Liszt had no idea what the maids were thinking.
He had even less interest in fooling around irresponsibly in someone else's castle, like most nobles. He was only sixteen, newly of age.
Under the laws of his homeland, you weren't an adult until eighteen, and couldn't marry until you were twenty-two.
For now, it was best to focus on growing up. There was no need to think too much about anything else; it would only sap his energy. His predecessor had been a good-for-nothing, but Liszt now had every confidence he could become a Sky Knight. His talent was good, and he had the Smoke Mission to help him. Maybe one day he could ride a dragon and become a Dragon Knight.
The strongest fighters in this world were Dragon Knights, beings capable of laying waste to the world with a single move.
"I can't stop training in Fire Dragon Drill and Flame Wave. I may be able to avoid going to war, but I need to keep honing my ability to protect myself."
The midday meal was a family gathering at Long-Yam Castle, with only a few people at the table. Messiro and his wife were away overseeing tax collection in their fief, leaving only the two generations of masters in the castle. That was the custom at Long-Yam Castle: the captain of the knights did not dine there, and Meiopal's tutor had already gone to the city to take up a government post.
So there were only the two generations of masters and the three siblings seated around the table.
Marquis Merlin sat in a wheelchair and had difficulty getting around. The food at the castle was also a cut above what they served at Tulip Castle. The bread on the plates was proof enough: it was the finest white bread.
Liszt picked up a roll and took a small bite. It was soft, fragrant, and had a marvelous melt-in-your-mouth texture. It barely seemed like bread at all; it was more like cake.
The wine was red wine from Lachi Manor's cellars, a fine vintage even more expensive than New Moon Red Wine.
As the covers came off the dishes one by one, they revealed roast beef pudding, salmon with golden sauce, snipe eggs, jellied meat with mayonnaise and rock lobster, roast goose with lettuce salad, meat pies with cheese, asparagus leaves, and trout with lobster sauce. The spread could have rivaled a grand holiday feast at Tulip Castle.
Despite the rich variety of dishes, the mood was rather stiff.
The Marquis was a serious man, and he had once wielded the full authority of the navy. His presence alone was imposing. Levis and Lvera both felt ill at ease in front of him, speaking with great care.
Liszt felt somewhat constrained too. In his mind, a bunch of "ancients" weren't anything special, but in practice, it was hard to feel at ease around strangers.
So it was better to focus on eating something delicious.
Especially the jellied meat with mayonnaise and rock lobster.
It was delicious.
He had already finished a plate and ordered another.
"Rock lobsters come from the waters around Red Crab Island. Our family fleet rarely goes fishing, so we rely on fishermen who risk going out to catch them. The supply is limited, and nearly all of them are sent to the castle," Meiopal said, nibbling on his bread. "If you like them, I'll have some live ones prepared for you."
"They must be difficult to transport. It's a long way from Long-Yam Castle to my Flower Town. I'd have to travel for a day and a half to Red Crab Island, take a boat for a day, then travel another half day to Flower Town. With overnight stops and other delays, it would take at least five days to get back."
"Actually, rock lobsters are easy to keep alive. You just have to sprinkle them with a little water every day. They have the bloodline of the sea monster Brocade Lobster, so they're hardy."
Sea monsters were magical beasts of the ocean.
Liszt naturally had no objection. "Then thank you."
"Don't mention it." Meiopal smiled. Of the three siblings in the Tulip Family, he felt closest to Liszt. Perhaps it was because their good looks spoke to one another, or because like tended to attract like—handsome people always became friends with other handsome people.
Hearing their conversation, the Marquis suddenly said, "Liszt, tell me about life in Flower Town."
"Grandfather, there's not much to tell about life in Flower Town."
"You can tell me about the local customs and the living conditions."
"Well, it's a small town of fewer than two thousand people. It was first established after a new variety of tulip was discovered, and Father moved his people there to build Flower Town. These days, we mainly grow wheat, but the land is rather poor and the taxes are low. Fortunately, a new variety of tulip magical herb has grown in the town, which could bring new opportunities for development."
"A new variety of magical herb? That's good news." The Marquis asked, "Did Tulip Castle pay a considerable sum of gold coins for it?"
"We agreed on a share of the profits. The town can't grow many of them, so I made a deal with my brother and sister to grow them together. In return, they'll give me thirty percent of the profits."
"Hmm, an interesting arrangement—and far more valuable than a one-time payment in gold. Liszt, you inherited not only Melissa's beauty, but also the Long-Yam Family's shrewdness."
The Long-Yam Family's shrewdness was well known throughout the Grand Duchy.
It all went back to the Marquis's father, the previous Marquis, who had been only a count at the time. The Grand Duchy was preparing to venture to the mainland to compete for mineral resources and urgently needed funds to arm its knight corps. So the count gave away his entire fortune to support Grand Duke Sapphire's campaign, and in the end, he received Red Crab Island and the title of Marquis in return.
Now, the income from Red Crab Island each year was probably worth more than the entire fortune the count had given away.
It had been an incredibly profitable deal.
"Flower Town is only a small town. I need to make money to cover the castle's expenses."
"Self-reliance is the mark of a worthy noble."
Courage, courtesy, loyalty, self-reliance... Nobles had a whole list of virtues they liked to talk about. The one that rang truest was self-reliance. Most of them were parasites who squeezed the common people dry, and probably didn't know what a hoe looked like if they'd never seen one growing up.
Of course, when the Marquis spoke of self-reliance, he probably meant "relying on yourself to squeeze people dry," instead of asking your family for money.
The evening meal followed the midday feast.
After dinner came a rest. The next day, they woke to another midday feast. Afterward, Meiopal became busy. On the Marquis's instructions, he planned to hold a grand ball that night and invite the young noble men and women from the surrounding towns.
A noble's ball was basically a matchmaking event.
The second and third sons of noble families were especially keen to attend. The eldest son would inherit his father's title and had no trouble finding a marriage alliance. The second and third sons had to make an effort themselves and try to marry a rich, beautiful woman so they could continue enjoying a noble's life.
Otherwise, generation after generation, they would eventually end up as ordinary knights and fall out of the nobility.
Noblewomen were keen on balls too. Not every young lady could marry a noble's eldest son, so they also had to set their sights on promising heirs and put their charms to work.
"Liszt, you need to get ready!" Meiopal brought in his personal manservant, who carried a huge pile of formal clothes. "I've never worn any of these. You and I are about the same size, so they'll fit you perfectly."
"Cousin, do I really have to try them on one by one? I think what I'm wearing now is fine."
"No, we have to get it just right. Think about it: I had the knights ride out with the invitations yesterday, and nobles from at least thirteen small towns should have received them and be able to make it to the ball. Just imagine how many beautiful young ladies will be waiting to make a match with you and begin a wonderful romance."
"I'm still young. I'm in no hurry to get married." Liszt was at a loss for words. How had he never noticed his cousin's enthusiasm for playing matchmaker? "You should help my sister get ready. She's at the right age to marry. And my brother needs to find a suitable candidate to be the future mistress of Tulip Castle."
"They don't need me to remind them. Levis borrowed a lot of formal clothes ages ago, and Lvera's been getting ready since this morning. Didn't you notice?"
"Really?"
Liszt really hadn't noticed. In his free time, he'd been busy reading through Long-Yam Castle's library. At the feasts, he'd been focused on doing battle with the food.