Chapter 53
Chapter 53
“Wow, what is this?”
“Is it frozen milk?”
“It’s cold and soft, but different from cream. What an interesting texture.”
I had been anxiously waiting for people to eat, and I could only relax after seeing quite favorable reactions.
True to being members of a reading club, they began to discuss this dessert quite passionately.
“I can see why chocolate syrup and nuts were chosen.”
“It certainly seems to pair better with this than fruit.”
“If we were to add fruit… I think dried fruits would be good.”
I felt oddly proud seeing them have such serious conversations about what I had worked hard to prepare.
[What did I tell you! I said everyone would like it!]
[Our Irina is so good at worrying unnecessarily.]
“…”
I couldn’t refute because it was true.
I was very satisfied just with the positive reactions from the ‘Ophelia’ reading club members.
These people are not just nobles, but individuals who have a lot of influence in the empire.
Their approval means that there’s a high probability of gaining approval from most people in the empire.
Even if ice cream doesn’t suit individual tastes, the public will accept it just because ‘Ophelia’ members approved of it.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Like it? We love it! How on earth do you make such ice cream?”
People rushed to ask me for the recipe.
But that’s a trade secret.
“Unfortunately, the recipe is a secret.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the people crowded around me all made sad faces at once. Then they asked with regretful expressions.
“Then, where else can we eat this?”
“Can we eat it if we go to Seike?”
“You’re staying at the Grand Duke Luwin’s residence these days, right?”
Ah, I can hear it.
[Hear what?]
The sound of money falling.
I suppressed the urge to giggle.
“I haven’t made specific plans yet, but I intend to sell it when the opportunity arises later.”
“So we can buy it to eat?”
“Yes. I might open a store in the capital.”
Of course, I haven’t prepared even this much yet.
Roen is skeptical from the start, and although Cassis said he trusts and leaves it to me, he doesn’t know the details.
Still, I threw it out there for now.
Isn’t this how business starts, with a bit of exaggeration?
People said plenty of nice things about definitely dropping by to buy if a store opens in the capital.
Most of it was probably lip service, but I felt quite good.
It seemed like I had fed one cup each to the ‘Ophelia’ people, elicited positive reactions, and at the same time imprinted the dessert called ‘ice cream’ in their memories.
So now what I need to do is give one ice cream to each person so they can promote it to their acquaintances.
It was fortunate that the weather outside was cold.
It won’t melt on the way home.
“Nothing is confirmed yet. I’m still in the stage of thinking about and planning many things.”
“Irina, no, Lady Seike, I think you’ll be able to handle it well enough.”
Isolini called me wrong and immediately corrected her form of address.
“You can call me comfortably.”
“Alright, Miss Irina. I think you’ll be able to do well.”
Yes!
I got Isolini’s approval.
“I’ve prepared one ice cream for each of you to enjoy with your families when you return home.”
Now they will take the ice cream given to them and return to their homes.
In this way, ice cream will be promoted again to the acquaintances of the ‘Ophelia’ members.
I thought many people would probably learn about the existence of ‘ice cream’ even before tasting it.
“Truly, I don’t know much about cooking, but this ice cream seems to be a very special and mysterious dessert.”
It was the highest praise.
* * *
“Hello, Lady Blende!”
“Call me Isolini comfortably. I’m calling you Miss Irina too.”
“Is that really okay?”
To me, who asked while glancing cautiously, Isolini responded as if wondering why I was worrying about such a thing.
“If you don’t like that, you can call me ‘sister’.”
“Really?”
This really tempted me.
Can I really call her ‘sister’?
Probably not.
I might be branded as a tactless businesswoman who takes a joke seriously.
I rolled my eyes and looked at Roen next to Isolini.
Roen met my gaze and raised one corner of his mouth crookedly, giving a seemingly deliberately vile smile.
“Irina.”
“Yes, senior.”
Why is he calling me?
I responded anyway since he suddenly called me.
However, Roen didn’t seem to have called me to say anything, as he triumphantly turned his head straight away to look at Isolini beside him.
“By the way, sister, I’m called ‘senior’.”
“Are you trying to provoke me now, you brat?”
“It’s not provocation, you can just think of it as boasting.”
When Isolini growled fiercely, Roen immediately shut his mouth and lowered his tail.
She glared at Roen once sharply and then turned her body completely towards me and smiled kindly.
Her dark brown hair, as dark as the base of a tree, swayed softly with every move she made.
“Call me sister.”
This time it was a more direct command rather than a suggestion.
I barely suppressed the corners of my mouth that were twitching with inexplicable pleasure and asked.
