Chapter 18

Chapter 18

“We’ll end today’s lesson here,” said Clerivan.

Either way, I was the only person really paying attention in class, but Clerivan didn’t seem to mind.

“We have another assignment today.”

A deep, collective sigh filled the room when an assignment was announced. Kids in any universe hated homework.

“Today’s assignment will be fairly simple. Maybe not that simple.”

What in the hot-iced-tea’s name was that?

I looked curiously at Clerivan.

“Your assignment is to think about an answer for the following question: what is a merchant’s most precious possession?”

“Money, duh,” Giliou responded immediately.

“That can be your answer then. We’ll talk more about it in the next lesson.”

We knew the class was over when Clerivan began to erase the chalkboard.

I tidied the spot where I had been sitting and stood up.

Mayron, who had taken my lead and was fluffing up a cushion, whispered, “How does he know so much about commerce?”

I wanted to laugh. Others might not know how extraordinary and keenly perceptive Clerivan Pellet actually was, but I did.

I nudged Mayron and said, “Of course! Teacher Clerivan is such an...!”

I was just about to say “such an amazing person!” when I felt a gaze piercing the back of my head.

I closed my mouth. Clerivan missed nothing that happened in his classroom, and I had to make it clear that I only knew him as a teacher.

“Well, I wonder what kind of person he is. Haha... ha...”

Whew, that was close.

I suddenly turned my head and focused on the perfectly organized cushion in front of me.

Mayron tilted his head and said, “Tia, you’re sweating. Are you sick?”

“Sick? Of course not. What a pretty cushion...” I replied, quickly changing the subject.

“Bellezac didn’t come today?”

Without his snoring, the study environment had been so much more pleasant. Today’s lesson sank in more than usual.

“Bellezac accompanied Father to a meeting,” a gentle voice answered.

“Hello, Lorraine.”

“Hello, Firentia.”

Lorraine, as beautiful as usual, was wearing a dress with pure white frills. Originally, we had been very awkward around each other. Now that we attended classes together, we had started to exchange greetings and have occasional short conversations.

However, I was always the one to initiate the conversation. This was the first time Lorraine had approached me.

“You know, Firentia...”

“Hmm? What?”

“Firentia... what’s your favorite color?”

I was taken aback by the random question.

What color do I like?

I blinked my eyes a few times and replied, “Red.”

“Oh, I see. Okay.”

That seemed to be all she had to say because she immediately turned and left after I answered.

As I stood there bewildered, the twins approached me.

“What happened? What did Lorraine say?”

“She came over all of a sudden...” I began.

“All of a sudden?”

“...and asked me what color I liked.”

I expected the twins to react with something like, “what in the,” or “what a silly question.”

Instead their eyes widened, and they smiled broadly.

“Oh, Tia likes red!”

“Red, red...”

The twins’ reaction was also strange.

Mayron seemed pleased, as if he had learned some valuable information, while Giliou kept muttering the word “red.”

Lorraine was weird, the twins also weird.

Well, the twins were always weird, but today even more so.

“I better go and take a nap.”

I sighed heavily and finished tidying up the classroom.

***

In the southern district of the Emperor’s territory, there was a residential area filled with noble family townhouses.

Commonly referred to as the Noble Town, this area boasted extravagant and beautiful exteriors unmatched by the other districts. Among its highlights was the Sedaque shopping district, which was bustling with nobles and wealthy merchants.

The recently opened restaurant Victoria Place, which had been fully booked since its opening, was reserved exclusively for a single group of customers. This particular gathering was hosted once a season by Viese Lombardi, the family’s eldest son, and it was highly popular among social circles.

“I heard that the Lombardi and Angenas families are collaborating on a business venture.”

“I heard about that too! We all have high hopes!”

The collaboration between two powerful families seemed to be the latest hot topic of conversation among nobles.

A joint business venture between the Lombardi family (the noblest of nobles) and the Angenas family (which had produced four empresses) was destined to be the talk of the town. Despite the project not even being announced yet, the word of mouth was already spreading.

“I heard it has to do with textiles. What do you think it is?”

“Maybe they’re bringing in silk from the western regions?”

“That’s a possibility. The Angenas family has deep roots in the west. With the help of the Lombardi family, it shouldn’t be difficult to transport them from such a long distance.”

Viese struggled to maintain a smile, his lips trembling slightly amidst the people eagerly speculating.

He had only just returned to his usual self after many sleepless nights caused by frustration over the Gallahan incident. He had finally learned to cope by convincing himself that Gallahan had never accomplished anything before, so handling a business venture was trivial.

Hearing the others talk so excitedly about the venture, however, made his stomach churn once again.

“Viese,” came a gentle whisper while the speaker patted the man’s tense shoulder. It was his spouse, Selal. “The others are watching, dear.”

She smiled as if she had spoken kind words, but Viese snapped to attention at the sound of her sweet voice.

Sure enough, the other nobles who had been gossiping about the textile business glanced sideways at him.

Those quick to catch on to rumors knew that Viese had initially spearheaded the venture. Despite knowing how things turned out, they were eager to discuss the business in front of him.

This was a battlefield.

Viese quickly hid his face with the glass in his hand.

Those who expected the quick-tempered man to explode could not hide their disappointment when he maintained his composure. They looked as though they were missing out on an entertaining spectacle.

“Shall we get some fresh air?” Selal prompted as she helped Viese up from the table.

