Chapter : 26
“Lady Vanessa?”
“Oliver, come here. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
Taking advantage of the moment when Oliver’s hand slipped out through the door, I grabbed it.
“Ah, Lady Vanessa!”
He planted his feet firmly, trying not to be dragged outside.
“We’re having a barbecue party right now.”
“B-but Lady Vanessa… won’t they dislike me coming along…?”
“No, not at all. Everyone’s been waiting just for you to arrive.”
Oliver looked down at me with teary eyes.
“Really…?”
“Of course! Come on!”
I tugged Oliver along with all my strength. Startled, his soft ears fluttered rapidly. When I pulled him toward the table, everyone greeted him warmly.
“Oliver! You’re here!”
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
As people offered him a chair, Oliver looked at them with eyes full of emotion.
“Really…? You were waiting for me…?”
“Of course! Here, this is a nicely grilled steak.”
“Th-thank you…”
He speared the meat they offered with a fork and put it into his mouth.
“It’s… really delicious.”
“I’m glad it suits your taste. This gentleman here really showed off his skills.”
“Haha, you flatter me.”
So satisfying.
Oliver mingling with everyone. Oliver nodding eagerly with a happy look. And even the Crown Prince, smiling gently as he listened to people talk.
Everyone looked picture-perfectly happy.
Let’s eat well today and work hard again starting tomorrow!
Crackle, crackle. The warmth of the campfire spread through the air, and from afar came the sound of children laughing as they played. And so, the fortress’s first barbecue party quietly came to an end.
【 If You’ve Eaten, It’s Time to Work 】
I woke up at dawn, planted more garlic and onions, and only after checking every field was I finally able to straighten my back.
“Good. Scan complete. No pests.”
I’d checked for infestations, and even the chili field I’d been most worried about was fine.
Today I should check the wine we made last time.
By now, fermentation should have finished.
Next step is pressing.
I needed to combine the juice and pulp from the first fermentation, put them into white cloth, and press them. The problem was the sheer amount—there was so much that we’d need everyone working together to finish by morning.
“Anna, are you free this morning?”
I called out to Anna, who was plowing nearby. She wiped her sweat and greeted me cheerfully.
“Good morning, Lady Vanessa. What is it?”
“I was thinking of pressing the grapes we prepared earlier today. There’s a lot, so I’ll need help—not just yours, but others’ too.”
“I see. Then could you wait just a moment? I’ll gather everyone.”
“Thank you, Anna. I’ll go get the white cloths.”
Anna put down her tools and left to call the others. I hurried to the kitchen and took out several large white cloths.
As I headed toward the storage room with the cloths, I ran into the Crown Prince, who was returning after milking.
“Your Highness!”
“You can just call me Killian.”
“Your Highness, I’ll alternate between the two.”
At that, he let out an amused chuckle. As he poured the milk from the buckets into a container, he asked,
“What’s going on?”
I widened my eyes, surprised that he immediately knew I had business with him.
“How did you know I needed something?”
With an expression as if it were obvious, he replied,
“Because everything shows on your face, Vanessa.”
“Ah—does it really?”
I quickly cupped my cheeks with both hands. Seeing that, he laughed softly.
“So, what is it?”
“You know the grapes we made together last time? I was thinking it’s time to press them.”
He set the buckets down and nodded.
“I see. You’ll need a lot of people.”
“There are only three barrels, so if we all work together it’ll be quick. I asked Anna to gather everyone. Now all that’s left is for you to come.”
“And the oak barrels inside?”
“We’ll have to move them. Could you help?”
When I looked at him with sparkling eyes, he smiled gently. As we headed toward the oak barrel storage, he said,
“Heavy lifting is my job.”
“Wow, as expected, Your Highness—you’re the best!”
“…It’s obvious you don’t mean that, Vanessa.”
“Do you know you always say out loud what you’re thinking, Your Highness?”
“Hahaha.”
He ran a hand through his sweat-damp blond hair and laughed loudly. It was a clear, refreshing laugh.
Lifting two oak barrels easily with both hands, he said,
“That’s only in front of you, Vanessa.”
“…Excuse me?”
What was that—why are you saying things that make my heart skip?
Any woman would fall for that face saying something like that. Especially when he smiled so openly and gently—it was unfair. My heart started racing, so I snapped at him without thinking.
“Are you saying that because I’m easy?”
“No—absolutely not!”
