C1 Part3

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Disclaimer:

I DO NOT OWN THIS WORK, ASUMA RISAI (the author) DOES.

PS. Nobody owns Shiori either.

For any re-posts or re-uploads, please credit this blog!

And now, on to the real stuff.

Shiori felt

as if his lips were still numb.

An

extravagant luxurious-looking chandelier, gold sequins in intricate patterns

adorning the walls, an age-old desk. These exuded an air of high social

standing, as if being the physical representation of the royal family's

prestige.

Shiori was

being pressured regarding work by the secretary in his office. Even though it

was just the day right after the wedding ceremony, Shiori continued to complete

his daily work for the royal family's business.

The place

where Shiori tasted humiliation that he never did before.

The touch

and rough aftertaste of the grape wine lingered at the tip of Shiori's tongue,

twined its way around Shiori's lower body, and slowly ignited that insidious

fire within his body......

"Your

majesty, are you feeling alright? Did the wedding ceremony take a toll on your

body?"

Upon the

secretary's attempt to get Shiori's attention, Shiori snapped out of his

reverie.

As long as

that man is forgotten, all will be well.

It was not

as if Shiori would meet that man again.

Although

Shiori appeared to be detached and unconcerned on the outside, he spared no

effort when attending to his work. That was the reason why when the secretary

noticed Shiori being lost in his thoughts, he could not help but be extremely

worried and asked out of concern for Shiori.

"I am

fine. Is there anything else you would like to report?" Shiori urged his

secretary in a calm tone. Seeing that Shiori had returned to his normal

collected self, the secretary felt relieved. The secretary's expression,

however, was still slightly tense when he replied Shiori.

"There

is. Recently, there have been numerous reports regarding aged but of poor

quality champagnes that are labelled 'Vintage' being distributed and circulated

in the market."

"Champagnes

of poor quality?"

After

listening to the secretary's report, Shiori lifted his head from the documents.

"Yes.

Generally speaking, only champagnes that state and ensure that the year of

harvest of the grapes, the usage of top-quality grapes and the maturation

period of at least three years are given the title of 'Vintage'. However, as of

late, this 'Vintage' label had been found on champagnes of poor quality in the

market - the grapes used to make the wine are sub-standard, even the

champagne's maturation period does not meet the standard."

"What

did you just say?" The expression in Shiori's eyes suddenly became stern.

This matter simply cannot be taken lightly. Not only that, this matter could

possibly damage the country's reputation.

"Are

you implying that some unaged liquor that do not even deserve to be called

champagne are actually hiding under the guise of 'aged liquor' and are being

sold as such on the market?"

"That

being the case, these inferior quality liquors surely do not follow the proper

methods for brewing and fermentation. This should be the handiwork of a

scoundrel out to make a handsome profit by lowering his production costs as

much as possible."

In general,

only ingredients from chosen and reputed areas can be used to make such

champagnes. However, in Ecuratol, long before the enforcement of the AOC law (a set of indicators regarding the origin, quality an style of wine), there exists a set of unique standards that have been

known globally. This set of standards stipulate ways for the fermentation

process in a very detailed manner. Only grape wines that meet such stringent

standards can be crowned as 'Vintage'.

In Ecuratol,

grape wines of the lowest quality are those that only require 15 months to

mature, and those that are 'Non-Vintage' (wines without a date on the label).

Following that, wines that have matured for at least three years are considered

as 'Vintage' wines (Wines labelled with the harvest year of the grapes which

were used to make the wine). And at the top of it all, the wine of the highest

quality was labelled as the 'Royal Vintage'.

"Amongst

the substandard wines that had the 'Vintage' labels, some of them had the

'Royal Vintage' labels pasted on them." The secretary continued, sounding

as if he had been seized by fear.

"......",

Shiori could not help but let out a gasp.

That very

act of wrongfully labeling the champagnes was to blemish Shiori's reputation.

Champagnes

that are allowed to be labelled as 'Royal Vintage' not only required the use of

grapes that have been harvested from vineyards that that have been proven to be

of high quality, it also required Shiori's approval.

Only

champagnes that have been tasted and approved by Shiori can then be crowned as

'Royal Vintage'.

Champagnes

that are labelled as 'Royal Vintage' in the market are few and far between -

its exceptionally good and distinctive character and flavour made people

compare such champagnes to Shiori - a flower that is hard to reach; almost

unattainable, and it has been very well-received by critics and fans alike.

