Taste of Magic: Ambassador's Voice

Alistair felt like he was heading into a battlefield, almost to war. He stood at the entrance gate of Sinclair's summer house in Pertia. Well, it wasn't quite in Pertia, but rather a bit outside the city. It was a grand manor done in the northern style more typical for Fenrora—long spires, thick walls, small windows. He wasn't really a fan—it stood out like a sore thumb, especially next to the town that felt more summery and homely.

The servants greeted him at the entrance gate, the head butler at their front. He was an elderly man, looking much like every butler Alistair had ever seen. "Young Lord, it is a pleasure to see you again."

"Nice to see you too, Jeeves." Alistair inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Her Grace and Young Lady have been eagerly waiting for you. Shall I lead you to them?" Jeeves asked.

"Please do," he nodded and followed after the butler.

Alistair was a bit nervous about meeting his mother again. It had been more than two months since he last saw her. He could still remember the pain in her eyes when Father insisted that Alistair be sent away to Sunglow as punishment.

"Are my brothers also here?" Alistair asked, doing his best not to let displeasure seep into his voice. He didn't want to see his brother. His elder brother always acted like he was better than everyone, while Alan was just a scoundrel chasing after every skirt that he saw.

"No. Young Lord Richard remained in Fenrora to watch over the estate while Young Master Alan is currently in the capital. Although I'm not sure as to his activities there," Jeeves explained.

Good, neither of them is here. Alan must be busy trying to find the best brothel. I can't believe Father is letting him get away with it.

"I see," Alistair replied, not showing any emotion.

Before long, they had reached the dining hall where Jeeves announced Alistair's arrival to his family. When he entered, they all sat at the dinner table chatting about something. The moment Charlotte saw him, she jumped out of her seat and ran straight to Alistair.

He crouched down and hugged his sister. At least Charlotte was always happy to see him. Alistair was determined to retain his good relationship with his sister this time around. They began to drift apart after his marriage, but if he didn't get married to the princess this time around, then it was likely that they would remain close.

"Big brother!" Charlotte cheered as she backed away from the hug. "You came to visit!"

"I did promise, didn't I?"

"Alistair," Mother said in her sweet voice, getting up from the seat. Father instantly ran to her side to help her stand and then walk towards Alistair. Despite being a middle-aged woman, Alistair's mother still had a youthful appearance. Her chocolate brown hair was tied into a neat bun, and her green eyes shone with joy as she gazed at him.

"Mother!" He smiled and hurried up to her. They hugged. It was odd to see how much taller he was than she was. He could still remember how she would hold him in her lap and read a story before bedtime.

Unlike many noblewomen who just entrusted the raising of their children to nannies, Alistair's mother loved children. She spent a lot of time with them, taking care of them when they were sick, reading bedtime stories, and playing with them.

"How have you been, Al?" Mother cooed, taking his face into her hands and turning it this way and that. "You haven't gotten hurt, have you?"

"No, Mother, I'm quite alright," Alistair said.

"Mother… peh! You see me after such a long time, and suddenly you're too old to call me Mom?" She protested, pinching his cheek.

Alistair flushed from embarrassment. Somehow, she always managed to make him feel like a small boy. "I'm a grown man now…"

"So you're suddenly too good for your mom?" She narrowed her eyes.

"I… No, Mom. You know I love you," he finally relented.

She beamed at him. "As I love you! It's such a pleasure to see you again. Come, let's have dinner together."

Alistair helped his mother walk to her seat, and then they all sat down. Father looked somewhat peeved, but he didn't say anything. Probably out of consideration for Mom and Charlotte.

Dinner passed by pleasantly with Alistair mostly retelling his time in Sunglow and how the small town functioned. He told about his duties in the Guild and the monsters he had fought. But he didn't say anything about or his memories. There was no reason for them to know.

He also didn't mention anything about Melina, although he wanted to tell his mother about her. Father's scrutinizing gaze indicated that any mention of her would start an argument, so instead, he told them about his trips to Monster Realm.

Mother was horrified when she heard about cragjaw drake, but calmed down when he explained that nobody got seriously injured, except for Leon. But since he had also made a full recovery, there wasn't much she could say about that.

"Do you think you'll be able to explore the Monster Realm more before the Church's expedition arrives?" Father asked, joining the conversation for the first time that evening.

"When are they planning the expedition?"

"Sometime during summer, but I reckon it'll take them at least another month to organize everything. Apparently, there's a severe lack of young mages so they are focusing on finding new candidates among newly awakened System users," Father said.

