Adelheid 11: Addie's Confections

After the banquet, around twenty days after the Day of Creation, William returned to the border between the Vuldar Empire and the Beast Kingdom. Although the empire had no plans of attacking during winter, the same could not be said for the Beast Kingdom. Unlike humans, there were many beastkins with thick skin and fur, able to competently war during the cold weather. It was unknown when the next time the two siblings would meet again.

Currently, Adelheid was standing in her personal training ground, but it wasn't Olga Muller that was teaching her, and neither was Matilda swinging her a sword. In fact, she, along with Sofia, was standing at the side, ready to supply any refreshment needed.

Instead of a sword in hand, the seventh princess held her wand, pointing at the target, a wooden board with red and white concentric circles painted on it, in the far distance with her eyes closed. Three meters away from the concentrating princess was Eric Redland, supervising Adelheid's exam.

Adelheid held her wand in front of her as if it was a sword. Her lips parted as she began the words of invocation for her spell. As she started, the magic stone embedded into her wand began to emit a dull light.

"Gather and agglomerate, essence of water. Condense into thy desired form, reflection of the world.Thou envoy beseeches you, shoot through thine barriers!"

"Aqua Sphere!"

A magic circle with two rings filled with runic symbols appeared, spinning at different speeds. Two seconds later, a sphere of water emerged from the circle around half a meler in diameter and shot towards the wooden target. There was a loud shattering sound as the sphere of water disappeared and drenched the target.

Moments later, four figures were inspecting the wooden target. Adelheid's spell, Aqua Sphere, had broken off the top right corner of the target and created spider web-like cracks originating from where the spell had hit.

"Th–mmph!" Matilda glared at Sofia, who had covered her mouth with her hand. Sofia glared back and gestured toward Eric, who was inspecting the target, with her chin.

Eric ignored the two arguing maids, as did Adelheid. After he finished inspecting the damage done, the court mage clapped his hands. "Simply marvelous!"

He turned his gaze towards Adelheid and, with a voice full of approval, said, "The chant flowed seamlessly, and your magic circle construction was quick and efficient with hardly any mana wastage. Even a mage who had been studying for ten years could not match your spellcasting. I hereby pronounce Your Highness a mage of the second circle."

"Congratulations, Your Highness!" Matilda said, her mouth finally free of Sofia's evil grasp.

"Yes, congratulations. I have never heard of a second circle mage as young as you." Sofia said.

"Yeah, not even an aura disciple can withstand that without taking heavy injury," Matilda said and started clapping even harder than Sofia. Sofia frowned at Matilda's clamorous claps.

Having verified Adelheid's attainment in magic, the group returned to Eric's magic tower. Inside, Eric explained what came next in the princess's magic lessons.

"Although Your Highness has already become a certified second circle mage, Your Highness should not slack in the study of spells. Mages, whether sorcerers or magisters, are pursuers of knowledge. To advance to the next circle, a mage must continue to accumulate knowledge and digest it. Your Highness might not be superior in terms of knowledge to a first circle mage even if Your Highness is already a second circle mage."

Adelheid nodded at the court mage's guidance. In truth, she only mastered about twenty spells of the first circle, and Aqua Sphere was the only second circle spell she knew. Compared to other beginner mages, she was far too lacking. However, her mastery of mana would shame even intermediate mages of the third and fourth circles.

"Today's lesson shall end here. Please do not forget to feed mana to the egg," Eric Redland said as he began to clean up the classroom. Well, a certain definition of cleaning up.

After Adelheid left, Matilda began to talk nonstop. "That was amazing! If I got hit by that, unless I covered my body in an aura barrier, I would be knocked out of the fight!" Matilda said. "With Your Highness's mana capacity, you could even wipe out a whole squadron!"

"How could it be that easy? I needed at least three to four minutes to cast Aqua Sphere. My spell would fail if I lost concentration for a moment, and I am defenseless as well. An aura practitioner would simply need to shorten the distance between us to dispatch me," Adelheid said. She was clear on her advantages and disadvantages. "My enemy could also dodge my spell, or I could miss entirely."

"Ah, you're right." Matilda said after taking in Adelheid's analysis.

Sofia rolled her eyes. Even she, someone who did not practice aura or magic, could tell the flaws. It just wasn't her place to voice an imperial's shortcomings. "Your Highness, what type of creature does that egg hold?"

The egg Sofia was speaking about was Adelheid's birthday gift from William. Unlike the Fire Dragon's Egg from Antonia, she was much more pleased with William's egg. According to William, inside was Adelheid's future familiar.

