RLPE Chapter 40

After the match with the Duke, a little time had passed. One day, after much contemplation, I finally made up my mind and decided to visit the Duchess at the Duke’s residence.

As I rode in the carriage, I kept looking at the piece of paper in my wallet. It was a 400-gold check I had received, with 100 gold set aside from the winnings I had gotten from the Duke. The Duke had even given me a bracelet as a guarantee of credit when I said I had something I wanted to do. Though I had been hesitant for a long time, fearing I might get scolded by my parents, thanks to the Duke’s help, I had finally made up my mind.

“Vivi! What brings you here without any notice?”

Despite my sudden visit, the Duchess welcomed me warmly. Aside from my home, the Duke’s residence was one of the places I frequented the most, and it had become almost like a second home to me.

While sipping tea and enjoying the snacks that the butler had prepared, I placed the check in front of the Duchess. She widened her eyes in surprise but then chuckled and looked at me with a smile.

“Vivi, what’s this?”

“Well… this is the down payment for the contract with the author.”

I knew. For her, 400 gold was probably just enough to buy sweets for children. But for me, it was all the spare money I had. Originally, I didn’t even plan on 400 gold. The money I needed for what I wanted to try was just 200 gold. Of that, 100 gold was meant to be the down payment for the author. However, thanks to unexpectedly winning a lot from the Duke, I was able to present myself with 400 gold to make a proper impression.

What had originally only existed in my mind now had a chance to materialize, thanks to the unexpected windfall from the Duke. When opportunities like this arise, even someone born with the luck of a grasshopper, like me, can sometimes be diligent like an ant.

“A down payment? Could you explain that a bit more clearly?”

‘Business is business, and personal is personal. She’s Armin’s mother, so I wonder if she will understand…’

I was a bit nervous because there was no guarantee that the kindness shown in a formal contract would continue. Fortunately, the Duchess didn’t ignore me, nor did she seem offended by the small amount of money. I knew she cared for me, and it was a relief.

“Do you remember when I told you I had something I wanted to do?”

“Yes, I remember. But what?”

I hesitated a bit before speaking. Explaining it was going to be difficult.

After all, how was I supposed to explain the concept of daily serializations in a world where novels were only sold in book form? In this world, my greatest hobby since being reborn was  reading novels. Unfortunately, the only type of novel in this country was romance novels.

Men didn’t read novels. The reading materials for men were usually limited to biographies or chronicles of heroic deeds. That’s why it made sense that Sasha would want to hide the fact that he reads novels.

Romance novels were just considered a minor amusement for wealthy women.

There were so many interesting themes in the world: historical fiction, fantasy, martial arts stories. But in this world, both reading and writing were limited.

Furthermore, the majority of commoners didn’t know how to read or write. Men would sometimes learn to read to get better job opportunities, but most women worked jobs where reading wasn’t necessary, so the illiteracy rate was very high.

I think this realization first hit me when I was shocked to learn that Michelle, who was older than me, couldn’t read.

Having lived in a world where reading was taken for granted, I was struck by how so many people around me couldn’t read, something I had always considered a given. It made me realize what kind of world I was living in.

“Michelle.”

“Yes, young lady.”

“Why didn’t you go to school?”

The high illiteracy rate wasn’t good for the country either. That’s why there were schools in the world I lived in as well.

Unlike the academies where nobles usually hire tutors to study or acquire more specialized knowledge, this was a school that taught basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic.

When I asked Michelle, she shrugged her shoulders.

‘I didn’t see a reason to learn.’

‘Don’t you want to read?’

‘Not really? By the way, young lady, would you mind rolling over there? I need to fluff the pillow.’

Michelle had no interest in reading. Even when I explained to her the benefits of reading books, she remained indifferent. However, I felt sorry for Michelle. If only she knew how much benefit she could gain from reading, she would understand. Despite her disinterest, I decided to teach her how to read.

