Chapter 106 - Chapter 9: Marble Dyeing Lecture
When I said I would talk to the Queen and Gladys-sama about marble dyeing, everyone except Marcelo-san said they would postpone their sightseeing in the Royal Capital for a day and go to the palace.
There aren't many chances to see the two of them up close. Beatrix wanted to use them as subjects for her sketches, Mary for eye candy, and Lyudmila because it sounded interesting—each had a different reason, but they seemed to intend to watch from the back like observers.
To be precise, Paul-san wouldn't be participating in the marble dyeing. When he told Victor-san about the bowl, everyone wanted to join in, and it was decided that he would take the King, the Queen, and other dignitaries on a sightseeing flight in the afternoon.
After seeing off Marcelo-san, who was returning to Nakanohara with a silver commemorative plate, we were guided to the palace workshop. Those participating in the marble dyeing were the Queen, Gladys-sama, and several palace maids, all wearing aprons over their dresses.
The workshop wasn't that large, but it had many materials and ingredients.
"What a huge number of dyes. To have so many kinds gathered..."
Beatrix was also surprised.
"No, it's not that much; they just accumulated because I make them myself..."
"You make the dyes yourself!"
"E-eh. Do you all not make them?"
I didn't know they could be made. I immediately asked how to make them.
"This island has white cliffs here and there, right? You take the stones from those cliffs... chalk, crush them, and make a really fine powder. After coloring that powder with magic, you mix in several medicines and apply heat, and a very small amount of colored clumps will settle in the powder. If you turn those colored clumps back into powder and mix them with oil, you can use them as dye."
I didn't know that. I thought things colored with magic would return to their original state once the effect wore off, just like hair color.
"Beatrix, did you know?"
"It's the first time I've heard of it. I'm shocked. As expected of the Royal Capital. You can make any color, can't you?"
The magic itself is basic. So there must be a fair number of people who can use it. The problem is the mixing of the medicines, the heating method, and finally the mixing of the oil used for kneading, which are usually kept secret.
However, from a barrel full of powder, you only get about a fistful—especially the vivid blue, of which only a tiny amount can be obtained—so it seems to be treated as a precious item on the continent. Dyes packed in barrels are apparently one of the main products for each country to export to the continent.
"It's not that we can make any color. For example, before, a member of a theater troupe who went to visit the Demon Lord subjugation army had their hair dyed jade, but I just can't make that color. It has a deep, calm finish, like the most beautiful part of real jade."
"U-um, by any chance, did that troupe come from Nakanohara...?"
"It certainly did. Come to think of it, you all came from Nakanohara, didn't you? Do you know something?"
The person who made that color was right in front of her. When I looked at Beatrix, she gave a "can't be helped" look, had one of the maids sit in a chair, and chanted a spell.
"[Dye: Jade]!"
The hair turned jade.
"Oh my goodness! Yes. This is the color. It was you!"
The Queen was delighted. She immediately brought over some white powder.
"I will teach you the secret passed down in the royal family for fixing color to powder. So, won't you share that color with me?"
"Sure, but do you have paints?"
"Paints? Of course, we have them."
From the colorful paints brought over, she mixed blue into yellow.
"You make a bright yellow-green like this, and then you make purple. And then, if you add just a tiny bit of purple to the yellow-green..."
Jade was created!
"Oh, oh, oh!"
The Queen was also surprised.
"I think there are various ways to make jade. Generally, it's yellow-green with white or something, but the one I made and sold at the Marcelo Company was made like this. Also, even with yellow-green, it changes depending on whether there's more yellow or more blue, and purple changes depending on whether there's more red or more blue."
"Yes, yes. I understand."
"The ratio is..."
There must have been a lot of trial and error; far from just sharing the color, she was even teaching the method. The Queen was nodding with flushed cheeks, listening seriously.
"Is there anyone who can chant the [Change Color] spell?"
Everyone, starting with the Queen and all the maids, raised their hands. Unfortunately, only Gladys-sama looked down awkwardly.
"Don't worry about it, Gladys. This time we're learning how to dye, not making the dyes. I'll make the portion you use and send it to you."
"Thank you for your consideration."
Her profession is a spear user. It can't be helped.
"Is the Queen a mage?"
The impolite mage asked.
"Yes, that's right. Though I can only use basic magic. My profession is the sword."
"The sword!"
I was surprised. I thought for sure it would be needlework or something.
"Though I look like this, I was a soldier in the Kingdom Army. Light cavalry."
I've heard that light cavalry specializes in long-range scouting and surprise attacks. They don't have the glamour of heavy cavalry, but their bravery is equal or greater.
"Is that so?"
Gladys-sama's eyes went wide.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hide it, I just missed the chance to say it."
"No, not at all. So I wasn't the only 'demon wife'. I'm relieved."
She was now completely making a joke of it.
"I heard that story."
The Queen laughed, "Ufufu."
"But you're still soft, Gladys. After all, my skill with the sword is greater than His Majesty the King's. Therefore, the true demon wife is me."
As expected of the Royal Capital. The real thing was here.
"Is that so? I am humbled."
"It's fine," she laughed.
