Chapter 69
“…Ahem. I’ve roughly grasped the atmosphere for now.”
I had given another grandly confident yet embarrassing response. My ears burned red with awkwardness, but Johan smoothly changed the subject for me.
“It might be good to hear directly from those who claim to have been wronged by the witch.”
“Ah, that’s a good idea.”
So we went to find the seven dwarfs. Since Sylvie had gathered different dimensions, we could travel by carriage without going through doors.
The seven dwarfs sitting around a campfire were munching on kebabs.
‘Dinner? Ah, it’s already gotten this late.’
I approached the dwarfs and greeted them.
“Hello there, this is our third meeting.”
Our previous encounter hadn’t ended well, so I was cautious, but I needed to hear their story.
The dwarfs turned to look at me in unison, each saying,
“Isn’t that the bartender from before?”
“The one who was with the witch… what’s going on?”
“And she came with a handsome lad. Don’t tell me you brought the prince to wake Snow White?”
“But it’s too late! Snow White already woke up from the neighboring prince’s kiss.”
“That’s right. She’s already left for her wedding.”
Was it because Snow White had awoken? I expected to be brushed off, but surprisingly, they were quite welcoming.
“I’m glad the princess has awoken.”
“Sit, sit. It’s a happy day, have a kebab each.”
Johan and I sat among the dwarfs, who offered us kebabs generously stuffed with meat and vegetables.
Ahh, hot, hot. As I blew on the kebab, surveying the atmosphere, they didn’t really seem cheerful for some reason.
‘They said it’s a happy day, but everyone looks gloomy?’
I cautiously spoke up.
“There’s a joyous occasion, but you all…seem down?”
The dwarfs all let out a deep sigh in unison.
“Well, you see… Alas, our muse is gone.”
“Who knew she’d up and leave overnight? It feels like there’s a hole in my chest.”
How to put it? They seemed like fans who had been forced to move on from someone.
“It must feel empty.”
“It does. Ah, pour me one of those mixed drinks you make.”
“Yeah! Let’s have one of your cocktails!”
The dwarfs unanimously called for a cocktail.
Right, a drink is just the thing for times like this.
“I have the perfect cocktail in mind for you all.”
I summoned my cocktail-making kit and picked out some dry gin. The juniper-forward classic gin would anchor the cocktail’s core.
“Anise…hmm, I’m out. I’ll use pastis instead.”
I quickly gathered the ingredients and filled a shaker with ice, then added egg white, pastis, cream, and gin in order, shaking vigorously.
Finally, I strained the completed cocktail into champagne coupes.
“This one is called ‘Café de…'”
“This is!”
The dwarfs who had been silently watching interrupted me, rushing over. They gaped at the delicate white frothy topping.
“This exquisite white foam! As beautiful as Snow White herself!”
“Looking at it reminds me of the first snowfall, when the princess made us into snowmen.”
I had no chance to interject as the dwarfs reminisced through tears and laughter over the single cocktail and memories of Snow White.
Well, this was one way to enjoy a cocktail. I shrugged and started packing up my kit when:
“So, what’s the name of this cocktail?”
Instead of the dwarfs, it was Johan showing interest in the drink.
“The Café de Paris.”
It means ‘Café of Paris.’ A senior bartender who had been to Paris said that drinking this cocktail makes you feel like walking through the bustling streets of Paris.
‘I’m not familiar with France, but….’
For Johan’s sake, I unpacked the ingredients again and made another ‘Cafe de Paris,’ lightly grating some nutmeg over the top.
The pristine white image seemed important for the dwarfs, so I omitted it, but the overall balance mattered more for Johan.
“It’s a cocktail with an alluring rich froth that coats the tongue. Would you care to try it?”
“I’ve been waiting.”
Johan received the glass and drank the Café de Paris. As if savoring the taste, he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them.
“The initial sensation on the tongue is similar to the ‘Pink Lady.'”
“You remember! Yes, the ‘Pink Lady’ also contains egg and cream, and gets its foam from being shaken.”
“I like the unique herbaceous aroma. Though personally…”
Johan trailed off, setting down his glass. Why the sudden pause? Was there an issue?
