Chapter 72
My b.u.t.t is shaking at the thought of going outside from tomorrow.
"Come to think of it, now you"re free to look outside!"
Said Louryl, combing my hair gently.
That"s exactly what I"m saying, Louryl!
"What do you want to do first?"
"Ummm..."
I needed some time to think.
It wasn"t to think about what to do.
Because there was so much to do, it was difficult to prioritize what to do first.
When I continued to ponder, Louryl gave me some examples.
"Larane went straight to the flower garden outside Lombardy, and Gilliu and Mayron went for a ride outside the castle. And Belsach... I don"t know because I"m not interested."2
Also our Louryl.
It was a very good att.i.tude.
I don"t know what Belsach did after his eleventh birthday.
It would be nice if I could think of it that way.
But, living in the same mansion, it was a known fact that Belsach went out hunting with Astana the day after his birthday.
as expected of Astana"s number 1 followers.1
Ever since Belsach was free to go out, they had grown closer.
"So, what do you want to do, Miss?"
"I? I want to go shopping!"
"Are you going to buy? Are you talking about shopping?"
"Yes! There are so many things I want to buy!"
"Hmm. Jewelry?"
Moreover, the mine where the gem came from!
"Or, delicious food?"
A restaurant that makes food!
Sooner or later, there will be a very good sale.
"If not... Leaving Lombardy and seeing the ecliptic would be fun!"
I"m planning to go to the Emperor.
"I will do it all!"
"Oh, my lady. You are greedy, too!"
Of course!
Because I"m going to eat it all!
I and Louryl looked at each other and laughed.
The finely combed hair was hung behind the back, and the side hair was pulled out and braided with beautiful white wildflowers.
And with Louryl"s help, I changed into the dress I"m going to wear today.
"...Miss. When did you say this will go on sale?"
Looking at the dress I was wearing, Louryl asked with twinkling eyes.
"Next week. Did this one turn out well?"
"I think it"s the prettiest limited edition I"ve seen so far!"
"Yups"
I was very satisfied with Louryl"s enthusiastic response.
Not long ago, the marketing I started at the Gallahan clothing store was working very well.
It"s called "Limited Edition."
It is a way to break away from the image of "ready-to-wear is a common thing that can be bought at any time" and launch a new premium line targeting n.o.bles.Gallahan clothing stores all over the Empire sell very expensive dresses all at once on the same day and at the same time, but the quant.i.ty is very limited.
Only 200 pieces are released nationwide per series.
Among the n.o.bility these days, it is fashionable to collect this "one-piece" in addition to wearing dresses from Gallahan clothing stores in their own way.
Compet.i.tion is so fierce in the royal capital, where there are many powerful and wealthy n.o.bles, they sometimes send servants to buy from branches in distant places.
"By the way, this limited edition came out to commemorate my birthday, so it"s going to be even more special."
"What, more special?"
"I only made 100 pieces."
I laughed wickedly.
"You are too much... You made such a pretty dress and only sell 100 pieces..."
Louryl cried and dropped her shoulders.
It"s a limited edition with a fixed number, so I can"t take one out for Louryl.
I thought about it for a while and decided to give her a small hint.
"Send Dillard"s servant to the third branch"
The third branch was relatively far from the residences of the n.o.bility, but like the other branches, a limited edition of 10 copies was to be delivered.
So it could lower the compet.i.tion even a little compared to other places.
Louryl, who understood what I meant, nodded her head meaningfully.
Smart.
"Tia, can I come in?"
My father knocked on the door and poked his head out through the crack in the door.
"Dad!"
I got up in front of the dressing table and ran to my father"s arms.
"Ouch!"
My father was joking, pretending to be pushed back, and hugged me, face to face.
"Now that you are eleven years old, my daughter still has a long way to go when she"s all grown up."
"Absolutely! I"ll be cute in front of my dad for the rest of my life!
Thanks to Estira"s medicine, my father was completely freed from Tlenbrew"s disease.
Within a week, the paralysis completely disappeared, and after about a month, he recovered enough to be able to take a leisurely walk around the annex.
And today, my birthday, my father came back in perfect health, although he had lost some weight.
"Mr. Gallahan, you look great today!"
"Haha... Thank you, Louryl."
More like losing weight made his face sharper.
My father"s popularity is increasing day by day.
I wondered if I would be able to meet my stepmother soon.24
"Can you give Dad a moment before going to the party?"
My father reached out to me.
