Chapter 120: Warming Cabinet (4)

The Imperial Banquet in Honor of the Alliance with the Three Northern Kingdoms

As a momentous occasion, this imperial banquet would be attended by prominent figures from all nations.

To escort an imperial at such a grand event was an extraordinary honor.

It wasn't just about gaining public attention—it would bring immense benefits as well.

A once-in-a-lifetime dream opportunity that anyone would wish for.

And in this case, it was the Second Princess herself who had personally requested me as her escort.

And in such a breathtaking manner, no less…

For a moment, I felt an impulse to blurt out "I accept."

But…

"I deeply appreciate your generous offer, but I must respectfully decline."

Summoning all my willpower, I managed to reject the Second Princess's proposal.

"Why? If it feels burdensome, you don't need to worry."

"It is indeed overwhelming, but that's not the only reason."

The Second Princess tilted her head slightly.

Her crimson eyes silently demanded an explanation.

Meeting her gaze, I spoke.

"This time, I would like to attend with my fellow members of our magic tower."

As I had mentioned, this imperial banquet was going to be a spectacular festival.

With all the Tower Masters from the Twelve Towers expected to attend, that meant our Tower Master, Ranya, would naturally want to be there as well.

Ranya wasn't fond of large gatherings, but if it was for the sake of the tower, she was willing to endure it.

And if Ranya was attending, then Aria, Zion, and my disciples would likely join as well.

I wanted to be there with them.

Without me, Ranya would probably end up freezing in place.

Despite her confident exterior, Aria was actually the type to get extremely nervous.

She had a surprising tendency to isolate herself, making public appearances difficult for her.

And Zion, attending an event like this for the first time, would undoubtedly feel out of place.

So—

"I must respectfully decline the escort."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. My apologies."

I bowed my head in apology.

For a mere magician to refuse a imperial lady's request—especially that of a princess—was an unforgivable breach of etiquette.

"To so bluntly reject the Second Princess's invitation… How rude of you…"

The Second Princess trailed off, her gaze shifting downward.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to settle for this scarf today."

The black scarf I had wrapped around her white neck was still there.

"Thank you for understanding."

"It's fine. I had a feeling you would say this."

"...."

"Now I'll just have to entrust this to someone boring."

Hearing her grumble, I had nothing to say in my defense.

By "someone boring," she was undoubtedly referring to Sir Morian, the armored knight.

"My apologies."

"It's fine. You couldn't possibly leave your Tower Master alone, after all."

Surprisingly, the Second Princess accepted my refusal without much resistance.

I let out a silent sigh of relief.

While I did feel bad for Lanya, the truth was that escorting the Second Princess was simply too overwhelming.

People were already talking about me sharing a carriage with her during the Neutrality Conference.

If I escorted her at the banquet as well, the rumors would become inescapable.

But then—

"As disappointing as this is, I suppose I'll have to let you go for the first day."

"…Excuse me?"

"The banquet isn't just one day, is it?"

Her crimson eyes curved mischievously as she looked at me.

"You weren't planning to refuse me on the second day as well, were you?"

It was as if she had seen straight through me.

"...."

Only then did I understand why she had let me go so easily.

From the very beginning, I had been playing in the palm of her hand.

'…I'm screwed.'

There was no escape.

*

"You've done well, so I shall reward you."

"A reward…"

I absentmindedly placed a hand over my chest.

A gentle warmth pulsed from my heart.

The memories of that day played over and over in my mind—

Her white neck, her crimson eyes, the sweet breath, the rose, the hand that had grabbed my collar.

'…This is bad.'

I was on the verge of completely falling for her.

To be honest, if she weren't a princess, I would have already fallen.

No—if I let my guard down for even a moment, I still might.

It was a serious condition.

…But was it really a bad thing to fall for her?

'No. It absolutely is.'

I snapped back to my senses.

No matter what happens, I must avoid the royal family.

Shaking my head vigorously, I repeated this to myself.

"What's with you all of a sudden?"

Aria looked at me, confused, as I suddenly shook my head.

"It's nothing. More importantly, how's the warming cabinet doing?"

"It's still not selling well."

'I knew it.'

Hearing Aria's report, I clicked my tongue internally.

While the warming cabinet was in high demand in the North, in the Empire, it had failed to gain popularity.

Since the warming cabinet itself was rented for free, I didn't lose money on it—

But our main product, Let's Be, wasn't selling well.

It was no surprise.

The Empire had too many competing drinks.

The upper class drank gourmet coffee, while the middle class enjoyed instant coffee like Maxim.

Nobles, accustomed to these drinks, simply ignored Let's Be.

In the Empire's hierarchical culture, this was a major problem.

Since the upper class rejected it, commoners had no interest in it either.

If the elite didn't accept it, then no one else would.

Additionally, the Empire's climate was warmer than the north, meaning warming cabinets were less necessary.

'I don't need to force something that won't sell, but…'

I glanced at Aria.

She was biting her nail, deep in thought.

Though the upper class had rejected it, there were definitely people in the Empire who needed the warming cabinet.

The fact that something with clear demand was being ignored frustrated her.

'She's working hard, so I should help.'

Once Aria set her mind to something, she couldn't let it go until she solved the problem.

"Maybe it's just because winter hasn't arrived yet?"

"Aria."

"What if we host an arena event like we did for the popcorn promotion?"

"Enough. Let's go watch a play instead."

"A play? Out of nowhere?"

"You said you wanted to go last time."

"Oh, right! I did."

She had been so absorbed in work that she had completely forgotten.

She needed to clear her head.

"Ooh! Senior, are you going to see a play? Can I come too?"

Zion, who had been watching a magic crystal advertisement, chimed in.

He was handsome, but his lack of awareness was astounding.

*

The play ended.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"It was fun, but they changed a lot of the story."

The sun had already set, and the evening air was chilly.

"They added all these northern legends, and suddenly, a warming cabinet appears out of nowhere?"

Aria looked both amused and exasperated.

All we had done in Svalbard was film an air fryer commercial—

Yet now, the play included both air fryers and warming cabinet.

'Clever marketing.'

"Aria, do you know what this play and our business have in common?"

"…Commercialization?"

"Exactly. Whether it's embellished or not, as long as it sells well, that's all that matters."

As expected of a sharp-minded mage, Aria quickly grasped the point of my question.

"Even the processed food advertisements we've done so far aren't much different from embellishments."

"Right? Guinness beer was marketed using 'Vikings,' and tofu gained popularity by being associated with elven cuisine."

"Precisely."

That's Aria for you.

She's smart.

With just a single hint, she instantly understood, making conversations with her effortless.

There was no need for long explanations.

"We just need to sell the warming cabinet the same way."

"How?"

Aria tilted her head in curiosity as I spoke.

"The Imperial Palace banquet is coming up soon."

"And?"

"It's called the 'Banquet of the Hearth.'"

For a moment, Aria's eyes widened in realization.

"Wait… You're not suggesting… presenting it to His Majesty?"

"Exactly."

I nodded, confirming her guess.

"We'll offer the warming cabinet as 'the Goddess's Box.'"

"But it's not actually the Goddess's Box."

"So what? It's all about how people perceive it."

By that logic, calling the air fryer the "Goddess's Hearth" was already a scam in itself.

I could already picture the Church throwing a fit over this…

"His Majesty will handle the rest."

That was the whole point of presenting it.

I planned to offer both the warming cabinet and Let's Be coffee as gifts to the Emperor at the upcoming banquet.

After all, the Emperor was the pinnacle of the upper class.

***

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