Chapter 27: Blue flower candy
In a pot, put sugar, water, and the stem part of that blue flower, and simmer it gently.
A slightly refreshing scent wafted through the air. Take the liquid candy off the heat, discard the stem parts, and pour half of the volume into metal bottle caps coated with oil.
Then, add the blue flowers, insert a stick for removal, and pour more candy on top.
Leave it for a while and let it cool and harden――.
“Ta-da! Blue flower candy!”
Leon, who had finished his morning work and was rolling on the bed, turned his face towards her at the sound of her voice.
“Candy, huh. . .”
“Oh, do you have something to say, Leon?”
“If we take it to the hot spring cabin, syrup would sell better, right?”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do. We can’t gather enough flowers to make syrup, and the blue pigment from these flowers doesn’t come out as much as I thought.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway, let’s try taking it there. Someone might buy it. These flowers fade quickly when they’re not fresh. Let’s go quickly.”
Leon, yawning widely, followed Diana as she left the cabin.
The two of them rode on their beloved horse, Regina.
While manipulating the reins, Leon rested his head on Diana’s shoulder.
“Hey. . .”
“It’s nice to be able to be close to my wife without reservation.”
“What? Have you wanted to be close all this time?”
“Don’t say it like that. . .Of course, I’ve always liked you.”
Diana recalled their previous travels and felt a bit embarrassed.
When they arrived at the hot spring cabin, a few villagers were gathered, perhaps because the weather was good after bathing.
The appearance of Diana, who hadn’t been seen for a while, caused some excitement among the older ladies.
“Oh, Diana, long time no see!”
“We were worried because we haven’t seen you since the wedding.”
Diana and her husband dismounted their horses.
“Everyone, it’s been a while.”
“Oh, Diana. What’s in that pot?”
With confidence, she took out the candy.
“What do you think of this? It’s not peppermint, but. . .it’s candy with a peppermint-like flavor!”
Seeing what she confidently took out, the older ladies showed forced smiles.
“Oh, I see. It’s not syrup.”
“Oh, well. . .”
“We wanted something refreshing after bathing.”
“Oh, I see.”
Although she had imagined it, seeing the dull reaction in front of her, it seemed that bringing this here was a failure. Diana smiled on the surface but felt a little disheartened. She walked back to Leon, who was by the horse, with a dejected expression.
“It seems like it’s not working after all.”
“. . .I told you. Syrup is popular.”
“. . .I guess we should look for bright red roses.”
“That’s a good idea. They don’t grow on our mountain, but they must be somewhere.”
“To get the red pigment, we need a bucket full of petals. Like when we made wisteria syrup.”
“Well. . .I wonder if there’s a rose garden in full bloom.”
“. . .There probably isn’t.”
Leon patted Diana’s slumped back to encourage her.
“Well, well, that’s how it goes. Not everything goes smoothly, right?”
“. . .Yeah.”
“When it comes to roses, I’ll ask around.”
“Thank you.”
At that moment, as if replacing the older ladies, Dennis, a well-built man, arrived.
“Oh, long time no see, Diana. How are you?”
“Oh, Dennis-san.”
Because the older ladies’ reactions weren’t favorable, Diana couldn’t bring herself to sell flower candy to a man.
“Are you here to sell wisteria syrup again? Oh, wait, I’ll take a bottle for my wife. She’ll be happy.”
“Um, I’m sorry. Unfortunately, I don’t have it with me anymore.”
“Oh, I see. The wisteria season is over, huh? Can’t you make syrup with other flowers?”
Dennis peered into Diana’s slumped basket without reservation.
Inside, transparent candy containing blue flowers was shining at the bottom.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
“Oh, it’s blue flower candy. It tastes a bit like peppermint.”
“Oh, interesting. Give me one.”
Diana’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
“What’s with that reaction? Oh, I see. Are you thinking that Ojii-san will not buy it?”
Diana laughed and tried to play it off. Dennis laughed heartily.
“I’m going to buy it for my wife, of course! It’s perfect as a gift.”
Diana’s eyes widened.
“For a gift. . .”
“Oh, well, I had a fight with my wife the other day. Women like sweet things and flowers, right? If I give her this, maybe she’ll be in a better mood.”
“I see! So that’s what it’s for. . .”
In that case, it’s understandable for Ojii-sama to buy it instead of the ladies. Dennis took out a handkerchief and carefully wrapped the candy.
“Alright. I also brought various things. Which one do you want to exchange?”
Diana focused on Dennis’ tool bag. It was filled with many handkerchiefs.
“This handkerchief. . .?”
“Oh, it was supposed to be sold to the nobles by a certain factory, but it was left unsold due to the war. I thought of selling them to the wealthy people who are gathering in the suburbs.”
Diana set her eyes on the sheer organza handkerchief.
“I want three of those transparent handkerchiefs.”
“Three, huh? That’s worth more than one candy.”
“Then I’ll give you another one.”
“Oh, alright. Then the deal is done.”
Diana exchanged two candies and three organza handkerchiefs.
The neighboring Leon expressed his confusion and complained a little.
“. . .Handkerchiefs won’t fill our stomachs.”
As Diana bid farewell to Dennis, she responded.
“If we add value to the candy, it will work.”
Leon raised an eyebrow. She presented the handkerchiefs in front of him, like in a game of Old Maid.
“If we wrap them, we can set a higher price.”
“Hmm? Are you planning to sell them as gifts?”
“Exactly. The target audience is men.”
“Will that really work?”
“We won’t know unless we try.”
At that moment. . .
From afar, a familiar carriage approached.
Diana and Leon exclaimed in surprise.
The person who got off the carriage and noticed the two of them was Gustav, the heir of Ishtar Trading Company.
