"So she reached out on her initiative," Alexander simply concluded.
"If you put it like that, it makes everything we have done so far dramatic," Arisanna chuckled.
"But she didn't approach us," the first prince continues to dwell.
"You would think," Bridgette teased.
He furrowed his eyebrows as he gave it much thought.
"She had never been embarrassed before," he defended himself from the glances he had received.
"It seems to me, she gained more enlightenment the time she spent apart from you," Arthur smiled.
"Enlightenment?" the empress raised her eyebrows.
"We told you about Emberlynn didn't we?" Bridgette asked.
"She was clingy, stupid, dumb, an airhead. She kept pestering Elder Brother to the point where it was getting annoying even for us. She was head over heels, over the moon, madly in love," Bridgette exaggerated.
"The very same girl gained some sense and actively avoided Alex," Reynold concluded for her.
"But why?" Alexander pondered.
"You may be the first prince but it doesn't mean you are irresistible. Marrying you comes with struggles I'm not sure the noble ladies can even handle," Arthur smiled.
"If you really wanted to know, you could take the time to ask her," the emperor joined in.
The prince rolled his eyes at their words, completely done with their nonsense. He crossed his arms and let out a heavy sigh as he takes on the barrage of teasing.
"Not much could be done now," Theodore chimed in to calm the excited crowd.
"Well since you went ahead with the decision, I'll just trust you," the emperor nodded.
"What happened to the threat of 'It would be a shame if something happened'?" Arisanna joked as she drag her thumb across her neck.
"It was to test her, to know how much responsibility is on Theo's shoulders agreeing to her. Although, if you were someone else, the threat would have been true."
"What makes us an exception?" Reynold genuinely asked.
"We are family. Your lives are worth more than you imagine."
A heartfelt smile bloomed on Arisanna's face. She was internally glad, a little worried about the truth behind the statements.
It didn't matter anyway. They wouldn't die easily.
"By the way," Arisanna interrupted.
The chatting ceased.
"We could test the legitimacy of the information."
—
They all opted to stay for a bit before leaving. Mostly for socializing and communication purposes.
Believe it or not, Arisanna had a bit of work to do, so she bid them farewell and left to her own devices.
As the main social center, an important aspect that contributes to a developing empire is its economy. As imagined, deals and trades frequently occur, whether secretive or not. Any sort of business has the chance to thrive in the capital, the place of connections. Although to be frank, the chances are pretty slim. Without influence or power, one wouldn't make it far considering the costs involved. The best businesses are run by rich, well-known individuals, who only put their name on the product and those who made a name for themselves through years of experience.
That was why successful people opened up corporations, basically putting their name on the product as a brand of approval, splitting the profit. It gives the opportunity for smaller producers to pitch their products. If it satisfies them, they would ask for a budget and additional resources. Simply put, a lot of business contracts.
The North runs its own corporation under the direct guidance of the Grand Duke. They are mainly known for selling products made using materials only available in the North. One of the popular produces is a type of specialized grape that feeds off of mana from the atmosphere. This means it can grow using the mana, converting it into energy. People have tried to plant them elsewhere but were unsuccessful. Although no one is sure why people have simply concluded the mana level is typically denser in the North, it provides the grapes with an abundance of energy.
Due to this, people started to call it 'Mana Grapes', which sounds terribly uncreative, but Arisanna digresses. Like normal ones, they have the ability to turn into wine, making it very popular with the capital as people start mixing other ingredients into the wine for a better taste.
Arisanna has to admit, she has indulged herself in their products' prototypes. The wine is sweet, carrying a trace of bitterness. She was pleased with the balance between the two tastes since she tends to dislike strongly flavored drinks.
However, these especially suit her because of their mana. Once they consume the grapes, they absorb the mana, giving them a light boost in power. Since the mana is different from the person's, the effect decreases over time because of the incompatibility between the two manas. The discovery of these gave mana-wielders a topic to research, uncovering the mystery and science behind these grapes.
Of course, they may operate in the North but the finished products need to be transported to the capital. From there, they would be able to export them to the South, East, and West.
However, right now, the matter of transport could be dealt with at another time. Arisanna needed to check up on the main headquarters of the corporation.
—
Cecilia made her way downtown to the capital. She couldn't stay inside the entire trip. Therefore, she sneaked out when no one noticed and left town.
She has been here before when she was still Emeberlynn, but she never got the chance to properly look around the actual place. Cecilia was too busy with pleasantries and throwing tantrums that she never stopped and looked.
It was bustling, the market square. Chatter could be heard endlessly as people bargained for a better price. There were dessert shops, coffee stores, a wine shop, fruit stalls, as well as candy shops that had a long line of children waiting.
She did come here with something in mind to do but a detour wouldn't hurt. Besides, once she reaches the more well-off stores section, she wouldn't be able to buy these "poor foods" they would call them.
Minutes pass, and she has an ice cream cone in one hand and a candied apple in the other. Truly, she had no restraint.
'It's a good thing to not go over budget,' she silently defended herself.
As she found a sitting area, she couldn't help but sigh at the sight around her.
'The author never really fully describes the scenery but the sight of this is remarkable. I wonder if this was what the author thought while writing the novel.'
She licked the ice cream, preventing it from dripping.
'Though, the author had the romance more in mind than the world itself.'
As Cecilia ate, she looked around at the shops.
Through the window, she spots a pair of fresh-looking grapes.
'I'm sure that would make good wine.'