Afterward, the masked ladies continued to come.
However, their “contents” were different every time.
Although they wore extravagant masks covering their eyes and noses, they were not the same as the original pregnant noblewoman.
There were customers who seemed to be mere girls, and others who appeared to be quite elderly noblewomen.
Sometimes, they would even come in groups of three or four.
For some reason, these female customers, who seemed to hold a certain social status, all wore masks.
“Hey, what do you think of this one?”
“It’s lovely…! Shall I buy this too?”
“Oh, Madam, you said you were just going to browse, but you couldn’t resist and bought it anyway. Let’s buy something as well.”
Their spending was not stingy.
And yet, they were strangely cautious with their shopping.
“Could I have this one, please?”
“Certainly, I’ll wrap it up for you.”
“Thank you so much.”
And with that, the masked customers left once again.
After handling a lull in customers, Jill let out a small sigh.
“I’ve gotten used to this sight somehow.”
When Jill murmured this, Carol and Maureen chuckled wryly.
“It’s started to feel quite normal to me too.”
“I wonder if it’s really okay to get used to this. Still, they’re good customers, aren’t they? Their manners are generally decent.”
“True enough.”
Jill nodded at Maureen’s words.
When Jill decided to open shop here, she had prepared herself for various challenges. The clothes Jill made were a step or two beyond the fashion sense and dress norms of Shelland City, the Magic Kingdom, or even Argennes Island. She even displayed women’s trousers. She was ready for conservative traditionalists to barge in and yell at her. However, when the shop opened, the response was unexpectedly favorable.
“It’s almost as if someone had prepared the way for this from the start…”
The craft store *Witch Hand Craft* had an inherent flaw. Since most of the merchandise came from Jill herself, restocking was not easy when items sold out. If customers bought out her inventory, she would be forced to close temporarily.
Fortunately, this hadn’t happened yet. Each customer bought only two or three items. Hats and hat ribbons were popular and sold out quickly, but other items sold moderately well. So far, there had been no customers attempting to hoard her stock.
“They almost seem considerate about our inventory running out. Well, it’s helpful, though.”
At Maureen’s remark, both Jill and Carol nodded.
“The only thing that doesn’t sell is the bags.”
“Well, they’re the most expensive items; they won’t sell so easily.”
The sales of most items were progressing steadily.
But the caramel-colored, glossy bags had not sold a single piece.
Customers would pick them up with interest, but upon seeing the price tag, they would quietly return them to the shelf.
The reason was obvious.
It’s too expensive for casual window shopping.
The leather material that Garda gifted to Jill for the store’s grand opening was of exceptionally high quality. It was tanned leather from a magical creature known as the Dailan water buffalo. Jill was thrilled and collaborated with Garda to make a bag, proudly displaying it in the store. However, after putting it on display, Jill finally realized, “This is a bit too high quality.”
“Well, this is probably the kind of product that won’t sell unless there’s a specific occasion, like a celebratory gift.”
“The material is excellent… or rather, too excellent. This isn’t something you just put up for sale in a store.”
Carol and Maureen’s words were spot on. High-end luxury goods that surpass a certain rank are typically not displayed in stores. This is because they could attract thieves or robbers. Although the haunted house’s bad reputation seemed to deter underground figures like burglars for now, everyone suspected that the day would eventually come when it would be targeted.
“It’s a shame, but it’s risky. Wouldn’t it be better to display something else? It’s good to have a few special items to show only to select customers.”
“Yeah, you’re right… Besides, it might be good to display some more affordable bags.”
“Affordable bags?”
Jill pulled out a piece of linen fabric dyed in vermilion from the shelf.
“For example, something like this could make an interesting tote bag. It could be easily assembled with wooden or corded handles.”
“Oh, that’s great! I’d want one for myself.”
“But it lacks uniqueness. I’d like to add a special touch that makes it feel like something exclusive to this store…”
Muttering to herself, Jill stared intently at the fabric with a stern expression.
“There she goes again. Our boss is so obsessive.”
“She really is,” Maureen and Carol chuckled softly.
Just then, the bell attached to the door rang.
A customer had arrived.
“Welcome!”
Jill instinctively stood up and greeted them.
As usual, it was a masked female customer.
Since she was wearing a mask, it was hard to tell, but she seemed to be somewhere between her twenties and forties.
Her glossy black hair was tied up with a butterfly hairpin.
“Wait, that hairpin… Dorothy?”
Maureen suddenly called her name.
“Eek!? N-no, my name isn’t Dorothy!”
The customer let out an oddly foolish voice and shook her head.
◆
“I see, so that’s how it is…”
The woman named Dorothy turned out to be an acquaintance of Maureen.
Perhaps because her name was called, Dorothy had given up, removed her mask, and now sat at the counter.
She was the wife of a knight from Maureen’s former workplace, the Silver Scale Knights, and also Maureen’s friend. They had met when they were both young and single, but even now, as adults, their families maintained a close relationship.
“That’s right. This place is gaining a reputation because it’s known as a favorite shop of Lady Emily.”
“Lady Emily… if I remember correctly, she’s the lord’s granddaughter, isn’t she?”
When Jill asked, Dorothy nodded.
“Yes, and she’s the wife of the captain of the Silver Scale Knights.”
“Speaking of which, Matthew gave her a straw hat as a congratulatory gift for her pregnancy, didn’t he?”
“Exactly, that’s it. Thanks to that, it seems the lady was greatly helped.”
Lady Emily could be considered the leading figure among the young noblewomen of this town. She was the granddaughter of the lord, the wife of the captain of the knights, and a cultured individual with deep knowledge in various fields such as tea, music, art, and fashion. Dorothy frequently attended the tea gatherings hosted by Lady Emily.