"Then I can definitely make a few trips into the Monster Realm," he confirmed.

"Good. The materials you used last time are incredibly valuable. I'll be able to send some talented people to Sunglow to help it grow," Father nodded in satisfaction.

"Are you thinking of growing Sunglow larger?"

"Yes. It is in a very good location since it's the southernmost port in our region. If it could grow in a large port town, then it might give an incentive for the large vessels from Su Xien to stop there, instead of heading to the capital. It would be beneficial for the whole region," the Duke explained, and then continued explaining his plans.

In short, his plan was simple—grow Sunglow as much as possible. Strengthen the Guild to secure the safety of the citizens. Get a fresh workforce and create attractive places where people can enjoy resting. Summer Festival was the first big step in realizing this plan.

"Speaking of the festival, would it be alright if I showed it to Charlotte?" Alistair asked.

"Yes, I wanna go!" Charlotte said excitedly, almost knocking over the dish with lemon sorbet in front of her.

Stolen story; please report.

"Charlotte, mind your manners," Mom reprimanded gently, and Charlotte sat down.

"Sorry, Mom! But I really, really, really, really want to go with Al! Can I? Please!!!" Charlotte stared Father straight in the eyes. Their mother obviously wouldn't object.

Father cleared his throat awkwardly. "There will be a lot of commoners there."

"I never said I'll go without my knights! Please, Father! I want to do something actually fun for once. All those stuffy tea parties make me want to tear my hair out! They are so BORING!"

"Charlotte, you know that they are part of your education as a noble lady," Father objected.

"Yes, I know, and I'm not skipping out on those, am I? So can I have some fun this once? I hear commoner festivals have stalls filled with wonderful food and fun games, and even magic shows!" Charlotte had no intention of backing down.

"Al will be with her, dear. I'm sure he'll take good care of her. Why not let her go?" Mom prompted Father with a smile.

At that moment Alistair knew he had won. Father could never reject Mom's requests.

"Very well. But you must stay with your brother at all times. Is that clear?" Father warned.

"Crystal clear!" Charlotte cheered.

"Why don't I take her today so she can get comfortable? There's plenty of room for her to stay in at my house, albeit it's a bit small."

"I don't mind! As long as the bed is comfortable. I won't be spending much time inside anyway. I want to see everything at the festival!"

Mom laughed at her enthusiasm. "We'll join you kids on the last day of the Festival too. I've always wanted to see those floating lanterns. Commoners can be so creative!"

"Floating lanterns?! Is it magitect?" Charlotte asked, her eyes lighting up with curiosity.

"That's the thing. Apparently it isn't! I want to see how they work exactly."

Both mother and daughter were now excited for the festival, and Alistair felt his hopes rising. With their spirits high, it'll be easier to show them what he truly wanted them to see—Melina. If he could win over Charlotte and Mom, then it would be much easier to convince Father to abandon this whole arranged marriage with the princess.

The Summer Festival was here. Despite it being only seven in the morning, Melina had already been awake for hours, preparing pastries for the stall alongside Gilbert. The results are long stacks of large boxes filled to the brim with pastries.

"It almost looks like too much," Melina commented, although she felt proud of her work.

"Don't worry! I have no doubt that you'll sell out," Gilbert said, nodding in approval at the impressive stack. "What are you going to do about Sienna?"

Melina had been mulling this question for quite a while. If she had been asked this a few weeks ago, she would have hidden Sienna in the bakery for the duration of the festival. But things have changed.

"She'll be the mascot," Melina said and then pulled out a sign which said "Wyrm's Delicious Delights". "I figured that I needed a name for the stall and an ongoing theme."

Gilbert took the sign and admired it for a moment. "You made this yesterday evening?"

"Yeah. It's not as good as Milo's sign, of course, but I think it'll do just fine for the duration of the festival," she said. It was a simple sign. Melina had bought a wooden board and then glued blue paper on it. After that, she carefully cut out the letters with a paper knife. It was a finicky process, but the result was satisfying.

"I think it's rather attractive. I'm sure it'll do well. Now, let's get moving. Erina reserved you a stall in a very good spot, I hear," Gilbert noted.

"Yeah, right in the center of the promenade. I do have to advertise her inn as payment," Melina noted.

"She'll regret that decision. She'll have to order more pastries from us."

"I doubt she'll mind if that would bring her more customers," Melina chuckled.

In that way, their businesses had a good synergy. The muffins enticed people to stay in the inn, while those in the inn might be enticed to visit the bakery for more pastries. It was in their best interests to work together.