Although it wasn't as priceless as the Fire Dragon's Egg, its utility was far more significant. Not to mention that she could sense the deep sincerity behind the gift.

The trio soon reached Adelheid's room. Entering, they made their way towards the bed where a blanket-filled basket holding a crimson egg lay. Adelheid's feet practically glided across the carpet as she positioned herself in front of the egg.

In her previous life, Adelheid once had a dog named Minerva. She hadn't taken care of it, that was her parent's duty, but she recalled that she deeply treasured Minerva. She was the cleverest dog in the world, but after her parents' death, Adelheid never saw Minerva again. After that, her financial circumstances did not allow her to find another dog or search for Minerva.

Adelheid doubted that a dog, or any other mammalian beast really, would hatch out of the crimson egg, but she could hope nonetheless. 'I wonder what I should call my familiar when it hatches?'

Yes, familiar. The monster inside would not be a mere pet, but a mage's familiar, Adelheid's familiar.

Every morning, afternoon, and night, Adelheid would inject her mana into the egg to nourish it. Monster eggs need an environment of high mana density to hatch, but she wasn't just replicating the incubation environment but attuning the egg to her mana signature. Naturally, she didn't brutishly inject her mana into the egg but used a special method taught to her by Eric Redland.

"It moved," Matilda said.

Adelheid's finger stopped as she, too, detected the change, even sooner than the flaxen-haired maid. With bated breath, the three girls watched as the egg trembled as it swayed side to side, but after a few seconds, the egg stilled. There was some disappointment in Adelheid's eyes, but she quickly resumed her injection of mana.

She placed the egg back to its original location and prepared for the meeting tomorrow.

-line break-

When Heinrich opened his eyes, a maid had just drawn open the curtains, allowing the morning sun to shine on his face. With a yawn, he pushed himself up and rubbed his bed hair. "What time is it, Annie?"

"Almost seven, Master Heinrich," the maid, Annie, said.

"I see. Help me freshen up," the youngest son of Count Auor ordered, all signs of drowsiness gone in an instant. Freshening up and having changed out of his sleepwear, Heinrich sat down at the dining table where the kitchen had already cooked his breakfast.

It was a traditional breakfast consisting of freshly baked white bread, an assortment of fruit, and cheese of the highest caliber. Everything except the bone broth. The broth was a recent addition to the dining tables of many nobles and wealthy families of the capital.

Heinrich took a sip of the broth first and sighed in contentment, allowing his tension to flow out for the time being.

Compared to the usual stew, bone broth was lighter and easier to digest in the morning, not that it wasn't just as filling. The bone broth on a noble's table couldn't be compared to the ones cooked by commoners. The ones cooked in the kitchen of powerful families took at least half a day. It was a process that needed constant monitoring, so the broth that Heinrich drank was simmered all night long. No commoner could afford to waste that much time just for some soup.

The only similarity between a noble's bone broth and a peasant's bone broth was the ingredients. Heinrich, like most nobles, disdained vegetables. He never voluntarily picked up any vegetables during breakfast, lunch, or dinner. When he had first heard that bone broth was becoming popular, he had scoffed. That is until he tried it himself. Now, there was bone broth on the table every morning.

Heinrich dipped half the bread into the soup—bread soaked in broth was a marvelous way of eating—as he recalled his shock when he learned the origin of the reinvented dish. His mind wandering, the youngest son of Count Auor organized the information he had gathered concerning the youngest princess of the Vuldar Empire.

First and most prominent was that Princess Adelheid was a half-elf, born from an elven princess from the Principality of Alvarius. Her mother died during the childbirth process, and the princess's body was frail due to birth complications.

Second, the princess was a veritable genius, according to rumors among the noble circle. After awakening from her three-year-long sleep, the seventh princess made rapid progress once she began to take lessons with Court Mage Eric Redland, someone at the cusp of entering the realm of the seventh circle of magic. If he became a seventh circle mage, only the Master Magus Revna would be his match in magic.

Heinrich shook his head as he ate some grapes. He was organizing his information concerning the seventh princess, not who the next possible Lord Magus, head of all court mages, would be.

Rumors had it that the seventh princess would be able to become a second circle mage in a year or two, something that took other aspiring magi around ten years to accomplish.

And the third most prominent rumor was Princess Adelheid's unnatural talent in cooking. A noble, much less imperial, would never deign to cook food personally. If they had, they would certainly keep it a secret behind closed doors. The seventh princess didn't cook, but she seemed to have accumulated a great deal of innovative culinary expertise that was spreading throughout the capital and perhaps the rest of the empire.

