204 - The Young Lady's Shopping 2
The letter written under Hermine's supervision was promptly delivered to the merchant, and by the next day a reply had already arrived. From here on, the servants and the merchant would coordinate on dates and such, and only the results would be reported back to me, the master. But since this was part of my lesson, I was allowed to observe the entire process. My schedule during confinement was flexible at all times, and it seemed the merchant was eager to comply immediately, saying they could not keep the sister of the fortress lord waiting.
From sending the first letter, everything was arranged within three days, which really showed how powerful Leonardo's name was. Just as hospitals and government offices are churches bearing the gods' names, there are churches that serve a role similar to post offices, but you cannot expect the speed or accuracy of a Japanese post office. Within the same city, it would actually be faster to have a servant deliver the letter directly.
It was clear just how favorably my letter had been treated when Bart delivered it to the shop, a reply was ready almost as soon as it was received. I was supposed to have learned how to write letters that coordinate each other's schedules, but it seemed my letter was practically a compulsory summons.
...If that was the case, maybe I should have set a more relaxed date?
As I reflected on how far off the mark my aim had been, I spotted Petrona among the merchants being escorted into the parlor.
"Oh? Petrona-chan?"
"It has been a while, Tina-sama."
Without even a trace of the casualness I saw at Menhishumi Church, Petrona conducted herself properly as a merchant called upon by a customer. Her composed posture reminded me that Petrona was here not as my friend, but as a merchant.
...Come to think of it, lately she went from calling me 'Tina-chan' to 'Tina-sama,' huh.
As I watched Petrona with a slightly ticklish feeling, Petrona's mother, the shop's proprietress, greeted me.
"We are truly grateful to be invited to the fortress lord's residence today. This is my daughter, Petrona. I am having her gradually learn the family trade so she may one day inherit it."
Following her mother's introduction, Petrona introduced herself anew. With her graceful manner, Petrona struck me as far more of a proper young lady than I was.
"I hear my daughter Petrona has been acquainted with you at Menhishumi Church and has been treated kindly. I thought that with such a young lady, you might overlook some of my daughter's blunders, so although her education is still incomplete, I have brought her along today."
...In other words, it is the same as me learning shopping from Hermine-sensei.
Petrona was likely accompanying her mother on business as training to inherit the family trade. With me, whom she already knew as a friend, any small mistakes could be overlooked. Ordinarily, the family of the fortress lord would be the last people with whom such errors would be tolerated, but between Petrona and me, who were friends, such mistakes could be dismissed as learning experiences.
"I understand. Then today, instead of calling you my friend Petrona-chan, I will call you Petrona, who has come to the residence for work."
I declared that in that case, I too would behave as a young lady who had summoned a merchant. Petrona, who had been maintaining a straight face, burst out laughing and got nudged in the side by her mother. No physical punishment came my way, but Hermine's smile deepened. I could tell without her saying a word. Her face said, 'Even if you think such things, you need not say them.'
"...Well then, please show me the thread right away."
"What kind of thread would you like today?"
We smiled at each other, holding in our laughter so as not to incur discipline from our guardians. Since I had been speaking quite casually at Menhishumi Church, conversing with Petrona in a more formal tone felt rather absurd. I had only planned to buy thread, yet somehow I felt like my abdominal muscles had gotten a workout.
Ordering multiple strands of the same type of thread, all cut to the same length, seemed puzzling to the merchants. Asked politely what I intended to use it for, I honestly answered that I would rewind the thread onto bobbins for my own use. Since bobbin lace was something I had made on my own by substituting tools with whatever Aurelia had available, there were no specialized tools for it. There was no such thing as thread already wound onto bobbins for bobbin lace, so I had no choice but to wind the thread onto bobbins myself.
However, once I explained the purpose, the proprietress said they could deliver the thread already wound onto bobbins. They could not have the sister of the fortress lord going to such trouble.
"...I appreciate the kindness, but the size of my bobbins is a bit different from ordinary ones."
Using gestures, I explained the shape of the bobbins, that the thread was woven by hand while rolling them. Ordinary bobbins are as large as Leonardo's fist and much too big, and when buying small amounts of thread, there is often no bobbin at all, just the thread. Smaller bobbins that are easy to grip and move, like those used for bobbin lace, could not be prepared so easily. Even the ones I currently used were not real bobbins. I was using short lengths of cylindrical rod with thread wound around them.
...I wonder if Aurelia's bobbins were custom-made? They have an unusual shape.
Aurelia, who had holed up in Waiyakku Valley with plenty of time on her hands, had the time, resources, and money to commission custom tools. The best examples of that were probably the lace and lace-making tools that had arrived as her personal effects. The bobbins Aurelia used were shaped like shortened droppers or batons.
Normally this too was supposed to be handled where I could not see, but today the payment was made right in front of me. I had entrusted them with my black cat wallet, but the wallet Bart brought out was Leonardo's. I was supposed to still have some allowance left from my recent embroidery work wages, but it seemed Leonardo was paying for today's shopping.
While Petrona learned money calculation and handling from her mother, I had Salisa take the thread I had bought separately from my order to my room. I asked her to also bring my lace ribbons while she was going to my room.
"These... the design seems different from what young lady used before..."
"I learned how to make them from the person who gave me that lace."
I laid out three ribbons that Salisa had brought on the table and showed them to Petrona. Petrona, who loved fashion and pretty things, had her eyes light up at the bobbin lace that she had only ever seen when I was wearing it. Though the finish was far inferior to the ribbons Aurelia had made, this was still bobbin lace. It was much more finely crafted than ordinary lace knitting.
"I can only weave simple patterns for now, but I made several of the same thing, so I will give one to Petrona."
