"To begin, I'll first explain what this coffee bean is-"
Rexford began to introduce the bean, he didn't claim that he was the one who found it or that he was the one who decided to use it.
Instead, he claimed that he found it to be a waste.
Right on the spot, Rexford weaved a story of realizing that the village, should it start planting the mysterious berries on a large scale, would end up with an excessive amount of beans.
He was unaware of the projects Anne was leading, he had reports of it but Rexford hadn't heard a single thing about it! He simply spun his tale that basically said, "Whether we find a use for the fruit or not, the excess seeds would still end up being wasted".
Using that as a basis, he found himself becoming quite a magnificent liar, maybe he could have run for president in his past life he had even a shred of the charisma, good looks and authority he had as the "Third Prince".
That said, as he finished his tale on how he was currently experimenting, he then moved on to the actual brewing process.
Of course, everything was still an "experiment", Rexford was about 70% sure that it would be coffee.
At worst it may magically end up turning into hot chocolate, after all, this IS a different world and he DID smell a strong chocolatey aroma.
But whether it ends up solving his caffeine addiction or not was not important. Even hot chocolate could hit that spot when necessary.
"Now, let us begin the brewing process! First, let us begin with the Rexpress"
What Rexford was planning to use in brewing was not some "magic coffee machine", no, even he could not create an espresso machine with magic. What he could use though was a basic grinder and french press.
Back in his past life, he had spent more time brewing his coffee with a french press than using any other type of coffee machine.
After all, it was cheaper, manual grinders were cheap and so were french presses. That familiarity is what allowed the Third prince to quickly recreate such technologies with the help of the dwarves.
Of course, he can't really name his "new invention" as the "French Press"
'Sorry my French brothers, but this aint Earth and people would start asking questions if I used the original term…'
Rexford thought as he explained what the tools were and how to use them.
Moreover, he didn't really like using his name and using the explanation of "coffee is just a random word I came up with" was already treading on the fine line of suspicion.
Fortunately, the use of the prince's name for a tool was not only normal but it also got some laughs.
Most nobles would use their names for many things but few would use it for cheap items that could be used by commoners.
And Rexford did not only name a tool with his own name, he even marketed it to be specifically used by the masses.
But the interest on the names quickly passed as Rexford began to brew the very first cup of coffee in the world!
First was the grinding, it wasn't an efficient grinder and the resulting grind was rather coarse but it was just perfect for his uses.
What amazed Rexford though was the aroma, he was already expecting a strong smell to come out but the intensity was just too strong, stronger than what he was familiar with.
'Is this because it's another world?'
He pondered for a moment as he began to heat up the water.
As the water went into a rolling boil, he proceeded to warm up the press. Pouring in a small amount of hot water, swirling it around and then disposing of it. He then poured another small amount, added the coffee and let it "bloom".
Rexford counted- thirty seconds is all it took, after thirty seconds he poured water and after filling it up to the desired level he used a copper spoon to stir the mixture before putting on the lid and letting it rest,
Yet as the coffee touched the water, people started to murmur-
"It looks… dirty"
"Hey, that's something made by the prince!"
"But… still…"
He ignored the whispers and began counting, clocks existed but timers were usually of the "hourglass" type and few had the functions that allowed it to count minutes.
"3- 1… one thousand, 2… one thousand…"
He counted silently, as the crowd savored the ever increasing power of the coffee's aroma while some were already whispering about the "brown liquid".
"4-"
When he finally counted to four minutes, he grabbed the handle on the lid and slowly pressed it down.
The crowd watched as the brownish mixture bubbled, despite the attractive aroma, when everyone saw the color of the water turn to a murky brown they hesitated.
Murmurs about the taste erupted but Rexford didn't mind.
He knew that coffee was not something that really looked appetizing- normally at least.
Hell, back in his previous life, a dessert called "ube" made him hesitate, not because of the smell but of the color. Before he was familiar with the food, he already had an aversion to it simply because of the purple color.
And that is coming from a guy who drank energy drinks that had "electric-blue" or ones that were called by many as "piss yellow". Even beer looked like foamy piss if one thinks about it yet there were just some colors that made people look away.
