episode_0086

To the people of this world, bees are creatures of great sacred significance, and some civilizations have even explained the origin of humans by telling stories of the first humans being born from a lump of wax.

For farmers, who made up the majority of the population, bees were the ones who enabled them to harvest crops and various useful by-products, and for rulers, they provided an ideological basis for justifying their power by comparing it to the ecology of bees. As such, members of society, regardless of social status, shared the perception that bees were messengers of the gods.

Of course, the fact that females mainly play a leading role must have had some influence as well. In any case, the important thing here is that the drink called mead has religious significance, just like the wine of the world Ray lived in in his previous life.

The alcohol content, the control of taste and aroma through the addition of additional ingredients, and even the level of sugar left were all subdivided into specifics depending on the intended use of the drink, individual taste, or social status. However, in the case of the ‘unsweetened honey wine with flower petals’ that the man wearing a hood ordered, it was classified as an old-fashioned product that had not been modified.

If someone was looking for old-fashioned items in a remote mountainous area, there were two main possibilities: either they were a drinker with a rather peculiar taste, or they were someone who had grown up in a place where the preservation of tradition was extremely important and had developed conservative tastes, such as a monastery or a palace.

Chloe, feeling that this was a task too difficult for her, who was not good at acting, took a step back without anyone saying anything and hid behind Christie’s back, and Christie took a step towards the mysterious man wearing a hood pulled down low over his head.

“What did you say it was?”

Christie asked again, tapping her palms.

“Honey liquor. It’s used in ancestral rites.”

After hearing the man’s answer, Christie tilted her head in surprise, turned around, and pretended to rummage through the luggage compartment.

“Well, let’s see… . I think there was something like that… … .”

The man had tried to be as frugal as possible in his description of what he wanted, using a few words, but Christie was sure it was what it was. It wasn’t expensive, but the liquor made in that way was only available to a select few for ritual purposes. Any monastery that held such high-level rituals would surely have some more stilted doctrines about keeping the sacred water from being contaminated by men, so she concluded that the man had to be related to the royal family in some way.

“How many bottles would you like to buy?”

Christie, who had been making a rustling noise, asked with her back turned.

“That’s… I think just being able to taste it would be enough.”

At the uncertain tone of his voice, Christie turns her head to glance at his attire. His coat, tied in a neat knot, has distinct marks here and there that seem to have been patched.

“Oh, there’s no such thing as a small bottle.”

At Christie’s words, the hooded man looked as if he was hesitating. Christie took advantage of the gap and continued speaking.

“If it’s because you don’t have enough money, I’ll just give it to you for a reasonable price. If you show your kindness, your kind mother might allow your precious son, who can run errands easily, to meet a woman who sells things. Right?”

Chloe was taken aback by Christie’s sudden and sly glance. The man’s face was not visible, but it was clear that he looked quite embarrassed.

“I, I’m already married. And I asked someone outside to get me the alcohol.”

Although the man made it clear that he would refuse, Christie just smiled and nodded.

“I’m sorry for being rude. But still, it’s okay. I’ll give a special discount to the husband who works hard for his drunken wife.”

Christie shrugged. The man seemed to ponder her words again, then shook his head from side to side.

“I’d like to buy it at full price if possible. If you have some time, could you wait a little bit so I can pay a fair price?”

If you are of noble blood, that’s how it will turn out, Christie had already finished her calculations.

“Oh, that’s no problem. Just write a promissory note. Let’s leave the guarantee to the one in heaven. When should we make the deadline?”

Christie asks, immediately taking out a piece of paper, a bottle of ink, and a quill.

“Well, is that really okay? I’m so grateful. So… … I’ll definitely pay you back by next week.”

Christie dips her pen into the inkwell and writes the date on the paper at the man’s words.

“May I ask you the gentleman’s name?”

Christie asked, her eyes fixed on the papers.

“Andre Ah…, Andre. Just Andre.”

“Excuse me, but what kind of work do you do?”

She asked the question casually, as if it were a formality, pretending not to care.

“That’s… … .”

A man who seems obviously hesitant to answer. Christie glances at him.