However, due to her recent pregnancy, Emily had been abstaining from tea, so such gatherings had become quite rare. While Dorothy understood this, it appeared that Lady Emily herself was growing stressed. Tea gatherings, lavish attire, and similar indulgences often drew criticism from her parents. It was in this situation that Matthew delivered a straw hat made by Jill. This seemed to cheer Lady Emily up significantly.
“But wasn’t it just a straw hat? Besides, it was Matthew who decided to give it as a gift.”
Jill tilted her head quizzically.
Dorothy, however, denied this with a laugh.
“Sometimes, a single accessory can change your mood, right? And it seems she used to get scolded whenever she tried to wear extravagant clothes. But after she started wearing the hat and going for walks, she seemed to regain her energy, and people became more lenient. Light strolls, looking around town… Didn’t she even visit this shop?”
At Dorothy’s words, Jill immediately recalled something.
The masked pregnant woman who had visited last week.
“Then that pregnant woman was Lady Emily?”
“Yes. And when people heard they could get the same hat as the one she was wearing, they flocked here. But the lady said, ‘Make sure not to cause too much trouble by crowding,’ so everyone’s holding back from buying too much.”
“Oh, so that’s why they’ve been so considerate…”
Jill deeply appreciated the kindness of people.
Yet, the core mystery remained unresolved.
“But why would that lead to wearing a mask?”
“The lady said, ‘I don’t want to cause trouble by being too conspicuous, so I’ll visit in secret.’ So, everyone just followed her example.”
“Doesn’t that make her stand out even more?”
“…It does seem that way, but since everyone’s doing it, it’s kind of become the norm. Honestly, I felt a bit embarrassed too. But, somehow, it feels fun to enjoy a bit of an out-of-the-ordinary experience, so I don’t mind it now.”
Dorothy answered bashfully, fidgeting.
Her rather silly response made Jill relax, for better or worse.
“Well, as long as you’re enjoying yourselves, it doesn’t matter how you dress. Though I did think it was a bit strange.”
Dorothy shrank back shyly.
Beside her, Maureen let out an exasperated sigh.
“Still, if Lady Emily had that kind of thought, she could have just said so. It wouldn’t have been odd to formally greet you, would it?”
“That’s true.”
Although Jill was a “former” princess, she still held a certain status.
And Lady Emily was the granddaughter of the lord.
Considering the balance of power, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Lady Emily had visited the manor in the Forest of Temptation.
Jill herself had somewhat anticipated that such a person might visit.
“Oh, so that’s what it was.”
“Hm? What’s the matter, my lady?”
“It’s because I haven’t greeted her yet that she’s wearing a mask. Based on proper order and etiquette, it would be natural for me to summon her to greet me. The Forest of Temptation is technically a royal domain, so entering it typically requires a form of permission. I think both Lady Emily and the lord are being cautious because I haven’t issued an invitation.”
Dorothy and Carol stared blankly.
They didn’t quite understand the explanation, as they were unfamiliar with Jill’s true background.
However, only Maureen fully understood the situation.
“…So, in other words, my lady,”
“Yes?”
“Shouldn’t you have done that? Like, writing a letter and sending it to the lord’s manor?”
“…………Yes.”
“Why didn’t you do it?”
“I-I just… forgot.”
Under Maureen’s pointed “Is this person really okay?” gaze, Jill became flustered.
“N-no! It’s not like I meant to ignore the local lord or anything! It’s just that, well, I’ve never had to initiate contact like this before since I was always the one being approached back home…”
“My lady, I truly admire you for that.”
“That’s the ‘admire’ of exasperation, isn’t it!?”
Although Jill’s excuse sounded weak in her panic, she did have a legitimate reason for her hesitation.
“There is, technically, a serious reason for this. If I were to befriend a noble, there’s a chance the royal family might see it as a threat. Even though I’ve fallen out of the so-called ‘royal succession race,’ there might still be some odd people who try to rally around me… And worse, they could perceive such a friendship as ‘conspiring with a potential troublemaker,’ which would be disastrous.”
“Ah, I see. So it’s about avoiding suspicion.”
“Exactly. That’s why I can’t act recklessly. Plus, as a former ‘princess,’ my status makes me an irregular case when it comes to etiquette. The usual ‘what’s the proper behavior for this relationship?’ rules don’t apply, and it leaves everyone unsure how to deal with me. Make sense?”
“Sorry, I just assumed you hadn’t thought it through.”
Jill averted her gaze, unable to meet Maureen’s apologetic look.
“…W-well, of course, I’ve given it proper thought. Yes.”
That said, not even making a simple “Hello, I’ve moved into the neighboring territory” greeting might have been an overreaction. Even without the intent of forming a deep friendship, sending a small message was basic courtesy, but Jill had avoided it out of habit.
“But, now that you’ve set up shop in town, shouldn’t you at least pay a courtesy visit? Though, to be fair, I don’t know anything about those high-level societal dynamics, so maybe I’m off base.”
“No, you’re absolutely right.”
“And I assume they already know you’ve opened a store here, don’t they?”
“I left the finer details to Matthew, but yes, I believe so.”
“Then, knowing everything, they’ve chosen not to interfere.”
“Most likely, they’re being extremely considerate of my situation, yes.”
Jill nodded, her posture shrinking slightly.
The more she thought about it, the clearer it became that the current situation relied heavily on the goodwill of others.
Could she really continue to act like she was unaware of it all? Jill asked herself.
The answer was, of course, no.
“Alright… in that case—”
“In that case?”
“I’ll write a letter, with apologies and thanks.”
“That’s the way to go.”
Maureen shrugged, exasperated but amused.