Gilbert hummed, and they began loading the boxes of pastries into the cart. Knight also seemed excited, sniffing at the boxes curiously.

"I prepared a separate batch for you and Sienna. You can enjoy it once you bring the pastries to the stall," Melina said, patting the nightmare gently on the forehead. He sputtered in approval.

It was much easier to get along with the nightmare these days. Melina guessed that he had grown to accept and perhaps even enjoy her presence. After all, she always made sure to pluck fresh weeds for him whenever she bustled about in the garden.

As Knight pulled the cart towards the promenade, Melina could already see the town bustling with life. People were carrying large boxes and setting up decorative flowers throughout the place. Even those who didn't have any stalls tried their best by decorating their houses with cutouts of flowers, the sun, and seashells.

Children were already running around, screeching in delight at each other while their parents tried to keep them calm. But it was all for naught. The day was just too beautiful. There was a pleasant, slightly chilly seabreeze coming from the port. Melina had no doubt that during the heat of the day, she would be very grateful for it.

At the promenade, shopkeepers from Sunglow and outside of it are setting up their stalls. The receptionists from the Guild were coordinating everything since the actual Baron residing over Sunglow hadn't shown any interest. But that hadn't dampened anyone's spirit, as the stalls were distributed to merchants left and right.

"Melina!" Barrett waved at her from afar.

"Good morning, Sir Barrett," Melina greeted him as she got out of the cart.

"Good morning! Erina sent me to take care of your stall. She said that it'd be horrible for you to be exposed to the sun the whole day, so I'll set up with a little canopy," he said proudly.

"Thank you! That is so thoughtful," Melina said cheerfully. It was blue, matching perfectly with the sign and her apron. "Would you mind putting up this sign for me?"

"Not a problem!" Barrett said, admiring the sign for a moment. He seemed to like it and began placing it in various places, wondering which would look the best.

"Let's unload these pastries first. We need them out of the sun," Gilbert said.

"Sun isn't good for pastries is it? Will they keep in this weather?" Barrett asked nervously.

"Not to worry. I've arranged everything," Melina said smugly. Her preservation glaze would, of course, keep the pastries fresh, but even so she had a backup place, in case the day got too hot.

Speak of the devil.

Leon was running towards them full speed, waving his hand in the air. "Good morning, Miss Melina, Sir Barrett, Master Gilbert."

"Oh, I see what you did there," Gilbert said. "It appears you have taken care of everything."

"Of course. I wouldn't serve my customers eclairs with molten chocolate," Melina nodded. "Good morning, Sir Leon."

"Am I not too late?" He asked, breathing hard from all the running.

"No, I'd say you are just on time. Help us move these boxes," Melina said.

With the four of them, the stall was ready in no time at all. The sign was secure right above all the pastries. She put only the bare minimum up on display and kept the rest of the boxes within the stall where Leon could keep them cool.

Several ships came into port while they bustled about, and the first flurry of festival goers had arrived, looking eagerly at the still unopened and a few of the opened stalls.

"Good luck, Melina. I'll be rooting for you," Gilbert said, and got onto the cart. Melina thanked him and watched him leave. It would be too difficult for the old baker to remain in the stall the whole day, so they had agreed that Melina would remain in charge of it. With Leon here to help her out, it shouldn't be an issue anyway.

"You have everything you need, Miss Melina?" Barrett asked.

"Yes, thank you!" She smiled at the man.

He nodded in satisfaction. "Good, then I shall return to the inn. Erina will need help when more customers arrive there."

"I guess this leaves only the two of us," Leon said.

"Three of us, you mean," Melina objected and allowed Sienna to scramble out of her hiding spot underneath her dress.

"Y-You're going to keep her in everyone's view?! Isn't that bad?"

"This stall is called "Wyrm's Delicious Delights". I'd say it's false advertising unless I have an actual wyrm around."

"But even so… won't the people be… surprised?" Leon asked nervously.

As if to prove his point, Melina heard a loud feminine screech near the stall.

"Brother, is that a real monster?!"

Melina turned towards the source of the noise and was met with a pair of golden eyes. She blinked in surprise for a moment until she saw that next to the golden-eyed girl stood none other than Alistair. That meant that this was, without a doubt, his little sister Charlotte.

This was the one thing Melina had not been ready for. She hadn't accounted for meeting Alistair's little sister first thing in the morning. Suddenly she regretted her bold decision to keep Sienna as a mascot.