After finishing the talk about the Italian restaurant, I shifted my gaze from Frieda to the members of the Plantan Company.
"I have a matter to discuss with the Plantan Company regarding the printing industry. It appears preparations for printing are underway in Glesschel."
"Glesschel? I didn't expect printing preparations to be further along than the paper workshop preparations."
Benno raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. However, when I added, "Glesschel seems to be on good terms with
"In Glesschel, unlike Haldenzel, a paper workshop is also being planned. We'll need to prepare for the founding of not just a printing guild, but a Plant Paper Association as well."
As I relayed this, Mark and Lutz began taking notes on their writing boards.
To give them time to write, I looked up at
"Since you'll be dispatched to the paper workshop, Gil, you should decide which personnel to send from the
"The teams have already been divided according to Lady
"Oh my, as expected of my attendant. How dependable."
I chuckled and praised Gil, and he raised the corner of his lips ever so slightly in pride. Normally, he'd show more emotion, but with so many nobles present, even that was difficult.
"After this, we'll conduct a final verification by the scholars to confirm that the necessary preparations in Glesschel are truly in place, and then we'll relocate the Gutenbergs. Please inform the Gutenbergs to prepare as well so they can move as soon as I summon them. This year's relocation is also planned for before the Harvest Festival."
"Understood. How shall we handle the transportation this time?"
Benno glanced at me with his reddish-brown eyes. He'd complained endlessly about how difficult the carriage journey was, so he was almost certainly going to ask me to provide riding beasts. The longer the travel took, the more the costs multiplied—food, lodging, and more. Since I was the one who wanted to spread the printing industry, I intended to cooperate as much as possible.
"I'll handle the transport using my riding beasts. Prepare accordingly."
"Thank you very much. That would be a tremendous help."
Benno expressed his thanks with visible relief. Then he turned around and gave a command: "...Lutz, the pin prototype."
Lutz nodded at Benno's words and took out a safety pin wrapped in cloth from the box he was carrying. Then, with a respectful manner, he presented it to me.
"Lady Rozemyne, here is the safety pin you ordered. It's the work of
I took the safety pin from Lutz and examined it from various angles, fastening and unfastening it to check its movement. The safety pin was made correctly, right down to the finest details, just as I'd ordered. The title of "Johan's apprentice" was no empty boast.
"Well made. Please tell Danilo to produce the full quantity just like this."
When I murmured, "Should I also grant Danilo the title of
"Johan said that if someone is to receive the Gutenberg title as his apprentice, they had better be able to make at least metal type, or it wouldn't count."
"As expected of the original Gutenberg. He's strict about his work. Please convey to him that I look forward to Danilo passing the test quickly."
I smiled at Lutz as I spoke, and he narrowed his eyes and nodded.
"Understood. I'll be sure to tell him. Also, about the standardized forms currently being produced at the Rozemyne Workshop—would it be all right to start using them in the lower city first?"
These were documents designed to standardize formatting so that merchants from other duchies wouldn't be confused when they arrived. Gil had reported to me that the Plantan Company was already testing them for usability. I needed to get them adopted by the commercial guild as soon as possible, so the staff would be accustomed to the format before merchants from other duchies started showing up.
"There shouldn't be any problem. I'll buy some samples myself and try to negotiate with my adoptive father about whether they could be used at the castle as well. Mark, how did the standardized forms feel when you tried them at the Plantan Company? Has your work become a little easier?"
"Just having the documents standardized has made our work significantly easier."
Mark's smile deepened, and Lutz nodded several times beside him. If it made things easier at the Plantan Company, the commercial guild should be able to adopt them without trouble as well.
"This time I created forms aimed at merchants from other duchies, but if it makes things easier, we could consider creating other types of forms too."
"If we're going to use paper in that way, it might be worth increasing the number of paper workshops to lower the price."
Benno's eyes sharpened at the thought that lowering the price as much as possible would benefit their own convenience. He called me "impulsive," but I thought Benno was plenty impulsive himself when it came to securing his own profits.
"Expanding the printing industry will certainly require more paper workshops, but how many we can add depends on the number of craftsmen we can dispatch. It won't be easy to increase them right away."
"Just as Lady Rozemyne says, teaching people how to make paper always takes time, sir."
These were the words of Lutz, who had traveled to both Ilgner and Haldenzel to teach the locals. Benno muttered, "That's right," and let out a sigh.
