The Villainess Who Was Dumped Got Married into My Family, a Mob Noble from the Frontier, and Turns Out, She's an Amazing Capable Wife? - Chapter 27: The Mythical Coffee Savor

Chapter 27: The Mythical Coffee Savor

“I’ve always been directionally challenged, but I never thought I’d get on the wrong carriage. I use the same one every time, yet I often end up making mistakes…?”

Mariana tilted her head in confusion, but it seemed like someone’s ploy. 

Yes, Patricia’s. 

It felt like she was maneuvering to keep Mariana from important events on purpose.

“You’re surprisingly absent-minded, aren’t you? I thought, being a sage’s progeny, you’d be quite the genius.” 

“I’m good at magic! But my parents always said I should focus solely on magic, as I’m a klutz at everything else and should seek help from those around me…” 

The protagonist, due to narrative needs, is made a bit of a klutz. 

Oddly intuitive in strange situations yet somehow misses crucial information or ends up in extraordinary circumstances due to her extreme lack of direction. 

Mariana, the protagonist, possessed such typical main character traits.

Why she looks like a studious type running a café, or why she’s excessively humble towards nobility, remains a mystery.

“Speaking of your parents?” 

I couldn’t help but grow curious, deciding to join their conversation. 

“My parents… well, they passed away due to an illness a year ago…” 

“Ragna, she was upset when she mentioned it before…”

Mariana looked down, while Alicia glared at me, holding a collar. 

Wait, does Alicia always carry that collar? 

It sent a shiver down my spine.

“My apologies for being inconsiderate.”

“No, it’s okay. I am who I am today because of my parents.”

After apologizing sincerely, Mariana stood up and headed towards the counter. 

While preparing some sweets on a plate, she continued speaking.

“Would you two like a refill on your coffee? I was the one who invited you, and I’m sorry for making Sir Ragna prepare it.”

“Can I have one? I’ll make sure to pay.”

“Oh, I’ll take one too. Thank you.”

Then came the coffee and homemade cake Mariana prepared.

“Wow! This is delicious!”

“What’s different about mine…?” 

Despite using the same beans, the difference was startling. 

What is this smoothness?

My coffee was often called harsh by Sebas.

“Is it a reflection of the young master’s life, perhaps?” he says.

Though it got better with lots of practice and adding milk or sugar, it seems my black coffee is still harsh.

No wonder Alicia coughed the first time she tried it. 

Mariana’s coffee, on the other hand, had a smoothness that seemed almost divine. 

It might sound odd, but that’s the best way to describe it.

“It’s so different from what Ragna made! Mariana, you’re amazing!”

“Eh?”

Is a comparison really necessary? 

Mariana is a professional running her own shop, why compare?

Truly, Alicia behaves as though she’s part of the Brave family.

“Sir Ragna’s coffee has a long way to go! It’s bitter!” 

“Eh?” 

I’m not exactly aiming to be a coffee expert. 

And don’t start talking about it being harsh like Sebas.

“Let’s dive into the essence of coffee, Ragna. This is serious business.”

“Well, yeah.”

I decided to go along with Alicia’s suggestion. 

After all, Mariana is an essential character in the story, and I wanted to make friends with her no matter what. 

I’m a disliked noble, and Mariana has a nobility allergy.

It’s a challenging start, but I’m thankful to Alicia for bridging the gap.

“Then I’ll call her master, okay, Master?”

“Eh, no, I mean, I was just going along with the joke, don’t take it too seriously…”

“Oh, Ragna is also just going along with it, so you don’t have to take it seriously.”

“Eeh!? Really!?”

“Hahaha.”

I laughed it off.

Now that she’s got the title of master, even if it’s just a joke, I might insist on it.

It might be a great opportunity to learn about coffee, right?

It could also mean more interactions with her, making future dealings easier.

“It’s kinda strange for me, that I’m not afraid of you two?”

Mariana said while drinking her coffee. 

“I have this vague memory… A child in my neighborhood once told me that nobles are terrifying and that defying them could get you killed. It’s a blurry memory, but I’ve always believed it.”

Not entirely wrong, though…

Especially considering that those sorts of individuals frequently find their way to the Brave territory.

Mariana went on,

“When I was little, I carelessly ran in front of a noble’s carriage and got hit. Just like that child said, I wasn’t helped. The carriage didn’t even stop.”

Alicia listened quietly. 

Judging by her expression, she probably thought her past self would ignore it too. 

Well, that’s just how it is. 

In such a twisted world, sad accidents like this are common.

In the Brave territory, if someone steps into an area they’re not supposed to and gets hurt, it’s considered their fault for entering.

“But, even though you two are nobles, I’m not scared of you! People who like coffee are good people, so I respect you, even though you’re in a tougher situation than me!” 

Not all adventurers in the Brave territory who drink coffee are kind, but who taught her that?

It was something that piqued my curiosity.

“It’s a terrible story, even if it was careless. Let me apologize on their behalf, I’m sorry.”

“Please don’t apologize, Alicia! Because of the injury at that time, my eyesight got worse, but thanks to that, I found coffee.”

The injury significantly weakened her vision, and that’s why she wears thick glasses.

Her parents heard somewhere that coffee could improve eyesight, and that’s how she started drinking it frequently.

“I never thought that my family and I would become so obsessed with coffee that we’d end up opening a shop… uhehe, this smoothness, this smoothness, uhehehe.”

That’s… kind of scary. 

Mariana, tasting her coffee with her thick glasses shining ominously, looked more like a coffee yokai than a protagonist.

“Ragna keeps talking about how smooth things are, but I never really understood what he meant until I tried Mariana’s coffee. Is this what they call smoothness?”

Alicia, watching Mariana act like this, seemed to take it all in stride. 

In the Brave territory, I’ve been teaching her all sorts of local norms, maybe a bit too enthusiastically.

Have I taught her too much?