War of the Roses (1)
There was a place where stacks of documents piled high always welcomed visitors.
It was an impressive place with the spicy scent of whiskey and the gaze of a man with dark eyes.
“Mr. Vilmosi. “Can I keep sending out magic telegrams like this?”
“……”
But now that Josef has left, the only thing that fills the mayor’s office is someone’s anxious eyes.
The mayor, newly appointed by Peter, was worried about the gold coins that would be burned as he continued to see the sparkling lights of the magic sphere.
“This is the first time in my life that I have written this many telegrams…”
“I won’t pass it on to you, so don’t worry.”
Even if you’re the mayor of Shoara, you can’t help but feel anxious if you burn hundreds of gold while having a cup of tea.
However, the man in front of him was still sending out a telegram to someone without even blinking.
“The current telegram is something that the head of the family would fully agree with, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
“iced coffee. If so, I am truly fortunate.”
The mayor of Shoara touches his heart with his hand after hearing that he does not have to bear the cost.
The scarred man who was looking at him snorted and put down the teacup he was holding.
‘He’s a man it’s embarrassing to even compare to the former mayor.’
Gold coins are certainly valuable, but there are things out there that cannot be bought with just them.
It is valuable because it is real and recognized by everyone.
However, the mayor in front of me didn’t seem to have the insight to recognize such things.
‘The more I think about it, the more unfortunate it becomes. ‘It would have been nice if I had calmly left the competition.’
The man, who had finished evaluating the new market while recalling his regrets about Josef, was waiting for the next news with indifferent eyes.
And soon after, the magic sphere begins to sparkle.
-Do not spare support for red roses for the birds that will return. Expected to arrive soon.
“Hmm.”
The man’s eyes began to narrow as he looked at the note the wizard had written.
Although the note was written with strange pronouns and complex code, the man called Vilmosi was able to immediately understand the intent of the telegram.
“…As I said before, I need data on the rose’s smile.”
A man covered in scars who starts burning the telegrams he receives in a candle flame as a habit.
Under the candlelight, an unfamiliar name was fluttering that had not yet been burned.
“Especially about the new Madame.”
A golden name that even a shiny gold coin cannot buy.
The word Vlad was clearly written in front of the name.
※※※※
If you were asked to pick one place that is currently the most talked about place in Shoara, everyone would pick the same place.
The smile of a rose nestled in a back alley.
This place, which features high-quality food and a newly introduced beer called beer, is special in that it is a place guarded by Vlad of Shoara.
“The inside is just as nice as it looks from the outside.”
“thank you. “Baron.”
Alicia looked closely at the back of the woman guiding her as she said those words.
‘This person… Lady Gemina.’
Although she was small in stature, she had gorgeous hair.
Indeed, the building called Rose’s Smile was not the only thing that did not fit into the shabby back alley.
“As I became interested in Lord Vlad, my eyes naturally fell on the rose’s smile.”
“…I see.”
Alicia said she was interested in Vlad, but Jemina just held her breath.
The two ladies had been aware of each other since they were far away.
“It feels strange, like I’m walking through Lord Vlad’s childhood. “I want to hear a lot about that time.”
Unlike Alicia, who can offer a lot, all Gemina can offer is the memories they shared together.
However, when Alicia said that she wanted to take that too, Jemina’s eyes began to turn fierce.
“This is the place. “It is a private room for special guests.”
If you fight, you have to accept it.
Because that was the law of the back alleys.
Vlad was not the only one who survived in a world where if you retreat you will die.
“Oh…….”
“…….”
Looking at the extravagantly decorated private room on the third floor, old knight Duncan let out an exclamation without even realizing it.
This place, which could be said to be Marcela’s last work, was too wonderful a place for two people who lived in a remote estate to endure in silence.
“…These are wallpapers that follow the central trend. “It must not have been easy to get it.”
“It was not as easy to obtain as you said, but Countess Oksana worked hard.”
This is the smile of a rose. Lady Gemina’s space.
Gemina began to use the weapons that Marcella had engraved on her, one by one, towards Alicia.
“Countess Oksana?”
Alicia wanted to say that it was a wallpaper that did not suit the cold of the north, but as soon as the name Oksana was mentioned, Alicia had no choice but to keep quiet.
No matter how noble Alicia was, in front of Oksana, she was like a candle in the sun.
“…Are you also acquainted with the Countess?”
“Not directly.”
The waitresses came in behind the smiling Gemina and began to carefully set down the dishes.
These women, all of whom have extraordinary beauty, were once the roses that decorated the back alleys of Shoara.
“It seems like his interest is following through Joseph and Lord Vlad. “The interest is truly undeserved.”
An inn protected by the Son’s knights in the land ruled by the Son.
There is no place like the smile of a rose that can give strength to a mother who was missing her son who was far away.
Marcella, the former madam, took advantage of such support and succeeded in creating the most luxurious inn in the history of Shoara, and the appearance of the new back alley was directly attributed to Josef’s achievements.
“okay.”
Alicia was at a loss for words as she looked at the plates placed in front of her with the name Oksana on them.
Because I noticed that the shape of the dishes I was putting down was unusual.
Overpowering the opponent through fancy dishes was quite a familiar thing in the world of noble women.
“…I heard rumors about it, but I had no idea it was such a great place. “It was truly worth it.”
“Thank you for thinking that way. “Baron.”
Alicia’s words were not empty words.
I really didn’t think it would be like this.
However, Lady Gemina was a much bolder and fiercer woman than she thought.
