Episode 28. Bravo My Life
It was Martha who had scheduled the appointment with Falken Corporation.
The day after hearing the news that the recommendation for supplying goods to the Imperial Palace had been approved, Martha wrote a letter immediately. Short and clear. It was the skill of the official correspondence she had honed over decades of her days as a head lady-in-waiting.
Mr. Falken, I believe we need to formally discuss the commission terms regarding the approval of this Imperial Palace supply contract. Please let me know a date that is convenient for you.
Serena Valois.
A reply arrived two days later.
You are welcome anytime.
Martha thought as she read that short reply. It was a response typical of Julius Falken. He was a man without frills. That made him easy to deal with. Someone who spoke directly was actually easier to negotiate with than someone who beat around the bush.
Lucy, jotting down the date beside her, said.
"Princess, what are you going to discuss with Falken Corporation?"
"A discussion about money."
"What kind of money?"
Martha said as she folded the letter.
"Money that is due."
The reception room at Falken Corporation hadn't changed since she first arrived. It was simple. There were no fancy paintings or unnecessarily expensive furniture. Only what was necessary remained. Martha still liked the atmosphere. A person without pretense was free of pretense even at the negotiation table. Julius Falken greeted Marta and said.
"Princess, welcome. Thank you for passing the Imperial Palace supply screening. As your boss, this is truly a joyous occasion."
Martha took her seat and said.
"Thank you. However, let's save the congratulations for later; I have a specific reason for coming today."
Julius sat down opposite her and said.
"It is about the commission."
"That is correct."
Julius nodded. He looked as if he had anticipated this. That was just how he was. He was the type to anticipate what the other person would bring up.
"You are saying that since Company Falken secured the Imperial Palace supply contract thanks to the Valois family's recommendation rights, we need to calculate the commission for that part accurately, aren't you?"
"Yes. And that isn't all."
Julius looked at Martha. Martha spoke.
"What is the duration of the Imperial Palace supply contract you just secured?"
"Since this contract was approved through the Imperial Supply Recommendation, the standard term is six months. After that, you must undergo a re-evaluation."
"How do you pass the re-evaluation?"
"It is much easier if you have a recommendation like this time. If you undergo a re-evaluation without one, you have to resubmit everything from the beginning, and that process is quite complicated."
Listening to this, Martha spoke slowly.
"Then, Falken Company will have to receive a recommendation from me every six months to maintain the Imperial Palace supply contract."
Julius paused. Martha looked at Julius and smiled slowly. It was a sly smile. Seeing that smile, Julius straightened his posture for the first time, with a look that seemed to say.
"What kind of trick is this Princess pulling?"
Martha took out some documents. They were documents she had prepared in advance. She had spent two nights organizing them with Maxim.
"I would like to mention two conditions."
Julius took the documents and opened them. Martha spoke.
"First, it's the commission. The commission specified in the current contract is 1 percent of the delivery amount, but I want to raise it to 3 percent. Since recommendation rights are required every six months, we are reflecting that value in the commission."
Julius said, looking at the documents.
"3 percent is quite high, Princess."
"It isn't high considering that supplying to the Imperial Palace is impossible without recommendation rights."
Julius remained silent. Martha continued.
"Second, whenever Falken Corporation renews the Imperial Palace supply contract, we will include goods from the Valois family in the list as well. There are lavenders and herbs produced in the Valois territory, which are items in demand among the Imperial apothecary and noble families. If we include them through Falken Corporation's distribution network, it will be beneficial for both sides."
Julius looked at the documents, then at Martha.
"So, Princess, you have prepared the negotiations yourself like this."
"It is simply what needs to be done."
Julius looked at the documents again: A 3 percent commission and the joint supply of Valois goods. From Falken Corporation's perspective, these were not conditions without a burden. However, Julius knew better than anyone that supplying to the Imperial Palace was impossible without a recommendation. Martha spoke quietly.
"CEO Falken."
"Yes."
"Do you know how much interest our family has paid over the years? You know how high the interest rate was, too. When Miss Serena-no, when I came to see you in a hurry, you could have lowered the interest a bit back then."
Julius fell silent.
"Because you didn't do that then. I will accept it under the terms of this contract. Fairly."
Julius examined the documents for a long time. Then he picked up a pen.
"Very well."
He signed. As she received it, Martha thought to herself.
'I'm going to suck up all the interest you ripped off Miss Serena.'
