Once I returned to the
Winter apparently meant less work, because Gil came back right away with a scribbled reply from Benno saying he wanted to meet in the afternoon.
"In that case, I'll make sure we can talk in the orphanage director's room starting this afternoon."
"Understood."
When
I ducked straight into the hidden room and threw myself at Lutz, making up for all the time we'd barely seen each other during winter. Then I told Benno about the textbook sale at the castle.
"A sale at the castle!? Wait just a moment!"
"Huh? I can't really wait too long. We need to sell them early."
"No, that's not it! The problem is, we don't have any shop attendants at the store right now who could be brought to the castle!"
The Gilberta Company was centered around commoners but had been expanding its sales routes up to the mid-level nobility. While I'd jumped straight to my mother as a high-ranking customer through my own connections, the fact that only Benno and Mark could bring products there made it clear — they still had very few attendants with the poise required to enter the castle.
Some had been rushed through etiquette training to serve at the Italian-style restaurant, but even they apparently still had reservations about entering the castle.
"…Shop attendants, you say. What if I dress them in appropriate attire and bring along some of my Attendants or well-trained grey Priests? This time, we're not taking orders — just selling finished products. As long as their manners are proper and they can handle calculations, I think it should be fine."
Transactions with nobility were fundamentally based on custom orders made after receiving a request. Unless it was a consumable like Plant Paper, you wouldn't simply bring a product and sell it on the spot.
Even for recent Linschamp sales, everything for the high-ranking nobility was made to order. Based on the types of oil available by season and the materials that could be used for scrubs, samples were brought first and orders were then placed for preferred combinations.
I was buying directly from the sample combinations I'd been shown, but in order to maintain appearances for the high-ranking nobles, I made sure to produce order slips that made it look like I'd placed a custom order.
"You want to take the items finished from winter crafting and sell them directly? Without taking orders?"
Benno's eyes went wide, but I nodded firmly.
"That's right. They're needed right away. For those nobles who want something elaborate for next year and are willing to pay a special price, you or Mark can handle them. But for those who say they need it now, we can just sell the products as they are, so I don't think there's a problem using grey Priests who can handle calculations."
"…Understood. From our side, it'll be me, Mark, and
Obviously, we couldn't bring grey Priests to the castle wearing their usual robes. Proper attire would be required.
"Gil, who do you think would be good?
"
"Then let's go with Fran and Fritz."
Once the personnel were decided, it was time to confirm prices and quantities.
"For prices, the picture books are one small gold coin each, the karuta are five large silver coins, regular playing cards in black only are three large silver coins, and those using colored ink are one small gold coin."
Compared to the luxury picture books we'd released early on, we'd successfully lowered the price of Plant Paper and ink, so with the reduced cost, the prices had come down accordingly.
For the karuta illustrations, we couldn't have Vilma draw everything, so we used mimeograph printing. Since karuta used boards, the production cost was cheaper than paper.
Playing cards had fewer cards per set than karuta, making them even cheaper. However, when using rare colored ink, they were beautiful but the price shot up — these were aimed at high-ranking nobles who wanted something that set them apart.
"For quantities, let's prepare one hundred of each for now. Considering the number of children, that should be sufficient."
"Understood. One hundred of each, packed into wooden boxes."
We also discussed various aspects of how to handle the sale. The biggest issue was that since the customers were nobles, we couldn't sell to them the same way we did to commoners.
As we talked through how to make the sale, Mark said, "I'll begin preparations right away" and left alone. Benno began by asking for Fran and Fritz's cooperation, taking their measurements and noting them down, then started training them in sales techniques. Gil and Lutz headed to the workshop to check the merchandise and begin packing it into boxes.
"Damuel, is something wrong?"
"No, nothing in particular."
"If you've noticed something, please tell me. There may be things that we simply wouldn't understand."
In my case, I was ignorant of everything by nature, and Benno, while he had business dealings with nobility, was still a commoner merchant who had never set foot in the castle. From a noble's perspective, if there was a problem, we wouldn't know unless someone told us.
"It's not so much something I've noticed…" Damuel murmured. "I'm sure
He added in a low voice, "I'm not from a wealthy noble family myself."