“I prefer the ‘Pink Lady.’ It rather reminds me of someone.”
It was obvious who this ‘someone’ was.
“Now that I look at it, this color. It matches your hair perfectly.”
As Johan said, the Pink Lady resembled me.
While I was briefly at a loss for words, the dwarfs who had finished their drinks spoke up to me.
“By the way, you there!”
“Yes?”
“Stop associating with that witch. Witches are dangerous. She might even offer you a poisoned apple.”
“Actually…I think she already did offer me a poisoned apple.”
That old woman was probably Sylvie, thinking I was having an affair with Cedric and confronting me about it.
Logically, I should be angry, but…
‘Anyway, I didn’t eat it, did I? Then it’s fine, what’s the big deal.’
After all, there wasn’t any real poison in the poisoned apple. Sylvie probably didn’t actually intend to kill me.
There may not be a prince to wake me with a kiss, but I was the one who narrowly avoided harm, so whatever.
“Is that so?”
Surprisingly, the response came not from the dwarfs, but Johan. When I nodded, Johan’s eyes narrowed sharply.
Did I just say something wrong?
“There was a misunderstanding! It was resolved properly, really.”
I hurriedly tried to smooth things over in case he got angry, and changed the subject.
“Anyway, I want to learn more about the witch. Tell me anything.”
The dwarves poured out their words as if they had been waiting for mine.
“As for what she’d do for food, she offered a poisoned apple to the helpless Snow White! A cunning woman!”
“She must have been in cahoots with the evil queen.”
“If the prince from the neighboring kingdom hadn’t come after receiving the saint’s revelation, it would’ve been a disaster.”
“The saint’s revelation?”
Wait a minute.
“I even leaked information about Snow White to a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom. I didn’t torment the girl, I just played matchmaker.”
This contradicts what Sylvie said.
“The prince said during a stroll, the saint appeared and handed him a letter telling him to awaken the princess trapped in eternal sleep.”
“I see.”
I nodded. Since the prince himself said so, it must have been the saint, not Sylvie, who directly delivered the letter.
‘But there’s still a possibility she intercepted Sylvie’s letter and gave it instead.’
Instead of saying she delivered the letter directly, Sylvie used the vague phrasing “leaked information.” She probably didn’t care about who physically handed it over.
‘But why would the saint do that?’
It didn’t make sense. If it was already public knowledge that Cedric and the witch had broken up.
Could she perhaps hold a grudge against Sylvie, Cedric’s ex-lover? Was this some drama over romance?
“Trapped in sleep that seemed eternal, just imagine how hard it must have been for the princess!”
One of the dwarves vented his frustration, and another, who had been quietly sipping his cocktail, murmured hesitantly.
“But the princess said…she had sweet dreams while asleep.”
“Hey! Why are you always defending the witch!”
“B-But…it’s the truth, isn’t it?”
Even among the dwarfs, opinions on the witch seemed somewhat divided.
“She’s probably having sweet dreams now, but those dwarves only badmouth me.”
That recent remark lent more credibility to Sylvie’s claim.
By the time our conversation ended, night had fallen. The dwarfs led us to a nearby village.
“We’re off to eat.”
“Yeah, take care going back!”
“If the witch disappears from the bar, let us know. We’d love to have cocktails again next time.”
The dwarves each said a few words before heading home.
I could have just used Return to go back to my lounge and rest, but it seemed inconvenient for Johan to return to his estate only to come find me again the next day.
‘I can’t let the duke sleep at my house.’
It would be okay if it were Chris, who had nowhere else to go, but it felt inappropriate to host such an esteemed guest in my humble home.
I’d feel awkward even showing him the messy upstairs, to be honest.
So I decided we should stay at an inn.
‘May as well enjoy a little staycation.’
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⋆｡‧˚ʚ Translator Note ɞ˚‧｡⋆
The Café of Paris, as described, is an elegant, creamy, and lightly herbal cocktail with a luxurious texture. The frothy top created by the egg white enhances its aesthetic appeal, making it visually captivating and suitable for a sophisticated setting.
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Thank you for reading! ♡
