Chapter 108

Episode 108. Thanksgiving Banquet (2)

I immediately answered Mint. It was really just confirming something she already knew—super obvious stuff. Did she just want to hear me say it?

Mint brought the hand she’d been holding close to her cheek. I looked at her.

“Hey, looks like everyone’s arriving.”

“Yeah, guess so.”

Already this late? Mint glanced out the carriage window and leaned back on me.

“Thinking about the banquet makes me tired. Let’s just do the formalities and then hang out by ourselves…?”

“Enjoy the festival while you can. We’ve been with Her Imperial Highness in the carriage the whole time anyway.”

Sure, I’m tired too, but you can’t skip meeting people. We’re here for a reason, right?

Klonk. The carriage stopped at our destination.

“We’re here.”

“Indeed.”

The Imperial Palace isn’t far from the Academy.

We arrived quicker than expected.

Honestly, we’re way too early. The banquet won’t start for a while yet. Still, I helped Mint out of the carriage, holding her hand.

The palace was bustling with preparations everywhere. Leading Mint, I carefully avoided the busy staff areas.

No need to get in their way.

“Where should we go?”

“Let’s grab tea in the greenhouse.”

I nodded.

Drinking tea in a greenhouse? In Korean weather, that sounds ridiculous—but apparently it’s a noble custom here. Must be the mild climate.

In Korea, doing that in summer or early fall would probably send you to sauna-level heatstroke territory.

Soon enough, we reached the greenhouse entrance.

“Oh, there’s someone inside…?”

“Guess so.”

Come to think of it, obviously we wouldn’t be the only ones who came early. Too simple-minded of me.

I checked Mint’s reaction, but she didn’t hesitate, walking straight into the greenhouse.

The greenhouse was surprisingly grand.

It wasn’t plastic but glass! How did they even build this? Must’ve cost astronomical amounts of time and money.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yes.”

Inside was warm. As soon as we opened the door, a strong floral scent hit us. The center was arranged café-style. We sat down at an appropriate spot.

I wanted to stay low-key, but staying low-key wasn’t really my thing. The moment they saw the princess, everyone seated stood up.

“We greet the esteemed Princess!”

Mint awkwardly waved them off with a gesture to disperse. Most of the people got the hint and returned to their seats.

Most.

One clueless—or perhaps bold—noble daughter decided to join us at our table. Can’t avoid these things, I guess.

I absentmindedly scratched my head. Sure, I wished she’d leave, but we are here to meet people after all.

“Long time no see, Your Highness!”

“Yeah, hi.”

“You look healthy. Who might this gentleman beside you be? Haven’t seen him before…”

“Gentleman”? That made me chuckle nervously—it was just polite talk, surely.

“Hello. I’m Professor Asterix. I used to work as the royal physician.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re with the princess.”

“Mhm.”

Luckily, the greenhouse was noisy enough to cover small talk. Voices echoed around, and somewhere birds chirped melodiously.

I briefly glanced at Mint. Honestly, it’d be more fun to watch birds with her and skip the annoying socializing.

Mint rested her hand on my shoulder. The noble daughter tilted her head curiously.

“What is your name, sir?”

“Ah, me? I’m Ariana from the Alpenheim family. Nice to meet you!”

Ariana seemed lively enough—a bit naïve maybe, but not unintelligent. Just… somewhat dim-witted?

I took another look at her: golden streaks ran through her neatly tied light brown hair, and her big golden eyes sparkled like a child’s.

Her green dress wasn’t overly long but modestly covered her shoulders.

“What do you teach, professor?”

“I study medicine. Teaching is secondary; research and treating patients come first.”

“Wow, that’s cool!”

Ariana continued chatting enthusiastically.

Mint alternated her gaze between me and the noble daughter before dramatically re-looping her arm around mine. Ariana frowned—or rather, looked surprised.

“Are you two a couple?”

“Yep.”

Mint nodded vigorously like she’d been waiting for the question. I followed suit, and Ariana gasped, covering her mouth.

“Oh wow, congratulations! The princess has such good taste, finding such a wonderful companion.”

Ariana muttered something under her breath. Though embarrassing to hear, Mint sitting beside me couldn’t hide her innocent smile.

You silly princess…

Mint appeared satisfied just having revealed our relationship. Meanwhile, Ariana’s eyes sparkled.

“So many people must be curious about Professor Asterix. I myself am curious. What have you been up to lately?”

I paused for a moment. Not a malicious question, but still… anyone who isn’t completely clueless would wonder the same thing. Why did the princess choose this guy?

Even Mint might not fully understand herself. Ariana would try to find her own answer.

“Lately, I’ve been researching ways to mass-produce medicine industrially—not just collecting herbs or combining rare materials, but scaling production.”

“That’s fascinating!”

Though I doubted explaining this to her held much meaning. Still, word would spread if I said it aloud. Being from a baron family, she’d likely tell her parents eventually.

“Is that possible?”

“Absolutely.”

How to explain this simply?

Ariana didn’t seem as sharp as those government officials I met last time. I thought for a moment. Mint squeezed my hand under the table.

“Imagine cultivating medicinal mushrooms in the basement. Remember when they mentioned creating a company to produce medicine for the palace? Things are progressing smoothly.”

Just pure curiosity in her eyes. Lucky we bumped into such a cheerful person right away instead of some troublemaker.

“Is it effective medicine?”

“Yes. Would you like to invest?”

Ariana tilted her head again.

“Can I invest?”

“Of course. Structurally speaking, any new investor will require the government to match the investment amount to maintain majority shares.”

Simply put, double the investment for the company since the government needs to keep its controlling stake.

Mint shrugged beside me.

“The government agencies hold majority stakes to ensure public benefit. More investors mean more medicine production, which is great, right?”

Finally, some smart words.

I wanted to pat Mint’s head but thought better of doing it publicly. Instead, I gently held her hand.

“Understood. But what kind of medicine?”

“We plan to start with antibiotics to kill bacteria. Enough for tens of thousands of people initially.”

“Ah.”

“Does that confuse you?”

“No…?”

Ariana wore the same puzzled expression students often show during lectures—clearly lost.

I sighed softly.

“Well… it’s wise not to invest in something you don’t intuitively understand. I’m not trying to deceive anyone, but the world has plenty of scammers.”

This was both bait and genuine advice. Ariana didn’t strike me as the type to take it seriously though.

Interpreting anything literally takes effort. Predictably, Ariana shook her head, looking offended.

One, two, three…

“No, I get it!”

“Good to hear.”

“And I have money too!”

Predictable.

Boringly predictable. Reluctantly, I nodded. Had to suppress a snicker.

“If you insist. How much were you thinking?”

“Uh… 150,000?”

I glanced at Mint. She gave a slight nod. Not that her approval mattered much, but it was a nice gesture.

“Alright. Let’s discuss further in writing.”

Sure, I sounded a bit like a con artist just now, but this is one of the best investments she could make. Lucky break for her too!

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