“Here you go, iced tea.”
When Jill served the tea, Matthew’s face lit up.
He thanked Jill politely and took a sip.
“This is delicious… It’s good…”
“Oh, I’m glad.”
Jill thought leisurely, what a person with rich emotions and expressions.
“It has a familiar taste, yet it’s new at the same time. It refreshingly spreads down the throat. Did you add some spices?”
“Yes, just a bit of cinnamon.”
Before adding the tea leaves to the boiling water, Jill crushed a small amount of cinnamon and brewed it. Then she added the tea leaves, let them steep, and cooled it thoroughly. Instead of chilling it with ice, she used magic to directly remove the heat.
To avoid cloudiness from over-chilling and the diluted taste from melted ice, Jill used magic without hesitation. There are other methods, like brewing it strong to account for dilution by ice, but Jill preferred to “open the tea leaves fully with hot water and cool it without changing the strength.”
“There is a sharpness, yet there’s also a kindness in the taste. You can thoroughly enjoy the flavor. Is this from the second flush… No, it’s from the autumn flush, right?”
“You’re right, but… Can you really tell just like that?”
Jill was a bit taken aback, beyond being amazed.
“Wonderful… You’ve developed your own flavor using the same tea leaves as that iced tea. This is the way of tea.”
“That iced tea?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Thank you.”
Matthew did not answer Jill’s question and expressed his gratitude with a serious look.
Is this person here to critique my tea? Jill wondered.
“Uh… You’re welcome.”
“I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly. Now, it’s my turn to be of service. Please, ask me anything.”
“No, I wouldn’t ask for just anything…”
Contrary to Jill’s confusion, Matthew’s face was strangely bright.
As if a long-standing concern or mystery had been solved, he had a very refreshed expression.
(It’s the first time I’ve met someone who loves tea this much…)
Jill thought, well, it’s fine.
She convinced herself that it was just a matter of realizing that a somewhat strange person was actually quite strange.
“First of all, would you mind looking at the clothes I made?”
Saying that, Jill pulled out clothes and accessories stored in the closet.
Although, the number was still quite small.
There were five dresses, including failures.
There were five hats.
And about ten items like stoles and handkerchiefs.
“Ah, sorry. There isn’t much yet…”
“It’s enough. They are all interesting. Did you dye these yourself?”
“Yes. I started sewing the dresses from scratch, but I re-dyed the robes from ready-made ones.”
“And you want to run a general store dealing with these?”
“Yes. As I mentioned earlier, my primary focus is on making items related to clothing, such as clothes and hats. Once that’s established, I hope to expand into leatherwork.”
“And sell them here?”
“Yes. Is it difficult?”
“…It’s challenging.”
Jill was at a loss for words due to the overly straightforward response.
“It’s too innovative. If this goes public, it will either be highly praised or harshly criticized. There’s no way it will go unnoticed. We need to strategize carefully.”
“Huh?”
However, it was not a criticism due to a lack of appreciation for Jill’s clothes.
Rather, Jill herself thought it might be a bit of an overestimation.
But Matthew continued speaking seriously.
“And… it’s too wasteful to use this mansion as a store. I think it’s best to use this primarily as a workshop and invite customers only for crucial negotiations. You could rent a vacant store in town for handling window-shopping customers.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And there are monsters on the way, right? Even though they are quiet, it’s dangerous for customers to come and go alone. It’s best to ensure maximum safety for yourself and your customers while enhancing your brand image at the same time.”
It was as if Matthew was singing, Jill thought.
He spoke so joyfully about “let’s do this” and “let’s do that.”
It almost felt like Matthew himself was about to open the store.
“Uh, um…”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… thank you for the compliments?”
“Not at all. In fact, I may have said some rude things. Please forgive me.”
“It’s amazing. You can effortlessly pinpoint the issues just by taking a quick look.”
“No, it’s nothing much.”
The fervor from earlier had vanished, and Matthew looked away bashfully.
Jill found it oddly amusing.
“Matthew, you’re an interesting person.”
“I hear that often.”
“You hear that often?”
“I try to act normal, though.”
Matthew shrugged as if in distress.
“I’m the same. I try to act normal, but people say I’m a bit off.”
“No, Jill, you are definitely on the interesting side of people.”
Both of them started chuckling softly.
It was an almost insulting yet frank exchange of words.
It had been years since Jill had such a conversation.
“Jill, what inspired you to make these kinds of clothes?”
“What inspired me…?”
“For example, if you wanted to dress up and stand out, there would be no reason to make everyday clothes. You could make dresses or formal wear instead. And there are better materials than straw for hats, right?”
“Ah…”
Jill had just been making things that caught her interest from books. But looking back, she realized she hadn’t thought about making evening dresses or hats for formal occasions. The idea hadn’t even crossed her mind.
“But I really do want to make dresses.”
“Oh?”
“But preparing the fabrics and materials is tough, and sewing them is incredibly challenging… Besides, even if I love dresses, don’t you think situations that require dresses often feel burdensome?”
Matthew looked a bit disarmed by Jill’s words.
“I see.”
“Is that strange…?”
“No, I understand. It’s just that such words rarely come from young women. I often hear such complaints from lords hosting evening parties or maids engrossed in preparations.”
“Ugh.”
Jill, after all, had been the First Princess.
She was mostly on the hosting side of evening parties.
