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Chapter : 36
“This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted!”
The Crown Princess exclaimed like that and then once again focused on the tart in front of her.
Watching her, I smiled in satisfaction.
‘Perfect.’
According to what I learned through the Seind Ducal House’s information guild, Raven, the Crown Princess suffered from particularly severe and long-lasting morning sickness.
Because of that, she hadn’t been able to eat proper meals lately.
‘They say she’s getting the necessary nutrients through magic, but that’s no comparison to real food.’
And just in time, there was a woman on this island who was suffering from morning sickness just as harsh as the Crown Princess’s.
It was Meno, whose belly had begun to swell.
—Are you all right, Meno? Cooking must be too much in your condition, so please rest well for the time being.
—I’m terribly sorry, Lady Eani! But I won’t stop developing Redive recipes!
—Well, that works for me… but that’s really strange. You can’t eat anything else, yet Redive is fine?
—Yes! In fact, it’s almost a problem because it tastes so good! I asked friends who had been pregnant before, and they all said that refreshing, tangy fruits go down well even during morning sickness!
—Hmm, I see…
‘I remembered hearing that people crave fruit during morning sickness even in modern times, so I thought maybe…’
“Shuria, if you eat that fast you’ll upset your stomach, so slow down.”
“Mmm~ It’s so good. I’m so happy to finally be eating something after so long.”
The Crown Princess happily devoured the tarts as the maids kept refilling them.
Perhaps because it was a dessert carefully made by Meno, who was suffering from the same morning sickness, it seemed to suit her palate even more.
I watched the scene for a moment, then gently shook my head.
‘Carrying another life really is exhausting.’
In that case, as a true merchant, shouldn’t I introduce a product that could ease that burden, even a little?
I glanced toward the three sisters waiting in the corner of the garden.
Catching the signal, they led servants forward, pushing a large tray.
At the same time, I stood up and stepped to the front.
“At this point, I’d like to present you all with a small gift we’ve prepared.”
At my words, the servants distributed boxes from the tray to the nobles.
Inside were various snacks—jams, syrups, jellies, and more—made from Redive, placed in tasting containers and beautifully packaged: Redive Gift Set No. 1.
“The dessert you just enjoyed was made exclusively from Redive, a special fruit that grows only on Tadivna Island.”
As I spoke, I quickly scanned the plates in front of the nobles.
They were all completely empty.
‘When the dessert first came out, they were as lukewarm as tourists sightseeing.’
But after tasting it, it must have suited their tastes.
Smiling with satisfaction, I continued.
“This gift was prepared in the hope that you’ll remember the sweetness you tasted today. Even after returning to the capital, I hope you’ll continue to enjoy Redive to your heart’s content.”
When I finished speaking, the normally aloof nobles showed positive reactions for the first time.
“It was a bit sweet, but it paired well with ice cream.”
“I like how rare it is, growing only on this island.”
“Oh ho, I wasn’t planning to eat any, but after seeing Her Highness the Crown Princess eat it, I was drawn in.”
“I was the same. It’s much better than I expected.”
Now then, the real event begins.
“Taking this opportunity, I’d like to introduce a few more products to you.”
As I spread my right hand to the side, servants brought another tray to the front.
They began neatly lining up the remaining boxes inside.
Watching them, I spoke with a regretful expression.
“As I mentioned earlier, Redive is an extremely rare fruit that grows only on this island, and the quantity is limited. However, because you are all precious guests who came all this way to celebrate our engagement, I wanted to show you a greater variety and more options.”
At my smooth delivery, the nobles looked quite intrigued.
“So after much deliberation, I made a decision. These various gift sets, not yet released to the world, will be ‘sold’ here today—for the very first time—to all of you present!”
What we had given the nobles for free was the basic Redive Gift Set No. 1.
And the boxes the servants had just laid out were variations based on No. 1, with different quantities and compositions!
‘That is to say—Gift Sets No. 2, 3, 4, and 5.’
With confidence, I addressed the nobles who were focused on me.
“I present to you the Redive Gift Sets, a Tadivna Island specialty available only here! If you call a servant, you may also sample them, so please take your time looking around.”
“You’re selling those separately? Not as gifts?”
A noblewoman asked in a leisurely tone.
I smiled confidently in response.
“That’s because they’re rare and valuable. I was taught that placing an appropriate price on valuable items is a noble virtue.”
