My conversation with Earl Stamfort goes smoothly and yield unexpected gain. Earl Stamfort willing to invest for the new settlement! No, I should calm down first and ask about the terms and conditions for his investment. If there are some terms which I can't fulfill, that would trouble me later.
"Hahaha…I really feel grateful if Uncle Edward willing to invest in our salt site. But would it better if uncle Edward see the site first before talking about the investment? We can talk about the term and conditions for the investment later"
"Sure. Let's continue this talk after we return from your salt processing site, Henry"
"That would be better, Uncle Edward. I don't want to give you an empty promise which I can't fulfill"
"Another thing I want to discuss with you is your marriage with Celes, Henry"
Ugh, suddenly my heart beat faster when Earl Stamfort suddenly mentions about my marriage with her daughter. Did he want to immediately marry her daughter with me?
"Yes? What about that Uncle Edward?"
"Well….actually I want you and Celes married as soon as possible so I can hug my grandchild sooner. But the circumstances changed when my son suddenly found his sweetheart, and since he's already reaching his marriage age, I have to make him marry first. I hope you understand that…but if you also want to marry daughter as soon as possible, we can arrange that you both married in the same time. How about that? Hey, Anthony...do you mind if your marriage held together with your sister's marriage?"
"Hmm...I don't mind, but please give me times to know my spouse better first"
Anthony replies the question calmly while still observing the movement of his opponent on the board game.
So, it's about my sister marriage actually. Well, I can understand the situation clearly. At first, Anthony still single and don't have any woman for his wife, but after meeting my sister and propose her on the lunch today, now he has a spouse for himself. Consider his and my sister's age, usually they already have one or two children already. It makes sense if Earl Stamfort wants them to married first.
"I understand that uncle, I don't mind my marriage with Celes delayed for brother Anthony marriage first, I and Celes also haven't discussed when we should be married yet. There're many things that I should accomplish, and actually, I want to participate to make my sister wedding party as grandiose as possible. When they will marry anyway?"
"Thanks for your understanding and the offer. I hope they can be married within one year since they already mature enough to build a household, don't you think so?"
"Yes, I agree with you, Uncle Edward. My sister and brother Anthony should get married sooner after they get close enough. I will personally make the wedding cake for the reception party later"
"Hahaha… What a relief. But can I ask you to arrange the menu for the party as well?"
"That's…probably hard to do, uncle Edward. You see…we don't have many cooks to prepare dishes for a party with guest reached more than a hundred guests"
Well…I said the truth about the condition of our cooks. Without additional cooks from Lumon town, maybe they already collapse from exhausted right now because overworked.
"Can't you do that with the cooks from Stamfort castle, Henry?"
"Hmm…the problem is they might not familiar with my recipes. And to make the dish perfect, it would need many practices before they can master the dish cooking process. I can't let the party ruined because the cooks can't make a good dish due to lacks of practice"
"Ugh…you're right about that. Hmm…how about I send Stamfort castle's cook here to learn and practice?"
Huh? Isn't it like what Gandolf did before? He also sends his cooks here to learn how to cook.
"That's…..possible to do. But I want the cooks to send here to meet certain criteria, uncle Edward"
"Name it, Henry"
"Well, I need them young, single, and inexperienced if possible. Also, they should able to work in a team and willing to work under command, and more importantly, their salary will be paid by Stamfort castle"
"Hmm….that's not hard to fulfill, but why they must like that, Henry?"
"If you send experienced cooks, mostly they have their pride as cooks and hard to receive something new which different from their principles in cooking. They're also would not willing to do basic cooking jobs such as peeling ingredient. I want them to be single, so they will not get homesick and thinking about their family while they're here. I want them can be focused on their works without distracted by anything else. And inexperienced one because of they easy to direct, not refute for any order, and eager to get valuable experience here"
"Hahaha….never thought that you'll be so thorough with people you will work with, Henry. But I understand your requirement is reasonable and make sense. So, if I send those kinds of cooks, you're willing to teach them here, right? I will also get benefit from this because I can eat delicious food that they learn from here. I don't mind with paying their salary since they still Stamfort castle's cook, in fact, I also don't mind to pay tuition fee for your cooking teaching"
Huh? Make a cooking school? Please…I already had so many things to do, Uncle Edward.
"Haha…That's not teaching but training, Uncle Edward. With the recipe, all people can cook, the difference is only whether their cooking will taste good or not"
"Oh Henry…I almost forgot to tell you this. When you married my daughter, Celes, later, I will give you land for your fief and for your son with Celes to govern later. You know, the Stamfort family's land will inherit by Anthony or his son, so for you, I will give land for you to manage"
Ah, yes, that's true….mostly the first son will inherit the title and the fief from the parent. The second and next sons will have to choose their own path, like make career in army or become merchants. That's the common condition for the nobles' offspring in this world.