TGDHC Chapter 139

Chapter 139 – A Drunken Night (1)

‘I didn’t think he’d be this happy.’

Walking beside the visibly excited Loic, I felt a bit guilty.

After refusing the village elder and residents’ offers to send a guide about ten times — worried for our safety in the dark — we finally set out alone toward the Elfberry forest.

The night air was cool, but the soft starlight over the snow made the path look beautiful.

“Annette, look at this.”

Loic held up a small magic-stone lantern under a snow-covered branch. Beneath it hung small, faintly pink berries, each about the size of a little finger.

“Wow! Amazing!”

I couldn’t help but exclaim. In the daytime they’d looked like dried fruit, but at night they swelled full and round.

“So that’s why they’re harvested at night.”

I plucked one and popped it in my mouth. The skin was a little sour, but the inside was sweet and tangy — the familiar flavor of Snow Wine filled my mouth.

“Loic, want to try?”

I held one up to his lips. He chewed once and swallowed.

“It’s delicious.”

“Right? The elder said we can eat as much as we like! Let’s take plenty.”

I started picking handfuls of Elfberries, filling Loic’s cloak.

“There’s a lot to do, though,” I said as I handed him another berry. “Even if the berries grow well, they’ll need a road for transport, manage the groundwater, hire winemakers…”

Which merchant group could handle all that? To manage production, distribution, and promotion carefully, you’d need a proper system.

And since Pogen was sacred land, we’d have to avoid damaging it while organizing the locals gently — and coordinate with Blenheim’s duchy too.

As I worried aloud, Loic looked at me thoughtfully.

“What if you did it yourself?”

“Me? Do what?”

“Run the merchant group.”

While holding the cloak with one hand, he used the other to gently wipe juice from the corner of my mouth.

“Oh, come on. I don’t have experience.”

“You do. You built that huge marketplace yourself. I’ve never met anyone with a better business sense than you.”

“But running a trading company is different. You need connections—”

“You seem to forget, you’re the Duchess of Blenheim.”

“I also don’t have any money.”

“Don’t say that.”

Loic frowned slightly.

“Blenheim is the richest house in the Empire. There’s no reason my wife can’t afford a merchant company.”

“Still…”

“If it bothers you that much, I’ll invest personally.”

“Invest?”

“It’s basically free profit for me. Having you lead it would never be a loss.”

He shrugged confidently, saying that if he’d met me as an outsider, he would’ve spent a fortune to bring me to Blenheim anyway.

His confidence made me think seriously. Honestly, no trading group would ever meet my standards.

I’d never made products myself, but I’d watched countless advertisers develop and launch new ones.

Ever since I’d thought about turning Snow Wine into a specialty product, I’d been sketching plans in my head.

‘This might be my chance to make wine the way I imagine it.’

It was the perfect opportunity to bring to life all the ideas I’d only seen from the sidelines before. My heart beat with the same excitement I’d felt when designing the marketplace.

“Would it really be okay for me to start a merchant company?”

“The problem will be that it’ll do too well,” Loic said with a playful lift of his eyebrow. “Besides, the villagers are cooperative because it’s you. No one else could do it better.”

“I’ll think about it.”

I nodded as he popped the last berry into his mouth. Somehow, all the berries had disappeared already.

As we walked farther, a steep slope opened up, revealing a view of the valley below — tiny lights from houses glittered along the stream.

While I admired the quiet scenery, I felt a steady gaze on me and turned. Loic wasn’t looking at the view at all — only at me.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked.

He smiled faintly. “That we finally got some time alone together.”

“S-sorry.”

The apology slipped out before I realized it.

“I didn’t mean to leave you alone all day.”

Loic frowned. “You have a bad habit, Annette.”

“I do?”

“You always say you’re sorry.”

‘Do I really?’ Well… that’s what happens when you’ve spent your life apologizing to survive.

“From now on, no more apologies,” he said, gently brushing my hair from my face. “You’ve never done anything that needs one.”

“But—”

“Even if you did something wrong, don’t say sorry. Just say: ‘So what?’”

I laughed at how he mimicked my tone.

“Go on, say it.”

“So what?”

“I’m pretty and lovable, so it’s fine.”

“You really want me to say that out loud?”

But under his steady gaze, I finally gave in.

“I’m pretty and totally lovable, so it’s fine.”

“I didn’t say ‘totally,’” he teased.

“So what? I’m pretty and totally, totally lovable, so it’s fine!”

My voice echoed through the mountains.

“See? You learn fast,” he said, smiling proudly.

Oddly enough, saying it made me feel good.

“And honestly, you’ve done nothing wrong. It’s those fools who keep chasing you that are guilty.”

His expression hardened suddenly.

“When the wine business starts, even more men will swarm around you.”

He ran a hand over his face, clearly annoyed.

Wait, hadn’t he just said I’d make a great merchant leader?

“You don’t like that idea?”

“No.”

“Then why tell me to start one?”

“I don’t like you working too much, but…”

“But?”

“If you run the merchant group, you’ll have to stay near Blenheim.”

His voice dropped low, brushing against my ear.

I blinked. “Are you… afraid I’ll leave Blenheim?”

“That’s probably my greatest fear.”

‘Wow… I didn’t think Loic would be worrying about that already.’

“But it’s fine,” he said, suddenly lifting his head proudly. “My chest is strong.”

“…What?”

“If you see my chest, you won’t be able to leave easily.”

He puffed out his chest, making his already broad torso look even bigger.

Wait—what?

I looked closer. His black eyes were unfocused.

‘Oh no. He’s drunk.’

“Loic, are you drunk?”

“I’m not.”

He definitely was — his face was soft and flushed.

The elder had mentioned Elfberries could make you drunk even when eaten raw.

‘But he’s a sword master! How could this affect him?’

“Want to feel it?”

Before I could stop him, Loic loosened his shirt and exposed his chest.

“Lately, I’ve been training hard. It’s firmer than before…”

His smooth, muscular chest gleamed faintly in the starlight, and my ears burned.

“S-stop talking about your chest!”

I quickly grabbed his shirt and buttoned it back up.

“And why are you suddenly bringing that up? When did I ever say I liked chests?”

“The knights said… women like firm chests…”

“Unbelievable!”

I scolded while fastening the last button.

“I should scold those knights! What nonsense are they filling your head with?”

“But Annette seemed to like it too…” he mumbled.

“You touched it while I was sleeping.”