Among the lower nobility, there were those poorer than even the wealthy commoners. I gritted my teeth for not thinking of something so obvious right away. Easy-to-read, easy-to-learn books were exactly what they needed — those who couldn't afford to hire good tutors — but once again, money made all the difference.
Benno gave me a sharp look.
"Just because they're nobles doesn't mean everyone can afford them. …However, there's no way we can lower the price any further."
"Of course. I've already lowered it as much as I can."
Benno would never agree to cut profits further on items sold to nobles, and thinking long-term, we couldn't just start with rock-bottom prices either.
"Still, we should probably think about ways to make it so that everyone can get their hands on a book. Isn't there some good method? What do you think, Lutz?"
"If you can't buy it, the only option is to borrow it."
Books were expensive — so expensive that owning them individually was proof of wealth. Purchasing them was difficult enough, but even borrowing them wasn't easy.
The Temple Library was designed so that only Temple personnel could enter, and only Blue Priests and Blue Shrine Maidens could borrow books.
The castle library required proof of identity, and you couldn't borrow books without putting up a deposit. Since that deposit served as compensation for damage or loss, it was set very high. The principle of free library access was completely out of the question.
"If they can't easily borrow books now, why don't we think about what it would take to make borrowing easy going forward?"
"…If the deposit is too high to borrow, does that mean we should just lower the deposit?"
We could keep the rental fee low and have parents write a guarantee to ensure proper compensation in case of damage or loss. It might border on abuse of authority, but if we started with a system where books belonging to me, the Lord's adopted daughter, could be borrowed, I believed we could enforce both careful handling and proper compensation if anything happened.
"What if we made it so that the money needed to borrow could be paid for by exchanging one new story at a time?"
I'd heard several stories from Philine and the other girls and written them down. If I paid manuscript fees for those, it wouldn't quite cover the purchase price, but wouldn't it be enough for a book or textbook lending fee?
"I think it would be better to base it on word count rather than per story. The length varies so much depending on the tale."
"True. That's what I plan to do when paying manuscript fees."
If I calculated manuscript fees by word count and turned it into a part-time job for the children, I'd be happy to get new stories. The children whose handwriting wasn't neat enough to copy books could practice their writing and earn pocket money at the same time — it seemed like a win-win.
"We should probably think more carefully about the manuscript fees. For now, let's try a low-cost lending system."
As a foundation for rental bookstores and private libraries with low-cost access, I wanted to explore lending textbooks to lower-ranking nobles.
Then came the day of the sale.
I brought Lesser beast to the Temple's front entrance and watched as everyone loaded the cargo.
One hundred each of picture books, playing cards, and karuta had been prepared and packed into wooden boxes.
Fran and Fritz were going along under the pretense of being Gilberta Company merchants, so they'd been given the same kind of clothing as Mark and Leon by Benno. Unlike Fran, who was accustomed to wearing clothes for the lower district, Fritz didn't seem comfortable in his outfit and looked restless.
"Rozemyne, are you seriously going to have Gilberta Company people ride in this thing?"
"Yes. It's faster and more reliable than traveling by carriage through this snow. A carriage could end up stranded halfway, couldn't it?"
The Chief Priest looked up at Lesser beast and furrowed his brow.
"I understand your reasoning, but there is no other noble who would transport merchants alongside them."
"It's fine. I'm prepared to set the precedent."
"No noble who comes after will want to follow your example. It'll just be you."
With a sigh, the Chief Priest said this, then shifted his gaze from me to those around us.
"Fran, Fritz. It must be difficult being dragged around by your lady's whims, but do your best. And Benno — I'm sure it's been taxing, but as long as you continue your association with Rozemyne, similar situations will come up again and again. This is a connection you yourself forged. You'll simply have to accept it."
"…Yes."
Everyone glanced at me, then nodded with solemn expressions.
…Having to "accept it" seems a bit harsh, don't you think?
"Well then, please climb aboard."
Puffing out my cheeks, I opened the entrance of Lesser beast wide and gestured for them to get in.
Fran, who was accustomed to riding, climbed in first. Benno boarded with the expression of someone looking at something unsettling. Mark entered with his usual smile, while Leon touched various parts of the interior, exclaiming "Whoa!" as he went.
Fritz clambered in timidly, and when he pulled the entrance shut with a soft whoosh, a startled "Oh!" escaped the passengers.
