Dream Life

January 29th.

Around eleven a.m., Dan Jakes was on the cafe terrace, close to the commercial district, with his home's third son, Theophilus Lockhart, and Viscount Victoria Radford.

Though Theo next door is not at all aware of it because she is a woman of her own generation, Dan is more aware than necessary because of the luscious beauty she only sees in her late twenties.

He still doesn't understand why he's with the Viscount. He was also nervous about eating with a luscious woman in a fashionable restaurant like an open cafe, never seen in the village of Rasmore or Doctus.

(I'm still fine because I'm with Theo, but why am I in a store like this with Victoria...)

Victoria, a celebrity of the city, had a concentrated gaze of people, but she speaks to both of them without going through her will.

"Shall we have lunch though a little early? Theo, Dan. Can I get you something to eat?

The two look at each other and shake their heads sideways at the same time.

"Well, I guess I chose it."

When the two agree, Victoria calls the waiter and chooses from the menu in a familiar way. As the waiter takes the order in a respectful manner and falls back, Victoria and Dan immediately receive red wine, and Theo receives herbal tea.

Victoria says "cheers" and puts up a goblet, and they both summon to it.

After a sip of wine, she approaches her face with the feeling of poking her elbows at the table. When the Viscount and the others are surprised by the trick, she laughs nicely.

"Why do you think I brought you both out here?

Dan worries about how to answer, but Theo was honestly nodding.

"I need to ask you two something. About Sir Zacharias."

Dan finds himself wondering what he will be asked, but Theo asks, "Are you talking about Brother Zach? I don't mind," he never got alarmed.

"It's no big deal. I need to know what Sir Zacharias wants to do now."

"What would your brother like to do? Maybe you want to make alcohol, but is Dan listening?

Speaking to Theo, Dan doesn't understand Victoria's purpose and is alert.

"You always say you want to make life in the village better. Then they invited the Dwarf blacksmiths to prepare for the festival."

I couldn't even talk about Luna, and I stuttered at what Zacharias was going to say.

"Right. My brother did say that. Sure, like digging a hole in a hill and building a reservoir of beer. Right, Dan?"

I'm relieved that Theo has been on his word, but I nod instantly as if nothing had happened.

"Yes, you said that transporting beer in the summer would hurt you, so to prevent it, you would create a basement to accept and store in the cooler months. We've already made one in the Hill of Museums."

Victoria was listening to the conversation with a suspicious grin.

"I'll be frank. What I want to ask is why Sir Zacharias isn't coming to Seawell. The terms offered by the Marquis must have been broken. Especially for Sir Zacharias. And yet I'm surprised to hear you turned me down. But I really want you to come, so I want you to tell me what conditions to put in place."

Dan mouths the answer he was preparing instantly.

"Dear Zach, No, Zacharias loves the distillery in the village of Rasmore. As long as there's that distillery, I don't know if I can think of going anywhere else."

Victoria says, "But that's crazy, isn't it?" she looks at it like she's exploring.

"I've been studying in Doctus for five years. Then you should also be able to come to Seawell for a few years. And you didn't?

Dan gets stuck with the answer to that tough question.

(I guess Sharon can easily answer that, but I can't... so are you just trying to get it out of me...)

Elsewhere in Dan's misery, Theo answers innocently, independently of Victoria's thoughts.

"Brother Zach went to learn magic to make the village livable and safe. My brother built the Village Wall all by himself, but the Marquis Seawell praised me that it was amazing. Your brother said you'd never remember it again."

Dan praises Theo's fine play in his heart, but immediately puts in a follow up.

"Master Theophilus is right. Master Zacharias was so magical that he was invited to become a professor at the School of Magic. You always say you're going to do what you want to do."

Victoria says, "Really?" But it still doesn't look convincing. When I tried to ask more questions, the dish I was asking for came out.

"Today we are stewing chicken cream and sautéing mushrooms"

A large shake of chicken is tangled with a slightly yellowish white sauce. The other plate was sautéed with three kinds of mushrooms in garlic and bacon, and the appetizing aroma tickles my nose. More bread with wax is placed.

"Let's have it before it gets cold"

The meal starts, but Dan couldn't afford to be vigilant and entertaining about Victoria. I try to be careful with wine in particular, and I barely drink it just by mouthing it a few times.

"Oh, would white wine have been better? I think they both fit the red on this new drink."

"I think it's delicious enough, but I'm the only one with an escort today. I have a problem with Theophilus, so I weigh myself in."

I received Victoria's gaze, and I answered that admirably, but in the meantime I was also thinking about her purpose.

(You should be on your side because you are the wife of Viscount Radford. Do you really just want Master Zach to come? Maybe he's the “tangled hand” that Master Zach said...)

He was remembering what Zacharias had said before. After leaving the great army of the undead, Zacharias had asked me, "I hope for the time being I'm wary of tangled hands, not force pushes".

Even though they were enemies of the gods, the idea was that there were certain limitations to interference in this world, suggesting that they could come after Luna by plot or conspiracy.

"Hi, I don't think you like this wine. Then I'll behave as if it's something you keep."

"No, the escort..." he tries to say no, but immediately he says, "You don't need an escort. Theo, I hear you can fight better than the knights around here, too," he says.

Theo blushes to high praise but agrees innocently.

"Victoria's right, Dan."