After a soft laugh, I shifted my gaze from the Plantan Company to the members of the
"I've been informed that the summer hair ornament is ready. Turi, would you show me?"
"Here it is. Please take a look."
Turi carefully took out the box and gently opened the lid. I could feel Philine, who was standing behind me, lean forward slightly with interest.
Inside the box, I immediately spotted two large flowers with beautiful gradients—centered on blue, the noble color of summer, transitioning to white toward the tips of the petals. The flowers were surrounded by several varieties of leaves, including some yellowish-green ones that would droop and sway when worn.
Since my hair was blue, apparently making flowers based on blue was quite challenging. I could tell Turi had put a lot of thought and ingenuity into the design.
"What do you think, Lady Rozemyne?"
The way Turi narrowed her eyes, it was as if she were saying, "I worked really hard, didn't I?" I shifted slightly and turned toward Turi.
"Would you put it in for me?"
"Of course."
Hartmut and Philine stepped back a few paces to make room. Turi approached with the hair ornament in hand, her expression tense. She removed my current hair ornament and placed the new one in my hair. I could feel the drooping leaf portions swaying faintly near my ears.
"Philine, what do you think?"
She was the only female attendant present. When I called out to Philine, Turi clasped her hands tightly together in front of her chest. Usually I was the only one who decided whether to purchase, so I realized Turi was extremely nervous waiting for Philine's reaction.
Philine peered at the hair ornament, examining it from above and from the side, then smiled gently.
"It's absolutely beautiful, Lady Rozemyne."
Turi looked relieved at those words. She relaxed her shoulders and broke into a happy smile. I had the original ornament put back, then alternated my gaze between Turi and Otto as I gently touched the new hair ornament.
"Then, let's purchase this summer hair ornament."
"Thank you. Also, we have a proposal for an outfit to match the hair ornament. Turi, who makes the hair ornaments, came up with the initial design, and Corina made some modifications. What do you think?"
What Otto showed me was the design for a dress that would be Turi's first fashion creation. To put it simply, it was an upgraded version of the Festive Clothing I'd worn at my commoner
The balloon-style skirt with its gathered hem had been well-received when I had it made for winter alterations, so that element was incorporated into an off-the-shoulder dress. The tucks at the bust would apparently use lace, with small matching flowers—coordinating with the hair ornament but slightly smaller—arranged at the neckline. I fell in love with the design at first glance, as it held a nostalgic charm.
"I'll be inviting you to the castle soon, so please bring fabric samples so I can place the order. I love it, but I'll need to consult my adoptive mother and my attendants before making a formal order."
My outfits had the potential to influence trends, so I needed to show the design to my adoptive mother and birth mother. And it was important to hear what Ricarda and Brunhilde, who put so much effort into outfit selection, thought as well. I wanted to say, "If it's Turi's design, I'll buy it" on the spot, but I couldn't, and that was a little frustrating.
"Thank you. We'll await your response."
Otto smiled as he said this, and Turi grinned proudly. Knowing that Turi was working so hard not just on hair ornaments but also branching out into clothing design made me very happy too.
...Keep it up, Turi.
"Also, here are the hair ornaments I selected for
Turi presented two hair ornaments—one white and one yellow. They featured numerous small flowers with many green leaves in varying shades, all swaying together. Honestly, I had never seen Ella's Festive Clothing either. I only knew that, being born in spring, it would be based on the noble color green.
Turi had chosen hair ornaments with diverse green tones so they would match whatever shade of green the dress happened to be. I picked the yellow flowers for Ella.
"I'll take this one."
I placed my guild card against Otto's to settle the payment for Ella's hair ornament. I'd have to pay for my own hair ornament and outfit later, since I needed to get the money from the Chief Priest first.
"How is the dyeing progressing? Are the craftsmen doing well?"
"Oh, absolutely. It seems every workshop is trying to finish their regular work as quickly as possible so they can dedicate even a little time to research."
Otto, who had been visiting the various workshops, said this, and Turi nodded in agreement several times. The dyeing workers were full of energy, and the younger generation in particular was reportedly working hard to master the new techniques.
"Lady Rozemyne, I'd like to ask you something, if I may."
The Guild Master glanced once toward Otto before speaking.
"The Gilberta Company has submitted a proposal to the Dyeing and Weaving Association. They wish to hold a large-scale dyeing event at your suggestion, Lady Rozemyne..."
"Yes, that's right. Isn't that what the Guild Master yourself suggested? That I should increase the number of exclusive craftsmen? I want to see the dyed fabrics so I can decide who to make exclusive."
