Edited
My grandfather died when he was fifty-eight years old. Even in this world, where the average life expectancy is shorter than in my previous life, it was too early. He had held important positions such as a minister and a prime minister, so that means….
He died of overwork!
There is such a thing as death by overwork in this world too⁉︎ That’s why I have to protect Big Brother with all my might! Grandfather, I swear that I won’t let Big Brother fall into the same trap as you!
3rd POV
Ekaterina clenched her fists under the table, assuming the cause of her grandfather’s death.
While she was doing this, the drinks and appetizers were being served, and Ekaterina marveled at the beauty of the glasses in front of her.
It was a gorgeous blue color, like Venetian glass, with stunning decoration, and the foot of the glass was a twist of two different shades of blue.
“It is a beautiful glass.”
Ekaterina’s POV
In my previous life, I owned a glass artwork similar to this one, though the resemblance was only partly similar. I had seen a friend of mine, whose hobby was to draw, go through a lot of trouble just to buy a beautiful piece. It was so beautiful that when I saw it, I ended up buying it myself.
Maybe I can recreate that in this world?
“You have a good eye, young lady. This is the work of Master Murano, who was said to be the best glassmaker in the empire. Unfortunately, the master passed away a year ago, and its value has only increased.” (Moore)
“Ekaterina, if you like it, I can have it arranged at the mansion.” (Alexei)
Oh, brother. The glassware we use in the mansion has a lot of history and they are all wonderful
But the glasses that I thought looked like Venetian glass were made by Murano? The island of Murano in Venice is a prominent place full of glassmakers who make beautiful pieces of glassworks .
“It’s more fun to come across something unexpected like this than to buy it all.” (Ekaterina)
“As expected of the Duchess of Yurinova, you are quite eagle-eyed.” (Moore)
Moore was impressed, and Alexei smiled, as was typical of him.
As I was about to pick up a glass, Alexei stopped me.
“Give me a minute.” (Alexei)
3rd POV
With that, Alexei put his hand over Ekaterina’s glass. Suddenly, she felt a rush of magic.
“Touch it.” (Alexei)
She did as she was told and touched it, the glass was chilly upon her touch.
“This is wonderful, brother. What a delicate control of magic.” (Ekaterina)
“I did it for grandfather here a long time ago. He loved it.” (Alexei)
He would have been pleased. At only ten years old or so, he is able to control magic in a way that is difficult even for adults.
...Unlike the old hag, grandfather was a decent person, wasn’t he?
Ekaterina’s POV
I raised my glass in toast and smiled at the refreshing coolness of the berry juice. It seems that there is no age limit for drinking in the laws of the empire, but it is naturally considered a bad habit for children to drink. Since I had a low alcohol tolerance in my previous life, I decided to wait until I reached twenty before allowing myself to drink alcohol.
“It’s cold and delicious. Thank you.” (Ekaterina)
“I’m glad you like it.” (Moore)
There were no refrigerators in this world yet, so unless you were a noble with ice-attribute magic, the only way to cool down cold drinks was to chill them in the ice room or with the precious ice stored in the ice room. Cold drinks, which were commonplace in my previous life, are a luxury here.
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