As soon as Victoria calls the waiter, she appears.

"Can I help you?

"There must have been some wine my husband kept. I'll ask for that."

"Yes, I did," the waiter said, lowering back and immediately returning with a bottle of wine.

"It is a long-aged wine. There will be two more bottles, may I?"

"Yeah, I don't mind. You had a glass too."

Once the waiter lowered, he looked at the bottle and said, "Sir Zacharias gave it to me. I hear it's worth ten years," he explains.

"Are you sure? I can drink what Master Zacharias has, but isn't it precious here?

As he is right, Beatrice's favorite wine, he himself drinks as often as he wants. I heard, however, that we had only given Viscount Radford about twenty bottles, and we wondered if we could drink one of them ourselves.

"I don't mind. If Sir Zacharias could come, my husband would admit it as a necessary expense."

Though I am convinced that Victoria's purpose is to gather information for Zacharias' solicitation, I re-establish my temper that the opponent is an enemy of the gods and not an insult.

(Looks like he's just trying to get information from me to solicit Master Zach, but he's the other guy. I can't deny that you're brainwashing Victoria to keep Zach out of the village. Plus, we need to make sure Luna's secret doesn't leak...)

The waiter pulls out the cork, shaking his hand slightly, carefully pouring it into the glass. Viscount Radford tells me he's a valuable wine, and that's why he's nervous.

When the waiter put the glass down, he lowered with a breath of relief in his heart.

"Shall I revisit it then? My husband says the combination with this dish is delicious. Of course, I love it too."

That's what I say and I wink with a smile. Dan's face turns red when he realizes it.

"I knew it was delicious. Especially for sautéed mushrooms..."

I get a tranced look at the food and wine. Seeing that look on his face, Dan was relieved that his pursuit hand was loose. But soon Victoria's pursuit began.

"I believe Sir Zacharias would not want to leave the village of Rasmore for another reason."

"Why? Master Zacharias really loves the village. You said you didn't really want to go to college. I remember clearly."

"I don't think there's a lie in that word. But it's unnatural. Yesterday's inspection of the brewery and reservoir convinced me. He really wants to come here and make wine. Otherwise, all those ideas wouldn't come up."

Dan thought the same thing.

(Master Zach likes Seawell wines, and he thinks it's a waste of his current state more than that. Even though I could taste better... and there's something about brandy. I've heard before that the amount I make in the village is too small to do what I want. This is dozens of times as much distillation as the village, so you can do everything you want. So......)

As Dan was silent, Theo nodded, "Right?"

"My brother loves Sister Beatrice's favorite Seawell wine. You said you had a lot of ideas for Sister Beatrice, and that it would be fun to make it from scratch."

Victoria said to the words, "Really!" Raise your voice. Dan panicked,

"So, but Master Zach also said it was after he settled down a little bit. Isn't that right, Master Theo?

I called him by his nickname because he was in a hurry, but he wasn't aware of it.

"Yeah, you did say that," Theo nods.

Victoria sees that exchange and gives up that even if she tries to force herself to hear any more, her heart just goes bad.

"Okay. Dan, your guard is too tight to hear. So I'm not gonna talk about this anymore. And then enjoy the food and wine."

As she declared, there was no discussion of Zacharias' solicitation after that. Instead, I try to listen to you two talk about love.

"Dan, you know somehow, Theo, do you like kids or something? I was wondering if you could tell Aunt Victoria."

Theo turns bright red and shuts up. Victoria laughed niggardly and said, "Apparently you're here,"

"What kind of child are you? The kid in the village? Dan, do you know?

Dan knew Theo cared about his sister, Eunice, but replied, "I don't get it".

Victoria says, "Hmm," she turns off her grin and gets a serious look.

"I'm serious from here."

Dan is surprised by the change in his expression, and Theo's eyes swim without knowing what to do.

"If we go to Imperial Capital, there 'll be stories like this all over the place. Some aristocratic gardening or dinner party. Think about how you'll answer then."

Theo doesn't understand her purpose, becomes even more confused and tearful.

"What do you mean?

"You are the brother of Sir Rodrick, the hero of giant killing, the rare genius Lord Zacharias. And you have a great swordsmanship talent yourself. More importantly, he is a man with the name of Lockhart. That's the only single one, too. You know what that means?

Theo says "no" and shakes his head to the side.

"Dan, you know what I mean."

Dan nods small and answers yes.

"Dear Rodrick, Master Zacharias is married, but Master Theophilus has no fiancée either. I wonder if those who want to relate to the Lockhart family will come closer to using Master Theophilus' pageant as an excuse."

Victoria smiles for a moment by saying "Your Name," but immediately returns to a serious look.

"Do not take a sweet look at the nobility of the Empire. Cute enough to try to pull you off as bait for your own daughter. I was just left alone with some warrant lady, and she might say," I've been hurt. "So be very careful. Stay with someone at all times at the park games. I'd prefer Serra if I could. Because they're after her, too."

Theo is baffled and sees Dan.

"Lord Victoria is right. Talk to Master Zach later. Master Zach will tell you the best way."

"Right. I'll tell Brother Zach."

Theo gave a relieved look that everything would be resolved if he consulted his beloved brother.

But Victoria doesn't loosen her expression and warns Dan.

"So do you, Theo, but you be careful, too."

Dan was puzzled by the words.