IPBPBD 24

Chapter 24

“Since you say so, I won’t insist twice.”

“Isn’t it usually the other way around?”

“You’d refuse anyway, wouldn’t you?”

“This time I’m so exhausted I might not be able to refuse.”

“In that case, your poor arm looks pitiful. Why don’t you hurry up and hand it over?”

As Emilina finished speaking, she pointed at Peter’s arm, trembling pathetically.

Peter followed her gaze and chuckled.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“Ridiculous.”

“But that’s part of my charm, isn’t it?”

“What a useless charm.”

Their light banter naturally shifted to the topic of Rosie.

Since it was a shared subject, the conversation flowed smoothly.

“…So of course I teased him a lot. He looked like he’d lost the whole world, but rather than feeling sorry for him, I found it hilarious.”

“Well, he reaped what he sowed. If he hadn’t fooled around so much all the time, wouldn’t people have liked him more? That’s why he didn’t even get comfort.”

Emilina shook her head.

Hearing about Rosie’s first love, something she hadn’t known, was both fascinating and oddly bittersweet.

But the more she listened to Peter, the more she understood why Rosie had kept it a secret.

He must have feared being teased.

And indeed, Emilina thought Peter was no different, though she couldn’t really blame him.

After all, when Peter had been heartbroken before, Rosie had been the first to mock him.

As Emilina clicked her tongue at the thought, Peter spoke.

“Speaking of first loves… Lady Emilina, do you ever write to Rosie?”

“Yes. Just occasionally, to send my regards. Why? Do you have something to pass along?”

“Not exactly. But that guy’s never gotten a love letter in his life, right? I was wondering if you might write one for him.”

“…Are you asking me to become Rosie’s lover?”

Emilina’s voice was incredulous.

Peter shook his head quickly.

“Of course not! Why would you, of all people, date a guy like him? I just mean—write him a letter in that style.”

“You worded it to make me misunderstand. And why a letter?”

“The soldiers at the central supply base said that love letters on the battlefield are like lucky charms. They say they increase your chances of returning alive.”

Emilina gave him a look of disbelief.

“Are you sure? That sounds completely unreliable.”

“I think so too, but it wouldn’t hurt to try, right? Plus, it might give Rosie a bit of a boost.”

“A boost?”

“You know, a man’s pride. That sort of thing.”

And, he added, even if Rosie was a pain, he still worried about him.

A lucky charm and a man’s pride, huh.

It sounded absurd, Emilina thought.

But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to indulge in something silly just once.

‘It could even be fun.’

Besides, wasn’t it supposed to help Rosie?

Though in truth, her main motive was to tease him.

Still, as a friend, she couldn’t just ignore it.

“Fine, I’ll try writing one. But will it really work if it’s just an imitation?”

“If you put sincerity into it, that’s close enough.”

“Then I’d better pour my heart into it.”

Emilina recalled all the love letters she had heard other young ladies brag about.

Cringe-worthy lines were a given, along with pet names for their lovers.

The contents had always been unbearably sappy.

Writing in that style made her want to curl up, but imagining Rosie’s flustered reaction made it worthwhile.

And it would be sincere, in its own way.

A mischievous smile tugged at her lips.

Peter, noticing, sighed as if he couldn’t deal with her.

“You really do have a wicked streak, Lady Emilina.”

“What are you talking about? Who’s the one with the worst personality?”

“Rosie, of course.”

“Right, Rosie.”

They burst into laughter together.

Time flew by as they chatted, and before long they were standing in front of Emilina’s house.

Peter stopped first.

“Shall we part ways here?”

“Good idea.”

“Don’t forget to write that letter for him.”

“I’ll consider it. Too much exaggeration isn’t good.”

“Come on. If you want to be sincere, you have to go all out.”

“I said I’ll consider it.”

Emilina waved for him to go.

Peter nodded lightly.

“Then I’ll be off. I’ve got to get rid of this and then go confront my father.”

Hearing his grumbling, Emilina asked absentmindedly,

“What is that, anyway?”

“Trash I can’t even eat?”

Peter answered without hesitation.

Emilina sighed, then glanced into the box—and her eyes widened.

She hadn’t paid much attention before, but inside were long, oval, bumpy fruits.

They looked very familiar.

‘No doubt about it, that’s definitely…!’

Emilina suddenly grabbed Peter’s arm.

Startled by the sudden contact, Peter stumbled.

“W-wait! If you grab me like that, I’ll drop it!”

“Oh—sorry.”

She quickly let go, and Peter, struggling to balance the box, asked suspiciously,

“What was that about? You scared me.”

“This. I want to know exactly what this is.”

She pointed at the contents.

“I already told you. Inedible garb—”

“Peter. I’m not joking.”

“You didn’t care at all before.”

“Well, I care now. So tell me quickly.”

Pressed by her urgency, Peter reluctantly answered.

“I only heard it once, so I don’t remember well, but I think it was called ‘ca-something.’”

“Cacao?”

“Yes, that’s it! That’s the name.”

Peter nodded, surprised she knew.

As she thought—Emilina clenched her fist.

She hadn’t expected this at all. To find cacao here!

It was nothing short of luck.

‘Why didn’t I think of this before?’

She had never seen chocolate here.

Maybe that was why.

If chocolate didn’t exist, who would imagine cacao fruit was around?

‘I absolutely cannot let this slip by.’

She had been racking her brain for ways to make money, and now the answer was right in front of her.

‘This time, I need to be careful.’

She couldn’t risk ruining everything again with carelessness.

She had learned that lesson from repeated failures.

For now, she decided to start small—just enough to earn pocket money.

That way, she wouldn’t risk losing everything.

Resolved, Emilina spoke with a determined look.

“Peter. Sell me all of that.”

“I honestly don’t understand. What do you even plan to do with this stuff?”

“Who asked you to understand? I said I have a use for it. Now that the deal’s done, just head back.”

“How is this a deal? It’s daylight robbery.”

“And did you lose anything from it?”

“Well, no, but it still feels wrong. Why do you think I called it trash? It’s horribly bitter and tastes awful.”

“Of course it does if you eat it raw.”

“Then why…?”

“Because I need it. Do you question every customer this much?”

“This is different. If you wanted it so badly, you could’ve just taken it. Why bother paying and making me feel uncomfortable?”

“Because nothing in the world is free. If you don’t want trouble later, it’s better to pay—even a little.”

“You really are too uptight, my lady. Nobody would buy this stuff! The only reason it even sells is because it grows only in the south. Otherwise it’s a waste of money.”

Thinking back to that afternoon, Emilina sighed wearily.

Honestly, getting her hands on cacao had been exhausting.

Because of Peter’s stubbornness, she had gotten into a needless argument.

In the end, she secured the cacao, but she never wanted to go through that again.

With another sigh, she forced herself to focus on her plan.

Now that she had cacao, she had plenty to do.

‘First, I need to make chocolate worth selling.’

The process wasn’t too complicated: separate the beans, ferment them, roast, and grind into fine powder.

The tricky part was fermentation.

But Emilina was confident.

She had made handmade chocolates before.

True, she had never started from raw cacao, but with her knowledge, it wasn’t impossible.

And even if she failed, she now knew where to get more cacao.

The price was cheap enough to cover with her allowance.

‘The real problem is how to sell it.’

Running a business herself would be difficult.

The Klein barony had little influence, and her reputation was practically in the gutter.

Starting a venture under such circumstances?

Nine times out of ten, people would dismiss it because of the rumors.