Pepper, whose face turned blue, lowered her head as I criticized her, listing out my grievances.
“I-I-I’m sorry. We didn’t think a-about that…”
“I figured as much. But you should know this. The loss from yesterday to today is at least 8,000 gautes.”
I spoke sternly, looking down at them. My mind was quickly calculating.
‘Actually, this could be a windfall* if handled well.’
*(a piece of unexpected good fortune, typically one that involves receiving a large amount of money.)
I needed skilled technicians for the clothes I was sending to the desert and for the new menswear line I was launching, but where would I find skilled people who weren’t novices, and in the numbers I needed? That was my problem, so this wasn’t bad luck, but rather a good opportunity.
However, this is assuming that these people are truly skilled enough to interfere with my business. Otherwise, there’s no reason for me to hire them.
“We can p-pull an all-nighter. We’re used to it. Just pay us properly, and we won’t even ask for food.”
“Are you saying you can work a lot for a low wage?”
“Y-Yes. And the group that follows I-Ilyin… they are skilled. Really skilled. T-They can handle as many complex tasks as you like.”
“Really?”
Pepper did her best to support and praise Ilyin. It was genuinely heartwarming. Ilyin, not to be outdone, began to also speak in a loud voice like she had eaten a train whistle.
“Ah, when it comes to delicate things, there is no one who is better than sister Pepper. She can fix broken clocks just by listening to them for a bit. I’m sure she’ll be very useful, right?”
“W-Wait a minute. I-I’m not that great, Ilyin.”
“What are you talking about, really! Not long ago, you fixed a grandfather clock that some nobleman inherited as an heirloom! But your employer got all that money, eh?”
“I-Ilyin. You need to be c-careful with your words, okay? Please… … .”
Pepper glanced at me as if she were afraid and squeezed Ilyin’s shoulder. I tilted my head, listening to them, then snapped my fingers and called for the assistants.
“Go and get me some thread, needles, and small jewelry to use as decorations. Paper and pen too.”
What are you trying to do?
Everyone looked at me curiously, wondering what I was planning. I ignored them and began to draw with the pen.
“Here, if you can make this on the spot, I’ll recognize your skill.”
What I handed them was a drawing of a norigae.
The time given is only 30 minutes. What I provided wasn’t even a design, it was just a rough sketch. Without ever having seen the real thing, they have to create a product based on only a hastily drawn picture.
If they could create something similar under these adverse conditions, I would have no choice but to acknowledge their talent. I would also be willing to make those workshop owners who failed to recognize this stellar talent and treated them poorly eat crap.
Try as much as you can.
I put the threads, jewelry, and materials on the table and smiled. Ilyin and Pepper looked at each other and then nodded.
“We’ll do it.
“W-We’ll try.”
A large hand with many scars and a hand with exposed bones crossed each other, picking up various items. I asked Juliet to bring me a cup of coffee and waited leisurely. I can feel Madame and the others behind her, widening their eyes and stealing glances at Ilyin’s hand movements.
If I were to accept and hire Ilyin and Pepper’s group, there had to be a reason that the existing managers would accept. That reason had to be shown by them, not me.
“The thread goes here.”
“Yes, that’s right. Sister, then this pattern should go like this.”
“That works. Pull the thread downward and tie it with this.”
The two started working immediately. Then the atmosphere surrounding the two changed. Ilyin’s fierce energy calmed down, and Pepper’s dull energy slowly revived like a haze. They worked together in perfect harmony, befitting the term “sworn sisters.”
And the time when I finished my cup of coffee.
“Here, it’s all done!”
A much more beautiful norigae than I expected was created and placed before my eyes.
“Hmm.”
I held the norigae and examined it slowly. Their craftsmanship was indeed excellent. Their sense of color and creativity were also 10 out of 10.
“Why did you think to use pink and silver threads together here?”
“Well, that… there is no color in the drawing. I just thought it would look better when attached to clothes if the threads falling below were two colors.”
“How did you know it was something to be attached to clothes?”
“It was too big to be an earring. It didn’t suit as a shoe or hat decoration either.”
“So, you decided it was for clothes?”
“Y-Yes…”
Pepper glanced at me. She seemed worried that she might have answered wrong. However, I was deeply impressed on the inside. I couldn’t believe someone with that much sense hadn’t been able to make it in life until now because she is a low-class citizen!
‘No, that doesn’t make sense.’
Commoners are legally guaranteed the right to open their own stores, but not the lower classes. That’s why you had to be at least a commoner to succeed.
‘And I am the prospective Archduchess.’
That meant I could elevate a few lower-class individuals to commoner status if I wanted to. I smiled and handed the norigae to Juliet, signaling for her to show it to the madams who were watching intently from behind.
“Okay, fine.”
“… P-Pardon?”
“I will help you, so tell me everything you want.”
“…?!”
And at my next words, not only Pepper but even Ilyin’s eyes widened. I uncrossed my legs and straightened my posture.
“This is the time for you to decide your own salary. You can say as much as you want. I will listen to everything.”
I rolled my eyes at the two stunned faces and grinned wickedly.
“Your talent, I’ll buy it.”
You can now sponsor a chapter by buying me a Kofi! 1 Kofi = 1 extra chapter