The nobles nodded in agreement.
“Oh ho, such a young lady, yet she understands virtue well.”
“The price of an item is what solidifies its value.”
“Hmm, this is getting interesting.”
The nobles examined the gift sets with interest or quietly began tasting them.
Overall, the atmosphere was calm, but I wasn’t anxious.
‘People raised with refinement aren’t going to shout and clamor for items.’
Well—except for one person showing an intense reaction.
“Gifts prepared by Eani—! I’ll buy all of those.”
“B-but, Young Duke. Those are special products prepared for the guests attending the engagement ceremony…”
“So? Do I need to concern myself with that?”
‘That man really is impossible.’
You’re a co-host just like me—what are you doing?
I lightly crossed my arms and stared at Harten. He, who had been coldly pressuring a servant, suddenly turned to look at me.
I smiled faintly and crooked a finger at him.
As if he’d been waiting, he pushed off from his spot and came running over like a bullet.
“You called, Eani?”
I gently patted Harten’s head and whispered.
“Harten, from now on, stay right by my side.”
“!”
Apparently pleased by this, his eyes sparkled with life.
If he’d had a tail, it looked like he’d be wagging it wildly as he nodded vigorously.
“I won’t leave your side—ever!”
‘Good. Don’t go causing trouble where I can’t see you.’
With Harten firmly leashed, I looked over the seated nobles.
That’s when I noticed the Duke and Duchess of Seind whispering among themselves at the front.
“Heh, trying to win over high nobles with something like that. She’s still far from adequate.”
“Truly incompetent. With no experience whatsoever, what does she think she’s relying on to act so arrogantly?”
‘They really are consistent, those two.’
What was amusing was that Harten seemed to hear his parents’ whispers as well, glaring at them fiercely.
It’s strange—he wasn’t using magic like I was, yet he could hear a conversation from that distance.
“I’m sorry, Eani.”
“Shh. What do you have to be sorry about?”
The rude ones are those two.
And more importantly—
“I actually do have something I’m relying on~.”
“Hm?”
“Do I really need to win over all the high nobles?”
If I win over just one person here, the game is over.
No sooner had I finished speaking than a servant hurried up to me.
“L-Lady Eani. Sets No. 2 and No. 5 are sold out.”
“Oh my, I couldn’t hear that very well~?”
The servant froze, then, catching on, shouted loudly.
“Sets No. 2 and No. 5 are completely sold out!”
At that, I lifted the corners of my mouth in a bright smile.
Harten murmured in shock.
“Sold out?”
So suddenly?
He wasn’t the only one surprised.
The nobles who had been browsing widened their eyes at the news.
After thinking for a moment, they began calling servants one after another and filling out order sheets.
Soon after—
“Orders for Sets No. 3 and No. 4 are pouring in!”
“There are also many requests to purchase Set No. 1 separately, the basic gift that was handed out!”
“Many people are asking about restocking Sets No. 2 and No. 5!”
Hearing the stream of reports, I smiled broadly.
‘As expected, nothing stimulates buyers like ‘sold out’—just like home shopping~.’
And the grateful customer who brought that stimulus—
‘There’s only one.’
I turned my head toward the Crown Prince’s table.
Our eyes met as he watched me from his seat.
Beside him, the Crown Princess was already taking Redive jelly out of a gift set and eating it.
I didn’t need to be told.
The one who had bought up all of Sets No. 2 and No. 5 faster than anyone else was none other than the Crown Prince!
‘Well, for a wife suffering from morning sickness, he should at least do that much.’
Honestly, right up until just before this, I’d been debating whether to go ahead with selling these gift sets.
This kind of sales method would be unfamiliar to nobles, after all.
‘I planned to go ahead only if the Crown Princess liked the Redive tart—and stop if she didn’t.’
Seeing her reaction after tasting Redive right before the sale, I was able to be sure.
This sales event would draw a huge response.
‘The Crown Prince and Princess made excellent advertising models~.’
Just as I’d trusted.
Putting on my business smile again, I stepped forward.
“Thank you! Thanks to your enthusiastic support, all of today’s prepared products have sold out! I’m truly delighted to be able to share Redive’s sweetness with you all!”
Having earned far more than expected, I was about to happily conclude the day’s official schedule when—
“Ten billion gold.”
I widened my eyes at the Crown Prince’s sudden voice.
“I’ll invest ten billion gold into this resort project.”
