Chapter 123

The Count looked at me with a surprised expression after hearing my words and said,

“Is it not enough that you have already given us a count’s territory practically for free? Do you plan to share the penalty of the Count with us as well?”

“Yes, that is correct. I intend to sell all the wine I plan to export to the North through your territory, Count.”

“Wine, you say? Then you mean to sell Architel wine through Croilet?”

Even so, the Count and I would stand to gain tremendous profits.

This is because the demand for wine has increased among the northern nobles, who are intoxicated with the culture of the fortress, and just securing a distribution route would allow us to sell a significant amount of wine.

However, to conquer Architel, we need to weaken its economic strength as much as possible…

If we distribute it as the Count said, it would essentially mean opening a market for the Architel Duke.

Then from that, they would flourish, making it difficult for us to invade.

“No, we will sell the wine produced in our territory to the North.”

Upon hearing that, Count Vladimir slightly wrinkled his expression and said,

“… No matter how skilled you may be in cooking, I doubt you can produce wine as good as that of Architel…”

As he said, unless special methods are used, it is impossible to create wine with the same taste and flavor as Architel wine using grapes from our Croilet.

The most important thing when making wine is the process of breaking down the sugar in the grapes, which serves as the main material into alcohol, and if the sugar content is insufficient, the breakdown of alcohol will not occur adequately, causing the alcohol concentration in the wine to drop sharply.

Moreover, the grapes from regions other than Architel are too low in sugar to be used for wine-making.

Thus, the majority of wines produced in most regions are regarded as inferior products compared to Architel wines…

The wine produced in our region has successfully adjusted the required sugar for fermentation by adding about 10% sugar to compensate for the grapes’ sugar content.

By adjusting the sugar content, we artificially triggered the process of breaking down the sugar into alcohol, enhancing the flavor provided by the alcohol to match that of Architel wine…

To someone who does not know the method, it would just seem like top-quality wine made from the finest grapes.

That’s why I was confident.

“I think it would be better to taste it once than to hear about it a hundred times. Alright, Count, let’s make a wager.”

“A wager, you say? What kind of wager?”

“It’s simple. First, I will give you two bottles of wine. One will be from Architel and the other from Croilet. If you can identify the Architel wine among these two, you win.”

At that, the Count replied in a playful tone.

“Very well, if I win, what will you give me?”

“I will give you 100 boxes of the finest pastries made by the pastry chef from our territory. However, if you lose, you must buy all the wine I have prepared.”

Upon hearing that, the Count nodded and said,

“Alright.”

As soon as the Count finished speaking, I pulled out the two wine bottles lying in the corner of the study and poured them into glasses.

The shimmering purple wine had a charm that made it delightful to just look at.

“Count, please try it.”

“I will enjoy it.”

Saying that, the Count slightly tilted the two wine glasses and savored the taste.

After a moment, the Count began to hum thoughtfully with a serious expression.

Surely he was troubled because it was hard to distinguish which was from Architel.

From the Count’s reaction, it was clear that the wine I made had proven to be of the same quality as that of the wine made from Architel grapes.

Therefore, to respect the Count’s pride, I should tell him that he is correct no matter which one he chooses.

“Your Excellency, I believe the wine you first tasted is from Architel.”

In fact, the second wine I poured was from Architel, but I said with a natural smile,

“I lost. But how did you know?”

“Surely the Architel wine must have matured more on the way here, so I only chose the one with a richer aroma. By the way, this is really amazing… I never expected you could produce wine of the same quality using grapes other than Architel’s.”

“You flatter me. In that case, would you be willing to import our territory’s wine?”

“Yes, of course. I will buy it all. So, is the contract now finalized? Until now, what you have proposed has solely been beneficial to us, hasn’t it? Since you’ve given enough, feel free to mention what you desire.”

Interpreting what Count Vladimir said means this:

“I cannot trust a person who only does things that are advantageous to us without taking anything in return. Now that it seems you’ve given enough, it’s time for you to ask for what you want.”

“Alright. Then first, please spread some rumors.”

Upon hearing that, the Count perked up his ears and began to listen intently to me.

“What kind of rumors should I spread?”

“Spread the rumor that in two months, Irina Romanova got jealous and started to distance herself from Ela upon discovering her pregnancy… No, rather, the rumor that even after Ela gave birth to my son, she is still making Ela wear a maid uniform and work. I will say I am thoroughly fed up with such Irina.”

“Those who hear that rumor will likely think there will be internal divisions.”