In some ways, I think it has some similarities to Vlad’s temperament.
“I’m really looking forward to it. Even the dishes that will be served on this plate.”
However, Alicia’s cold blue blood was not shaken by Gemina’s provocation.
She was a person who had gone through too many trials to be swayed by this level of provocation.
“Could you please prepare the menu that this restaurant is most proud of?”
If she couldn’t even get a man from a woman in the back alley, she wouldn’t even be qualified to rule the territory.
At first, Alicia had planned to try to persuade him with the best words possible out of respect for Vlad’s memories, but if he attacked him so clearly, there was nothing he could do.
“I hope it’s food that gives you a taste of the North.”
“I will do my best. “Baron.”
But Gemina didn’t know.
The fact that his actions are actually strengthening Alicia’s confidence.
“I think it was a really good idea to come here.”
Alicia, who knew Vlad as a knight but didn’t know much about Vlad as a man, was able to be sure when she saw Jemina now.
The man he wants to protect, even against himself, a nobleman, is Vlad.
The man who cleaned his parents’ tombstone with sunlight shining in the twilight evening.
Alicia now decided to take on that man as well.
※※※※
“Ordering… the menu I am most confident in.”
The kitchen is located on the 4th floor, not the 1st floor.
Marcella, who was standing there, looked at the note in front of her and began to smile quietly.
“Good job. Jemina. “Of course I have to do this.”
Several women standing behind Marcela began to nod as she muttered to herself.
“Marcella can really retire now. The next madam is no slouch either.”
“I didn’t know she would grow up like this.”
“I guess there’s something about that generation’s kids, including Vlad and Haven.”
The women in the old back alley began to chatter as they saw the first victory report brought by Zemina.
They have lived their whole lives crumpled, torn this way and beaten that way.
However, they were now largely empathizing with Jemina’s attitude of trying to be confident even in front of nobles.
“…I really should retire after cooking this dish today.”
Marcella, who quietly wiped the kitchen knife with a dry cloth, was satisfied with Gemina’s efforts and began to take out the ingredients she had prepared in advance.
“If there’s a dish that captures the flavor of the North, this is it.”
From light appetizers to whet your appetite to main dishes and desserts.
Due to the nature of the North, where food is served all at once and then cools down, the nobility here enjoyed a meal where dishes were served multiple times.
In other words, it meant that it was a dish that couldn’t be handled by a back alley restaurant.
“I don’t have to worry about the cost of ingredients today, right?”
However, the back alley chefs that Marcella brought in today are all women with at least 20 years of experience.
These were women who survived in the rough back alleys with only their skills.
They decided to do their best for the rose in the back alley, who is planning to retire today.
※※※※
Purr-
There was a black horse and a donkey standing on the cold street.
Noir blew out his breath with a purring sound and looked at Shoara in the distance and lost his temper as if asking why he didn’t go in quickly, but Vlad, who was actually holding the reins, was still and not moving.
“…Why is this like this?”
A transparent glass bottle about one-third full of water.
Vlad’s eyes were shaking as he looked at the glass bottle standing strangely upside down on the cold ground.
“Is this magic too?”
“sure. “It’s magic.”
Nibelun struggled to pick up the glass bottle that was standing upside down and threw it toward the sky once again.
Worse-!
The sight seen when a glass bottle, which had been floating high and spinning, fell.
Looking at that scene, Vlad opened his mouth without realizing it.
“If this isn’t magic, what is it?”
“…Wow, what is this?”
It was amazing that he was able to stand upright because he was thrown so high, but that he was standing upside down.
Even after throwing it dozens of times, Vlad had no choice but to admit it as he still stood there the same way.
“If you enter the city now, something very ugly will await you. “As Vlad’s consulting wizard, I advise you to stay here for just one day.”
“There’s a city right in front of us, so let’s camp out? “This winter?”
Moshiam, trapped with the fog, took away two months from Vlad, and as a result, the current season was midwinter.
Now Nibelun was talking about setting up camp right in front of Shoara.
“Of course, it’s Vlad’s decision.”
“…….”
Vlad’s expression began to become serious as Nibelun passed on the decision.
A mystery is literally something that cannot be explained by reason or common sense.
Vlad had no choice but to think seriously about this strange situation that could not be explained by probability.
“So, if you go into Shoara now, it will become very ominous?”
“According to my fortune telling, yes.”
“So is something sinister going on in Shoara? Or…”
“Prophecy and fortune-telling are things that cannot be recognized unless you encounter them.”
Vlad started scratching his head when Nibelun said that he would have to go to find out the details.
‘I’m definitely not a fraudster.’
If a street swindler had said this, he would have been beaten to the punch, but Nibelun’s ability to chase mysteries was actually vouched for by Vlad himself.
“…Let’s go in right now.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Fortune-telling is only a guide, not a direction to take.
Nibelun picked up the mysterious glass bottle and asked again, but Vlad had already made up his mind.
“I heard it’s ominous. Then we should go faster.”
The city pointed to by the evil fortune-telling was Vlad’s hometown, and it was full of people who should not be lost.
I wasn’t sure which direction the ominous fire was reaching, but Vlad decided to rush over and stand next to them.
“Is that donkey a breed that can run fast?”
“By nature, donkeys are not horses prepared to run.”
“Then just do your best today.”
Chat Noir felt Vlad riding on his back and gave him a rough hug.
Noir, the son of the meadow, was longing for the brushing of his hair by the red-haired woman.