After the contract was concluded, Julius had tea brought out and spoke, leaning back in his seat with a relaxed expression.
"If the Duke of Valois had come in person, we would have had a celebratory drink at a gathering like this. It is a pity that he couldn't."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Martha looked at Julius.
"As for me."
Julius looked at Martha.
"Do I look like someone who can't drink?"
Julius paused for a moment before speaking.
"Does the Princess enjoy drinking?"
"Bring me some alcohol. I'll teach you a lesson."
Julius looked at Martha. A look of amusement flickered in his eyes. He was always like that. Calculating, yet a person who reacted to intriguing things.
"...Very well. Let's do it."
The drawing room table changed in an instant. As Julius gave the order, his subordinates moved busily. Various bottles of liquor were brought up in a line: whiskey, cognac, rum, and tequila. Then came fruits: oranges, pineapples, and limes. Juices were also brought up: orange juice and coconut juice. Grenadine syrup made an appearance, as did matches.
As these items piled up on the table, Martha slowly rose from her seat. Lucy spoke cautiously from behind her.
"My Lady."
"What is it?"
"Are you really alright?"
"I am fine."
"You aren't planning to drink all of that, are you?"
Martha looked at Lucy and said.
"Leaving alcohol behind is a sin. You shouldn't leave food or drink behind."
Before the regression, whenever a banquet ended at night, there was always leftover alcohol in the banquet hall. Bottles left behind by nobles who had drunk half of them, bottles left with their lids open, and bottles nearly empty until the bottoms were visible. They could not simply be thrown away. Whether it was food or alcohol, leaving things behind was something Martha hated.
Late at night, after work was finished, Martha and the servants gathered them up and sat around in one corner of the dining room.
"What does it taste like if you mix this and that?"
"Try it."
They mixed them.
"This is delicious."
"Really? Let me have some."
At first, it started as a way to increase the quantity. Since there was only a little left, mixing the drinks meant everyone got an extra glass. But as she continued mixing, she found it fun. Which liquors paired well, what ingredients brought out the aroma, how to create layers, how to set things on fire. Martha learned these things through experience. And Martha had a high tolerance for alcohol.
She didn't know if it was innate or if she had been trained. After the after-party of the imperial banquets ended, the burly men would be the first to collapse. Even the burly coachmen and the strong guards. Yet Martha remained standing until the very end. She was the best among the heavy drinkers. That skill must still remain in her body.
Currently, Martha stood before the table, examining the bottles one by one. She picked up the whiskey first. She poured it into a glass. Then, she poured the orange juice slowly, letting it flow down the rim of the glass, adjusting the angle to prevent mixing. The bright color of orange juice rose in layers upon the amber hue of the whisky.
Julius squinted as he watched. Martha held it out to him.
"Try it."
Julius took it and drank. He savored it for a moment, almost as if chewing, then his eyes widened.
"This..."
"How is it?"
"It's whisky, but it's smooth and sweet. I didn't expect it to taste like this."
Martha then picked up a glass of cognac. After pouring the cognac, she balanced the spoon on the rim of the glass. Then, she slowly poured the other liquor over the back of the spoon. The two liquors did not mix but formed distinct layers. Martha picked up a match. She lit it and held it to the glass. A pale blue flame rose above the glass. Julius froze. Lucy, standing behind him, barely stifled a scream. Martha held out the flame-ridden glass to Julius and said.
"You have to drink this quickly."
Julius took it. They clinked their glasses and drank without hesitation. And for a while, there was silence. Julius slowly raised his thumb. This time, Martha took the tequila glass. After pouring the tequila, she slowly let the grenadine syrup flow into the bottom of the glass. The red syrup was heavy, so as it sank to the bottom, it created a vivid gradient with the clear tequila at the top. Just like a sunset. Julius exclaimed.
"Bravo!"
He drank it.
"Sweet, bitter, and fragrant, the flavors are distinct in layers!"
Finally, Martha picked up a pineapple. She cut off the top with a knife and scooped out the flesh. The pineapple peel became the glass itself. She poured coconut juice into it, mixed in rum, and stirred. The scents of pineapple and coconut mingled and filled the drawing room. Martha held it out to Julius. Julius took it with both hands and drank. He closed his eyes. Then he shouted loudly.
"Bravo, Princess Serena!"