They say studying is most effective when you want to do it. Although Michelle reluctantly started studying due to my insistence, she wasn’t motivated since there wasn’t much need for her to read.

However, Michelle was now reading quite proficiently. The turning point was my novel collection.

I had always been reading books, laughing to myself, and one day, Michelle asked,

‘What’s written in that book that makes you laugh so much?’

When Michelle couldn’t read, I used to summarize the plot for her. That day was no different. I was about to tell Michelle about the book when a brilliant idea suddenly flashed through my mind. Instead of summarizing, I handed her the first volume of the series I was reading.

‘Here’s your homework.’

‘Huh?’

‘From now on, we’ll read this book together for an hour every morning.’

Michelle hesitated. As a maid, she had many things to do, and books were expensive items that she wasn’t accustomed to handling. But her hesitation was brief. Although it started as a forced task, Michelle soon became immersed in the joy of reading.

At first, she struggled, sometimes not getting past five pages in an hour. But as the days went by, Michelle’s reading speed increased, and she started to get through the lines faster.

After finishing the series, Michelle’s words confirmed my idea.

‘This book is fun.’

‘Right?’

‘Yes. Studying reading was boring, but the book was really fun.’

‘The author of this is my favorite.’

‘If it’s a book by your favorite author, I’m sure everyone would enjoy it.’

I’m not a saint. My human warmth is just as small as a candle flame. I open my heart endlessly to those close to me, but I have no lofty ambition of eradicating illiteracy across the entire country. However, in this case, there was an opportunity for a win-win situation.

What if reading, which might seem boring and difficult, could be paired with fun novels to make learning enjoyable?

Moreover, because romance novels are considered a trivial pastime for wealthy women, the authors of these books are rather average. If novels weren’t just a hobby but could also make money, wouldn’t that encourage capable new writers to emerge?

For that to happen, novels shouldn’t remain as expensive books that only a small number of upper-class women could access. I started thinking of ways for commoners to easily enjoy novels as well.

Was it said that a thirsty man digs a well? It seems that there was a similar story about a scholar changing the world.

Suddenly, money appeared, followed by unexpected freedom, and an acquaintance with my favorite author, whom I had never met before. It felt as though the entire world was pushing me to follow my dreams.

This was the moment to chase the wild ideas I had been contemplating for years. If not now, then when?

With that thought in mind, I knocked on the door of the Duchess’s room, where my favorite author was.

“Well… You know, the Duchess is a very famous author in the romance novel world.”

The Duchess, holding the check, was full of joy. It seemed like she was eagerly anticipating what amusing story I would share next.

“But why do you hide the fact that you’re R.G.?”

“Well, it’s because I don’t want to reveal it.”

“Exactly. Despite having such a brilliant talent, writing romance novels isn’t something to brag about among the aristocracy.”

If the Duchess had been born in South Korea, she would probably be an intergalactic superstar, with people clamoring to work with her.

“Moreover, even if you write a novel, only other aristocrats can afford to buy the books, so there aren’t many readers.”

I explained the reasons I had thought of. The Duchess thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

“That’s true. Even if you write, the people who can afford to buy books and read them are limited.”

“Exactly. Books are such an expensive luxury. They’re too costly for commoners to buy.”

“So, what are you thinking of doing?”

Clearly intrigued by my idea, the Duchess leaned forward towards me. I gulped nervously.

“How many volumes did the first series have?”

“Hmm, about seven volumes?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a series of seven volumes.”

I held up my hand.

“If you buy the entire set, it costs 35 gold at the bookstore.”

Since this was the oldest series among R.G.’s books, the price had dropped quite a bit from the original.

“Then, how much is the price per volume?”

“Each volume is… 5 gold, right?”

“Correct. 5 gold per volume. And each volume contains about 5 chapters. So, if we were to price each chapter, how much would that be?”

“That would be 1 gold per chapter. But pricing per chapter, that’s a bit of an unusual calculation.”

“Well then, if we divide the content of each chapter into twenty parts, how much would each part be priced?”