CHAPTER 9
Luisa cautiously studied Albert’s warmly tanned and handsome face.
“Look how sunken his cheeks are. You can clearly see how much he’s been suffering.”
Though the vineyard business she had once heard about was still a long way off—at least another six months away—it clearly had problems to address before it could succeed.
“I know it’ll be a success eventually, but he doesn’t. He’s probably dealing with disappointment and the temptation to give up every single day. If I can ease that burden even a little, he’d be grateful. Not to mention, it wouldn’t hurt to bring him over to my side.”
Just look at him now—so defeated, glancing around like he’s walking on eggshells. He was still a noble, and yet looked so pitiful it nearly brought tears to her eyes.
“We were clearly fated to meet… for money.”
If this deal went through, she could secure a future free from money worries.
Besides, if she had money, marriage wouldn’t be a big deal. She had no interest in living her life tangled up with someone else, and if she had to marry someone she didn’t know, she’d rather just run away somewhere far.
Luisa gathered her composure, trying to look as calm as possible despite the bubbling excitement inside.
“I’m Luisa Blake.”
“Gasp—Lady Luisa!”
Albert looked like he was about to dig a hole into the ground as he bowed deeply. To calm him down, she naturally shifted the topic.
“This spot is nice and quiet.”
“Haha… Everyone seems to be avoiding me.”
She hadn’t meant that as a jab, but his expression sank further, and a gloomy aura surrounded him.
“Ugh… His spirit’s completely crushed. If I drag this out, I’ll lose the momentum.”
Luisa blinked softly and noticed the wine on the table.
The label was too plain to be from a count’s estate—it was a brown bottle that looked cheap and homemade.
“This is a wine I haven’t seen before.”
“You mean this one?”
“Yes. I don’t recognize the label… It says Rosé, doesn’t it?”
Albert nervously held the brown bottle with both hands and smiled sheepishly.
“Yes. I’m embarrassed to say, but it’s a wine I made myself.”
“You made it yourself? Ah! Now that you mention it, I think I heard something about the Baron Rosé estate developing a new wine. Could this be it…?”
“You’ve heard rumors about the wine?”
“Yes. I’ve been interested in wines lately, so I happened to catch word of it. I’ve been curious, and now here we are.”
At Luisa’s gently curved eyes, Albert’s own eyes turned red. His face twisted with emotion, and he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.
“Thank you. This is the first time anyone has welcomed it so warmly.”
“I heard it’s a rather unique wine. If it’s not too much to ask, may I try a glass?”
“A-Ask? Not at all! I’m honored that you’d be willing to taste it!”
Flustered, Albert placed a wine glass in front of her and opened the brown bottle.
He carefully poured the wine. A translucent pink liquid filled the glass under his steady hands.
Luisa admired the wine, which looked even more beautiful under the sunlight, and then lifted the glass. She brought it to her lips and first took in its aroma.
“The alcohol smell is a bit strong? Seems like he hasn’t quite perfected the bouquet yet…”
Not wanting to show her true thoughts in front of the anxious Albert, she carefully tasted the wine anyway.
“Oh? It’s surprisingly pleasant—balanced dryness and sweetness.”
It actually tasted quite good. The issue was the aroma—it was strong enough to deter people from even sipping it, which would likely hurt sales.
“The taste is wonderful. It’s the kind of wine I’d want to keep drinking. However…”
“Please, feel free to be honest.”
“…The aroma could use some work.”
“I thought so too. I’ve been trying to fix that, but without investment, I’ve hit a wall…”
Albert trailed off with a sigh. Luisa looked him straight in the eye and asked bluntly:
“If I were to invest, what would I gain?”
“Huh? Did you just say invest?”
“Yes, I said I’d invest.”
Luisa slowly swirled the wine in the glass and tilted her head.
“I have a good eye for these things, and I feel like this wine is going to be a hit. I also want to taste the final, perfected version of it.”
“Lady Luisa… At this point, I would be grateful for any terms you’d offer me in exchange for investment. But… everyone else calls this wine a failure. I don’t want to burden you unnecessarily.”
Albert smiled painfully, torn between desire and what remained of his conscience.
Luisa gave him a light, unconcerned smile.