She was thoroughly trained in etiquette, and putting on a dress would instantly switch her into “work” mode.
But she had no intention of revealing her origins.
Unnecessarily making the other person nervous was not her intention.
“Well, anyway, I don’t dislike dresses. I do want to tailor one someday. But for now, I want to pursue something everyone can enjoy easily. Clothes that can be worn according to the day’s mood, or small accessories that add a touch of fashion to everyday outfits…”
“For that, your designs seem a bit too innovative.”
“Oof.”
“Oh, no, having a clear image of what you want to create is wonderful. But you need to consider who you want to wear them, how you want them to enjoy it, and the business flow suitable for selling clothes and accessories. For example, if you want many people to wear your designs, you could focus on designing and hire seamstresses.”
“Ah… So I need to think about the business strategy, not just what to make.”
“Yes, exactly.”
Jill felt like he had hit a sore spot.
“Th-thank you for your advice.”
Despite her words, Jill gave a resentful look.
But Matthew remained calm.
“I’ve just had a tough experience myself. The talent of a merchant lies in not being discouraged even after failures.”
“Ah, speaking of which…”
Jill recalled Matthew’s words when they first met. He had mentioned trying to sell without understanding the customers’ needs.
“No matter how confident I sound, I also make mistakes. Just take my words with a grain of salt.”
“I will.”
Jill smiled, and Matthew smiled back.
“Well, that’s about all I can say for now… but I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
“Could you sell me that hat?”
Matthew grinned as he spoke.
◆
A few days later.
The merchant Matthew visited Mrs. Emily again.
This time, not for business.
“I came to congratulate you on your pregnancy. Oh, of course, it’s a gift, so no payment is necessary.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to… I wasn’t feeling well the other day, sorry about that.”
“No, no, I was the one who was rude.”
When he announced it was a pregnancy gift, Mrs. Emily welcomed him warmly, unlike the last time.
(It’s probably very restricting for her.)
Matthew had guessed that Mrs. Emily’s visitors were being closely monitored.
Her child might be the heir to the head of the knight’s order and is also the great-grandchild of the lord. Mrs. Emily is watched over not only by her mother-in-law but also by her parents, grandparents, and many servants of the house… which sounds nice, but it means her privacy is under constant surveillance.
He suspected that even the usually overlooked shopping habits were being criticized, and he felt confident his guess was correct.
“May I open it?”
“Yes, please.”
When Mrs. Emily saw the contents of the package, she momentarily had a puzzled look.
She realized it was a straw hat.
But the moment she fully took it out of the package, her puzzled expression turned to delight.
“This is… a straw hat? It’s wonderful!”
It was almost identical to the one Jill wore.
The only difference was the artificial flower, which was a vivid crimson color.
This was tailored to Mrs. Emily’s taste.
“You know, this is something I need you to keep quiet about… when I dress up and walk outside, my parents get noisy.”
“I see.”
“They say I should dress more subdued because I’m pregnant. They tell me to go out less… They’re even stricter than my mother-in-law, and they scold my husband to ‘keep an eye on his wife!’ It’s really troublesome. I understand they’re concerned, but it puts me in a position to console my husband.”
“T-that sounds tough…”
“But this is perfect. No one will say anything if it’s a straw hat. I could even attend a tea party with this, couldn’t I?”
Mrs. Emily spoke with sparkling eyes.
Then she put on the hat and smiled gently.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I can’t wait to show it to my husband.”
Matthew loved moments like this.
The moment when a customer tries on clothes, imagines wearing them outside or showing them to someone, and feels happy is one of the highlights for Matthew.
Of course, this also involved some calculation on Matthew’s part.
It was a setup for future business opportunities.
Mrs. Emily would likely need many things in the future, and there would be many occasions for a merchant to be involved.
If she could remember his name and face as her go-to merchant, it was a small investment for Matthew.
Additionally, by presenting the straw hat as a gift to the lady, he added prestige to it.
Inevitably, people would start asking, “Who made that hat?”
Regardless of his various motives, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Matthew became a merchant to witness those moments when customers were delighted by stylish clothes and accessories.
(My sister had that same look.)
When Matthew was a boy, he became a merchant to see his difficult, homebound, but mysteriously fashion-loving sister smile. Succeeding in the clothing trade would not only earn money for her medicine but also provide her with clothes. It was killing two birds with one stone.
However, by the time he grew up, he had almost forgotten his original purpose. Making customers happy became a mere byproduct, and all he thought about was working tirelessly.
This workaholic Matthew, after being turned away by Mrs. Emily and accidentally meeting Jill, had regained the feelings he had forgotten. It was something very simple.
Even if bedridden or pregnant, some people want to dress up.
Delivering what those people wished for was very enjoyable.
(I said high-handed things to Jill, didn’t I? I had almost forgotten my own business motives, let alone a plan.)
I’ll go thank her again soon.
Also, Jill has a somewhat otherworldly quality. I’ll need to give her various advice… Matthew was thinking this when Mrs. Emily suddenly asked,
“Oh, by the way, do you have some time, Matthew?”
“I do… Is something the matter?”
“Actually, my grandfather is here incognito. When he heard you were here, he said he wanted to meet you.”
Are you joking? Matthew almost asked.
Mrs. Emily’s grandfather.
That is, the ruler of this town and the entire Shelland region, including the surrounding rural areas and mountains.
The Earl of Shelland, Scott.