A Headache

"This is what the Texas Family is most proud of... and it's the symbol of the Texas Family... If you've ever looked at the family crest, you'll see elements of grapes and wineries in it."

Celinina did not refuse... or rather, although she did not drink, she was filled with nostalgia for this product from her birthplace.

She held the wine glass, slowly swirling it, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Lappland, standing to the side, downed his glass in one gulp.

"How could I possibly be in the mood to learn all this? It's not like it belongs to our family."

"Speaking of which, this wine is actually quite good..."

"Hmm?" Texas curiously, "Is it good?"

She brought her lips to the wine glass, took a small sip, and her face immediately turned bright red.

She forced herself to swallow the food, her brows twitching wildly as she endured the discomfort spreading through her mouth.

Then... the way she looked at the wine glass changed.

"This stuff... tastes good?"

"Of course," Lappland raised an eyebrow, her expression composed. "This stuff tastes pretty good... If you've ever had our winery's... well, never mind, let's not talk about this one."

"Looks like I'm not good at drinking these things."

Celinina's face flushed slightly. She shook her head and placed the wine glass on the table.

Its tail wagged restlessly from side to side.

This embarrassing situation made Lappland burst into laughter.

"It's clearly something you produced, and you're saying you can't drink it? That's the funniest joke I've heard in a while."

Haha~

Lappland laughed heartily.

But Celinina didn't argue; she just rubbed her temples, looking somewhat helpless.

"I'm just not good at it... I don't like drinking these things."

"That's such a pity... you've missed out on one of the great joys of life in Siracusa."

"However... there's nothing we can do about it, after all, not everyone has my kind of talent!"

As she spoke, Lappland confidently put her hands on her hips, her tail wagging rapidly behind her, and her expression became even more confident, as if she had defeated Celinina in some way.

Children's competitive spirit is present in all aspects of life.

As he spoke, Lappland poured himself another glass, took a bite of the small bread next to him, and then downed the drink in one gulp.

"Ha~ This wine tastes pretty good... The person who brewed it is definitely a genius, an impeccable genius!"

"If Dionysus truly has an incarnation, then I believe he is Dionysus's current representative in Siracusa!"

As she spoke, Lappland made extremely exaggerated, operatic gestures.

Then, the conversation shifted again.

"So, do you know who he is? I'll ask Dad if we can poach him."

Lappland spoke with a smile, but her words made Celinina's eyebrows twitch slightly.

To her face, he said he wanted to poach her family's brewer?

After hearing Lappland talk about her winemaker's dilemma, she immediately understood what the other person was thinking.

Although the exchange and distribution of benefits between families didn't concern them much, how could they, as important figures in their respective families, be completely unaware of it?

So, after a moment of silence, Celinina made her decision.

Let me see.

The Texas Family and the Saluzzo Family need to maintain friendly relations for now...

Just as Celinina picked up the bottle and examined it closely for a few moments...

Her expression became even more subtle.

"Huh? What? You don't recognize the winemaker of this bottle?"

Lappland raised an eyebrow.

But Celinina simply shook her head.

"No... this wine... was brewed by the Texas Family to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Poporo Winery. It's a limited edition of 3,000 bottles, making it one of the highest-end wines they've produced in recent years."

"As for its brewer..."

Celinina pondered for a moment, then silently reached out and tore off the label from the wine glass, revealing the text on the back.

[Celinina was brewed at the age of eight]

"Is that really how it is?"

Upon seeing the following text, Celinina's expression became somewhat subtle.

Meanwhile, Lappland and Lavinia, standing to the side, each displayed their own distinct expressions.

Lavinia was somewhat surprised. After all, Texas looked pretty much the same age as her, so she hadn't expected her to be the brewer of such an important commemorative wine.

Lappland's reaction was more subtle.

She just gave an exaggerated performance, praising the winemaker.

But when I turned around...

Celinina's brew?

Where does she get so much time?!

"I only handled a few aspects... the rest of the arrangements have already been made by the families."

Celinina shook her head, showing no pride in it.