When I pouted, he shook his head in a panic. Apparently that wasn’t enough, because he kept explaining as we walked.
“I’ve lived surrounded by political strife. Someone as transparent as you is new to me. You’re not easy at all. I’ve never once thought you were. Rather…”
“Rather what?”
“Rather, you’re difficult to deal with, Vanessa.”
Just as he was about to say something more with a serious expression, Eric approached.
“Lady Vanessa! Your Highness! Everyone’s gathered! Oh—there should be one more oak barrel. Shall I bring it?”
“…Yes, Eric. Do so.”
At the mention that everyone was already gathered, I forgot that the Crown Prince had been about to say something and hurried over.
“Everyone’s here! Your Highness, I’ll go ahead!”
“……”
The Crown Prince didn’t reply. He simply nodded slowly, his expression serious as ever.
“Everyone!”
I handed out a white cloth to each person. Maverick was there too, and without realizing it, my hand flinched when I passed him one.
“You came?”
“Hmph. I just wanted to drink wine.”
He turned his head sharply after taking the cloth. I smiled and said,
“Let’s learn the taste of labor this time. You’ll see how sweet alcohol tastes after hard work.”
“Labor is for commoners—”
“But you still came to do it, didn’t you?”
Looks like Amanda dragged him here…
Still, starting is what matters most, so I decided to applaud him for that. Once everyone had their cloths, Eric brought over the last oak barrel and set it down.
“Your Highness! Eric! Could you bring about three new oak barrels from the storage?”
“I—I’ll go too, Lady Vanessa.”
“Thank you, Oliver.”
The three of them returned with new barrels. Once everything was set up, I clapped once to get everyone’s attention.
“Everyone, today’s task is simple! Use this long ladle to scoop up the crushed grapes, squeeze them thoroughly in the white cloth, and pour the juice into the new oak barrels. You all washed your hands, right?”
“Yes!”
“We did!”
“Of course! You have to wash before working!”
“Great. Then let’s get started!”
With grunts of effort, everyone began scooping grapes and squeezing them through the cloths. Thick, dark-colored grape juice dripped steadily into the barrels.
Surprisingly, Maverick Wyatt worked diligently—so much so that he looked like someone who’d been doing this kind of work his whole life.
After an hour, then two, we finally finished around noon. The pressed wine filled three new oak barrels perfectly. As we closed the lids one by one, Maverick smiled with satisfaction.
After having the barrels returned to storage, I approached Amanda, who was heading toward the lakeside.
“Amanda.”
“Lady Vanessa!”
“About Maverick Wyatt… is this really his first time doing work like this? He seemed quite skilled.”
“Ah… well…”
She hesitated, then closed her eyes tightly and whispered in my ear.
“Actually, even though we run a trading company now, we used to be ordinary farmers’ children. We bought our title.”
“What?!”
In the Empire, selling noble titles was strictly forbidden—but perhaps not in the kingdom where the Wyatts lived. At my reaction, Amanda slumped her shoulders and said weakly,
“I’m sorry for deceiving you.”
“No, it’s okay. That happens.”
“Maverick used to like working. Sweating in the fields, harvesting crops, fermenting grapes into wine, selling that wine at the market…”
“I see.”
“Our trading company actually grew from wine. Using vineyards our parents and relatives cultivated, we made high-quality wine. I personally went to the capital and broke into famous trading houses. With that money, we bought a title. But that’s when Maverick changed.”
Amanda’s expression darkened rapidly.
“He got into gambling with the nobles. He wasted money recklessly. At some point, he stopped even checking the grape quality. That had always been Maverick’s responsibility.”
“Ah…”
“As lower-quality wine was produced, our reputation fell to the ground. And Maverick’s gambling addiction only got worse. It’s my fault. I was too busy with the company to take care of him properly. He’s a sensitive kid…”
As Amanda checked the fish caught in the trap, her expression remained gloomy. To comfort her, I spoke up.
“Still, Amanda. From what I saw today, Maverick doesn’t seem beyond saving.”
Her head snapped up.
“Really?”
“Yes. He looked like he genuinely enjoyed the process of pressing the grapes.”
“I hope he can return to how he used to be. Truly.”
She muttered as she dropped the fish into a bucket one by one. Watching her, I resolved to help Maverick rediscover the joy of labor.
I’ll show you the true taste of farming, Maverick.
Lifting another fish trap into a bucket myself, I said,
“I’ll make it happen. I promise.”
End Of Chapter : 26