“Do I look like someone who gets burdened easily?”
She had even rushed to ask Brown about her personal finances the night before.
But to her surprise, most of the extravagant spending she’d worried about had been covered not by her, but by the Duke and the Young Duke. Her own vault remained quite full.
“The only problem is that privately purchasing holy water costs 5 billion per vial. I could probably buy more than ten with what I have now, but still… You never know what’ll happen. Actually, the more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is. What kind of temple worships a god and still manages to be greedier than most nobles?”
At this point, she was convinced the true power of this world wasn’t the imperial family—but the temple.
“Whatever. I’ll just build my wealth here. In my past life, I lived through hell despite being treated like trash. Compared to that, this is a walk in the park.”
Anyway, now that she had seen her fortune and gems, she felt much more at ease.
Albert, unaware of her inner thoughts, began to look more and more hopeful.
“You created such a rare and unique wine on your own. I think perfecting its bouquet is only a matter of time. What do you think, Baron?”
“…Yes! It’s definitely possible. If you give me the chance, I’ll do whatever it takes to make a wine that pleases you.”
Despite his earlier hesitation, Albert gave the exact answer Luisa had been hoping for with a firm voice.
“Good. Those fish-dead eyes finally look human again.”
Luisa comforted him with a satisfied heart.
“Don’t do it for me. Do it for yourself. It’s your dream, isn’t it?”
Suddenly, Albert’s eyes began to sting. Her kind encouragement felt like it was healing all the suffering he’d endured.
Living far from the capital, he’d only heard rumors about the high nobility. He had assumed a noble lady like Luisa would be haughty and difficult. But now, he felt guilty for ever thinking such a thing—she was incredibly warm.
“No matter what, I’ll succeed and repay this trust.”
He held back the rising emotions and grinned—a strange expression, somewhere between tears and laughter.
“Man, using my brain made me hungry.”
After calming the teary-eyed Albert, Luisa told him they’d finalize the contract tomorrow and sent him on his way.
There was no need to keep things secret. She figured she’d ask Brown to prepare the contract, then headed toward Damian, who had been watching her from afar with obvious anticipation.
“Did everything go well? I didn’t want to interrupt, so I stayed back. He seemed like someone I hadn’t seen before.”
The way Damian asked, like a docile animal hoping for praise, made her chuckle.
No wonder the back of her head had felt itchy for a while.
“He brought an interesting wine. I got curious and invited him to the estate tomorrow.”
“Really? What time is he coming? Can you introduce him to me too?”
“I’ll introduce you later. Tomorrow we’re just drafting the investment contract.”
Damian bit his lip, as if holding back his questions.
Instead of pushing her like he had in the past, he now knew that offering quiet support was what she needed.
“Okay. Just let me know if you need anything. Are you hungry? Should we head over to that table?”
He offered his arm, pointing toward a nearby table with refreshments—just as another man approached.
“You two seem much closer now—unlike during the engagement ceremony.”
With shimmering blue eyes and wavy silver hair, the man’s striking features immediately caught the eye. Though unfamiliar, Luisa quickly recognized him.
She followed Damian’s lead and bowed.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
This was Prince Saynph Arillius, the second prince and half-brother of Raphael, son of the former empress. Saynph was the son of the current empress.
Unlike the perpetually stoic Raphael, Saynph never seemed to stop smiling.
“I was free and thought I’d drop by. Seems like I picked a good time. At your engagement ceremony, the two of you barely even looked at each other—did I imagine that?”
His tone was oddly sharp despite the kind expression on his face.
“Oh my, we rarely go out together, so perhaps that’s why it seemed that way.”
Damian returned the smile and leaned in, whispering affectionately to Luisa.
“Luisa, let’s go out together more often from now on. Everyone thinks I look so lonely when I go alone.”
Luisa nodded with a calm face, secretly marveling at Saynph
“Only someone like him would openly admit he was free and bored.”
In the novel, Saynph had been one of the most interesting characters.
He ignored decorum, did whatever he pleased, never held back, and despite his gentle smile, he was known for stabbing friend or foe alike with cutting words—earning him the nickname “Smiling Bastard.”
He was a truly free-spirited man.
Thank you very much
Your Welcome
Smiling Bastard 😂