Despite being a member of the Merchant’s Guild, Myne showed up less often than any other foreman or forewoman, and yet she was selling enough that her workshop was quickly becoming one of the largest in the city. Plant paper, picture books, the toys she had made and sold as winter handiwork... At first glance, the Myne Workshop’s overall output was rather low, but everything they made was priced high and brought in significant profit—and that wasn’t even including all of the new products that the Gilberta Company had bought the rights to.
“The Gilberta Company keeps coming out with new products as well. It is easy to forget that they’re supposed to be a store for clothing and accessories.” The rinsham, hairpins, and uniquely shaped hangers were close enough to their main business focus, but the plant paper, picture books, toys, and diptychs weren’t related to clothing or accessories in the slightest.
“And Myne is getting involved in more than just products, isn’t she?”
“Indeed.”
Many of the contracts that passed through the Merchant’s Guild with Myne’s name on them were significant—a contract with the Ink Guild, huge orders for the smith she was a patron of as well as various carpenters, a joint investment with Benno for an eatery that was due to open soon... They all involved a lot of money moving around.
“And she joined the temple as an apprentice shrine maiden, too. Just what in the world is she doing? It seems to me that she’s trading at a much higher value than most other merchants.”
Even though our contract over the pound cake had ended, I had not heard from Myne or even seen her in the Guild for a long time. Does she not mind if I just continue monopolizing pound cake? Because if she doesn’t send word soon, that’s exactly what I intend to do.
About ten days after the first feystone had changed color, Lord Henrik permitted us to meet him. I waited until fifth bell the day of, then departed for the Noble’s Quarter with Grandfather.
“It’s time, Freida.”
“Yes, Grandfather. See you soon, Mother.” I got into a carriage and sat next to Grandfather before the door was shut behind me. The bracelet on my wrist shook as the carriage bounced, making it impossible to ignore.
“There certainly are quite a few stones that have changed color there.”
“We must give it to Lord Henrik at once so that he can empty it out again.” Whenever we gave the bracelet to Lord Henrik, he would empty it of mana and return it to me. That was our only business there, but the emptying process took enough time that we were always invited over for dinner.
“If only this were lunch, I could feel more at ease right now.”
“The fact that he invites us to dinner is proof that we are being treated as proper guests.”
“I know. We cannot refuse.”
Being invited over for dinner of course meant that the gates would be closed by the time we were due to come back, which meant spending the night in Lord Henrik’s mansion. And staying the night meant bathing.
“Bathing has been easier on me ever since I took Myne’s advice and started spending less time in the hot water, but I still dislike noble baths.”
“...That is something you will have to grow out of,” Grandfather said with a short laugh. He always made me bathe for a really long time, during which he would have business discussions with Lord Henrik’s head attendant.
I puffed out my cheeks in a small pout. “You know that I prefer business over bathing too, and yet I bathe anyway. I am more than mature enough already.”
Our carriage took a right turn after reaching the temple at the end of the main street. Towering white walls made of the same material as the temple stretched on into the distance. They separated the lower city from the Noble’s Quarter, and following it for a bit would lead to a gate.
“What we know as the Noble’s Quarter today was actually the whole city hundreds of years ago, right? I learned about that the other day.”
“That’s correct. It’s said that the city expanded when the first Ehrenfest took control of the duchy from the previous line of archdukes.”
It was standard practice that when nobles from one duchy invaded another, and its archduke couldn’t protect his city from them, the new archduke would become whichever noble had the most mana. The new archduke would then use their more sizable power to expand the city.
“The previous city was rebuilt as the Noble’s Quarter, and then a lower city for commoners was built on the southern side, correct?”
“Yes. Furthermore, what used to be an inn that served as a front gate to investigate travelers was repurposed as the temple. I heard that nobles still use the so-called Noble’s Gate within the temple, but that has nothing to do with either of us.”
We commoners entered the Noble’s Quarter using a small gate on the north end of town that had been used for guards, according to Grandfather.
The north gate was guarded by several commoner soldiers and laynoble knights. We paid the entry fee, then gave several products to the knights as gifts. We were then asked why we were entering the Noble’s Quarter, where we were going, and whether we had the proper authorization. The knights obviously looking down on us for being commoners made me deeply uncomfortable, but I couldn’t let that get to me. Otherwise, I would never survive when I moved here in the future. It hadn’t taken me long to get used to returning even their scornful gazes with a smile.
“You both check out. Go into that carriage over there.”
“Understood.”
Lower city carriages were dirty enough that we had to switch to a noble carriage before passing through the north gate. Once that was done, we were traveling smoothly down the road between the pristine white buildings of the Noble’s Quarter without
