How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending - Chapter 38.1
I poured the strong liquor I had just ordered into my cup of grain wine and grinned.
“Do you know that mixing these two types of alcohol makes the aroma much better? In Korea… no, somewhere in the Sar Empire, they call this a bomb drink.”
“Bo… bomb drink, did you say?”
“They say it’s because it feels like a cannon exploding in your stomach. I will mix it strongly for you, so have a taste.”
“Mix… what do you mean by mix?”
“…I mean to combine them.”
Clearing my throat, I dropped a small cup of strong liquor into the large cup of grain wine and sealed the rim with my palm. Then I slammed the cup on the table, causing the liquid inside to whirl and blend smoothly.
I smiled at those watching me in surprise and spoke.
“I’ll go first with a one-shot… I will empty my cup, so follow me…”
“That seems impossible.”
But before I could drink, Tristan interrupted abruptly, taking the cup from my hand without hesitation.
“You should stop drinking, Consort. You are weak to alcohol.”
“….”
Who is weak to alcohol? Me? I’ve never heard that before…
I looked at him in disbelief. Tristan, with a completely calm expression, poured my cup into his mouth.
“You felt dizzy not long ago, didn’t you? Yesterday, your stomach was upset, and you couldn’t eat properly. Strong alcohol isn’t good for your health. It’s better to refrain from drinking in the future.”
What he said was reasonable. Drinking like I used to would be impossible with my fragile body.
“That is true, Consort. You must take care of yourself.”
“Yes, Your Highness, you are only saying that because you care, aren’t you? Let’s not overdo it, Consort.”
Everyone joined in with similar remarks, and there was no way I could insist on drinking. I had hoped to enjoy the atmosphere a little.
In the end, I sat quietly next to Tristan, sulking as I mixed the bomb drink.
❖ ❖ ❖
The next morning, the sky finally cleared.
Bright sunlight softly bathed the streets. We took our prepared glassware samples and headed to the shopping district with the glass artisan.
Our products were not the finest from Istenia. In Belforte Port, these mid-tier glasswares were not particularly popular.
However, in the northern continent, glass products themselves were rare.
At the first shop we visited, the merchant could not hide his astonishment as he held a glass in his hand.
“…Is this really glass? Light passes through it. So transparent, it’s incredible.”
“If you take care not to break them, they should last a long time. There is plenty of stock, so take your time deciding.”
I replied with ease. After several trade negotiations, I had become quite adept at handling merchants.
“If you have that much in stock, I can offer this much.”
“Hmm. I will sell you the entire lot. Could you raise the price a bit more?”
“Hmm, in that case…”
The price negotiation went smoothly. Since the items were not elaborate or luxurious, the price was not as high as expected. Still, we made a decent profit, a good start for a first attempt.
It seemed feasible to continue regular trade. The merchant appeared to think the same, asking first about future schedules and showing interest.
“For now, I plan to travel between Belforte Port and Kalhaven Port.”
“Ah, that is perfect. Would you be able to stop by next time as well?”
“I will. How much stock do you need?”
“As much as possible…”
While discussing future plans with the merchant, I noticed the glass artisan’s expression beside me.
His face had stiffened.
The artisan had been silent since examining the glassware. He looked momentarily puzzled, then silently stared at the piece in his hands.
It seemed he was dissatisfied with the quality. Perhaps he secretly regretted that we were handling mid-tier glassware.
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