"Everyone, please fasten your seatbelts. Fran, would you show them how?"
"Of course."
While Fran was demonstrating how to fasten the seatbelts, Brigette climbed into the front seat. Apparently, when merchants were riding along like this, an escort was mandatory.
Once Lesser beast took to the air, the back seat erupted in commotion.
Flying through the sky was an impossible experience for commoners, so there was no helping that, but the majority of comments were things like "I'm dizzy" and "I think I'm going to be sick."
Considering how delighted Gil and
"Welcome home, Lady Rozemyne."
He really was surprised to see commoners emerging from my ride one by one. Watching them unload the wooden boxes of merchandise, Norbert furrowed his brow with a troubled expression.
"Lady Rozemyne, are they from the Gilberta Company?"
"Yes. Here is the permission pass given to me by the Aub of Ehrenfest. Norbert, I'll be heading straight to the children's room. Please guide me."
"…Very well. This way, then."
After the briefest hesitation, Norbert smiled. At the same time, the Chief Priest, having put away his own riding beast, pressed his fingers to his temple and let out a deep sigh.
"Rozemyne, merchants are supposed to use a different entrance."
I was told that the entrance used by the Lord's family and the entrance used by commoner merchants were entirely different. My shoulders slumped — this was something I should have known without having to think about it.
Apparently, merchants and I used different gates to enter the Noble District, and different gates to enter the castle as well. And merchants were supposed to come in through the commoner entrance.
"Um… I'm sorry. I…"
I tilted my head, troubled, and the Chief Priest gave a slight shake of his head.
"No merchant has ever been dropped off here by riding beast, so I suppose there's no helping it this time. But be mindful going forward. Norbert, explain the proper procedures to Rozemyne in detail later. For now, just take them in from our side."
"Very well, Lord
I followed behind Norbert and the Chief Priest in my single-seat Lesser beast. Behind me came the Gilberta Company people carrying the wooden boxes of merchandise.
"Lady Rozemyne, good morning!"
"Good morning, everyone. Until everything is set up, you're welcome to play and wait."
The children's eager eyes were fixed on me. Their parents were watching too — many of them must have seen this as a perfect opportunity to build a relationship with me.
"You're slow, Rozemyne."
"Lord Wilfried, please go over there and play karuta with everyone, then demonstrate for the assembled guests how it's played. If they understand how to use it, they'll be more likely to purchase. This is an important mission."
"Very well. Then, let us have a match!"
"Yes!"
Wilfried's entourage, which had grown over the winter, started setting out karuta. The nobles gathered around with interest as the boys led the karuta demonstration.
Spotting girls standing around with nothing to do, I called out to them as well.
"Why don't you girls read your picture books for your mothers and fathers? That way your parents can see exactly how many words you've learned."
"Yes, Lady Rozemyne!"
Chirping with excitement, the girls grabbed their picture books, ran to their parents, and began reading aloud. They read the way they'd always been read to — today it was their turn to be listened to. Their voices were just slightly tense.
"
When I handed him the playing cards with a pop, Cornelius furrowed his brow.
"I am Lady Rozemyne's guard, you know."
"Right now, Cornelius, you're the only one who can approach the students at the
"…As you command."
Nobles also began clustering around Cornelius as he led the students in a game resembling blackjack with the playing cards.
Once I'd directed everyone's attention toward the demonstrations, I immediately began preparing for the sale.
I looked at the counter that had been set up in one corner of the children's room, just as we'd discussed, and thanked those who'd prepared it.
"The counter is already set up. Thank you. Now, Benno, please arrange the merchandise here."
"Very well, Lady Rozemyne."
The merchandise was laid out as we'd planned, and change was prepared to make the transactions smooth. In front of the counter, two chairs and a table had been placed — seats for me and Wilfried.
Then, in a position with a full view of the room, a seat had been prepared for the Chief Priest, who was overseeing this textbook sale. He was tasked with watching how the nobles behaved, whether the Gilberta Company could conduct itself properly for future castle visits, and whether I would make any foolish mistakes.
The Chief Priest, who had accepted the role of supervisor, was peering curiously into each and every demonstration.
