He counted out twelve gold coins and placed them on the bar with soft clinks.
Tessa stared at the coins, then at Julian, then back at the coins.
"Are you... are you serious?" she asked, her professional deanor completely shattered by shock. "Mr. Julian, that’s twelve gold. That’s... that’s more than most people make in months. You can’t just—"
"I just did," Julian said with a smile. "Is there a problem?"
"No! No, of course not! It’s just..." Tessa was flustered now, her cheeks burning red. "Nobody ever actually buys the Starfall Ambrosia! We keep it in stock because it looks impressive, but nobody’s ordered it in the three years I’ve worked here!"
Julian smiled inwardly. Money ant nothing to him. Gold, silver, bronze—they were just tals, valuable only because societies agreed they were valuable. And those tals existed in every part of the cosmos.
Which ant that before leaving the Throne of Gods, Julian had done sothing very easy.
He created gold.
Lots of gold.
Currently, he had almost five million gold coins on him.
Five million gold.
More than entire kingdoms possessed in their treasuries.
And he could make more whenever he wanted.
So twelve gold for a fancy bottle of alcohol? It was nothing to him.
"Well," he said to the still-shocked Tessa, "I guess I’m your first. Consider it a morable night for both of us."
Tessa carefully picked up the coins, examining them to ensure they were real, then placed them in the cash box.
"I’ll... I’ll get you a glass," she managed, reaching for the Starfall Ambrosia with almost worshipping quality.
"Actually," Julian said, "before you do that, let ask you sothing."
Tessa paused, the bottle frozen in her hands. "Yes, Mr. Julian?"
"Do you know about the large brothel in the red light district? The one where soone nad Valeria works?".
Tessa’s eyes went wide as saucers. The bottle slipped slightly in her grip before she caught it again.
"Valeria?" she repeated, her voice strangled. "You... you know Valeria?"
"I t her earlier tonight," Julian said casually. "Interesting woman. I was just curious about her background."
Tessa set the bottle down carefully on the bar, then leaned forward slightly.
"Mr. Julian, Valeria is not just any... any worker at the Gilded Rose. She’s the favorite woman of the Duke of Ezakael."
Julian’s eyebrow raised with genuine interest. "The Duke? The one who rules this city?"
"The very sa!" Tessa whispered urgently. "Everyone knows about it—it’s the worst-kept secret in the city. Duke visits the Gilded Rose regularly, always requests Valeria specifically, pays her enormous sums, and has made it very clear that she’s under his protection."
She glanced around nervously, as if worried soone might overhear, even though the few remaining guests were far out of earshot.
"So people say she’s practically his unofficial mistress. That he would marry her if not for the political complications. The Duchess would never stand for it, of course, but everyone knows the Duke prefers Valeria’s company to his own wife’s."
Tessa’s expression beca more serious, almost worried.
"Mr. Julian... if you did sothing to upset Valeria, or if you’ve gotten on her bad side sohow, you need to be very careful. The Duke is fiercely protective of her. One man who grabbed her arm too roughly in the street spent three months in the dungeon."
Julian processed this information with growing amusent. So the woman he’d just thoroughly fucked into unconsciousness in front of a room full of witnesses was the Duke’s favorite courtesan.
Well. That was... potentially problematic.
Or potentially hilarious.
He wasn’t quite sure which yet.
"I appreciate the warning," Julian said with a smile. "But I don’t think I need to worry about Valeria being upset with ."
Tessa looked skeptical. "Mr. Julian, with all due respect, Valeria is extrely professional and very, very good at what she does. If you paid for her services and think that ans sothing more..."
She trailed off...
Julian smiled. "Trust , Tessa. Valeria and I reached an understanding tonight. A very... thorough understanding."
The way he said "thorough" made Tessa blush again, though she wasn’t entirely sure why.
"If you say so, Mr. Julian," she said doubtfully.
She then carefully poured the Starfall Ambrosia into the crystal glass and the liquid seed to glow with its own inner light. She presented it to him with both hands.
"Here is your drink, sir. Please enjoy."
Julian accepted the glass and brought it to his lips, taking an experintal sip.
The flavor was extraordinary. It started sweet like honey, then transford into sothing floral and ethereal, before finishing with a warmth that spread through his entire body. He could actually feel his mana responding to it, resonating with whatever magical properties the drink possessed.
But more interesting than the taste was Tessa’s expression.
She was watching him intently, her eyes tracking every micro-expression on his face, clearly desperate to know what it tasted like. She had probably worked at this inn for three years, polishing that bottle every day, knowing it cost twelve gold and that she would likely never taste it herself.
Julian smiled and slid the glass toward her.
"Go on," he said. "Take a sip."
Tessa’s eyes widened in shock.
"What? No! Mr. Julian, I couldn’t possibly—this is your drink! You paid twelve gold for it!"
"And I’m offering you a taste," Julian replied easily. "Drinking alone is very boring. You can take a glass if you want."
He gestured to the bottle and Tessa shook her head vigorously.
"No, sir! Absolutely not! Mistress Mara would have my head if I helped myself to the premium stock! No, no, only a sip is fine. Just one small sip, if you’re really offering."
She reached for the glass tentatively, as if it might burn her, then lifted it to her lips with both hands. She took the smallest sip possible—barely more than wetting her lips—and her eyes imdiately went huge.
"Oh... oh my..." she breathed.
Then her eyes glazed over slightly, and she swayed where she stood.
"Whoa," she said, her voice suddenly looser. "That’s... that’s really stroooong..."
User Comments
0 comments from readers