MCB Chapter 18

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Chapter 189a4d6edb643046f3

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In the early bbbe66e6ef part of Volume 64dd9b7afc 1, the gardener ab11e54dab revived the derelict fbe067f164 garden.a97187cdee0769ee

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In the middle 774cd7cbbc of Volume 1, 78e4671ed5 the duchess successfully c6b1926250 hosted a tea 1e1d7a55b9 party in the 2aa34c2a2f lush, blooming garden.8a19e6905663a298

‘This story flow seems off.’bb48be44d93b08dd

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In the last episode 3c3ad74d58 of Volume 1, the b7e08f8b7f duchess rewarded the gardener d441263f34 with a special meat 2dd324d053 party for his excellent 4fe720b164 work.c00d37dbd6797f7c

Puzzled, I flipped e176d9a715 through Volume 2, 3c6e42fef5 which showed the 1be7387cd6 brawny gardener proudly cc96a6d0d6 displaying his perfect 096095e948 topiary skills. It even hints at him 6816105e90 entering a topiary competition.463a8484ce1ee198

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Was this supposed 5cc6a43270 to be a 13611bb5bc gardening book? False advertising with that title?379615b6b17d59ec

‘Well, the Duchess does seem like an excellent employer…’b8557f15a8b6e1f5

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Feeling let down, 547b9f7b1f I closed the e165d3be1c book and got 9672663d78 up. After reading about b3df1ab325 someone working so c7457f9531 diligently, I felt a9648b853b oddly melancholic about c6d27e6e64 having to go 81c5482fad to work myself.49649efa1533f7fa

“Still, I should get up. Ugh…”95d948ee4fe7e5e4

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The cocktail bar has 7abd9d726d been getting more customers 8ec815b19b recently.3b4a29d2b6c1f963

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“Did you come because of the posters, by any chance?”8983b8a22f596d69

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I asked hopefully, right 0f51392568 after putting up meticulously 5cfc73c31b made posters everywhere.0fcc6fc5e2c317bf

 c3cca2f0180483af

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“No? A friend recommended this place.”3b03460438e18401

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Turned out they all came da0c6a20e7 by word-of-mouth recommendations from others.eb7b06815ae2890e

‘A hidden gem that will disappear if only I know about it,’ they said, but it seems everyone’s been actively spreading the word.979d0898774b5840

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‘It really was frighteningly true.’2e2bb02b5f244a8b

The customers kept saying the 30b228c122 cocktails were delicious, but there 5590abc85e were too few customers.64ed4b59ad97d60e

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‘They’re more passionate about this place than I am.’8a6b7954c66429f3

In fact, the b0b02849dd recent half-price discount 98d2ed41b2 was their suggestion 824036d73f too.b080f5576b91de0f

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“Still, it remains quiet for now.”3f75ce3f6790334b

Why did I used to 2c6f30130f come in 30 minutes early 700b04e81a to prepare the snacks?72d74a257fffa604

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It was because there were 010acaf8e1 so many customers visiting.7bffce2b14ea6470

Nowadays, there would be 8725c5c27a no one even if 12dc7ad683 I came 30 minutes 999bc63b86 late.fc44e66873197994

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‘I should enjoy this leisure.’bdb626b61b500886

I whistled as I got dressed in my bartender’s uniform and stood behind the bar counter.100389e7311a9e73

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Even after casually having a 50cb3390fd gin and tonic, there were 590232ed03 no customers, so I stacked c61cfa334b the empty glasses neatly.da60f2a68c0b7417

‘Gotta be careful, don’t want them breaking!’51d1991afe973723

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I surveyed the tower of stacked glasses with satisfaction. It would be nice to host a champagne party in this mood, but…16708a37a8e35f44

‘Who am I having a champagne party for with no customers?’326a512869b16d36

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Since I finished stacking, I 264a79689e should start cleaning up. Just as I finished 5258e6a18d with the glasses, the 7ea78a0877 door opened.ac5271b8bfb72a75

“Welcome.”a67b748460bda999

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This customer had a bow c6d232d40c slung across his back. He definitely gave off a 52e6dc27c7 hunter vibe.38360ee207ccac9a

