Walking out the door, Yohan was approached by Maia with a letter.

  "This is from The Guild, Mr Yohan. It contains the list of guests to whom the wine needs to be delivered. You can check with the other staff at the pantry," she informed him.

  Nodding his head, Yohan headed to the pantry and received an elegantly wrapped gift box containing the wine he had tasted the previous night.

  "You must be Yohan, right? This is for Madam Noelle Estelle Morris on Vivian Street. Please check the information with the printed letter; it should be on page 2," a staff member said.

  After confirming the package, Yohan set out for the narrow streets of Vine Vilge and arrived at the door of the designated address. The exterior of the building resembled a tropical cottage house, with bricks as the foundation and wooden beams supporting its structure. However, as the door opened, it revealed an opulent design filled with red leather furniture, golden linings, fshy ornaments, and glistening walls; a stark contrast to its humble exterior.

  From what Yohan understood, Vivian Street was where noble guests stayed. Disguised as part of the town, the interiors were customised based on the preferences of the guests. It was one of the unique features of the 'hotels' in Vidar.

  At the door, a dy dressed in a purple gown with bck ce, almond-coloured hair tied into a messy bun, and a distinctive mole under her right eye welcomed him in. She fluttered her intricate ce fan as she walked to the living room and sat, with tea and scones prepared on the side table.

  "I assume the box you're holding is the wine for me to taste," she said in a gentle voice. Yohan nodded and set the box on the table.

  "You're quite young; what's your name?"

  "Yohan from The Guild, Madam. This is the unreleased Vidar Grape Wine No.6 Aroma. It has a distinctive taste of sweetness, a hint of sourness, and a bitter aftertaste. It best complements Vidar Grape Wine No.2 Feelin' Blue mixed with beaten egg white."

  "That's the first I've heard of it. Do you know how to mix wine, Yohan?" she asked as she opened the box. Inside y a thick gss wine bottle with an embzoned wax stamp on its bel. A maid behind her pced two empty wine gsses and garnishes on a tray.

  "I know a trick or two, but it’s been a long time.”

  "Of course. I'm not well-versed in concocting wines, but after hearing your recommendation, I would like to try the mixture. Although you're a delivery man, if you have expertise in mixing wine, feel free to use the ingredients provided by my maid. Otherwise, we can just enjoy the wine on its own."

  Looking at the materials, Yohan smiled politely and held the double jigger between his fingers.

  "It's been a while since I've been a bartender. Well, let me give it a shot."

  He poured two ounces of Vidar Grape Wine No.2 Feelin' Blue and an egg white with a dash of lemon into the shaker and shook it thoroughly for 30 seconds until the foam looked velvety and stabilised. Then, he added ice to chill the mixture for a few seconds before straining it. A cssic tall chilled gss was swiftly prepared as he filled it halfway with Vidar Grape Wine No.6 Aroma. Steadily, he poured the concoction, and froth floated out of the gss, maintaining its form. Afterwards, he added a mint garnish and served it to Madam Noelle.

  "This is 'Paper Moon', a drink that has yet to be avaible at the 'Rejoice with Wine' pub. The head bartender taught me how to make it while he was experimenting with different concoctions. The taste is not far from its original fvours," he shared.

  'Yet again, my past life's bartending skills come into py on occasions like this. Maybe doing odd jobs has its benefits too.' He gnced at the purplish-blue colour of the drink he had made.

  Enchanted by the gradient swirls of the drink, Madam Noelle cpped her hands in delight and smiled pleasantly.

  "This is an extremely beautiful drink. I always love the colours of the night, and this embodies that. I also love the name of this drink! I'm familiar with Damien and his creations never fail to impress me," she praised. "It reminds me of the Butterfly Pea tea I had in the East. With a squeeze of lemon, a magical chemical reaction occurs."

  Instructing her maid to pour another gss from the same bottle, their gsses clinked as she sipped the drink delicately, savouring every drop.

  "Oh my heavens! Knowing Damien, I believe he demonstrated his skills, but for you to exactly recreate the drink is very remarkable! The taste is creamy yet the texture is silky and smooth, as if I'm having a combination of a cocktail and wine," Madam Noelle noted.

  "Madam Noelle, you're overly generous. I had a fair interest, but I am content with my current job," Yohan smiled.

  Madam Noelle held his hands and shook her head.

  "Yohan, I can recognise talent. I just hope that my praises can make you realise that you have potential and talents. If you ever wish to change your job, you can approach me."

  She quickly grabbed her pen and started to write a letter. For every delivery, Yohan needed to collect the guests' comments and bring them back to the mansion. Her pen swayed as she scribbled her earnest opinion. From one page to another, she wrote at least five pages. As she focused on her writing, she continued to ask questions about Yohan's experiences and life, which he answered with a mixture of lies and truth.

  "Here is the letter. It's been a while since I've conversed openly with someone. Talking to you reminded me of my husband. Perhaps because you share the same name as him, but he is a wonderful doctor. Unfortunately, he's very busy with his work and rarely spends time drinking wine or tea with me. So your company gives me a sense of nostalgia for my younger days," Madam Noelle chatted.

