NATURALLY, rumors of the stingers spread like wildfire amongst the aristocracy, who loved the newest trend. The Rose Hotel’s restaurant ended up fully booked for the next three months. A fair number of customers who came from afar because of the rumors stayed at the hotel. The hotel’s entire staff remained extremely busy.
The rumors didn’t stop at the aristocracy though. Word of the product reached the ears of wealthy merchants too and it wasn’t long before the stingers from the Federation practically flew off the shelves. One medium bottle in a shipment was divided into eight smaller ones. Each of the small ones sold quickly despite the high price of one large silver coin per bottle. Some folks even resold those small bottles at three to five times their original price. Eventually, the emperor found out about these stingers as well.
“Seems something called a stinger is the talk of the capital. It’s some sort of herb? Regardless, I would very much like to try it myself.”
With this single comment from the emperor, stingers found their way to the imperial palace via Luca. He knew everyone in the empire would be clamoring to get their hands on some once they learned that stingers were being used in the palace too. He suppressed the excitement surging in his chest and calmly conducted his meeting with the palace’s food purveyor. Instead of the small retail bottles, he agreed to provide the palace with the medium-sized jars—three each of the black and white—he received from the Federation.
“You can only allot six jars for us? You do understand this request comes directly from His Imperial Majesty.”
“Humidity will destroy the stingers. Not only will they become stale, but if mold grows on even one, you have to throw them all away. So it is best to purchase them in small quantities.”
“Hm. Understood.”
Heeding Luca’s advice, the food purveyor wrapped the jars in oilcloth and stored them in airtight wooden boxes to prevent moisture from seeping out. The Rose Hotel’s head chef had accompanied Luca on the trip and he explained the finer points of using the stingers. Then, from that night onward, stingers were served at the emperor’s dining table, where it was well received by the man himself.
✦ ✦ ✦
ON a certain night, the emperor visited Diana in her villa. He told her he would have stingers delivered to her galley as well because she would love the flavor and aroma. Except she had already received stingers and fruit goods from her mother, Dalila, by way of Bertine. But Diana had no intention of telling him so. She certainly wouldn’t be so uncouth as to dampen his spirits.
“Oh, my, how exciting. Your Majesty, I didn’t know about these stingers until you mentioned them, but I have fruit marmalades from the Federation. My mother sent them to me. Claudio and I enjoy eating them for dessert, but they pair well with dry wine too.”
She signaled surreptitiously with her eyes to one of the maids. The woman went promptly to work. In moments, she served buttered saltine crackers covered in a layer of marmalade sporting thin slices of fruit. The emperor wasn’t averse to sweets.
“Well, well. A Federation fruit, hm?”
He ate the treat with great interest while sipping on wine. From that night onward, each time the emperor visited Diana’s villa, she served him a different kind of fruity commodity arranged on different types of treats. As a result, some time later, her villa always maintained a ready supply of the Federation’s jams and marmalades.
When this information reached the hinterlands, Bruno and Kurt exchanged pointed glances then toasted before swallowing the spirits in their cups.
“The emperor himself, eh? Wheat, I can understand, but I can’t wrap my head ’round the emperor enjoying the marmalades and jams we make in our villages.”
“Would’ve thought it impossible myself not too long ago.”
“If our fathers and grandfathers knew, their knees would buckle in shock.”
“Ahahahaha! It would have been nice to tell them, don’t ya think?”
They smiled at each other and finished their star fruit liquor.