Ignoring my greeting, 9311b7fee2 he plopped down 1094a1d857 on an empty e8ea7b6598 seat.9f49f578b5611873

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‘Ah, this isn’t a good sign.’89142b4c65c1c299

The man scanned 2eab2522a7 the surroundings suspiciously 2c6a93b8d1 before bluntly staring b8bccf1a39 at me.d7d75884f842d52f

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“You’ve got a lot of bottles on display. Seems like you’ve collected every kind of booze. Is this place competing on quantity?”f9dc3eff969d77a9

As expected, the 77cad25dce man spoke in 4380125ef0 a mocking tone.3984fbaf472826ec

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‘Why the hostility right off the bat?’694c6097ab2e9ea6

Hiding my thoughts, I fd21f53327 calmly responded.7a91ed30612fa155

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“Our establishment prides itself on variety. All those bottles are ingredients for making cocktails. We strive to create the perfect drink tailored to each customer’s taste.”89152716160ff00f

“Those bottles are ingredients? For making booze?”e0bb9680af00612d

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“Yes, by mixing various—”a6bcdb58595ea2db

“Mixing liquor? That just makes it spoil faster!”9a937a05602e148b

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The man suddenly raised dd93314732 his voice.76e945d8f2b03d9e

“That’s simply our establishment’s policy.”c392d2f4eb61a7c0

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“You don’t know how to drink liquor properly. Who would consume such a mishmash!”2c2b438041956d68

“Whether it’s a mishmash or not, you’d have to try it to know, right?”a9dc2b2214c1387a

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Regardless of his huffing, bd81305d65 I calmly responded.abd14cba7bd31fc0

“Fine. Since you’re so confident….. bring me a drink that’s rich yet sweet, emotional yet fragrant, and unique.”6528e2683f50f482

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“Yes! Order received.”47f3cee21e07bffb

It was an outrageous 60e3d70a14 order, but I nodded db90929c5f as I mulled over 4d32e8bbad the details in my d5817af177 head.72bd3c47513c8ac2

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Seeming displeased with my d81e8d50eb composed demeanor, the man 4e6e08b398 furrowed his brow.694670393e027e4c

“One more thing to add.”708ae00c5db18bba

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“Yes, go ahead.”4a60497bb4756c5d

“It’s awfully cold today. I want to drink something warm.”538d05974e0bf7b7

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The man gave a c32f8e9ad1 cruel smile. It felt more like an a610d01aac attack than an order.fbe75ddc1244c28c

Every other day, there 3b196eb8f0 was a troublesome customer.4f8285b673380e90

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But this was nothing I couldn’t handle.e8a8c956b6abfada

“Understood.”e2c1cb8b75b07cd9

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I smiled faintly as 2c777583f3 I selected Y.001775399de3ef26

Just wait.e2aff616b0f0d183

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I’ll serve a drink so delicious, it’ll make you regret picking this fight.39baf14cc5e6ac21

🫧90a1c2e63167d647

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The man, Ephesus, was 79777abc74 filled with recent grievances.e31865a13ad64568

A momentary mistake had ce2153156b sent his life spiraling 00f244c088 downward.f1df6c910b333822

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Where did it 3533ff16c9 all go wrong?cd072cbf70f4eed5

When he, who loved 3b25b32861 baking, ended up following 3f1426fcfe the family trade as 0f67b61607 a hunter instead?00dd3172ab0e190f

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Or when the queen ordered 09f35047c9 him to kill the princess?9ac1ff6d4d881cc2

Or perhaps when he couldn’t bring himself to kill the beautiful princess and let her go?895701cc7351e115

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Snow White, with skin 1f5dc88be3 as pale as snow, d55455d18b full red lips, and 489e5633ab raven black hair, was 3b41ac4865 so breathtakingly beautiful that a8326734fb she drew both admiration 77f9efb3e2 and envy.431e9da18f14fdee

Maybe her beauty 3f31920c48 was the root 5b93ac5f52 cause of everything.69b727c7c9903d31