“Really?”
“Go on.”
“Sister?”
As I cautiously called her, Isolini quietly burst into laughter.
“Excellent. You can call me that from now on.”
“…Sister, you can call me comfortably too.”
“How? ‘Irina’? Or are you saying I can drop formalities altogether?”
She was an extremely direct person.
I was a bit impressed by how she dove right in without leaving any gaps.
It seems this is what it takes to climb to that position in the capital.
“Both are fine.”
“Alright, Irina.”
She now responded to Roen with a boastful look.
Roen clicked his tongue and muttered ‘oh boy’.
“Cassis should see all of this.”
As soon as Cassis was mentioned, Isolini’s face twisted terribly.
She seemed to dislike Cassis very much just by looking at her.
“Is Cassis still like that?”
“…He’s much better though.”
She was about to say something more but noticed me beside her and just sighed deeply.
Isolini eventually swallowed what she was going to say and brought up something completely different.
“So Irina, thanks to you, we were able to add new vitality to the reading group safely.”
“No, I’m more grateful. It was an opportunity to get feedback on ‘ice cream’ from selected individuals with trustworthy tastes.”
I showed her the notebook where I had written down the conversations the ‘Ophelia’ members had during the tasting session.
“It was really delicious. But beyond that, it was fascinating.”
“Thank you.”
“It will create a big resonance among the nobles of the empire who constantly desire what others don’t have.”
Although I received praise from the members, it won’t cause any immediate big boom.
However, I thought it might become a medium to settle ‘ice cream’ as a luxury item in noble society faster than anyone else.
“Anyway, it was fun.”
“Thank you!”
“You’ll come if I invite you again, right?”
“Of course!”
“Good. Then I’ll see you next time. It won’t be long.”
Not long?
[The New Year’s party!]
[The Imperial Palace ball!]
That’s right!
I had completely forgotten about it because I’ve been so busy.
I originally came down to the capital for the New Year’s party, but I was so caught up in thoughts of selling ice cream that I didn’t think about the important New Year’s party at all.
“Then sister, I’ll see you again.”
I bowed and turned to leave.
“How was it?”
“It was fun!”
It was doubly enjoyable because it felt like I had done effective promotion.
I smiled contentedly and repeatedly opened and closed the system window.
Perhaps because I used the skill so much while making ice cream, I could see that the proficiency of the ‘Cooking Skill’ had increased.
Currently, my cooking skill grade is ‘C+’.
Thanks to the difference in proficiency, it will be a ‘C+’ with much better taste and flavor than when I just leveled up to ‘C+’ in the beginning.
I should be entering B grade soon.
As I was rummaging through a few related quests, Roen asked from beside me.
“What’s your schedule for today?”
“Now… I should go back, have a quick bite, and go out again.”
“Where to?”
Where else?
“I have to go sell ice cream.”
At my words, Roen’s eyes filled with questions.
“Didn’t you confirm at ‘Ophelia’ today that the business item has enough potential? Do you still have to go out on the street?”
His eyes were full of ‘Is it really necessary?’ questions.
From the start, Roen didn’t seem to understand why I, a count’s daughter, would sell things on the street to all classes.
He just supported me saying ‘I see’ because I said I would do it.
‘Ah, Roen was also from the Count Blende family.’
In short, he was a high-ranking noble.
A person with a lot of money and honor.
I once talked about aiming for the ‘popularization of ice cream’ if I wanted to make big money in front of Cassis’s aunt Rosalyn.
Even then, Roen showed quite a skeptical attitude.
“Today’s reaction was unexpected even for me. But if they recognize it to this extent, I think it’s fine for me to go with a luxury strategy.”
It’s much more difficult and risky to appeal to the hearts of countless masses than to appeal to a specific small class.
But looking into the social level here, the middle class is thicker than expected.
They were well-educated and had great interest in cultural life and art beyond simply making a living.
That’s why Seike Wine could succeed.
Wine that maintains a consistent quality just above average – not a very high-quality wine that nobles would drink, but not a low quality commonly seen in farms either.
[And you promoted that point well.]
‘This is marketing and branding.’
That’s why ‘ice cream’, with its slight uniqueness, is one of the few items that can succeed popularly.
Moreover, it can be luxurized by decorating it prettily and pairing it with other high-end desserts.
Because of this specificity, it’s essential to avoid ‘ice cream’ becoming a luxury dessert that’s difficult to approach casually.
It should be something that all classes, from commoners to nobles, can eat comfortably and widely.
“I’m curious why you insist on selling on the street while struggling so much, and why you don’t put effort into making it more luxurious.”
