28 Chapter 28: Negotiation

I was greatly enjoying the party that I did not notice it was about to end. We already bid farewell to some guests and provided them with souvenirs.

"Thank you for letting us stay here in your abode tonight. I deeply apologize for the disturbances that I caused my son this night." Uncle Steville said as he and his wife, Aunt Dorothy, bowed their heads deeply.

"Please raise your heads. You don't have to worry about that."

"Claire's right. Besides, I don't mind Sophia being part of our family."

"Auntie…"

(You just wanted to have another Mom clone in our household!)

After most of the guests went home, our parents suggested that the Raeven family spend their time here in the mansion. We can accommodate enough guest rooms for all of them, so space is not a problem.

Mothers concurred that they approved Sophia to be my partner. Though Mother wants to have more Mom's copy in our family. Since she's not a noble, she will not be my official wife. So I have to find a suitable noblewoman to be my main wife.

"It's already late. How about we wash our bodies and take a rest? Let's continue our discussion the next day."

"Indeed. My back is starting to ache, and I need the warmth of the hot bath." he said holding his back.

Uncle was in his late forties, and his face had begun to develop wrinkles. He has slicked back black hair with a few white lines. He is not muscular but not thin—just average.

We march towards the bathhouse and bathe ourselves in refreshingly warm water. If my body wasn't worn out, I would not feel it in my bones.

(It's a good thing that I exhausted myself today.)

With our bodies restored, we can now lay down in our beds. For some reason, Sister said that she wanted to sleep together with Sophia in her room. She said she just wanted to have a girl's talk, but I doubt it. Whatever it is, it might have something to do with me.

(Let's reward myself with a good night's sleep.)

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The following day, we gathered together at the parlor. We are here to discuss the details of the negotiations that halted last night.

The ones who are here are the four members of the Raeven and Raevender families, Mary, and Lizell, ten in total.

Sister and Sophia have gotten closer since their sleepover. Something must have happened between them. Knowing my sister, I asked Sophia about it, and she told me that they only had a nice talk. 

"Hoo, hoo. You got some interesting stuff today."

"It's my honor to be praised by a well-known businessman."

Uncle Steville chuckled and was fascinated by the things that I prepared in the parlor. I had various things that I wanted them to try. Culinary, magic items, and many others.

"For starters, have some of my latest food products. Lizell."

With her name as a sign, Lizell takes out four trays at a time from the cart and places them on the table. A tray for every member of the Raeven family

"Please enjoy yourselves."

"Oh! There are a variety of foods in a set. And this white condiment."

"The meat looks like the hamburger steak we had last night. It was placed between two breads with some vegetables."

"These yellow sticks. It's fried, and it compliments with the ketchup and this white condiment."

"It's delicious. As expected of Raphael."

The Raeven Family assessed the spread of food in front of them. As expected of a family of merchants.

"I'll explain each of the foods while you eat."

"Hmm," they nod with their mouths full.

"The one with the hamburger steak and buns is called a burger." The yellow sticks are made of potatoes and called potato fries. And the white condiment is called mayonnaise. It was made from a mixture of egg yolks, salt, vinegar, and some seasonings."

"Hmm! I did not expect this sweet and sour condiment to be made from those."

They were taken aback when I told them the ingredients of the food they eat. With my accessibility to my previous world's internet, I recreated some of the fast foods.

The set that I prepared consisted of a burger and French fries with ketchup and mayonnaise. I changed the name of the French fries to potato fries because the word French doesn't exist in this world.

They already gave it a thumbs up from the perspective of a merchant.

"While you are eating, how about trying my new dessert? Mary, if you may…"

"Yes, milord."

Mary nodded then approached a three-foot-tall metallic box. She grasped the handle and opened the box like a door, then cold fog came out of the box and enveloped the floor nearby the fridge. The box was a portable, fridge-like magic item.

Magic items in this world were devices that produced magic or were powered by it. Either you pour magic on it or have it powered by a magic crystal. It can be enchanted or inscribed.

Enchanted magic items were usually used for combat and fighting and had a limited amount of usage or a cooldown. Most of it was single-use or weapons.