There were even rumors of this rumor. Some say that the princess was a culinary genius and that it was a shame for her to be born a princess. Heinrich snorted at this. Clearly, someone didn't like the seventh princess. The other popular derivative rumor was that the princess's long sleep was caused by fairies who taught her how to cook while she was asleep.

Whatever the reason, the residents of the capital found new delights in their food. Heinrich was obviously no exception. Currently, he was placing a thin slice of cheese between two slices of bread to make a cheese sandwich. Such a simple application, yet no one thought to do it or popularize it.

Heinrich had only collected this information as was expected of a businessman, even one as green as him. Prince Albrecht had called him a young and successful businessman, but that was because all the shops he owned had the best conditions. It remained to be seen whether the shops he owned would continue to prosper.

Certainly, he would not find himself wanting for the rest of his life, but he wanted more. However, that wasn't likely. He knew he was talented, but his eldest brother was just as talented and had even more experience. If nothing else changed, his older brother would become the next count, and he would only be left with these few shops. And that wasn’t factoring in his father’s other children.

However, fate had not forsaken him, and his chance at overtaking his brother came far earlier than he thought. A month before the Day of Creation, his father had informed him that Princess Adelheid wanted to start a business and was looking for a partner.

Heinrich jumped at the chance.

Maybe the princess was messing around and didn't know anything about business. Perhaps it was just a momentary flight of interest, but he didn't care. What he was aiming for was the invisible influence of the seventh princess's status as a member of the imperial family. Did his second brother not also attach himself to Fourth Princess Antonia?

Yes, he planned to manipulate and use the imperial princess. He would handle everything while assuring the little princess that everything was as she wished, but that all changed when he actually met the princess.

Princess Adelheid was as beautiful as the rumors said, almost too beautiful. It was like she was not something naturally born but something sculpted by divine or devilish hands. However, what caused Heinrich to fear this little girl was the matureness and self-confidence that she exuded.

It was unnatural and something that should never appear on a child as young as her. This would be his future business partner. However, Heinrich didn't care. Even if he had to sell his soul to the Evil Demiurge, he would accomplish his goal.

Finishing his breakfast, Heinrich asked his butler what his father was doing. He already knew his eldest brother was out of the capital, taking care of a large business transaction, but not the exact specification. The butler's reply did not surprise Heinrich, as it was the usual response. His father was at the company taking care of business.

"Master Heinrich, it is almost time," Heinrich's personal butler said.

Heinrich nodded and prepared to leave for the imperial palace. The servants brought over his coat and overcoat. It was early morning, and the air had yet to warm, especially in the early winter.

"Bring the gift. I'll hold it myself," Heinrich said.

Receiving the wrapped package, Heinrich stepped onto the carriage alone. His butler sat at the driver's seat with the driver. With a lash of the whip, the four identical horses of fine lineage began to trot towards the palace.

The journey towards the palace from the Auor Estate was short. Very few visitors visited the heart of the empire without due reason. It might have taken longer if this was a day when high officials gathered at the Imperial Council to discuss national matters, but today was not such a day.

Once allowed passage into the palace, Heinrich tightened his coat around him as his gaze wandered. Aside from special occasions such as the banquet on the Day of Creation, non-officials like Heinrich and his eldest brother weren't allowed to enter, so he savored this chance. The palace halls were slightly empty, and there weren't as many ornaments as his family's mansion, but it suited the utilitarian nature of the imperial family. However, there was no hiding the solemnness and grandness of the structure.

The palace butler led Heinrich towards the third floor and opened the door into the lounge. "Please enter, Master Auor."

Heinrich Auor nodded in acknowledgment and entered. Inside, the room was decorated to be more accommodating with a large piece of art hanging above the fireplace. Magic lights were lit even though the sun shined through the windows just to illuminate the dim spots.

However, his eyes were quickly attracted by the master of the room, Princess Adelheid. She sat at the center of a three-person sofa, although it looked more like a five-person sofa with her petite figure. One leg was crossed over the other, and her hands rested on her knee. Her face contained a trace of a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Your Imperial Highness, it is a pleasure to meet you for the second time." Heinrich gave a formal bow after handing the package to his butler.

"You may rise," Princess Adelheid said, her voice betraying none of her thoughts nor emotions.

Rather than facing a child of eight, Heinrich felt as if he was facing a superior noble like his father. 'No wonder the imperial family is so powerful. Even a child so young is so prodigious. However, I am not so incompetent as to lose my bearings.'

"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness. This is a small gift as a token of my admiration." Returning to his standing position, Heinrich's butler handed the gift to Princess Adelheid's butler, who was standing next to the right of the sofa while her two maids stood on the other side.