Meanwhile, Lappland, standing to the side, couldn't hold back any longer.

"You mean, you were involved in the operation of an important family business when you were eight years old?"

"It only lasted for that period of time."

"... whispering sound."

Lappland frowned, suddenly feeling that the wine in her hand had lost all its flavor, and her expression became somewhat displeased.

But half a day later, she couldn't help herself and turned to look at Celinina.

"So... these really were brewed by you?"

"I only participated in a part; the vast majority of the work was done by the master chefs who have served the family for decades. The flavor that satisfies you might be one of theirs."

Celinina's voice was very calm, as if her actions were nothing serious.

Lappland, on the other hand, looked unhappy.

Half a day later, she finally turned her head away.

"Snort!"

"Um?"

Celinina and Lavinia exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat puzzled.

Fortunately, their doubts didn't last long.

Maria quickly finished her errands for the day and returned to her room.

But unlike before, Maria didn't rush to rest after returning to her room today. Instead, she glanced at everyone present and then focused on Celinina.

"You... come out with me."

"I have something to give you..."

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

Lavinia had no idea what Maria and Celinina had talked about that night.

All she knew was that after that night when she returned, the relationship between Celinina and Lappland became more complicated.

The competitive spirit between the two became even more pronounced; they would even argue over who got into the bathroom to wash up first.

But Lavinia had to admit that during this period, Lappland and Celinina changed almost daily.

Even someone as inexperienced in combat as her could sense that the two girls' abilities were improving at an astonishing rate.

Even without experiencing it firsthand, she could sense the extraordinary progress the two of them were making from the subtle nuances of their interactions.

But she couldn't say anything.

After all, something far more significant... is happening right before everyone's eyes...

The wake at Saluzzo's old man!

Vigil ceremony...

This is a ritual widely practiced in Siracusa... although there are various variations, the general content is largely the same.

The first step is to send an envelope to the deceased's relatives, friends, or other close acquaintances.

This notice was essentially a ticket; only those who received the envelope were eligible to enter for the vigil.

The vigil ceremony is often divided into three parts.

The ceremony consisted of a prayer session, a banquet, and a farewell ceremony for the deceased.

Some people with special relationships may be invited by the host family to participate in the nightly guarding of the body... until the burial ceremony ends the next day.

This matter originally had nothing to do with Lavinia.

After all, given her status, it would be difficult for her to come into contact with people like the Saluzzo Family.

In fact, her contact with the Bellone Family was an extremely lucky coincidence.

This shows that the Saluzzo Family has nothing to do with her life.

But...

I wonder what Maria was thinking.

The night before the wake, she specifically instructed the two little ones to bring Lavinia along as well.

This made Lavinia feel quite flattered.

She knew perfectly well that she was just a country girl from the countryside, how could she possibly be qualified to be in such an occasion?

Unfortunately, the two little ones seemed to have been bewitched by Maria, becoming completely obedient to Maria commands and insisting on taking Lavinia to the vigil.

Lavinia said she didn't know any manners, but Lappland assured her that as the eldest daughter of the Saluzzo Family, anyone who dared to mock her was making trouble for her!

Lavinia said she didn't have any decent clothes, and without a word, Celinina took out her card and led the girl into the city, just to find an outfit that the girl liked.

Finally, Lavinia had no other choice but to frankly admit that she was too afraid to attend such occasions...

After all, those who will be there will either be business tycoons or important figures in their families.

I felt completely out of place in this setting.

The two little ones really had no way to deal with this.

But after thinking about it for a while, Lappland came up with the idea.

"If you really don't want to show up, that's fine too. I can arrange for a few of us to stay in a quiet corner, and we can just follow the procedures... We don't need to communicate with anyone else during the process, that should be alright, right?"

Faced with the enthusiastic Lappland and the serious-looking Cellina, who seemed to be carrying out Maria's words as Celinina, Lavinia had no choice but to nod in agreement.

What she didn't know was...

After this night.

Her life will be completely changed...

Chapter 230 Headache