Inscribed ones can be used repeatedly until the mana supply is depleted or the circuit breaks. This kind of magic item had an engraved magic circle made from mana conducting metals like silver and mithrill that activated the spell if supplied with mana. My family's orichalcum bracelet is an example.

The fridge is an inscribed magic item that had a Level 4 Water Magic: Glaciate magic circle inside to cool its contents. The efficiency of the spell is proportional to the size of the magic circle inside. The larger the magic circle, the more powerful the spell, and the more mana is consumed.

Mary takes out a cylindrical, metallic, three-liter container from the fridge and places it on the table. She opened the lid, and a little haze came out of it. When the haze subsided, a plain white substance unfolded in front of our eyes.

Mary will scoop out its contents and fill the glasses on the table with them. Then Lizell served the glasses to each of us, making eight glasses in total. After I took my glass, I took a spoonful of it to give it a try.

(Delish. Just the right taste.)

After I eat a spoonful of the dessert, I observe the reactions of the others.

"What is this?! It's cold yet sweet and tasty!"

"So delicious! It's perfect for these hot summer days! I can't stop myself eating it!"

"It's sweet. I'm sure it will be a big hit among ladies."

"If it's made by Raphael, it's certainly delicious."

"Please eat it slowly if you don't want to experience brain freeze."

I gave them a warning after seeing them hastily consume their dessert. I recreate this dessert to have a refreshment during the heat of summer. The dessert we are currently eating is ice cream.

Seeing the Raeven Family put on a pleased face upon eating my recreation made me happy. Not just them; my family also wears a satisfied expression.

"By the way, what was this dessert called?" Uncle asked, still eating his ice cream.

"I call this dessert ice cream. It was primarily made of cream, eggs, sugar, and flavorings. This one is vanilla flavored if you ask. Though you need to freeze it to make it solid."

"Fumu. I didn't expect these items to be created by a thirteen year old like you."

Now that the foods had been tested and given remarks, it was time to move on to another topic.

"I didn't disclose these products during the party because I wanted to earn some profit from it. I want to build a company that only sells these kinds of products. To make it happen, I want to have your company's assistance."

We can just make an establishment on our own, but there are reasons why I chose to share it with the Raeven Company. One of the reasons is that I don't want to compete with a large company.

"I get the gist of it. But why build a new company?"

"Hm. Maybe I want it to have a trademark? Like, people would think of our company when they heard about a particular product."

"I know what you feel." he smiled, knowing my feelings.

The Raeven Company is known for making magic items. If you think about magic items, their company comes to mind. By the way, the fridge was one of their products.

"I also have a plan to create a new type of transportation that will be powered by magic. I have consulted with my parents about it and started making a blueprint for it."

"Hm. Then what do you need?"

"Well, including the new transportation, which will be a big project… I want some manpower, materials, funds, and a person that will manage the company."

"If Raphael wanted a trustworthy person to manage his company, why not Sophia?"

"Huh? Me?"

Mark suddenly chimed in to our conversation, holding mayonnaise-dipped fries between his fingers. He is not wrong with what he claimed.

Not only is Sophia beautiful and kind, but she also has a good head on her shoulders. Even though she is still thirteen years old, she already knows how to do complex computations and manage a store.

She can make decisions quickly and has a strong and accurate intuition. Making her the perfect fit for managing businesses.

"Good idea, Mark. We have all the things that you want. But the problem lies between these two... Everyone, including my family, nodded at Uncle's words, while Sophia remained silent.

"You are fearless in front of an S-ranked monster, but a wimp in expressing your feelings? What a pathetic brother I have."

"Ack! It's just too embarrassing, you know?"

"Go for it, Raphael! I know you can do it!"

"Think of this as a test of courage. If you overcome this, you would pass any problems you will encounter."

"Thanks, Mothers."

Encouraged by my family, I stood up from my seat and strengthened my resolve. I went over to Sophia, held her hands, and she rose up from the couch.

"I really liked you the moment I first saw you, and I want you to be a part of my life. Sophia, will you be my wife?"

"Y-yes! I gladly accept, Raphael!"

Cheers reverberate throughout the parlor as we hug with red faces. Not only did I secure a transaction but also a fiancée.