Winery Decision

"So do you think you can produce a third type of wine? Be it a magically infused wine like this refreshing white, or a normal one like this dry red? Specifically, can you confidently say that you can make three separate batches of wine in large enough quantities to sell? That means production, storage, and bottling those wines as well, so it's no small undertaking."

Taking a deep breath, I leaned back in the comfortable chair and pursed my lips, understanding that this question was multifaceted; there was the genuine curiosity of my abilities, the curiosity of what I would be able to make, but also the lingering question of where I was producing and storing these wines, especially if I began to make larger quantities over longer periods of time.

Of course, there was also the oath between us that protected me from being harmed by the Duchess, but there was no guarantee that this information or answer wouldn't change her views on me or change her overall attitude towards me.

It was a dilemma, but it was one that I decided to trust my gut in, and my gut was telling me that the truth - at least a singular facet of that truth - would take me a long way in fostering a healthy, genuine, good relationship with the Duchess.

A relationship that would be incredibly beneficial going forwards.

"I can make a few other flavors, be they magically infused or not, Duchess. My daughter Kalia has grown a few different grapes - green, red, purple, black - and we have a few different wielders of mana inside my family. I'm sure I can make a myriad of flavors so long as I put my mind to it. The only problem would be storing it all, but that is only a real problem if I make far too much of it. After all, I am thinking of my family first and foremost, so some of the wine will inevitably end up being used by us, so..."

She nodded, sipping on her teacup and glancing towards the window, where the view of the Potaam River remained as gorgeous as ever.

"That's good. If you want, so long as we get a few barrels made and sealed for specifically for wine, I can always send a cart over to collect the barrels that you produce and store them inside one of my stores in the city. Or I could have a shed built over here to store the wine on my property; I love the grass around me, but I'm not such a purist that I would be opposed to utilizing my land for something else."

"Well... if you wouldn't mind, Duchess, we could buy some materials and build the shed ourselves over here? And Kalia could help blend the shed into the landscape to maintain a nice visage for you? Like a... garden terrace over the shed? A nice place to enjoy the air and breeze?"

A smile appeared on the Duchess plump lips, her blue eyes sparkling as she nodded again, saying "Sounds excellent, Astra. See, that's the reason I felt so strongly about having you as my secretary. Coming up with a solution and adding to it to make it even better! Yes, that sounds excellent. I'll purchase the materials that you think you'll need and have them shipped over here."

Standing up, the Duchess moved over towards the desk and spoke again, tapping the surface and glancing back at me as she said "You're here for a half day, yes? We can get some prep work for the winery done today then. Just ideas and suggestions for what we would plan to do. I honestly don't have much else regarding my other businesses available at the moment, so... this should suffice."

I made my way over to the desk and sat down, taking the blank piece of paper that the Duchess handed me and accepting the quill as well, looking towards her and silently asking what we were going to be doing.

"To start, I think drafting up the name of the business, names for the wine, and general prices would be quite ideal. Then we can come up with some other flavors that we think would be good to try. Something you haven't tried yet, and something that few people do - especially the wine purists - is add berries or other flavor profiles to the wine, during or after production. One of my favorites is vanilla spice wine in the Winter. Take vanilla beans and an already made, extremely fiery wine and mix the two; have the beans split and let them sit inside the wine overnight, before taking the beans out the next morning. Simple, but it makes a difference. So... ideas."

Rubbing her hands together, the Duchess continued to stand beside me and stare out over the Potaam River, and I quickly did the same - lest I be lost in her beautiful blue gaze.

"Does... Does the basic wine need a name besides 'Business Name' Red or White?"

"No, not really. Only the spiced, berry or magically infused need actual names, but the basic reds or whites can just be called reds or whites."

I nodded, tapping my fingers together as I tried to come up with the name of a store...

"How about... Domus Stella? Family of Stars, Household of Stars... Depending on the way you use Domus, the specific meaning changes, but the overall meaning remains the same; a collective of stars."

Looking up towards the Duchess, I blinked a few times as I thought on the name, before I felt my cheeks redden as I wondered just what she meant by that...

My own name - from what I knew of it and could recall from my memories that only pertained to basic things - came from a word that meant stars.

Astralis or Astrum meant stars, and from that Astra was a name that was an ode to the beauty of the night sky.

But there was no way I was going to ask the Duchess if she meant anything by the name, since that would be conceited of myself and make me look like a fool if I was wrong...

So as I turned back to the paper and wrote it down, I missed the small, warm smile that was on the Duchess' lips as she watched me from above, which would have told me so much...