The seventh princess's butler couldn't be older than fifteen. Yet, his deep blue eyes contained no trace of nervousness as he received the package.

"Take a seat," Princess Adelheid said. Heinrich complied, and a silence descended as her butler began to inspect and unravel the gift. The young butler placed the content of the box onto the table for the seventh princess to peruse.

It was a beautifully crafted board carved from a combination of ebony and redwood. It was a perfect square with a width of fifty-two centimelers and a height of thirty centimelers. The waxed color of the black contrasted greatly against red. At the center was a grid consisting of sixty-four equally sized squares.

On the side, there were indents where the compartments could be pulled out. The seventh princess did just that, and the sixteen masterfully sculpted pieces were revealed: eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two mages, two knights, an empress, and an emperor.

Chess was a thinking man's game. The rules sounded simple, but together, they formed a complex game. The uneducated could never fathom the calculations that went into each move. To some, it was not just a mere game.

For the first time since Heinrich had met the seventh princess, amusement flashed in her eyes, and her smile deepened as she toyed with the red emperor piece. The emperor piece was the tallest of the seven different pieces. It had a magnificent crown embedded with tiny jewels in a stylized form.

The seventh princess deftly twirled the emperor piece atop her fingers. Halting the spin, Princess Adelheid placed the emperor onto the board with an audible clack. "Play a game with me."

"I'll respectfully oblige," Heinrich said as he pulled out the second compartment and set up the black pieces.

The colors of chess pieces varied between nations. In the Holy Seraph Kingdom, it was black and white, in the merchant union, the colors were shades of gray, but in the Vuldar Empire, the pieces were red and black.

Heinrich used all of the knowledge he learned of chess during the first match. At high levels, chess players can often infer the thoughts and emotions of their opponents. Heinrich wasn't at such a level, but gaining insight into his opponent's habits was well within his ability. So that's why he was so shocked by the awkward plays made by the seventh princess. It was as if she was taught incorrect rules of chess.

However, the second game of three shocked Heinrich as the seventh princess narrowly defeated him. Compared to the trouncing she received, her victory came out of nowhere. It was Heinrich's turn to receive a trouncing in the third game, and he was thoroughly crushed. Not even his bones remained after the seventh princess was done with his army.

"Your Highness is as the rumors say," Heinrich said, not showing any rage or shock after being defeated by someone over ten years his junior.

"It is just a game, nothing more," Adelheid said as she turned towards her butler. "Leopold."

The young butler nodded and began to clean up the chess pieces, placing them back into their compartments and removing the chessboard from the table. Then, the princess's black-haired maid served the two tea.

"Shall move on to the main point?" Princess Adelheid asked as she took a leisurely sip from her teacup.

"As Your Highness wishes." Heinrich smiled as he took a sip from his teacup. Once the teacup was placed back into its saucer, the smile disappeared.

"Tell me, what kind of business do you own?" Princess Adelheid asked.

"Nothing much, just a few stores in the capital," Heinrich said as he listed most of the stores he owned.

"That is it? Do you not have business outside of shops?" Princess Adelheid asked. Stores in the capital were expensive and could generate a fortune, but that was nothing to owning a monopoly or supplying the shops.

"Unfortunately, that was all my father gave me." Heinrich gave a self-deprecating smile.

"How much do you earn?" Princess Adelheid directly asked.

"If I am lucky, one hundred thousand Kronen a year. If I am not..." Heinrich took another sip from his teacup. "If I am not lucky, around twenty-thousand Kronen. Ever since I took over, the shops haven't been receiving much support from the Gold Firm." From his father was left unsaid.

"That is far from enough," Princess Adelheid said. "Do you have any plans?"

"None for the time being. I had quietly planned to stabilize my supply routes first before I explored other routes." 'Or wait for an opportunity like this,' Heinrich thought.

"And your main patrons?" Adelheid continued to ask.

"The aristocracy. Our wares and goods are simply too exorbitant for the middle and lower classes." Truthfully, Heinrich would have preferred if his father had given him more stores that catered to less wealthy civilians. The high-class stores may seem promising, but without the support, they would eventually degrade.

"First, what are your thoughts on the honey business?" Adelheid asked after gathering enough details on Heinrich's current financial foundations.

"Honey?" Heinrich asked. He tapped his fingers on the table. "It is a luxury product that only nobles and those who happened to stumble upon hives are able to taste. A delicacy with great demand but limited supply."

"What if I told you I have a method to farm honey like farmers farm crops or livestock?"

Heinrich paused. If they really could find a way to cultivate honey like crops, then the amount of wealth they could gather would be astronomical.