“Perhaps that’s how other territories will perceive it. The vassals will likely split into factions supporting Ela, who has been by my side until now and gave birth to my son, and those supporting Irina, who has some flaws in her character, but holds legitimacy.”

And with this, it would naturally trigger the lords or discontented factions longing for our territory to think along these lines.

Now that the factions are divided, the authority of Count Croilet will surely decrease to some extent.

Thus, Count Croilet’s military won’t demonstrate the same combat capability as before.

Or also, if I say I support a concubine while treating the main wife this poorly, one might speculate that a civil war could break out as a result.

“However, if the nobles are not fools… They would not move their soldiers based solely on such rumors. Especially with the Duke of Architel that you are targeting… He is not someone to be underestimated, is he?”

As Vladimir said, the current Duke of Architel, Brumund von Architel, is a person with a reputation for being very wise and brave.

Especially twenty years ago, when the united forces of Duke Zigismund of the Romanian Empire and Duke Maxburg came with an army three times the size of his own…

He was a great commander who achieved a significant victory without conceding even an inch of territory.

I also do not believe such a person would fall for merely this kind of rumor and trickery.

“I too do not believe Brumund von Architel will move based on just this kind of rumor. So, I could have his subordinates moved, making it such that he cannot remain idle. And the tool I will use for this will be… the wine I planned to sell to you, Count.”

“What are you intending to do?”

“The price of one ton of wine made in Architel is roughly about 90 gold coins, isn’t it? I will sell one ton of our wine of the same quality claiming it is from Architel for 50 gold coins.”

“Won’t you get caught?”

“Since the quality of the wine is the same, we only need to purchase the seal that certifies the genuine product used by Architel. Conveniently, I just bought the seal from an idiot who went bankrupt in the Architel brewing guild. So as long as you maintain silence, no one will realize that we are disguising the origin of the wine.”

Even in modern Korea, where computerization and barcodes dominate, one can easily deceive the origin if they set their mind to it, and here where such management systems do not exist, it would be a piece of cake.

“However… does that mean we will provoke a war?”

Hearing that, I wore an evil smile and said,

“The Architel dukedom is enjoying immense wealth from the money made from selling the best wines in Europa. Conversely, if they can no longer sell high-quality wine at a fair price… they will not be able to continue living as luxuriously as they do now.”

The Count seemed to realize what I was implying, grinning with the same diabolical smile as mine and said,

“If they cannot sell the wine at a fair price, the vassals who maintain a lavish lifestyle from bribes received from merchants will become discontent. And if rumors spread that it was Count Croilet who lowered the wine prices… even the Duke of Architel, who is compromised with his nobles, will have no choice but to move.”

“And if the information is leaked by our spies rather than northern agents, they will find it easier to believe.”

“Alright, Your Excellency. I will spread the rumors as you wish.”

“I will give you not 100 boxes, but 1000 boxes of pastries to distribute to all of your nobles. This is my small token of appreciation.”

Upon hearing that, the Count slightly lowered his head in gratitude.

“Then is there anything else you want to know?”

To make such a statement during the meeting implies a gentle order to return home without further questioning.

But the Count cautiously asked me,

“By the way, is it true that Countess Irina and Miss Ela are not on good terms? If that’s the case… it might not bode well for our relationship…”

“Ela baked the snacks that Irina likes while being pregnant. And while eating those, they shared stories of my exploits and became close. From my perspective, it seems as though Irina regards Ela as an older sister and follows her.”

Upon hearing that, the Count seemed relieved, letting out a breath and said,

“Thank you for informing me. I feel at ease thanks to you.”

“Then please be careful on your way back.”

**

The next day after concluding my meeting with the Count, I headed to the dining room to eat breakfast before the wedding ceremony.

Upon entering the dining room, I found Ela waiting there.

“Ela, have you come to eat?”

“Yes, Master.”

“I’m hungry… How have you been lately? Are you eating well?”

“Well, it’s because of your baby, Master. I’m eating well, to the point where I’m starting to worry I might get too chubby…”

Ela said that, but there was no unnecessary fat anywhere on her body.

Only her chest had slightly grown, and her belly had swollen due to the pregnancy.

“Alright, but whatever it is, if you have something you want to eat, let me know anytime. I’ll bring you anything I can find in Europa.”

“Yes, Master.”

“And… Ela.”

I momentarily hesitated before I finally spoke.

“I hope that you are always happy. For your happiness and our baby’s happiness, I would do anything. I love you.”

For the sake of my beloved Ela and Irina, I resolved to don the skin of a devil if need be.