Taste of Magic: Ambassador's Voice

Chapter 214 – Ice Festival

Preparation, preparations, and more preparations. The workload Melina experienced a few weeks before the Ice Festival, which was organized during the very peak of winter months, could be compared to the month before her engagement party.

She continued making special orders in the bakery, mainly shimmercakes, custom cakes, and healing waffles, while leaving the bulk work to Roxie and Michael. They were doing marvelously well. Even though the strain on the bakery wasn't as bad during winter, there was still a lot of cooking to be done each morning.

Michael and Roxie had even developed a friendly sort of camaraderie, learning how to split work among themselves to make it go faster. For example, Roxie was excellent at making dough quickly, while Michael was excellent at making pretty decoration arrangements and overall making the pastries look very appetizing.

Adrien, of course, remained the champion behind the counter, keeping customers happy as he sold the pastries with vigor. He had even begun using levitation magic to give customers a little show as he worked, which the kids loved to no end.

After Melina completed the custom orders, she headed to the Baking Hall and helped her students work on the pastries they would present for the Ice Festival. Coming up with the best combination, proper proportions, and most importantly, making sure that everything was safe to consume by using .

Once the classes were finished, Melina would head to Town Hall and help Alistair wherever she could. There wasn't really much she could do there, only the simplest of paperwork. Nonetheless, the amount of paperwork before the festival was astounding, and Alistair, along with his aides, was buried in it.

She remained with him until dinner time, when they went to Erina's inn for a meal. Coincidentally, they also used this time to gather information about the latest rumors and general progress in town. It wasn't rare for people to join in, explaining their troubles to Alistair or simply expressing gratitude for the progress made.

Needless to say, after such a busy day, Melina and Alistair went to bed soon after returning home. Daisy and Henry were invaluable during this time, keeping the house cleaned, clothes washed, and snow cleared. Melina had no clue how they could have managed without them, and felt very grateful towards the Duchess for insisting that they have these servants work for them.

The closer the festival was, the busier it got. Sculptors, artists, and mages arrived in Sunglow a few days before the Festival and began working on the magnificent sculptures. Quite often, people came and watched them work. It was likely that the crowd would have been bigger, but the cold was a good deterrent. Most were content to wait until the festival itself.

Melina would have loved to observe the process, but the Baking Hall was in complete chaos. Pastries were being cooked in large quantities, and Melina had to make sure that everyone had enough ingredients for whatever pastry they had in mind. She also watched over the cooking process, making sure that nobody would end up with ruined batches.

It was quite stressful, and when the Ice Festival day finally arrived, Melina actually felt intense relief. Of course, she also felt stressed. She hoped that everyone would do well and that their pastries would sell well. But at the same time, for her, it would be a day of relaxation.

Due to all the preparations she had to make before the festival, Melina didn't get to invent any recipe of her own or make her own stall. But that was quite all right. It was actually better that she remained in the backseat and out of the public eye.

"Is everyone ready?" Melina asked her students, most of whom were fussing over their pastries, their eyes darting nervously to the store.

"No…" Some replied honestly, while most remained silent.

"Don't worry, everyone! I'm sure you will do just fine. We're going to tally how many pastries you sell by the end of the festival, but no matter the results, don't be discouraged. You all have graduated this class and will be allowed to work with Monster Realm ingredients in the future," she announced, hoping to ease their nerves if only a little.

They did seem to relax, if only a little.

"Okay, let's get the shop set up. There will be guards stationed inside, so don't worry about any trouble that might arise. It will be taken care of. Meanwhile, as I walk around the festival, I'll be advertising the shop and encouraging the people to come and take a look," Melina smiled.

Although, quite honestly, Baking Hall didn't need much advertising. Its unusual architecture and the proximity to the market made it a prime location for festival goers to visit. After all, the market itself was filled to the brim with vendors, who were setting up their stalls for business and readying bonfires to keep the temperatures more tolerable despite the cold weather.

Her students nodded and began taking their creations to the shop, taking up spots Melina had assigned to them ahead of time. Not all of her students will be able to sell their stuff at the same time. Instead, there would be two rotations with one group selling in the morning and the other in the evening.

She made sure that the morning group had pastries that were best eaten fresh, while the afternoon group contained pastries that remained good after a while or required some extra preparations in the morning to finish.

Philip was in the afternoon group, since his tiramisu tasted better after having some time to soak. His creations were already prepared and sitting in the cold room, waiting for their time to be sold. Nonetheless, the man looked incredibly nervous, pacing around his workstation.

"Philip, don't worry, it'll be alright," Melina walked up to him, hoping to reassure him, if only a little.

"I'm just worried if Anne will come…" Philip said.

"She did say she would come to the festival," Melina reminded him.

"Yes, but what if she doesn't have to go to the Baking Hall?" Philip asked. "Or what if she comes during the morning?"

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Melina smiled. "Don't worry. The invitation did specify that she should visit the Baking Hall and even implied that the afternoon is a more preferable time for a visit."

"Yes, but what if—"

"Philip, it'll be fine!" Melina said firmly. "I'm honestly surprised that a confident cook such as yourself would be so nervous over anything."

Philip scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I'm just afraid this is the only chance I got…"

Melina smiled. "I once believed that Alistair and I had no chance at all. But life is actually filled with second chances. Often carved by our own hands. If you don't manage to achieve your goal this time, I'm sure you could always try again, no matter how hopeless it might seem."

This seemed to calm the tall man a little. "I… I suppose you're right. It's not like the world is ending after the festival."

That sentence did give Melina pause. She wanted to say "Of course not" loudly and proudly, but Heiliger's attack weighed heavily on her mind. Melina would do everything in her power to protect the future. She knew she had powerful allies helping her this time. Nonetheless, fear remained. Heiliger was not one to be taken lightly.

