Chapter 50
Chapter 50
“As you said, it really does wash away the greasiness.”
“The scent is so soft, completely different from that Earl Grey you gave me before.”
Unlike Earl Grey, which has a bold, polarizing aroma, jasmine tea had a universally pleasant, gentle scent.
Braxton, in particular, was impressed. As an expert in On cuisine, he seemed to grasp jasmine tea’s appeal even more quickly.
“I never imagined it would taste this good. It really does pair beautifully with rich On dishes.”
Blushing at the praise, Chloe asked hopefully:
“Then… would you consider serving jasmine tea at Myeong Haegwan?”
“Well, I’d like to, but…”
Braxton hesitated.
“The problem is, our customers might have a bias against tea. Plus, we’d have to import it directly from On, and establishing a supplier there won’t be easy. I’m not sure the cost-benefit ratio adds up…”
Chloe was disappointed. She genuinely wanted to introduce jasmine tea to more people.
“Don’t worry about the supplier. The Duke will help with that. Right, Alphonse?”
The sudden shift toward a business discussion caught Alphonse’s attention.
“It’s not impossible.”
The Battenberg duchy had long-standing ties with merchant guilds in On. That’s how Alphonse had been able to purchase a large quantity of tea overnight.
So, if he were to import jasmine tea and supply it to Myeong Haegwan, the sourcing problem could be resolved more easily than expected.
Braxton stroked his mustache and pondered.
“That sounds promising. But I’m still unsure if our customers would like jasmine tea. It’s expensive, after all, and I’d be taking a gamble…”
In the 21st century on Earth, it was possible to produce affordable jasmine tea using synthetic jasmine fragrances, but that was impossible here. Only natural jasmine petals could be used to scent the green tea leaves, and jasmine, being a high-grade aromatic, was expensive even among imported goods.
“What about promoting it? Something like ‘50% off jasmine tea to celebrate the launch of a new menu item’…”
“The nobility wouldn’t like discount promotions.”
“Right. That kind of thing only appeals to commoners.”
Unusually, both Alphonse and Arthur opposed Chloe’s idea. Chloe quickly realized her mistake. Among the nobility, consumption was often a form of display. To them, a discount policy wouldn’t go over well, it was only natural that it would be poorly received.
“Ah, I see. In that case… what if we targeted those who are obsessed with trends? Make them feel like they’re behind the times if they don’t drink jasmine tea with On cuisine.”
For the nobles and wealthy elites of the Empire, trends were everything in their consumption habits. Not only clothing and accessories, but interior design, furniture, food, hobbies, romantic partners’ appearances, even lifestyles—everything was about being at the forefront of fashion.
If they couldn’t lead the trend, they at least had to follow closely behind to flaunt their wealth and satisfy their vanity.
This time, Count Braxton seemed intrigued, as if he finally heard a good idea.
“That’s brilliant. But how would we pull that off?”
“Simple. A trendsetting celebrity endorses it directly.”
“A trendsetting celebrity? Who would that be…”
Braxton trailed off mid-sentence. It seemed he had thought of a perfect candidate.
Everyone in the room turned their gaze in the same direction. There was only one person present who fit the criteria.
“…Me?”
Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Chloe’s face lit up. Of course Arthur would make a perfect promotional model. He had good looks, charisma, social influence, power, and every other quality a spokesperson needed. Chloe clapped her hands together.
“Perfect! We’ll put up posters at the restaurant. Something like: ‘Even His Highness the Prince is amazed by the flavor of our jasmine tea! His Highness always drinks jasmine tea with On cuisine. There’s no fresher or more perfect experience!’ We could include your signature or even a portrait of you holding jasmine tea. That would make it perfect. I’m sure people will line up to copy you. It’s like borrowing your authority. In the advertising world, we call this the ‘principle of authority’…”
Excited, Chloe was speaking rapidly but caught herself and went quiet, glancing at Alphonse. She had to act as though she had no prior work experience in front of him.
In truth, Chloe had never worked in the advertising industry or been part of a marketing team in her previous life, but she had handled several promotional tasks. So she had a basic understanding of marketing strategies.