“Well, we can’t be picky about who we accept as guests in our situation. If you find it difficult to answer, it doesn’t matter either way.”

Christie shrugs her shoulders and acts coquettish.

“Don’t worry. I have a very respectable and trustworthy lady who supports me regularly. I swear to heaven that I will pay you back.”

Christie’s hands, which were writing down the promissory note, stopped as she heard his words, which were meant to reassure the kind-hearted merchant.

“… … In that case, there is no reason to worry.”

As she said that, Christie turned her head towards Chloe and smiled. Chloe, who had no idea what she was saying, just shrugged.

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude… .”

As Christie took out another piece of paper and wrote the same thing, the man said, folding his hands politely.

“No, we are more grateful. Thanks to you, we almost died and came back to life.”

Her smile was genuine. It felt like she had found a ray of hope at a dead end.

“Huh?”

The man tilts his head and asks.

“Oh, I happened to buy a barrel of honey wine… This is something that never sells, so we’d like to get it over with quickly. Here, here are two certificates with the same content. Do you have something that can be stamped?”

Christie, who had finished writing with light hand movements, picked up the paper and held it close to the man as she spoke.

“I just happened to be wearing a ring.”

The man considered it a great fortune to have met a kind merchant and to have prepared honey wine to appease his wife who was tired of her seclusion. He rolled up his sleeves to stamp the bill of exchange, not knowing that this would be the spark that would lead to the worst misfortune of his life.

“Okay. Here in the overlapping part… .”

The man seemed to have a pious heart when he saw the word “God” written boldly in the space where the guarantor’s name was written, so he pulled back his hood and showed his bare face before the sacred ceremony. With his clear amber eyes, sharp nose, and tightly closed lips, his appearance was humble but seemed to be full of elegance. Christie was momentarily speechless at the sight of his slender but beautiful appearance, and she could only stare blankly at his face while his pale, beautiful hands stamped their seals on the certificate.

“… You said you were married?”

Suddenly, Christie asks a question and bites her lower lip.

“That’s right.”

Andre pressed the stamp on the two pieces of paper that were folded diagonally, took out a handkerchief from his bosom, and carefully wiped the ring. Christie, who was stroking her chin and looking at him with a meaningless smile, unconsciously swallowed.

“It’s perfect.”

“Yes… ?”

At her words, Andre lifted his head,

“This is a certificate. With this, we have made a promise.”

And Christie replied in a cheeky manner. She handed him a certificate and organized her writing utensils and papers.

“Oh, thank you again so much for listening to my rude request. I would be honored if I could at least know the names of these thoughtful ladies… .”

As if it were a precious gift, Andre politely accepted the bill of exchange, put it in his bosom, and continued speaking in an even more polite tone.

“No problem. As I said before, we are more grateful. My name is Christie. This is… Chloe.”

When it was her turn to introduce herself, Chloe straightened her shoulders and moved her mouth to say something,

“Unfortunately, he can’t speak. But he’s good at using his strength, so we work together.”

At Christie’s mention of that, he widened his eyes and looked at her, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of looking back, so he just kept his mouth shut and let it be.

‘When did you say you were my sister… … .’

“Oh, that kind of thing.”

The man looked at Chloe with sympathetic eyes at Christie’s words, and Chloe smiled awkwardly.

“Please take the car. I will take you home.”

Christie climbed into the carriage and reached out to him.

“Huh? Oh, uh… So… … .”

Andre was at a loss at her sudden behavior. He wasn’t the only one who was quite surprised, but Chloe looked flustered as if wondering where she should go.

“Please ride without the specifications. It’s quite heavy for a gentleman to carry and move alone.”

She reached out her arm even closer, as if telling him to grab her hand. She calculated that if she let the situation unfold as she pleased, clouding his judgment, and then giving him a reasonable justification, he would definitely fall for it.

He hesitated to reveal his hiding place to another outsider, but it also seemed highly against his conscience to ask the kind merchants to hold his goods until he had paid them, so he quietly took Christie’s hand and climbed into the carriage.

“You are so kind… .”