I grabbed his hand.
My father"s hand, which is still much bigger than mine, was warm and soft.1
We headed to the annex.
My father stopped in front of a door after walked along the long corridor.
"Open it."
Dad said when he let go of my hand.
Click.
I turned the handle, the door opened gently.
"It"s a gift from Dad to Tia."
A large window filled with sunlight and a drawing-room filled with soft and warm colors welcomed us.
"This... It"s my room, is this my house?."
"Yes!."
"Wow!"
I ran and opened some of the doors to the drawing-room.
There is a bedroom, a small living room, and a study room.
"Tia"s study in the main building has been moved here. I think this will be much more comfortable to use."
It really was.
All the books and writing instruments that were stained with my hands were moved here.
"From now on, Tia can use this house comfortably. Of course, if you came down more often, Father wouldn"t be so lonely."
"Dad..."
"But considering that I will be busy in the future, this is better?"
Really, Dad can"t lie.
As I promised my father last time, I confided in things at the right time.
It was simple things like "how did you send Shananet to Mrs. Sussew" and "Since when did you know Perez?"
But with only those pieces, my father seemed to have figured out most of me.
It"s been a while since I asked for your opinion on deciding what to do with "Gallahan Clothing Store".
The idea that was born like that was the "Limited Edition".
"Our Tia..."
My father hugged me tightly.
"Happy Birthday. I wanted to be the first to give you a birthday present then everyone else."
"Thank you, Dad."
I also hugged my father tightly.
"It"s like a dream."
That my father was with me like this on my eleventh birthday.
The fact that my father overcame Tlenbrew disease and was in front of me in good health.
My father kissed my forehead with a lot of affection.
I felt like crying, so I hugged my father tighter.
Now, I"ve reached the first goal I thought of after returning.1
Saving my father.
But I still have a lot of work to do.
* * *
"Let"s start the meeting."
The chairman, seated at the top of the table, focused his attention and said.
"There are some who haven"t come yet, so please wait a little longer."
Ferdic Angenas said slowly, putting his b.u.t.tocks in his seat.
"But"
It had been delayed a lot since the time the meeting started.
The reason is, some of Angenas"s close relatives have not come.
Dozens of n.o.bles who arrived on time and filled the conference room were waiting for them.
"There"s no point in starting a meeting if important people don"t come anyway..."
"I came here thinking it was late, but it hadn"t even started yet. What is this?"
A person was coming in leisurely, pushing both sides of the conference hall"s door.
"Lo, Lord Lombardy..."
The chairman jumped up from his seat.
Lulak Lombardy had previously been chairman for decades before the current chairman.
"What are you doing here?"
"After a few years of rest, I"m trying to get interested in state affairs again."1
"Ah! Then the chairman..."
"No, no. I didn"t come here to take on such a heavy-duty. I"m too old for that, I just came with a simple mind."
"If you have a simple mind..."
"I have a promise to someone."
Lulak answered and smiled at Ferdic Angenas, who was sitting opposite him.
"You will be thinking about it countless times in the future. Regret it, again and again. "I shouldn"t have touched Gallahan back then."."
Hiccup.
He recalled what had happened in the Emperor"s office, Lord of Angenas hiccuped in fear.
"Let"s start the meeting. Is there any reason to keep this many people waiting for just a few people?"
The chairman glanced at Lord of Angenas.
No matter how long Angenas flew, it was nothing compared to Lombardy.
In the end, throughout the meeting, Angenas won nothing.
It was all because of Lulak"s interference.
And the members of the n.o.bility Council, who had been suppressed by Angenas all this time, sided with Lulak.
Lulak smiled and said to Ferdic Angenas, who had a p.o.o.py face.
"What! You"re already in tears?. There"s a lot left to be upset in the future."6
It was such a blatant laugh.
"Then I must go."
"Lord of Lombardy, if you have time, let"s have a meal together..."
"I"m sorry, but let"s do it together next time. I have a very important job today."
"Ah, may you and Your majesty...."
"It"s my granddaughter"s birthday."
"Yes?"
"I have to go to my granddaughter"s birthday party. Gosh, it"s late!"4
The chairman tapped the gavel twice as instructed with a blank face.
It meant that the meeting was officially closed.
"Then I"ll go first!"
The chairman was startled when he watched the wind blow through the conference hall, but he seemed to know one thing for sure.
In the future, Angenas will not be able to set up as he pleases at the aristocratic conference.