I had few exclusive craftsmen and had been told to designate more beyond the Gutenbergs. So if the craftsmen were motivated, I figured, well, why not. The dyeing competition had come together somewhat spontaneously, but with my birth mother, adoptive mother, and Brunhilde all fired up about it, there was no stopping it now.
The Guild Master, whose own words had been brought up, narrowed his eyes very slightly.
"I heard that Lady Rozemyne wishes to revive old techniques. What are your thoughts on that?"
"Of course, I think it would be wonderful if we could revive techniques that have fallen out of use. It's not just about one-color fabrics—there could be various dyeing methods as well. What I want is diversity."
The Guild Master stroked his chin and murmured, "Diversity," while Frieda, standing behind him, looked at me with an expression somewhere between amusement and the look one gives a troublesome child.
"I understand what Lady Rozemyne is saying, but reviving old techniques is no simple task. There isn't enough time by the end of summer."
"I'm not asking anyone to perfectly replicate old techniques as they were. I simply want to make this winter's clothing using batik-dyed fabric. As for how to utilize the techniques that the Gilberta Company has shared with the Dyeing and Weaving Association, I think that's for the dyeing workshops and craftsmen to decide."
I wasn't naive enough to think old artisan techniques could be fully recreated in less than half a year. I was merely providing hints—it was up to them to develop new techniques of their own.
"Ehrenfest already has many different techniques that could be reexamined, and I think that would be valuable. And if possible, I'd like the Dyeing and Weaving Association to consider documenting the dyeing methods this time, so the techniques can be preserved."
"Preserving techniques? What an interesting notion."
Frieda blinked, and the Guild Master slowly let out a breath.
"So you're determined to hold the event at the end of summer?"
I understood that they were essentially telling me not to organize a troublesome event at a time when merchants from other duchies would arrive and things might descend into unprecedented chaos. But this was beyond my control.
"If this were solely my event, it would be easy to postpone. But I'm required to report everything now. After reporting the dyeing event to the castle, several high-ranking nobles, starting with my adoptive mother, expressed interest. It's become impossible to simply cancel."
Everyone stared at me with eyes wide enough to pop out of their heads. I could practically see "I didn't hear about this" written across Benno's face.
"...The Lord's wife and several high-ranking nobles? That's, well, turning into quite an unexpected scale."
"I'm aware that things have grown larger than I anticipated, but once something has started, it can't be stopped."
The Guild Master exhaled slowly with an expression that said his head was starting to hurt, while Benno—who had been pushed into an unreasonable amount of work on printing matters by my birth mother—looked a bit distant.
"It's become a bigger affair, but looking at it from another angle, it's a good opportunity to demonstrate my capabilities—not just mine, but to other nobles as well. And with more people watching, the craftsmen will be more motivated than if I were viewing everything alone. If there are ten people, there are ten different tastes."
Just like the quatre-quarts tasting event, if we had people vote for their favorites, more craftsmen would be in the spotlight and have a chance to secure exclusive contracts.
"I know it's difficult for the Guild Master, who has to keep track of the movements of various associations, but I think you should leave the dyeing and weaving side to a certain extent and focus all your efforts on dealing with the merchants from other duchies. Once the details of the event—the venue, the timing, and so on—are decided through discussions with my adoptive mother and the others, I'll make sure to contact you and the president of the Dyeing and Weaving Association through the Gilberta Company."
I encouraged the Guild Master to push work off onto others whenever possible—don't hoard it all yourself—and with that, the day's discussions came to an end.
After seeing everyone off, I returned to the High Priest's office. There was still time before the sixth bell for dinner, so I wanted to copy the book I'd borrowed from Hannalore. I had
"For commoners, for whom paper is expensive and cannot be used freely, writing boards are incredibly convenient. They can be erased, too. I think the practice has spread from my attendants and the Gutenbergs to the lower city. ...Though since few people there can read and write, it probably won't spread very far."
I also gave them to the gray priests heading to Hase's small temple, I began to say—and Hartmut looked utterly envious.
"If Hartmut would like a writing board, shall I introduce you to the Plantan Company?"
"No, I would like to receive one as a gift from Lady Rozemyne. If it's something given to the temple attendants and the Gutenbergs, then wouldn't it serve as a token of Lady Rozemyne's trust?"
Hearing that, I remembered that I hadn't given any particular gifts to my noble-side attendants.