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Regardless, Ephesus released Snow White, believing it was the right choice at the time. But it ultimately incurred the queen’s wrath, turning him into a fugitive.4f45723f8bd8905d

“Haah…”74b9220ca03bccc9

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Ephesus let out a deep sigh. He barely escaped the queen’s clutches, but didn’t know when he might be pursued again.1f932502a1ef4c40

And here he was, 2a3721a6cf witnessing someone leisurely mixing a896bbe282 drinks in a place 1b77641d07 as serene as a f285f96f4f clean room.ac65f5507bf698d7

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Anger welled up in him, 944aea2259 prompting that unreasonable order—the situation 2e7271cfb4 he now found himself in.bcb1212d905ccddf

Then, a rich aroma wafted into Ephesus’s nose. His eyes shot wide open.6c9250e4f8f0df16

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“Hey!”c024021136158bdf

“Yes?”4d4a03fd3642e811

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The bartender stopped 87169e7fec what she was d04e9d0b8d doing and looked 7690cde7cf at him, her e97d0bff7a face calm as bc556101a2 if asking why 26c8c4e583 he had called.29904650801c4fb7

“Yes, a savory yet sweet, emotional yet fragrant and unique warm drink, correct?”89666a6c7c4d3121

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“Then why are you mashing butter?”82a863c84fb7539e

Befitting someone who 58f22d3cf7 once dreamed of b650452b3f being a baker, d494cd669c Ephesus recognized the 525430ce40 ingredients just from fc8ccdc776 the aroma and 9ef3a2d292 was dumbfounded. The bartender was vigorously ccc45e9651 mashing something into the 983e84ea4e butter.cc432b5c155b7128

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“Are you trying to make bread?”f59336b1c0a40b4f

“The butter is for richness.”6511c89f01e232f8

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“In a drink? Butter?”9575f0e5806b2ae6

“Yes. And milk too.”54ac4048bbb21331

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The bartender smiled ff56bfe749 brightly as she e0ebea7704 pointed to a 5107b16fd0 pot. Just as she said, milk 2cd385d148 was bubbling away, steaming in 6da85d359b the pot.ba8ff326651d4e74

Ephesus was flabbergasted.d3810abceb5d2335

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“I guess all those liquor bottles are just for show…”c295ef1033e17120

“The drink includes rum. Dark rum, to be precise.”f81f697f7e75fbcd

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“Oh, so you are planning to bake. With dark rum, you must be making canelé, right?”e06b253348212a77

Ephesus mocked.6fffe336abd14776

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Rum is a spirit ce703c3252 distilled from sugarcane. If not aged, it’s white 73c1aa7b8e rum. If aged briefly in 673833dad3 oak barrels, it’s gold 62613c97e2 rum. And if aged for a 06d4bf850a long time, it’s dark rum. The longer it ages, the ce7638bd46 deeper the flavor and the 4755fa9925 higher the price.54cb8b85003683fc

‘She probably picked it because it’s expensive and doesn’t know any better.’a13476d783a65dd6

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Tsk.Ephesus clicked his tongue. Wasting expensive dark 50ec6dde1e rum by playing c6e03973a6 around with butter 4adb7ec60a and milk.1a2fb8ae36b9a86b

With his arms crossed, Ephesus c10d9fc299 watched the bartender mix the 6d1f7bfa87 dark rum with milk and 39fcdd7da0 butter.085c80772cfd0a1a

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After thoroughly combining the drink, c5c3ccce70 the bartender poured it into dc0973d867 a glass and finally garnished dfc8705ccd it with a cinnamon stick 8c3e4ab9a8 before presenting it to Ephesus.5c629c38d48e7c7a

“The cocktail I’ve prepared is a ‘Hot Buttered Rum’. Since you wanted richness, I made the classic version with milk instead of water.”9136d54a9714420a

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“Hmph. But the butter is floating separately?”c72476c200e84912

“That’s intentional, to create a floating layer.”bf91266c430f6499

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Heh. Ephesus let out a 1711d08297 derisive chuckle as he 622f7908ea lifted the glass.495d747df5b4d02c

