Dream Life Vol 3 Chapter 34.2: “Behind The Scenes: Middle Part”

~Eleanor’s Perspective~

　I was relieved and had the time to think, “That’s a beautiful sound.”

　But that moment of relief quickly disappeared.

　From a little distance away, I heard a small scream, followed by a shattering sound.

　At that moment, the air in the serving room froze at once. It was midsummer, but it felt as if the freezing cold air of a harsh winter had entered the room.

　Everyone wanted to look in the direction of the sound, but they were too afraid of the outcome to do so. We were all frozen, none of us could move.

“I’m sorry……” (Voice)

　I heard a small, hoarse voice.

　It seemed that it was Aina, the youngest member of the group, 14 years old, who had broken the door.

　I couldn’t move or call out to her. I was so helpless that I thought this is what it means to be in a situation where you don’t know what to do.

　In the meantime, Aina was crouching down and crying. Normally, she is a cheerful and motivated girl, but at 14 years old, it was no wonder that she started to cry.

　The first to make a move was Lady Barbara.

“I am very sorry, sir. I take all responsibility of this mishap.” (Barbara)

　She stood in front of Sir Zacharias as if protecting Aina while bowing deeply. I knew we could count on her. As I was thinking this, Sir Zacharias responded, “It’s all right,” as if nothing was wrong.

　He stopped them with a gesture and Sir Zacharias gently peeked at Aina. He held Aina’s shoulders as he crouched down and asked in a gentle voice, “Are you hurt? Let me see your hands,” he said gently, rubbing her back.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” (Voice => Aina)

　Aina can only repeat those words.

“You don’t have to worry about it. Besides, are you sure your hand was not cut?” (Zack)

　That seemed to calm her down a little, and Aina slowly raised her head. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her face was pale.

　Sir Zacharias looked at Aina’s hand and said, “It’s a little cut. I’ll fix it right away,” and began to chant a healing spell.

　At this point, although out of place, I remembered that this person was a magician.

　Still, Aina’s tears did not stop.

　Sir Zacharias looked a little troubled, and then, perhaps thinking of something, he took Aina’s hand again,

“It’s a good opportunity, let’s heal the roughness of your hand.” (Zack) [T/N: Oy! Flirt sighted.]

　He then rubbed Aina’s hand and applied more healing magic.

　Unlike the noble ladies’ hands, our hands, as maids, tend to get rough. It’s fine because the servants do the cleaning, laundry, and more, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have to do any work at all. It’s still better at this time, during summer, but in the winter my hands are cracked and there’s nothing to do about it.

　Aina was speechless, unable to keep up with the situation. And she was stunned looking at her smooth hands.

　Yet, when she noticed the broken glass in front of her, tears were spilling down her face again.

　With a gentle smile, Sir Zacharias said, “Watch closely,” and took the glass that had been neatly broken in two in his hand.

　Then, as he recited a small incantation, a bright white light flooded from Sir Zacharias’ hand. The light was so bright that it made me squint.

　When the light subsided, there was the glass, restored to its original state. Sir Zacharias patted Aina’s head and said,

“Look, it’s going to be all right. Don’t worry and keep practicing.” (Zack)

　Aina had an expression of disbelief, then sniffled and thanked him over and over again.

　That was surprising.

　I had thought that since he was obsessed with alcohol, he would be terribly offended if we broke his tools. And yet, he was not as stern as he had been earlier, and he really cared about the young maid.

　I think everyone was thinking that way.

　In such a situation, only Aina seemed a little different. Her expression was a little shy, yet glowing. [T/N: Liddy, Zack did it again.]

　He was as strict as ever with the waiters, but he was kind to us maids. It seems that he was a little bit more relaxed after Aina’s bout of crying.

　We learned how to handle alcohol in a friendly atmosphere.

“…In addition to the On-the-Rocks, there is also the Twist-Up, which is a one-to-one mix of water and spirits, the Water Split, which is a four-to-one mix, and the Soda Split, in which the water is replaced with soda water, However, since this is the first time the customer has tasted distilled spirits, it would be better to suggest three types: straight, on the rocks, and water split.” (Zack)

　He explained to the waiters that it would be better to taste all of them, and added explanations one by one as he went through the process.

“Twist Up is the way to drink it that allows you to feel the aroma and taste of distilled spirits the most. Like this…” (Zack)

　Sir Zacharias’s expression looked like he was really enjoying it.

“…I personally don’t recommend it with water. However, in order to make it easier for first-time drinkers to taste it, this level of alcohol content may be better. Please use the prepared water. The reason is that we make water that tastes almost the same as the water in the village of Rathmore, where the distillery is located. …And as for the carbonation, this is difficult to make, so let’s just have a look at this one this time.” (Zack)

　As Sir Zacharias said this, he lined up the glasses one after another.