"...I'm not sure how many attendants would actually be happy to receive a writing board. If I'm going to give gifts to my attendants, perhaps something else would be better. I'll ask the Chief Priest for his opinion and think of something."
Hartmut's eyes narrowed happily. The Saint Legend was sending him in some strange directions, but there was no denying that Hartmut was exceptional and a tremendous help. Just as I praised Gil for doing his work, I needed to properly praise my attendants as well.
To the lower city and temple attendants, I could give them things they needed or simply praise them in words, and it would be understood. But honestly, when it came to nobles, I wasn't sure.
I looked around at my attendants who were in the room.
"What would make a noble feel praised?"
"I would like Lady Rozemyne's Magic Power!"
"But
"I'll ask the Chief Priest what kind of achievement merits what kind of reward, and then decide. If I just give things out on my own, I'll probably get scolded again."
My brother Cornelius laughed and said, "That is an important point. Ferdinand-sama's lectures are quite long, after all."
"I'd be happy with anything that Lady Rozemyne gives me."
Philine said something so cute that I wanted to give her everything.
...Right, I definitely need to ask the Chief Priest properly. If I gave people whatever I felt like giving, I'd absolutely get yelled at.
While we were having this conversation, the preparations for copying were complete. Philine and I set to work copying the book I'd borrowed from Hannalore. Philine copied it as-is from the original, while I modernized the language as I went.
"...This book uses such old phrasing that it's quite difficult. How can you read it so fluently, Lady Rozemyne?"
"The first book I ever read was the Holy Book, and half the books in the temple use archaic phrasing, so I'm used to it. This copy will be excellent practice for you, Philine."
"I'll do my best."
While Philine and I were copying, I noticed Hartmut writing something on his own.
"Hartmut, what are you doing?"
"I'm advancing my own research. Various new facts have come to light."
...Wait, is that research about me? Stop!
When I moved to stop him—or perhaps he sensed my intent—Hartmut set down his pen and looked at me. The fact that he wore a serious expression made me involuntarily halt the hand I'd been reaching out with.
"Even so, I never expected Lady Rozemyne to hold such discussions with commoners. I was quite surprised."
Discussions with commoners generally ended when the noble side issued orders. As a scholar-in-training who had worked with other scholars at the castle, Hartmut apparently viewed commoners as people who came to the audience chamber and silently obeyed orders.
"At the castle, we don't even hold that kind of discussion or report session with lower-ranking nobles."
"That's the very approach I find problematic. I think nobles could stand to be a bit more considerate of those beneath them."
Philine, a lower-ranking noble, looked at me happily, but Hartmut—a higher-ranking noble who was fundamentally the one being considered toward—wore an expression that showed he didn't quite get it. I gave a slight shrift.
"Nobles may create the trends, but it's the commoners who produce the goods. If you want to spread the trends you've worked so hard to create to other duchies, cooperation with the commoners is absolutely essential. It's precisely because that aspect has been neglected that Ehrenfest remains a lower-ranking duchy, I'm sure."
"You think so?"
"If nobles come up with ideas and commoners execute them, then nobles are the brains and commoners are the hands and feet. If you only issue orders, push them too hard, and crush the commoners, then you won't be able to move yourself next, will you?"
My words led Hartmut to fall into quiet thought.
"The Gutenbergs, and everyone I met at today's meeting, are like my hands and feet. Without them, Plant Paper wouldn't exist, and quatre-quarts, karuta, and playing cards would never have been created. The ones who make the food and the sweets are commoners too. I may be the one who comes up with the ideas, but they are the ones who actually carry everything out. That's why having other nobles crush the Gutenbergs is, to me, tantamount to crushing my own hands and feet."
...So no matter what happens, I won't tolerate any meddling.
When I smiled meaningfully, Hartmut seemed to read my intent perfectly. "Understood. I'll keep a close watch to ensure the scholars don't crush Lady Rozemyne's hands and feet," he replied with a smile.
"If only the scholars would understand that without working in step with the commoners, no significant progress can be made. But changing ingrained thinking is so difficult."
When I let out a soft sigh, Hartmut nodded with a serious expression, saying, "Indeed."
Lutz and Turi are doing their best too.
Turi has even started reaching out to clothing creation, trying her best to keep her promise.
This time, the one working hardest is the Guild Master.
And reforming the mindset of the nobles is also urgent.
Next, we wrap up the various matters and head to the Italian restaurant.