With graceful steps, she led him to a secluded spot. Once she confirmed they were alone, she continued.

“It’s about time Gallahan earned his keep too, don’t you think?” she asked, continuing to pat her husband’s shoulder.

“Right. And the business is just making fabrics. How profitable could it be anyway?”

“Exactly. So don’t worry about it.”

Selal understood Viese’s anxiety. She was someone with the ability to assess her husband objectively. Though he was the eldest son, he had many shortcomings, which is why she spoke even more warmly.

“At best, Gallahan is still the youngest, and he has done nothing for the family his entire life. Look around you. When people think of the Lombardis, they think of you.”

Though her words didn’t seem like much, after he looked around, his face brightened considerably.

Selal knew exactly what made him tick and what he considered important.

“Bellezac, come here.”

Selal called out to Bellezac, who had been busy pestering a butterfly.

“Whose children did I ask you to play with today?”

“Umm... The Meimbert and Veletiron families. But Mother,” said Bellezac with a grimace, “they’re so boring. I’d rather play alone. It’s much more fun.”

In Bellezac’s mind, the second-born son of the Meimbert family and the third-born son of the Veletiron family were cowards who didn’t know how to have any fun.

“Bellezac, what is the most important thing necessary to live as a noble?”

Bellezac pouted as he recalled the words he had heard his mother repeat countless times.

“Connections. You said that who I associate with is very important.”

“That’s right. So go and greet the young lords of the Meimbert and Veletiron families. Don’t forget to smile as if you’re happy to meet them. Understood?”

“Yes, Mother...”

Bellezac slumped his shoulders and walked away to pretend to be friendly, just as his mother instructed.

“And you need to come to your senses too, my dear. Gallahan... he won’t be busy for long anyways.”

Selal was sure that Gallahan would not achieve significant results on his first business venture. She planned to seize the subsequent opportunity to speak with the Angenas family and initiate a new business between them and Viese.

A short while later, the couple returned to the table arm-in-arm. They continued hosting the event with smiling faces as if nothing had happened.

***

“Hello, Grandfather!”

I gave a deep bow as I entered the office.

“Welcome, Firentia. I prepared some juice and cookies for you, so eat as much as you like.”

“Yes, Grandfather! Wow!”

I was feeling a bit hungry, so the timing was perfect. I let out a childlike cheer and ran toward the sofa that faced a table filled with snacks.

“Father, I’ve come as well.”

“Alright.”

Wow, Grandfather really just demonstrated the stark difference in how he treats us.

The older man smiled warmly at me, but he reverted back to his usual stern expression as soon as his son greeted him.

I was blissfully happy to be eating sweets, munching on a cookie while listening in on their conversation.

“It would seem the fabric is still too unfamiliar for most people. The volume of orders is lower than expected.”

“How much have we produced so far?”

“We have enough to supply the entire Sedaque fashion district. We have adjusted production a bit to match the order volume, but we cannot reduce the number of weavers completely.”

“Right, because if a larger order did come in, you wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“Exactly. Which is why...”

Were things not going according to plan?

Neither my grandfather nor my father looked happy. That had me worried. The venture needed to be a solid stepping stone for my father.

I lowered the volume of my cookie-chewing so that I could hear their conversation better.

“Have you consulted Clerivan?” asked Grandfather, who tapped his armrest while considering the problem.

“I have consulted him, but we were not able to come up with a viable solution.”

“Then we have no choice but to wait.”

“Yes, Father.”

Though he tried not to show it, my father looked to be suffocating under the weight of worry and burden.

I would have felt the same in his position. Even though Grandfather had commanded it, he had taken the business venture from his brother Viese. Moreover, the business he was now responsible for was a large-scale project involving the royal family.

I let out a small sigh.

“Let me see the fabric,” Grandfather said.

“Here you go,” Father said, handing over the large piece of coroy-flannel fabric.

“It came out much softer and lighter than expected. It is easy to dye various colors, and it is breathable. It will be even more useful when summer comes.”

“But we still have a few months until summer.”

The problem seemed to be finding an immediate market for the fabric being produced. There was only a week left before the official sale was scheduled to begin. It was time to start securing stable buyers.

Feeling frustrated, I put down my cookie and approached my father.

“Daddy! I want to see too! Me too!”

Father smiled indulgently and handed me a piece of fabric. It was the same size as the one he had given to grandfather.

“Wow...”

Father was right. The new coroy-flannel fabric was much softer than fabric made purely from coroy. Though the fabric was slightly thicker, it was so light that it barely felt like anything against the skin, making it very comfortable.

As my fingertips touched the fabric, I became confident in its breathability and absorbency. The inclusion of the flannel also gave it a subtle sheen that made it look luxurious even without dye.

“For now, it seems the best course of action would be to wait for reactions from a few of the dress shops in the Sedaque markets and clothing stores,” Father said decisively. “The product is good. We’ll surely get a favorable response if we wait.”

Grandfather, however, remained silent, seemingly contemplating other options.

I felt the same way. Just waiting around after creating such a quality product did not seem like the best approach. If the issue was a lack of awareness, we should be spending money to raise awareness.

The fact that it was a collaboration between the Lombardi and Angenas families would already attract some noble attention. Father only needed a small catalyst.

It didn’t even have to be big; something small, portable, and convenient that would automatically serve as an advertisement.

What could it be...?

As I looked around, my eyes fell on the teacup in front of Father.