"Miss Melina?" Philip looked at her quizzically.

"Oh! I seem to have been caught in my own thoughts. I guess I'm a bit nervous too," she said sheepishly.

"I believe that it is only normal," Philip said. "Good luck, Miss Melina. I hope you enjoy the festival."

"Thank you, Philip! I wish the best of luck to you, too," Melina said, then turned to Mango. "Come on, little one. Let's go find Alistair!"

Melina was not expecting this. When Alistair said they would browse the festival at a leisurely pace, she expected just the two of them and Mango, making the rounds, watching over the festivities, and perhaps stepping up if some problem arose.

Yet somehow it ended up with Melina dressed in the most lavish white fur coat and walking together with the nearly whole Sinclair family while surrounded by a dozen guards. She was mechanically clutching onto Alistair's arm while Charlotte bounced around the Duchess and Duke Sinclair, who were walking to her right.

"You've done well, Alistair. Everything seems organized, and there are many attractions for people to enjoy. I'm sure the Festival will bring Sunglow much-needed resources for further growth," Duke Sinclair said, looking over the streets bustling with people with regal dignity.

"Thank you, Father," Alistair said, somewhat stiffly. It appeared that his family's arrival had been as much of a shock to him as it was to Melina. "May I ask why you and Mother are here, instead of Fenrora? Who is watching over the Festival there?"

"It's been happening there for decades now. People are already familiar with it and can handle it without issues. Not to mention that it was a great opportunity to test Richard. He'll have to take care of any problems should they arise," the Duke said calmly.

"Brother Richard was quite excited for it, actually," Charlotte added. "He was often muttering about "chance to prove himself" and "finally given free reign" or something along those lines."

"You have been rather adamant on doing everything yourself instead of relying on your capable sons," the Duchess added.

"Alistair is barely an adult, and Alan most certainly isn't capable. I'm wondering whether I should cut off all of his allowance. His outings have only gotten worse lately," the Duke growled.

"He'll just leech off his friends…" Alistair said bitterly.

The atmosphere was getting rather heavy. Melina didn't want everyone to feel so down on the day of the festival, so she said, "Why don't we go and see the ice sculptures? I'm sure the artists have worked hard on them."

"Yes. I even invited a few drow from the Monster Realm to participate," Alistair added.

"Drow? Would they make giant monsters out of ice?" Charlotte wondered.

"I hope not…" The Duchess said nervously.

"I'm sure they have created something interesting, dear," the Duke said, gently stroking his wife's shoulders.

They proceeded towards the beach, where the ice sculptures were displayed. Eyes of the townsfolk and tourists alike followed them, and Melina couldn't help but feel that she was out of place, walking with the Sinclair family.

Sensing her unease, Alistair leaned closer, whispering in her ear. "Don't worry. You look absolutely lovely. Nobody would ever dare to doubt your origins."

Melina nodded, although his words didn't do much to ease her nervousness. This would be one of those that would take time to get used to.

Thankfully, once they entered the beach, her nervousness was quickly replaced with awe. It was like they had walked into a whole new world made entirely of ice. The entrance itself was an archway carved entirely out of ice and illuminated with lights from the inside.

There was a small, cozy-looking hut made entirely of ice near the entrance, where children were allowed to play and roam around. Few adults were watching over them and giving them colored ice blocks, which the kids could use to decorate the ice. Melina could see that Charlotte was itching to join them, but a stern glance from the Duchess was enough of a message that she wasn't allowed to.

A good portion of the beach had been turned into an ice garden. Hedges made of ice, seats made of ice, as well as trees and flowers whose petals were made out of colorful, illuminated ice blocks. It was like magic. In fact, Leon was standing in the center of this garden and using this magic to form ice flowers, handing them to women who passed by.

The man lost composure for a moment, seeing the Sinclair family approach. But he quickly regained it and conjured a magnificent icy rose. It was so intricate that it was like a real rose that had been turned into ice. He extended it towards Melina.

"It is a pleasure to see you here, Miss Melina. Please take this rose as a token of my gratitude. I wouldn't be able to do any of this were it not for your lessons," Leon said.

"Can I have one too?!" Charlotte asked eagerly.

"Of course," the mage smiled, looking far more suave than he normally did, and created a sunflower made of ice.

"Wow!" Charlotte gasped.

"Impressive control of magic. You've taught this man well, Melina," the Duke observed.

"Thank you, Your Grace!" Melina and Leon said in unison.

"Would you be so kind as to conjure an orchid for my wife?" Duke asked.

"O-Of course," Leon bowed and conjured the flowers. His mana did fluctuate a little, likely due to nerves, but he quickly regained control and presented the icy orchid to the Duchess.

"My thanks," the Duchess said.

They continued wandering from sculpture to sculpture, admiring the intricate work. Ice soldiers, ice castle, ice dogs, etc. The variety was staggering. However, just as it seemed that they had seen it all, Melina noticed that at the far end of the beach, one of the sculptures was still covered, a drow and Milo fussing over it at the bottom.

"I wonder if there's a problem…" Melina wondered.

"We should go check," Alistair said, but she could see that there was a slight smile in the corner of his lips. Was this on purpose?

Nonetheless, they all walked up to them, and Alistair asked. "Have you finished?"

"Yes, Lord Sinclair! I'm sure it will be to your liking!" Milo said, bowing politely while giving Melina a warm smile.

Something was definitely up.

"Excellent. If you could reveal it, Milo, I'd be very grateful."

"Of course! Please take a few steps back. You need to be at a distance to truly admire this beauty," Milo said mischievously and pulled on the covers.