He had a keen sense of taste and smell. He planned to take a sip and immediately call out the absurdity of such a strange concoction…c1cc6b944de2ff2d

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‘Fragrant.’5caa0715e20d73a4

Ephesus’s eyes suddenly widened.adff18a4a9842dcf

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As the glass neared, 9b7d39ce8f a faint spiced aroma 3ac201a08b wafted out. This scent reminded him of cb4c9c4195 the tea his mother used 7b80d49622 to brew whenever he caught 3c0f3d9c0d a cold as a child.832e0c7cd89b6131

‘Come to think of it, I have been feeling under the weather today…’0c50f698ab28f274

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Ephesus, now feeling a 2df413075e bit nostalgic, took a 39b4177959 sip of the Hot c7a5a1f58f Buttered Rum.bf317225691f0e44

The initial taste of 9fe03e3b62 rich butter was pleasantly 1a9babf5da savory. Combined with the sweetness of bd4110b668 the sugar, it was like 6f49311495 having a butter candy.b7ad5e231a295b3c

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Taking a deeper sip, the rum’s robust notes mingled smoothly with the warmth of the buttered milk.db5d678d97f55cd1

The warm milk, enhanced by 8af6e67c1b the alcohol, seemed to melt 288e09fb27 away the chill in his f00d393905 body.e91719790f4fb646

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“Adding butter to alcohol is certainly unique.”d9407d2493cf502c

Ephesus muttered involuntarily.9ed13266be8542d6

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The milk and butter could 19491ca5e1 have been overly rich, but 5707fb864e the spices reined it in 2a30e7f45e nicely.07ee22a87dd82831

“Cloves?”d30bcd7a979c4c17

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“Yes. I added a bit of clove while mashing the butter.”ba5d9b6711826b99

“Just like baking, there are many ingredients in this buttered rum too.”c4e2a73a99c844a1

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Ephesus savored each sip of 97dfb3ac7f the Hot Buttered Rum, regretting 7e6fe6cd1f how quickly the cocktail diminished.dca375f2df6a159d

‘It feels like being filled with the rich aroma of rum and butter.’de0b2a6d008e6101

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Ephesus found himself licking his 8aa0af2c7b lips in disappointment as he f685ddc204 reached the bottom of the fd4413a33b glass.610e4895acd74b8a

Surprisingly, this young bartender had perfectly met his complex and seemingly impossible order for a ‘savory yet sweet, emotional yet fragrant and unique warm drink.’b25c1e7076cbc180

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“Did you open this tavern because you wanted to?”347282fb450918b4

“Hmm, not exactly a tavern I opened out of desire, but…”95c32753892ebb2a

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The bartender trailed off in 2f61ba522e thought before shrugging.8bb626de4b616329

“Well, I did want to become a bartender. I guess you could say I’m satisfied with the end result. I just really love cocktails.”e5de2a21851d080b

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“I envy you. A life that flows according to your wishes. If life were that simple, it would be worth living.”92be94347bde9277

The mocking words slipped out, bda664da13 something Ephesus would normally have f201e34471 swallowed.725a67547c8c5c7a

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⋆｡‧˚ʚ Translator Note ɞ˚‧｡⋆129ffd961f4b9b01

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Hot Buttered Rumis a warm and 2d2e5140fa comforting cocktail, perfect for 1452c9ad1d cold weather. This traditional American drink dates 9bd6b7182a back to colonial times. It is made by mixing 23345696ce rum with hot water, a c583facdb0 pat of butter, sweeteners like 423fa9032e brown sugar or honey, and ed1b22d973 a variety of spices such e156130538 as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Some recipes also include vanilla 59fdcc874d or a splash of apple 95e801e67b cider for added flavor.
Hot Buttered Rum is often fcd201e9e3 enjoyed during the holiday season b2275d3f83 or on chilly evenings, offering 9a906c5f1c a rich, warming, and flavorful 95eb38c118 beverage that evokes a sense 985a0268fd of coziness and tradition.99a9c3f4cb0e5700

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