While it has

been mentioned that dateless 'Non-Vintage' champagnes are the lowest quality

out of all the champagnes, such judgement is only limited within Ecuratol.

In reality,

champagnes that use a combination of grapes that have been harvested during the

years with bad harvest (due to unfavourable weather circumstances, few grapes

grow and hence, can be harvested) and grapes that are harvested on years that

are known to have produced good quality grapes are actually much more

distinctive flavour-wise, despite being 'Non-Vintage'.

Regardless

of the time it was sold, a 'Non-Vintage' champagne that promises a distinctive

and pleasing flavour - the person who can make such a blend is Shiori, as he is

someone who has an exceptionally good

sense of taste. Due to Shiori's assurance regarding the quality,

Ecuratol's grape wines were able to become world-renowned and receive the trust

of everyone.

The

country's entire wine industry is sustained and backed by this very prestige

and recognition of their wines.

As it was

wine that had been created by Shiori himself, as it was wint that had been

approved by Shiori himself, it was definitely good to savour...... but the poor

tasting wines have betrayed this trust that people have towards Shiori's seal

of approval.

"The

subordinates are currently checking, however, as of now, they are unable to

find out the reason for such bad quality wines to be labelled as 'Vintage' and

'Royal Vintage'. ", the secretary replied with a reluctant expression.

"Continue

the investigation.", ordered Shiori. Since the investigation was already

well underway, before the truth of the matter is uncovered, the only thing

Shiori could do was to wait.

"This

matter aside, I will have to select the champagne that will be distributed and

sold for use in the banquet organised by the Japanese diplomat, am I

correct"

Even though

Shiori was unwilling, he had a pile of work waiting for him

"Yes,

the dealer would like to purchase champagne of the greatest quality for this

event. This large-scale banquet will be a grand occasion at which ambassadors

from several different countries and continents will gather. As such, the

Japanese dealer who will be overseeing this banquet mentioned that the costs

would not be an issue. Instead, he stressed that using wine which the people

trust is of the utmost importance and concern."

"I am

well aware of that fact even if he did not mention it."

The

ambassadors have likely been posted to countless of countries before, and at

the country of their posting, ate the best cuisine that the country has to

offer.

As the

distributor has chosen to use Ecuratol's champagne, its aim was likely to raise

its reputation. Furthermore, the dealer specifically designated for 'Royal

Vintage' champagnes to be used at the large-scale banquet. The sum of money needed to import such a large

amount of 'Royal Vintages' would be considerably large.

This very

intention showed that the amount of value the dealer places in Ecuratol's

champagne.

Wines that

are able to meet the conditions and hence be labelled as a 'Royal Vintage' were

too little, too few.

Everyone in

the world wanted to get their hands on such rare champagnes.

However, if

one were to search and purchase all of such champagnes' existing stock......

"After

you are done selecting the champagne, we will need to paste the labels on the

bottles. In the evening, the chosen champagnes will be shipped out. The dealer

expressed his wish for the champagnes to be air flown into Japan in order for

them to arrive on time for tomorrow's banquet."

"This

matter is very rushed."

"Such

urgency indicates that the banquet is of utmost importance. Also, this year is

the year which the ban on Japan is lifted. Thus, this action will also be used

to create a topic of interest at the banquet."

"So the

champagne will simply be something for the attendees to chatter about?"

The dealer

was very shrewd. If the atmosphere amongst the attendees was lively, warm and

intimate, they would naturally have a good impression of the banquet. The

dealer had even accurately calculated the sort if impression that the attendees

would have of the banquet after it ends.

"The

champagnes from several different dealers have been prepared in the next room

for your tasting."

"Understood.

I will head over immediately."

Next part: http://blacksoulz.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-royal-fiance-white-prince-chapter-1.html

Page 24 - page 30 of the novel. Enjoy! ^^

Felt like I have learnt much more about wine and all after translating these few pages. The importance of Shiori is often overlooked and I feel that it's parts like these that really build on the fact that Shiori is dedicated and is actually someone who should be more appreciated ;w;

While the smex scenes will still take awhile to come, these scenes really provide insight on Shiori's character! So I hope you will like them :3

I WANT TO GO TO ONE OK ROCK'S CONCERT UGHHHHHH THEY ARE COMING TO SG

Mood: Wide awake despite it being 1.07am

Note: This is just a one person thing, so there's no proof readers or grammar checks and the like. Pardon any errors! Do feel free to point out any mistakes you spot.