the taste.
Slightly bitter, and brown in color…
‘Could it be chocolate?’
As the thought crossed her mind, Leila continued.
“I heard you like sweet things, so I made something special. It’s called a café mocha—a coffee drink made with espresso, milk, and chocolate.”
The explanation alone didn’t make the flavor easy to imagine.
She had heard of coffee beans with chocolate-like notes, but a drink that mixed chocolate and espresso was entirely new to her.
At the very least, it wasn’t something sold in the capital or in Noren.
Though she hesitated for a moment, Milena couldn’t take her eyes off the brown liquid filling the glass.
She didn’t want to behave like a child who drank immediately upon being handed something, so she deliberately waited.
But her husband, seated beside her, had already taken a sip.
He exclaimed as soon as he swallowed.
“This is delicious!”
“The ingredients at the Viola estate are all top quality, so I believe that enhanced the flavor.”
“You still have quite the silver tongue.”
“I always make sure to be well prepared when I feel expectations placed upon me.”
He was even chatting with Leila with a hint of laughter. Though Milena’s first impression of the woman had been quite good, she had not yet fully accepted her.
Milena shot a slight glare at oblivious Antonio and finally lifted the glass.
The sweet scent of chocolate blended with the bitter aroma of coffee, creating an enticing fragrance.
After wetting her lips, she cautiously took a sip.
‘This taste…?’
She nearly cheered.
Milk, chocolate, and coffee—each of those flavors felt heavy to her on their own. That was why she used to drown her green tea in sugar.
But combined like this… even accounting for that heaviness, it was more than drinkable.
No—this was something one had to drink!
The chocolate fragrance lingered in her mouth, yet the finish was pleasantly bitter, striking a perfect balance. The milk softened and harmonized the two, while the ice elevated the entire experience.
Milena took another sip.
It was still sweet and delicious—her expression nearly melted.
Barely maintaining her elegant composure, she picked up a financier from the plate before her.
A bite of financier, followed by a sip of café mocha—
“Mmm…”
A hum slipped out without her realizing.
Her poker face finally crumbled, and Milena fanned herself lightly in embarrassment.
“It’s truly delicious, Leila.”
“I’m so relieved it suits your taste. I worried quite a bit.”
“What did you worry about?”
“At first, I thought about making something using only the ingredients I brought. But the ingredients here are so good. There are so many fresh fruits—lemons, grapefruits—that I considered making ade.
But there wasn’t enough time to prepare fruit syrup… so I made the drink I had already been considering.
If I get the chance later, I’ll make other things for you as well.”
Leila smiled brightly, as fresh as a lemon.
In moments like this she looked like nothing more than a young girl, yet she also exuded the aura of an experienced professional.
Milena lowered her gaze again to the café mocha Leila had made.
Antonio was likely thinking the same thing she was.
‘…A drink like this would succeed anywhere.’
Everyone had been longing for flavors like this.
The indulgences they once enjoyed seemed ready to return through her hands. For some reason, she even looked like someone who could evade the disaster itself.
Was it because the taste was that extraordinary? Or because of her overwhelming confidence?
Milena let out a long breath. She liked confident people.
The head chef was like that. Hesse was like that. And her husband, Antonio, was always brimming with confidence as well.
Of course, the two of them could be infuriatingly oblivious to her feelings at times.
So then…
‘Shall I watch and see?’
If it didn’t work out, they could simply proceed with the tea party as originally planned.
Only five days remained until the tea party. The preparations were already complete.
The beverages had always been limited to sparkling water and plain water… They would simply need to add Leila’s drinks.
‘Yes, this should be fine.
Antonio must have prepared for failure as well.’
Milena drained the café mocha in her glass and smiled softly.
“If you have any questions about the tea party, feel free to ask.”
“Yes, my lady!”
Milena decided to trust Antonio’s judgment.
The moment Lady Milena gave her permission, I cheered inwardly.
‘Yes!’
There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as this.
Winning over someone who doesn’t favor you. I loved the moment when their gaze and tone changed—when it felt like they were acknowledging me.
To be needed by someone. To be liked by someone. It always made my heart swell.
I smiled brightly. Choosing café mocha to demonstrate my skills had definitely been the right move.
Just as I’d explained to Milena, the kitchen had an abundance of fresh fruit, so I had hesitated for a moment.
Café mocha hadn’t even been my original plan.
But then I remembered what Hesse had said—that she had a particular fondness for sweets.
Bitter rather than sour. And sweet.
‘Then the answer is café mocha!’
After reaching that conclusion, I quickly prepared it. Having all the necessary tools and ingredients made things incredibly convenient.
Everything except the coffee beans was top-tier, so the result turned out well.
With the word “premium” attached to the ingredients, what more was there to say?
‘Ingredients really do make a difference.’
I couldn’t keep getting by with whatever was cheap and convenient. I’d been sourcing from cost-effective grocery shops until now, but it might be time to secure better supplies.
‘The ultimate goal in this field is farming, after all.’
Self-sufficiency. Running a café with fruit and herbs grown by my own hands.
‘…Maybe I should draft an estimate when I have time. The backyard is just sitting unused anyway.’
As I sketched out a simple plan in my head, I continued my conversation with Milena.
The main topic was the upcoming tea party.
At least fifty guests. Even high-ranking nobles would attend—a massive event.
Just hearing about it made me feel intimidated.
But the bigger the stage, the greater the opportunity to elevate my reputation.
And—
‘If you get scared, you’re dead.’
There was no retreat for me.