For Rexford, the modern world had already shaped him to be unaffected by color but to these people?
Brown water is usually associated with = mud or even watery shit.
But if Rexford can't shift their opinions on this "brown beverage" then how is he supposed to use entertainment to make them think differently?
If he can't even make them try his suspicious yet tantalizing drink, how could he make them watch a fake show for hours on end?
Rexford maintained his confident air as he poured the coffee into multiple cups, the steam rising from the cups showed that it was still warm, but because it was steeped far from a heat source, the searing heat was already gone and instead a warm and comforting heat was oozing from the beverage.
Just the right temperature to drink without burning one's tongue.
Since none would dare to test it after seeing the color, for these people, drinks were either in the form of clear water or flavored water (tea).
Unlike Earth where water was hard to come by, water magic, accessible to everyone allowed even the lowest of people to obtain drinking water.
If it was only for drinking, anyone could make it, it didn't need any school or learning.
But making ice or any offensive use of water needed careful practice and knowledge.
As such, unlike Earth where, at one point in time, people had lost their aversion to what would normally look as "dirty water". The people of this world were more trusting of clear water and tea that had a tint but still retained its clarity.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, people in this world did not resort to drinking mead in order to ensure that they were drinking "safe water".
But that very same culture that had likely saved millions of lives was also the one that prevented them from taking on risks and new things.
'I have to lead… yeah'
With a smile, Rexford picked a cup, the very first cup that was brewed and raised it.
He savored the aroma that came from the steaming cup.
"Perfect"
Rexford declared, it was more aromatic than any cup of coffee he drank and as he was now 90% sure it was coffee, he took the first sip-
"!!!"
His eyes opened wide, the taste was truly special but-
"It lacks acidity…"
He sighed that the taste was wonderful but it didn't taste like the coffee he usually had.
'Was it the time?'
Rexford recalled one of his fellow coffee aficionado's, that man was the type to hyperfixate on things and due to this, the bastard had an excessive knowledge on coffee despite being a mechanical engineer.
Though Rexford did not recall all his explanations, one thing he did remember was the quote, "Only roasting doesn't care about time, all that matters is heat and timing".
Based on that one quote, Rexford went over the things he could faintly remember and as he compared it to his roasting and brewing process…
'I see… the beans should rest huh?'
There were two things that he could change, one was the first step, instead of rushing the air drying through water magic, he could let the seeds air dry naturally under the sun. The second adjustment was resting or something similar to aging the roasted beans.
'A few days maybe weeks I think… I should test it daily to find the "best moment"
He still had one half of the remaining magic dried seeds, he could roast them and portion all the beans into various days for testing.
Moreover, he could also purchase other beans more seeds and have them air dried.
Though for now… depending on the demand-
"Anyone else want to try?"
He asked the crowd, unfortunately, due to the rather mild taste of the coffee, Rexford didn't have the "amazed" expression that would have attracted others to taste.
It was a failure on his part but he can't just give up now.
And just as he was about to signal for Anne-
"May I have a taste?"
A melodious voice sounded from the side, turning towards the source Rexford had a smile but it quickly disappeared when he saw who came up to the table.
"It may look suspiciously disgusting but I know how not to judge a book by its cover."
She spoke with a rather calm tone but her casual words carried a poison that was perfectly directed towards its specific target. Unlike others whose sarcasm and subtle attacks were made to make others aware, her words made sure that only she and her target understood.
"Ortrun… why are you here?"
"Oh? Well Delilah told me that you wanted to talk, I didn't want to wait so I decided to look for you. Unfortunately, you weren't at the Imperial Palace nor were you in your own Palace so I ended up coming here only to see you doing something suspicious"
"This is not suspicious at all!"
"A dirty brown liquid that smells good? If you hadn't taken a drink of it then I would have believed that you made a poisonous brew!"
"..."
Rexford did not know how to respond to Ortrun and his silence, to the lady, was a win.