Martha picked up her glass as well. She clinked glasses with Julius. It was sweet, sour, and fragrant. This combination is the one. Julius looked at Martha with sparkling eyes.
"Princess Serena, where on earth did you learn this? I have never seen a tavern in the Empire serve something like this."
Martha said as she set down her glass.
"You learn as you live."
"Just what kind of life have you lived? From today, I, Falken, have decided to revere you, Princess."
Julius gave a thumbs-up on both sides. Then, maintaining that posture, he slowly leaned forward. He hit his forehead on the table. He had fainted. Lucy froze. The reception room fell silent. Martha looked at the unconscious Julius for a while, then said to her subordinates.
"Please lay the President down comfortably."
The subordinates rushed over with panicked faces.
Descending the stairs took longer than expected. Her feet wouldn't obey her. With every step she took, the floor seemed to shake slightly. Martha thought as she gripped the stair railing. Oh dear. In the past, this would have been a breeze. Back in the days of the Imperial Palace, this would have been just a warm-up. After all, even at banquet after-parties where ten strong men would collapse, Martha had always stood until the very end. But now, her feet were staggering. It was Serena's body. It was the body of a nineteen-year-old. The drinking capacity in Martha's memory was completely different from this body's. Her mind was fine, but her body wouldn't cooperate.
"My body can't even hold out this much."
As Martha descended the stairs, she looked toward the exit. She saw a carriage. Lucy was already ahead, waiting with the door open. Martha walked toward the carriage. One step, two steps. Her feet wobbled slightly, but she could manage. However, it was the moment she was about to step onto the carriage step. She stumbled. Her body leaned backward. Lucy screamed.
"Princess!"
At that moment. Something touched her waist. It was a firm, swift hand. Martha's body no longer leaned backward. It was supported just as it was. A single hand was wrapped around her waist. It was a hand of strength. A hand without hesitation. Feeling the sensation of that hand, Martha slowly turned her face. It was Leon. He stood there with one hand wrapped around her waist. His expression was blank. Yet, his gaze held something.
The eyes looking down at Martha were calm, but beneath that calmness lay something. Leon spoke.
"Are you feeling unwell, Princess?"
His voice was low and quiet. Martha looked at Leon. She felt the hand wrapped around his waist. And she said.
"No."
"Then why are you doing this?"
"I've been drinking."
Leon looked at Martha. His gaze had changed. It was a look that was impossible to distinguish between bewilderment and disbelief. No, perhaps it was both. Lucy spoke from behind.
"The Young Master happened to have business in this area. It seems he came over after seeing our carriage."
Martha looked at Leon as she listened. Leon was still holding onto her waist. Out of the blue, Martha placed both hands on Leon's cheeks. A flustered Leon, Lucy even more flustered beside him, and Siegfried even more flustered behind them. Martha found the expressions on the three of them incredibly amusing.
Then, looking at Leon, she muttered in a low voice.
"Bravo, Martha Life!"
Martha blacked out.
[Lucy's Secret Shock Journal - Episode 28]
I visited Falken Corporation today.
Shock No. 1. The Princess secured a deal to raise the commission from 1 percent to 3 percent and to jointly supply Valois family lavender and herbs to the Imperial Palace. CEO Julius signed it. He said it was "getting back what was siphoned off in interest," and looking at the documents, that is exactly how it turned out.
Shock No. 2: CEO Julius said it was a shame that the Duke didn't come; they would have at least had a celebratory drink. The Princess said, "Do you think I can't drink? I'll show you what I'm made of." I didn't have a chance to stop her.
Shock No. 3: Orange juice whiskey, setting cognac on fire, tequila grenadine, pineapple glass rum coconut. She made all of these things. When they caught fire, I almost screamed for real. I still don't know where she learned that.
Shock No. 4: CEO Julius shouted, "Bravo, Princess Serena," and then fainted on the table with both thumbs raised. Right in that position.
Shock No. 5: The Princess stumbled while climbing into the carriage. At that moment, Young Master Leon wrapped his arms around her waist. He said he happened to have business over here, but I don't know if that was true or not.
Shock No. 6: While Young Master Leon was still holding her waist, the Princess suddenly placed both hands on his cheeks. Then she spoke in a low voice, "Bravo, Martha Life!" Young Master Leon froze. I froze, too. Mr. Siegfried froze as well. I couldn't check if Prince Leon's cheeks had turned red. I was too stiff myself.
But who is Martha?
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