  "Wine is like aged love. When it's made fresh, it is sweet and tasteful. As the wine stores, the fermentation process takes pce, it becomes a more complex fvour, with depth and bitterness. However, after many years, the final stage to compose the fvours is ter made into products."

  "Winemaking is such a romantic tradition. I hope one day you will share the same sentiment with someone who stays with you for a lifetime."

  Her words became soft and quiet, realising her rambling.

  "Ah, pardon me. I'm just reminiscing." Her face flushed red as she stood up quickly. "I must be taking your time; you have other deliveries to make, right? Let me see you out."

  "There's no need to, Madam Noelle. I must be very simir to your husband."

  "Hahaha, no, no. You're different. At least you're young and energetic. He's the Empire's famous doctor, Sir Yohan Elmer Morris. With such a title, he gets his soul sucked out everyday," she lightheartedly jokes.

  'Elmer…' Yohan felt a wave of familiarity. 'Isn't he the head doctor of the camp?'

  Back then, when Yohan was part of the Imperial Knights' Opia research, he met Sir Elmer as a b partner. He left a deep impression on him because he was the only one who discovered Yohan was faking his medical knowledge through his expertise.

  It was quite embarrassing to be caught by the Empire's renowned doctor, but he acknowledged Yohan's skills in assisting the research.

  'He had mentioned his wife before, but I never had the chance to meet her.'

  Sir Elmer was a loving husband. Despite prioritising his duties, he often shared how much he missed her back at the camp.

  "I believe the reason why he is holding on to his work is because he misses you so dearly." Yohan said, remembering the time he spent with Sir Elmer.

  "Oh, what a sweet talker," Madam Noelle giggled, hiding her faint smile behind her ce fan.

  Standing at the doorway, she bid Yohan farewell.

  "I'll be looking forward to the next wine development. If you're free, we can meet up and have a wine party," she invited him.

  "I'll make time for that, I promise," Yohan replied, bowing his head, taking his leave.

  Reporting back to the mansion, Yohan handed the letter to Maia, who ter delivered it personally to the Duke.

  Rexing in the pantry, a figure with one hand in his pocket and the other carelessly twirling a beret hat entered and noticed Yohan. His face brightened, and he waved his hat, catching Yohan's attention.

  Pcing his hat back on, he pulled up a stool and sat across from Yohan.

  "You're back from your trip? How was it?" he asked.

  Unlike his usual formal coachman outfit, he was dressed in a casual uniform with a tousled ochre yellow hat, enhancing his rexed composure.

  "Not bad. How about you, Eric? You look like you rushed back here," Yohan pointed to Eric's forehead, which was covered in sweat.

  "Oh, is it that noticeable? I think I'm suffering from a fever, or maybe it's just the heat," Eric said, wiping his face and hair.

  "The weather is getting unkind; you should drink more water," Yohan suggested as he poured two wooden cups of water.

  "Thank you. Since we have nothing to do for the day, let me tell you something I heard on the street," Eric whispered for dramatic effect.

  "I know you just arrived, but I heard of cases where people in town suddenly became unreasonably violent! Either to themselves or others. Many testimonies cim that the victims had no signs of physical harm beforehand, and there's one common factor in all these cases..." he paused for emphasis.

  "It's said that they were cursed by an evil entity summoned at the abandoned church in the far east of Vine! Apparently, a cult worshipping immortality there failed to keep it under control, and now it's rampaging, causing people to lose their rationality at the sight of a 'foreign' existence," Eric shared in a spooky tone, though his cheeky smile made it seem like he was telling a made-up folklore to scare children.

  'This guy sure has a lot of time to imagine things, even with a fever,' Yohan thought sarcastically.

  "Okay, don't tell anyone, but I went to that church just now. It has such complex Gothic architecture; the pce is fantastically beautiful. I almost felt like the main character exploring a dungeon in another dimension to unravel its mysteries..." Eric continued, his eyes shining with excitement.

  "If you have time, you should come with me! I've always wanted to explore abandoned buildings. But my brother always keeps tabs on me, making it hard to leave the mansion whenever I want," he pouted.

  "Your brother works here?"

  "Huh? I thought you met him this morning. He's that scary, gsses-wearing head butler, Eren!" Eric said matter-of-factly.

  "Eh, I thought we looked simir. More specifically, we're twins."

  'I'm sorry? I don't see anything common between you two brothers,' Yohan thought, raising his eyebrows.

  "Oh, no wonder your names sound simir." Yohan responded awkwardly.

  "Okay, listen up, Yohan. Please, please, please hang out with me next Wednesday. That's our only day off, and we can hang out around town... and chill here and there..." Eric dragged his words slowly.

  "And..."

  "You just want to explore that church again?"

  "Yeah, with you."

  "But you're sick."

  "I won't be by then," he confidently excimed.

  "So... can you..."

  His eyes sparkled pitifully as he csped his hands tightly, pleading with Yohan to join his adventure.

  Yohan sighed and agreed, equally curious about his surroundings.

  "Alright, this weekend I'll devise our 'day out.'"