She took quick wide strides that did little to hide the smooth legs that peaked from the slit of her weirdly done "traditional dress" that was very much "asian coded".
'Why does everyone have slits on their dresses anyway?'
It was one thing for a single person to have such a preference but there was something wrong when multiple people followed such niche fashion choices.
Even his maids were dressed more modestly than these noble ladies! And his maids wore tight fitting dresses to show off their curves!
As Rexford was still questioning the life choices of the noble lady before him, the woman with long flowing dark hair and azure eyes was already standing next to him and before he could react-
*sip*
She grabbed his hand and took a sip from the same cup as he did.
"Hm? It's oddly addicting…"
After having a taste of coffee from the cup in Rexford's hands, she then picked up another cup and took another sip.
"Indeed, it truly is a wondrous drink, what is it called… coffee right? Everyone try some"
After a second noble took a sip and showed a look of surprise and delight, people started to flock towards the table. Most of them took a single cup and shared it between themselves.
Many people took only one sip but then others tried to sneak in a second.
The taste of coffee was strong, compared to tea, it was something that they had never experienced before!
"Hmm… is this what you wished to have me sell? Indeed, I saw your people trying to grow them in a small field, the wine was not yet up to par with those made of grapes but if the seeds which made up most of the fruit was used in a beverage…"
"Eh?"
Rexford snapped as he heard Ortrun talking.
"What is it?"
"Wine?"
"Oh you didn't know? I believe Anne should have reported to you about it. Your village and my merchants have been working together for quite some time now, no?"
'Nani the fuck?!'
Rexford blanked out and just as he was about to crash out-
"Master…"
An angry Anne appeared behind him like a ghost. Her expression was truly terrifying, more than any she had before today.
"Uhm…"
The angry Anne and the words spoken by Ortrun reminded Rexford of the pile of paperwork in his room…
"I believe you said that you have already read through all the reports?"
"Uhm…"
Rexford scrambled through his memories but all he got was-
'Shit… I basically just read a summary of the summary of a summary…'
A modern comparison to Rexford's current situation was a "political analyst" looking at a situation and only considering the "recent events" surrounding it.
Rexford basically tried to resolve a long existing, cultural issue that had been the norm for centuries knowing only about things that had "recently occurred" or better yet, he was only aware of the "most explosive news" surrounding it.
Rexford was aware of the big events such as the sudden lost of income due to a reduction in war expenses. The sudden massive influx of workforce coming from the part of the military that was discharged to reduce military spending…
Simply put, he was running on the trends, wasn't aware of the current state of things and was just blasting off whatever beliefs he had.
It only worked out since he lied to Anne and also because the people around him were quite competent yet…
"I did… kinda? Yeah"
"So you understand what kind of relationship the Martel Ducal House has with the Ford Village, the village you yourself named right?"
"... yeah… I do!"
Rexford responded with confidence but the fact that he didn't even recall the name of the village stumped him. But! As a ruler, as a proud prince, he must not show such weakness!
"I see, then let me explain it to you again to keep you up to speed, it was my failing to report about the research on the berry project, so that you will remember just how the village was capable of even picking up the POW's who you now have working on building your coffee making factory and would later be responsible for making your film sets".
Anne didn't pursue the issue, she was keenly aware of Rexford's current state. But she won't show any weakness to the woman behind Rexford.
She didn't want to have him make contact with her but from the fact that Rexford had met with Delilah yesterday, it was likely that he had planned to talk with Ortrun about the other issues which he could not resolve in regards to land and actors.
If he had truly been aware of the relationship between the village and Ortrun, he would have talked to her but Ortrun had clearly said that Delilah had been the contact point between her and Rexford.
'I only hope she has yet to… no, she obviously did… Master… if only you kept to yourself'
Anne could only sigh internally, Rexford obviously got her hint as he responded to her-
"I don't mind, in fact, I wouldn't have cared for it if I didn't see it with my own eyes anyway! Also, it was only by chance that coffee succeeded, at worst it would have tasted like boiled coal! Hahaha"
Listening to Rexford, Anne felt like facepalming but she kept it in-
'Oh Master…'