Arthur was impressed.
“Not bad. Chloe, you’re pretty clever, huh?”
It was hard to tell if he was complimenting her or teasing her.
“…Well, yes, I guess so.”
“So you’re saying I should model for this campaign?”
Arthur struck a flamboyant pose, crossing his legs and shrugging his shoulders dramatically.
“I don’t mind. For my dear friend Braxton and for Chloe, I’ll do it.” (Chloe couldn’t help but feel he had left out Alphonse on purpose.)
“But of course, there will be compensation, right?”
“Naturally. We’ll pay you for your cooperation. Right, Count Braxton?”
“As long as the promotion works, it’ll be worth every coin.”
“Great. Then I’ll write the copy myself.”
Chloe had also done copywriting work in her previous life.
She turned to Alphonse.
“Your Grace, please handle the sourcing and supplier negotiations.”
Alphonse nodded. Thanks to Chloe, the Battenberg business ventures were expanding by the day.
Just like that, the discussion about introducing jasmine tea as a new menu item at Myeong Haegwan was swiftly concluded.
Meanwhile, Alphonse couldn’t stop thinking about all the interactions between Chloe and the prince that evening.
He hadn’t exactly enjoyed seeing Chloe and Braxton making eye contact and conversing, but that was nothing compared to her exchanges with Arthur.
Every time, Alphonse thought of the rumors he had once heard about Chloe before their marriage. He had never seen it himself, but it seemed to be a widely accepted fact that Chloe had liked Arthur in the past.
‘Could she still feel that way?’
It was impossible to know. All Alphonse did know was that every time Chloe looked at or spoke to Arthur, it twisted something in his gut.
Who she loved wasn’t his concern. That was her freedom, her private business. But even so, every time she faced Arthur, Alphonse had to remind himself over and over again that she belonged to him just to stay composed.
It didn’t matter who she loved. She was his wife, recognized by Imperial law and by God. She was his.
He wanted everything: from every single strand of her hair to the sound of her voice, her gaze, and the deepest corners of her mind and heart—all of it to be his and his alone.
Alphonse wanted the prince to see that. He wanted to flaunt it in front of him. His superhuman patience had finally reached its limit.
“My lady.”
Chloe looked at him quietly. Her petite figure and delicate features turned toward him.
Alphonse pulled her gently into his arm and caressed her waist. Then he kissed her lips slowly. Their mouths touched lightly at first, but he had no intention of stopping there. His tongue slipped between her lips, grazing the soft flesh inside her mouth and intertwining with hers before she could even process what was happening.
After the deep kiss ended, he placed a kiss on her eyelid. With a faint smile, he said:
“Didn’t I tell you to call me Alphonse?”
As if that was the only reason for the kiss. As if he wouldn’t reveal even the slightest hint of the darker emotions in his heart.
Chloe, finally snapping back to reality, turned bright red. She had just been kissed, deeply kissed, in front of three guests!
“T-That was… in front of other people!”
She whispered, stammering in protest. Alphonse liked that she was flustered because of him. In that moment, it felt like she saw only him—heart, mind, and soul. He bit lightly at the top of her ear as if to say she was unbearably precious.
‘Ugh, get a room.’
Meanwhile, Arthur, watching this scene, was dumbfounded. His male instincts told him Alphonse had just done that on purpose, as a show of possession. And the target of that performance was likely him.
It was true Arthur had been teasing Chloe a bit lately. The way she had changed from her formerly timid self was amusing, and he was curious whether she still harbored feelings for him. But he hadn’t expected it would provoke such jealousy from the duke.
Alphonse Battenberg, who had dated countless women but never given his heart to a single one, never even allowed the slightest familiarity or affection to form. And now, just because Arthur had played around a little with his wife, he reacted like this?
‘Does he really love his wife? Nah, no way.’
Arthur dismissed the idea. Alphonse Battenberg just wasn’t the type.
He’s just furious that someone touched something that belongs to him. That’s all it is.
‘Tch. Never thought the Duke of Battenberg would stoop this low. Pathetic.’
