I was surprised at her sudden actions. I tilted my head to look at her, but she was currently looking down at her lap with a beet red face.
I was a little confused what caused this sudden outburst and why it was so embarrassing to her that she would turn so red. Once I looked down at the pancake she had put on my plate, I suddenly understand what this was all about.
The pancake was heart shaped with a R+N design in the middle. I looked up at Becca with enthusiasm. "This looks really good!"
Becca blushed, "you made me two special designs me for, so I wanted to at least make you one in secret while you were busy making the lemonade."
I put my arm around her waist and pulled her close so that our legs were touching. "The level of detail is really good for your first time! You could probably be able to make some pretty intricate designs in the future."
I rubbed my head against hers. "You become skilled in everything you pick up so quickly. I'm really a lucky man to have a wife who is so amazing."
Becca also put her arm around my back. "Thanks, Nick. You are really the first person to notice my skills and praise me so much. I really appreciate you acknowledging me. For seeing the good in me when no one else did… I brushed past it quickly last night, but you being the only noble boy our age in the whole Kingdom who would happily be in a relationship with me means a lot."
Hearing Becca's words, I could feel my eyes starting to water. I explained to her, "you know, you said no one else saw the good in you, but when I watch you doing your thing, all I see are the good points. They are so glaring and obvious. They are so bright that they are almost blinding. Soon, we will change how society sees things, so that everyone in the Kingdom will recognize the gem that you are."
While Becca and I were distracted by our conversation, everyone at the table had taken a pancake and some syrup. Everyone enjoyed them, but two people thought they were especially good.
The first was little Ron. As a child who liked all things sweet, he couldn't get enough of the delicious syrup. His eyes were sparkling as he told his mom, "I want to eat syrup every day! It's so tasty!"
Fern tried to explain to him. "Honey, syrup is very rare, so enjoy it today because you might need to wait a long time before you can get more."
Ron looked dejected, but I came in for the save. "Don't worry buddy, I'll make sure to make a big batch just for you before I leave. You can have as much as you want from now on."
"Really?!"
"Of course!"
Ron started jumping up and down. "Alright!"
Fern looked at me nervously. "You don't have to work so hard. You don't need to spoil him."
I waved my hand to dispel her worry. "It's actually really easy to make syrup. I was planning to leave a large batch for everyone before we left anyways. Right, Becca?"
Becca nodded, "yeah, it won't take much effort from us. Plus we want to give this to the family as a gift."
Fern smiled in resignation, "thanks to you both then. Also, the syrup and pancakes really were delicious. You guys made something really special."
Becca's Mother finally found her chance to jump in. "Yes, the syrup is really unique. There is no other condiment or sauce like it. As a sweet tooth myself, I am already addicted. Pretty please make an extra batch for me."
I laughed at her insistence. "I'm glad you like it. I'll make sure from now on to send over enough syrup that you never run out of stock."
Becca's Father and Rob both agreed that the syrup and pancakes were good, but they didn't like sweet things as much, so they said they would probably only have it on occasion. This was similar to how it was in my world. For people without a sweet tooth, syrup was nothing special.
Becca's Father chimed in, "even though only about half the population will like syrup, they will like it a lot, so it should have a pretty stable market. You should be able to make a good amount of profit with the sales each month."
I revealed, "We will see, I'm thinking of pricing it pretty cheap so commoners and nobles alike can enjoy it without worrying about it hurting their pockets. Syrup is more apart of my 'bettering the standard of living' plan instead of my 'making a lot of money to fund the Duchy' plan."
Becca's Father crinkled his nose, "as a business man, I think you are wasting a great opportunity. As a noble, I think you are doing a great thing by thinking about the commoners who rarely get to taste anything sweet because of the high cost of sugar."
Soon, everyone was finished eating and ready to go about their day. The rest of the trip went smoothly without anything eventful happening. Becca continued spending time with her family and I jumped between helping at the steel workshop and spending quality time with Becca.
Time flew by and we were now saying our goodbyes before taking the carriage back home. Out of the family, Becca's Mother looked the most sad. "We just started getting along well and you are already leaving…I still haven't gotten used to the fact you won't be living with us anymore. It's hard to see your baby birds leave the nest. At least Rob can stay near us."
Becca came up and hugged her Mother. "We are only a day's carriage ride away. We can visit each other often. Come visit me next time. That way I can be the one hosting you."
Becca then hugged her Father, "Father, please keep taking good care of Mother and Brother. Family first from now on, right?"
Father squeezed her tight. "Yes, I will keep working hard even when you are gone."
Becca then hugged her Brother, "Rob, be careful to not reveal you will not be taking concubines until Nick and I announce it publicly ourselves. That will put less criticism on you and Fern."
Rob nodded, "you don't have to worry about me. I have prepared the strength to protect my family. If you even need help, remember that I'm always here for you."
We had said our goodbyes to Helen earlier when we were leaving our room, so she wasn't with us at the entrance of the manor.
I waved to everyone, "I had a really good time visiting you all. Please come to my manor when you have the time. I'll make sure to show you all a great time."
Everyone smiled and agreed. Becca's Mother let me know, "Nick, I trust you to take care of my precious daughter. Please keep making her happier everyday."
We turned to look at the carriage that was ready to leave. I sighed, "I wish the coil spring suspension system would have been ready…my butt is going to hurt."
Becca's Father laughed at my reluctance. "Something so complicated takes time. It will probably take another month of research before it is ready. I'll send you the first completed carriage we make."
"Thanks Father-in-Law!"
In the carriage, Becca was looking out the window waving goodbye to everyone. Once we had driven enough to be out of eyesight, she sighed, "I'm going to miss everyone."
"Me too, it was nice to have the close knit family feel. We need to make more friends at our place."
After our nice vacation, we were heading back to deal with all the things we left undone…