An individual bee may not be a large threat, but a whole hive of bees would be. They were not much less of a threat than bears or even monsters. There are often stories of young, unsuspecting children or beginner honey hunters who stumbled upon a beehive, only to be stunned to death.

"Not many people would be willing to become farmers of bees," Heinrich said truthfully.

"Honey farms do not require as many people as other types of farms. I suggest using the honey hunters as the first generation of beekeepers. After all, they should have experience in taking care of hives," Princess Adelheid said, there was a certain confidence that Heinrich couldn't help but be drawn in by.

"How can we farm bees, though, Your Highness? Unlike sheep, pigs, or cows, bees are tiny winged insects that can easily escape." Heinrich frowned. He simply couldn't imagine a bee farm or honey farm as Her Highness termed it.

"You do not need to worry, I naturally have the necessary techniques and knowledge to implement a system to farm honey. More importantly, we should discuss how to raise funds to start the honey farm," Princess Adelheid said. "Even if I have the means, the workers will need a certain buffer to learn how to farm honey. During this time, money will flow like water."

The seventh princess had nothing to her name that would inspire his confidence in her ability to realize her grand plan. True, she was known as a magical and culinary genius, but that is completely different from farming. Hell, even he nor his father, Count Auor, were knowledgeable about farms.

There was nothing the imperial princess could say to make Heinrich trust her, a child of eight. Yet, as Heinrich gazed into those confident eyes, he was enthralled. As he steeled his heart, the young businessman couldn't help but think, 'perhaps those rumors of fairies weren't so untrue, after all.'

"Of course, Your Highness. Please instruct me," Heinrich said as he allowed the reigns to leave his hands and enter Princess Adelheid's hand.

"Have you heard of my culinary innovations?" The seventh princess didn't directly inform Heinrich but moved to discuss another seemingly unimportant matter.

"Your Highness means to?" Heinrich could already guess. He had originally planned to pick the seventh princess's brain for all her culinary knowledge and direct his efforts into the food business.

"Naturally," Princess Adelheid said. "However, I shall need a shop. Not a tavern or inn, but a whole shop dedicated to just food."

Heinrich held his arms and began to think. Most eateries were inns and taverns, so there weren't any stores dedicated solely to supplying food. It just wasn't profitable. However, "Just tell me what needs to be done, and I shall accomplish it.”

Princess Adelheid smiled. "First, we need a group of loyal chefs or cooks. I already have someone whom I taught the necessary techniques. Remember, the foundation of our business is our techniques. Before our brand can be built, we must not let the techniques be stolen."

Heinrich nodded. He understood the need for secrecy. If a competitor had a technique, then that would be a calamity for them. "Leave it to me, Your Highness. If anyone dares to leak the techniques, I'll make sure they pay dearly, them and their family."

However, there was one point that Heinrich didn't understand. "Forgive my lack of knowledge, but what is a brand?"

Princess Adelheid blinked as if she hadn't expected Heinrich to ask such a question, but she quickly schooled her expression and explained. "A brand. It can be a symbol or a name. As long as a person hears or sees it, they will trust it to deliver a certain level of service or good. For example, how many people will trust you just because of the Gold Firm name?"

Heinrich's mind spun and quickly understood. A brand was a trust attached to a symbol or name. "What kinds of products or rather, goods does Your Highness propose?"

Princess Adelheid revealed a predatory smile. "People do love their confections, do they not? For now, I plan on releasing two desserts, one aimed at nobles and one at commoners. Ice cream and chiffon cake."

Heinrich frowned. He did not think that commoners would be able to afford sweets as they used sugar, and sugar was very expensive. "How do they taste?"

"Ice cream tastes like ice, sweet yet creamy. It is hard to explain, but you will understand once you have one. As for chiffon cake, the amount of cake that is baked is much more than one with the same amount of ingredients. Not only is it airy and rich, but it lasts longer than most other cakes."

Heinrich found himself gulping despite the seventh princess only giving a rudimentary explanation. Still, he managed to suppress his desires. "Shall I gather the cooks as soon as possible?"

Almost.

Princess Adelheid laughed. It was a charming laugh full of maturity. "We still have yet to name the store."

Heinrich paused. He did not think the name was too important. The store's location was more than enough, and the store often had the owner's name in it. But since the princess mentioned it, he would oblige. "What are Your Highness's thoughts?"

"The restaurant shall be the first step. Once we have amassed enough funds, then profits will truly come. However, that does not make the first store useless. If anything, it will become more important." Leopold, the princess's butler, brought out a quill and paper. After drawing out the store's new sign, the seventh princess said, "Let's call it Addie's Confectionary.