"But one day, I realized His Majesty's feelings and intentionally lost without him noticing. I was proposed to immediately after. So since then, I haven't had a match with His Majesty, using the excuse that I've been neglecting my training. I can't let His Majesty's reputation fall, after all."
"This is a secret among us women," the Queen said, silencing not only Gladys-sama but also us, who were reeling from the shock. The maids were looking down, their shoulders shaking. It seemed to be an open secret among the women. Anyway, it turns out martial women being popular wasn't just a Nakanohara thing.
"Was the Queen born in Sertoria?"
Gladys-sama asked. Come to think of it, I'd heard that the Sertoria royal family often finds brides within their own country.
"Born in Sertoria? I'm from a very average family. I'm a 'cinderella story', I suppose."
To say it herself.
No wonder Beatrix and Mary's requests for cinderella-aiming fashion were accepted.
"Since my manners and etiquette are just a quick fix, I'm sure I'll be rude to you all. Please be patient with me."
If she can smile this elegantly, it should be enough.
Now, for the dyeing. Before I knew it, Beatrix, who had taken the position of instructor, stood by my side. She was now being called "Beatrix-sama" with an honorific.
"When we made it, we created several draft combinations of colors like this and actually took them into the forest."
While explaining, she showed the color patterns she had Beatrix-sama reproduce.
The two of them and the Queen's maids were all serious.
"As a result, we adopted the one that was hardest to distinguish, and it became the current color scheme."
She showed the final draft.
"The proportion of green is surprisingly small, isn't it?"
It seemed the Queen was looking at it closely for the first time.
"That's right. The sizes and such are irregular, but rather than just green, adding brown and light brown made it harder to distinguish from the scenery. I think it's easier to hide against backgrounds like tree branches or the ground."
While explaining, she had them actually prepare the colors used in the pattern and dye it; perhaps because they were actually doing it, they finished it quite easily.
"I think this is sufficient. Now, if you wash it with clean water and dry it in the shade, it will be finished."
"Thank you very much, Priest Jeanne. After gathering people, I want to spread what you've taught me by having everyone share the work."
I was thanked politely. After that, I was taught the method of fixing color to chalk powder to make dye.
By the way, while the Queen and the others were dyeing, Beatrix-sama was drawing something with Mary. I thought it was a sketch of the Queen and Gladys-sama, but it wasn't.
"Hey, hey, Queen-sama."
"Yes, what is it, Beatrix-sama?"
At this point, I couldn't tell which one was the Queen.
"I want to dye a one-piece dress with that marble dyeing, is that okay?"
"I don't mind, but I've never seen such a thing; will it be okay?"
"Yeah. Something like this."
What she showed her was a design where the clothes the two of them wore at the banquet last night were patterned with marble dyeing using a gradient of similar colors. The sleeves and hem were slightly flared to flutter.
"Oh, how wonderful! Look, Gladys!"
"It's lovely. I've never seen a dress with such a pattern before."
"I thought it might be good to have them dye not just field uniforms, but dresses like this too. Using wool as the material. Then it might sell to women. If you use silk or something, you could even raise the price."
As expected of Beatrix-sama. Moreover, it had been strictly checked by the tasteful Mary.
"So we dye not just field uniforms, but women's clothing too?"
"Yeah. I think it's better to create original designs. If we're starting from field uniforms anyway, we can do something bold, can't we?"
"That's a lovely idea. I think we can try various ideas by soliciting opinions from the people gathered at the workshop."
Before long, the maids joined in, and they started chatting excitedly about dress patterns. Beatrix-sama drew the ideas that came up, and after Mary's check, they were unveiled. Though it's called dyeing, there are various methods, and they discussed how to dye according to the finished design, such as tying with string or applying wax and peeling it off after dyeing to dye with another color. By using relatively simple methods rather than those for experts, they could make inexpensive items that anyone could buy regardless of the maker. Drinks were prepared along the way. Everyone sat around the same table, forgetting the time as they chatted about women's adornments.
"This is wonderful. If something truly good is made, I will ask His Majesty to allow us to export it to other countries."
"In time, a new fashion unique to Sertoria might be created."
"Gladys. When that happens, let's export it to the continent. It's always been a bit frustrating to be told that while the island has the materials, tasteful clothes come from the continent."
"The Queen too? Actually, so am I. Let's join forces as women and take our revenge here."
"It's a competition. Usually, the Eastern Plains Corps monopolizes the title of Sertoria's strongest, but we won't lose in fashion."
"I accept the challenge. Queen-sama, I will show you that the Eastern Plains is not just rugged."
They were laughing with each other.
Anyway, I don't know why, but it got quite lively. Looking at Beatrix-sama and Mary, who had created the spark, they were laughing happily with Lyudmila, saying, "Isn't this great?"
"Thanks to everyone, I was able to have a truly enjoyable time. Using what you've taught us as a foundation, we will do what we can for this country. Thank you very much."
The Queen and the maids had serious expressions at first, trying to hone their skills. Before I knew it, they had relaxed, peaceful expressions.
As souvenirs, we were given various colored dyes, a barrel of truly fine chalk powder that would be impossible to get in Nakanohara, and a set of medicines and oils for making dyes. Beatrix-sama was given paints and art supplies used in the palace.