"Oh, thank you...!"
As I offered a ribbon with a geometric pattern, Petrona accepted it happily. It was a somewhat short ribbon, but long enough to adorn one's hair.
"I was thinking of giving another one to Elke, but..."
I honestly told her, half-jokingly, that I was currently under confinement and could not go deliver it. I had called merchants to the residence as a way to shop without going into town, but Petrona's visit was surely Leonardo and Hermine's thoughtfulness. Without breaking the pretense of confinement, they had called a same-age friend to the residence.
"Then I shall deliver it on the young lady's behalf."
"Are you sure you do not mind?"
"Leave it to me. Her shop and mine face the same street, so I can deliver it even today."
We continued this conversation with composed faces, and at last unable to hold it in, we let out a little laughter. We were both practicing proper speech as ladies and merchants, but since we knew each other's natural way of speaking, it felt terribly absurd.
"...Um, Tina-sama. There seem to be three ribbons, but do you intend to give one to Mirshe as well?"
"My heart would like to give one to all three of my girl friends, but my brother stopped me. Well, you see..."
I brought up how she had been chased by a suspicious man at the Harvest Festival, and explained that we decided it was better not to give one to Mirshe. Petrona had apparently been worried about the same thing, which was why she asked whether I would give one to Mirshe. When I told her what Leonardo had pointed out, her face relaxed in relief.
"So instead, I am thinking of making Mirshe a new apron she can use while working."
"I think that is a good idea. Even if the thread quality is lower than Tina-sama's ribbon, it would still stand out too much around Mirshe's neighborhood."
In this case, 'stand out' meant 'stick out in a bad way.' There would be a gap between Mirshe's clothing and the quality of the ribbon, and I would not want her to catch the eye of some suspicious merchant again and be targeted. And just giving ribbons to the other two without giving Mirshe anything felt like I was making distinctions between friends, which I did not like. But at the same time, I did not want to give the same thing to everyone fairly and put Mirshe in danger.
...But I will explain properly how the ribbon turned into an apron. When Mirshe-chan grows up and can leave that house, I can give her a ribbon again then.
I entrusted the ribbon meant for Elke to Petrona, and had Salisa put away the last one. Salisa, who received the ribbon, instead held out Aurelia's bobbin to me.
...Why the bobbin?
It seemed I was the only one who did not understand the intent. Petrona immediately noticed the bobbin Salisa had brought and leaned in to look at it.
"Is that the bobbin with the unusual shape you mentioned earlier?"
"Yes. I weave thread using this bobbin."
It was only when Petrona's mother approached, asking if she might take a look, that I finally understood Salisa's intent. They would probably order me to have a similar or identical bobbin made. And perhaps they would have that completed bobbin wound with the ordered thread for delivery.
...That is a pretty big demand to thrust on someone, is it really okay?
I glanced at Hermine's face, but there was no particular change. She did not seem inclined to tell me to hide the bobbin, nor to command the merchants.
"Earlier, Tina-sama mentioned that you learned the method of making..."
"Yes, so I am still practicing."
Saying that the ribbons I had just shown were the first I had managed to make, I demonstrated the motion of weaving lace while holding the bobbin. I also explained that different thread quality changed both the finished product and the difficulty, which was why I had sought better thread this time.
"If bobbin lace were to appear on the market, I think I could use it regularly, but it seems a bit difficult."
I talked through the issues, the initial cost of acquiring the tools, the time and cost of practice, the material costs for producing goods, and the enormous time and concentration required for the work. Considering these factors, it did not seem like a craft commoners could easily take up. It seemed like something only wealthy people who could entrust all daily chores to servants could make as a hobby. Even if it were realized, it would surely become a luxury item that only nobles and the very rich could buy. Unless commoners could be taught to make it and the price could be brought down to a level commoners could afford, it would not be something for everyday use.
When I concluded that the only way was to pass it on to one's own children and grandchildren and spend decades seriously spreading it, Petrona's eyes sparkled.
"Um, young lady! If I said I wanted to learn lace weaving, would you teach me?"
"I will teach you. If Petrona passes it on to your children and grandchildren, it will spread twice as fast as if I tried to spread it alone."
...Also, Petrona-chan's mother. I did not miss that glint in your eye.
Thinking simply, for Petrona's mother, this was likely a business opportunity. I had neither connections nor know-how regarding commerce, but Petrona's family, as a merchant house, might be able to give it shape as a business. It might be more feasible to leave the spreading of bobbin lace to merchants than to try to do it alone.
I concluded by saying that since I might be going to the capital soon, I could not teach her right away. And with that, today's shopping came to an end.
I omitted this since Tina would have no opportunity to use it, but the church that serves a postal role bears the name of Perseashi, the god of messengers and communication. The speed of letter delivery depends on distance and price. With a cheap rate, it is a leisurely plan with unclear delivery dates. With a high rate, they use a dedicated messenger to deliver the letter directly, so it arrives a little faster. The use of horses and other equipment can also be specified, but at additional cost. And if you request an escort because the package is important, that adds even more cost.
Tina would have no reason to use it. Letters to Aurelia go through the Black Knights due to their nature. Letters from Dietfried piggyback on his regular reports to Leonardo, and replies do the same. Letters to Basilia are delivered by Bart paying someone who delivers goods using the river. A little while ago, when Alfred brought a letter, he delivered it personally because it was an important one.
Incidentally, even commoners living in the same city would not use it either. The delivery is that slow. The reason it exists despite not being a viable business is that even if it is not profitable, a system to send letters to other towns and villages is necessary, so the country provides some subsidies. Well, it depends on the country.
Typos and omissions again another day. Fixed any typos and omissions I found.