　The last drink to be made, the one with soda water, looked to me like it was just water that had been replaced with soda water, but apparently it was not.

“The distilled spirits, soda water, and tumbler must be well chilled. Unlike the watered-down version, no ice is added. …The soda water is poured gently over the back of a spoon like this. After pouring, gently stir the soda water by moving the spoon up and down. The most important thing to note here is that over-stirring will cause the carbonation to vanish… Finally, add the citrus peel to scent the drink.” (Zack)

　As he explains, he dexterously pours the soda water into the glass. Unlike a water mix, the glass is not filled with ice. When he finished pouring the soda water, he cut a thin slice of citrus peel and waved his arm while releasing the juice from the peel. He said that this was a technique called “peeling” and that it was the best way to add a slight aroma to the drink. I found the gesture very strange. I don’t know how to describe it.

　Then all the maids took a sip.

　I didn’t think it tasted good straight or on the rocks, too strong. I didn’t think it tasted that good with water either. But the soda was so good that I wanted to try it again. I tried it out along with Lady Barbara and Mr. Fergus, the head waiter, but it was completely different from Sir Zacharias’s. The same amount and the same procedure were used. I have no idea why it was different even though they were made in the same quantity and according to the same procedure.

　Before we knew it, we were enjoying pouring liquor.

　I realized something this time. This person clearly loves alcohol.

　Since he seemed to be having so much fun and was seriously thinking about alcohol, I was convinced why the dwarven blacksmiths would respect him.

　After an hour or so, he said, “You are indeed quick to learn. All you need now is a little practice,” he said, and turned to the waiters.

　I was a little disappointed. I was really enjoying myself.

　But that was the end of the fun. After this, it was really hell.

　Yes, because Lady Barbara had suddenly become very motivated.

“As you all know, Sir Zacharias is a kind man. But we must not take advantage of that!　We are going to train now so that we can meet Master Zacharias’ expectations! Is that clear.” (Barbara)

　Until recently, she had been calling him “Sir Zacharias,” but now Lady Barbara has started calling him “Master Zacharias” with a sense of affection.

　All of us must have thought about that for a moment, but we all had no choice but to nod due to Lady Barbara’s overwhelming force.

　Lady Barbara was truly an excellent person.

She had learned it almost perfectly in just one hour, even with a blush on her cheeks from Sir Zacharias’s guidance.

“Ms. Eleanor! Are you listening!? The basic quantities for On-the-Rocks are… Ms. Dorothea! Mix it more gently! If you mix it in a way that makes noise, the ice will break…!” (Barbara)

　Meanwhile, Aina was the only one who passed Lady Barbara’s strict standards.

　We practiced until midnight that day.

　Lady Barbara was still not convinced, but the ice we had prepared ran out, so the day was over.

　The next day came and we thought that since the ice was gone, we were good to go for the day. But when we went to the serving room after the morning work, we found that a large quantity of ice had already been prepared.

　I asked my fellow attendants, and they told me that Lady Barbara had asked Sir Zacharias for it.

　We were disappointed.

　Of course, we wanted to make the banquet a success, too, but it was hard for us to go through Lady Barbara’s training, who had suddenly become very motivated. So, I guess it was inevitable to feel that way.

　It seemed that the waiters were the same way, and when they thought the practice bottles were gone, they were replenished exactly the same way as our ice.

　So, I ended up spending all my free time practicing that day as well.

　Everyone was worried when we heard that Sir Zacharias had been attacked by Harrison Gunnell during practice. But he was not badly injured, and we were happy to hear that Gunnel had been captured, but for some reason, only Lady Barbara was in a terrible mood when she went directly to the Lockhart family to ask about the situation.

　I did not understand the reason, but it seemed that she did not like the fact that Sir Zacharias was being scolded.

　I think the training after that was even more severe than yesterday. It was the first time that the strict Lady Barbara had mixed her public and private life.

　And we did it!

　All the waiters are rubbing their sore muscle arms, but they have very nice smiles on their faces. We can’t say the same for the others. Every muscle in the house was screaming, probably because we were using different muscles than usual. But now it doesn’t bother me at all.

　On the night before the feast, after passing Lady Barbara’s strict check, the Mistress and Baron Oldham also checked it. And we were able to receive a “perfect” evaluation from both of them.

　Some of them were happy with tears.

　No one laughed at that. Yes, because my vision was also a little blurred.

A/N: I prefer carbonated drinks (highballs) without ice.

It’s not as obvious a difference as a cocktail, but there are really very few bartenders who can make a highball well.

I get excited when I hit a highball that I can say is really good.

(Having said that, I usually drink it straight…)

T/N: I sort of get the differences between the cocktails, but I would rather have a beer. I don’t think it’s bad but, nothing beats freshly opened ice-cold beer and some spicy side dish. I am craving some sizzling sisig and ice-cold beer.