Benno and Mark, who could handle business discussions with nobility, flanked the seats where me and Wilfried sat, positioned to handle whatever came up. Leon took the playing cards station, Fran the picture books, and Fritz the karuta.
"Lady Rozemyne, everything is ready."
I nodded at Benno's words, waited for Wilfried to finish winning his match, then addressed the crowd.
"Thank you for your patience. We will now begin the Gilberta Company's textbook sale."
Wilfried thrust the karuta cleanup into the hands of a nearby boy, hurried over, and sat down in his chair.
"If you are considering a purchase, please come forward. Since these are educational materials, we will be prioritizing those who have brought their children."
When I smiled sweetly, nobles carrying children stepped forward and knelt.
I'd received greetings from the children before but not from their parents, so we went through the long stream of formal introductions. Naturally, the order was by rank. These greetings took so long that handling them alone would have been impossible, which was exactly why I'd asked Wilfried for help.
The boys tended to line up in front of Wilfried, while the girls lined up in front of me. As expected, for those who would become retainers, same gender took priority.
Once the lengthy greetings were finished, I asked the two to stand and held out order slips.
"Count Gresshel, what would you like?"
"Lady Rozemyne's picture books are wonderful, and both karuta and playing cards caught my sister's interest, so she insisted on wanting everything… She is a dear daughter, so we'll take it all."
Count Gresshel picked up the pen, a gentle smile on his face, and looked down at his daughter, who was studying the order slip beside him.
"Lady Rozemyne's picture books are very easy to read, you know. Father, you should take a look later as well."
The girl giggled proudly. Smiling at her, I checked the order slip and handed it to Benno, who was standing at my side.
"Benno."
"All prepared."
The Count's Attendant and Benno completed the exchange of money for merchandise according to the order slip, and the transaction was finished.
"Please put these to good use in your studies."
"Thank you, Lady Rozemyne."
As Count Gresshel left, the next noble approached. More greetings.
Glancing to the side, I saw Wilfried handling nobles with a confident air, handing off the completed order slips to Mark.
"Count
"It is an honor, Lord Wilfried."
We worked through the long line together, the two of us.
Those who could purchase everything were, as expected, the upper nobility with plenty of resources. When it came to mid-level nobles, many bought karuta and playing cards that all the siblings could share, but fewer purchased the expensive picture books one by one.
Because the karuta reading cards featured information about the gods, they took priority over picture books.
For lower-ranking nobles, it was a struggle to buy even one item. Those who'd been bought karuta or playing cards and left fired up with "I'm going to win next year" were at least in a good place.
But there were several children standing without anything, watching with envy. Some of them seemed to know from the start that they couldn't purchase — their parents hadn't even come. Among them was Philine, looking glum.
"Philine, are your parents not here?"
"…No. They had other matters to attend to today."
Philine said this with a forced smile, looking uncomfortable. The other children whose parents hadn't come likewise averted their gaze, as if they didn't want the topic turned toward them.
"I see. Well, at the end of winter, I'm also considering lending out the picture books and karuta that we're currently using, so if any of you would like to borrow them, please discuss it with your parents."
"Lady Rozemyne, I appreciate the thought, but…"
Money — her lips moved slightly, but the word didn't come out.
"When I lend out my educational materials, what I require isn't money."
Everyone looked up in unison with blank expressions. Just as I'd expected, I let out a small laugh, then lowered my voice slightly, cupping my hand to my mouth as if sharing a secret.
"What I want are stories that I haven't heard before. Please gather as many different stories as you can and bring them to me."
"Um, are they stories like the ones my mother told me?"
"Yes. Philine, you've already told me three, haven't you? I can lend you three picture books."
Philine and the other lower-ranking noble children's faces lit up.
"Lady Rozemyne, if I tell stories I know, can I borrow karuta too?"
"Yes. If they're stories I haven't heard, I'll lend you karuta. But please be careful not to stain or damage them — handle them with care. If anything happens, you will need to provide compensation."
"Of course!"
For the matters of using them carefully and compensating in case of damage or loss, I obtained a written guarantee from their parents. And in exchange for stories I hadn't heard before, I would lend out educational materials from spring until the following winter.
We sold quite a lot.
For the children who couldn't buy anything, lending would cover them.
Next time: the arrival of spring.