Ascendance of a Bookworm

Drama CD 2 Bonus SS: A Royal Commission

“Alright, Corinna, I’m off. Renate, Knut, behave yourselves. Tuuli, finish Lady Rozemyne’s hair pin as soon as possible.”

“Understood, Master”

Master Otto kissed Mistress Corinna on the cheek and then also gave a light peck on the cheek to Knut, their newborn son whom she was carrying. He then stroked the head of his beloved daughter, Renate. He tried to kiss Mistress Corinna again, but Theo and Leon dragged him off to the temple.

They said it was a preliminary meeting for a summons from the archduke in the spring. Until now, the Gilberta Company had never been invited to a business deal with another duchy so all the leherls were pleased with the company’s progress.

“……For some reason I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

While finishing up the hair pin I was currently working on, I stared at the various shades of thread I’d collected to make the red koralie and muttered quietly to myself.

……When Myne makes a request, it’s always something that’s completely outside my realm of expectations.

The other day, even though it was snowing, Lutz brought me a letter requesting for me to make a hair pin with a red koralie flower. There have been times when Myne has introduced the Gilberta Company to nobles interested in hair pins, but this was the first time she had specifically asked for me to make one.

But even if she says the client has blonde hair, the shade of blonde is different for each individual. The colour of the thread used for the hair pin has to be changed depending on whether the red of the dress is closer to orange or perhaps closer to pink and whether the colour intonations are dark or light. I also don’t know whether large flowers would look better or whether I should make smaller flowers. I can’t make a hair pin without more specific information…

…… Master Otto said he would collect more information about it, but I don’t think it’s possible to make a hair pin for a customer who I’ve never even seen. I’ve never had any experience with this, at least not other than helping other craftsmen with ready-made products for the store.

I was concentrating on making hair pins and hadn’t even noticed that Master Otto and the others had returned until the leherl Leon knocked on the door and said, “The master wants to see you”. I set aside my nearly completed hair pin and headed to Master Otto’s office.

“Tuuli, I’ve received more detailed information on the client for the red koralie.”

Inside the office, there was Master Otto who was in a good mood, and Mistress Corinna who looked a little troubled. My bad premonition seemed to be right on the mark. When I heard his words, I almost couldn’t believe my ears and struggled to understand their meaning.

“Eh!? It’s a request from royalty!?”

I wondered just where exactly Myne has been and what could she have possibly done for something like this to happen. It was completely outside my expectations that a prince would ask me to make a hair pin for the woman he’s interested in.

“T-That’s impossible, Master”

“It’s not impossible, Tuuli. The royals liked Lady Rozemyne’s hair pin and asked us to make it because it can’t be made in other duchies. Hence, it’s fine for you to make it. Just like you did for Lady Rozemyne, as long as you make it better than the hair pins you made before, there will be no problem.”

It’s easy for Master Otto to say, “If you make it, it’ll turn out fine,” but I’m sure there’s no way it’s that simple. Mistress Corinna who makes outfits for nobles as a craftswoman, understood exactly how I felt. She glared at Master Otto with a troubled face.

“Don’t be absurd, Otto. That’s like asking her to make something even better than what she made for Lady Rozemyne. Tuuli is a minor and has never received an order from an unknown customer before. It’s unreasonable to tell her to take on a royal commission out of the blue. If you don’t feel confident and don’t think you can do it, you don’t have to make it, Tuuli.”

“That would be a problem, Corinna. If it’s Tuuli, she’d be able to make it, right?”

Master Otto is not a craftsman, so I don’t think he really understands. He doesn’t know how difficult it is to make something that suits a person who you’ve never met and have them be satisfied with it.

The hair pin I was asked to make was for a coming-of-age ceremony. In the letter it was written that “the colour of the dress is red” so I think the dress has probably already been prepared. It would be a disaster if the hair pin gifted by the prince did not match the outfit of the woman he intended on gifting it to. At the very least, if I had the costume with me to use as a reference or if the customer had ordered it from Gilberta Company, I might be able to make it work. However, there’s nothing I can do if I don’t have anything to work off.

“It’s impossible. I know the kinds of flowers and colour combinations that Lady Rozemyne likes and I can make hair pins that suit Lady Rozemyne well. I am confident that I won’t lose at this to anyone else. However, I have never custom made any hair pins for other nobles and I don’t think I could make one that would satisfy royalty.”

When I refused, Master Otto turned pale and held his head in his hands, saying, “this is a problem”, but Mistress Corinna agreed with me, saying, “Tuuli’s right”.

“But Corinna, It’s a commission for Tuuli ……”

“Otto, shut up. Tuuli, you don’t need to worry about it. I’ll leave it to some other craftsman who thinks they can do it.”

When Mistress Corinna asked me to leave the room, I excused myself from the office while holding complicated feelings at the words, “I’ll leave it to some other craftsman.”

*

That evening, Mr Benno came to the Gilberta Company while covered in snow.

“Brother, what did you come here for at such a late hour!?”

Mistress Corinna rushed over, leaving her son, Knut in the care of a female servant. Renate also shouted joyfully, “Yay, Uncle Benno!” and followed after her. Mr Benno often visits to educate Renate, who will be the heir to the Gilberta Company. Mr Benno is Renate’s beloved uncle who often looked after her ever since she stopped being spoiled by her mother when Knut was born.

“I was bored from being shut in by the snow. Come and play with me. Read me a picture book.”

“I’m here on official business today. I can’t do that until I’m done. If you understand that, then be a good girl and wait, Renate.”

Mr Benno lightly waved his hand and shooed her away. As if to protect Renate who looked like her feelings had been hurt, Master Otto stood between them and glared at Mr Benno.

“Hey, Benno. You don’t have to be so harsh with her, do you?”

“Huh? Whose fault do you think it is that I had to come all this way when it’s snowing?”

From just a single look at the sharpness of his eyes as he glared back at Master Otto, it was clear that it was Master Otto who called Mr Benno here. After closely watching the interaction of the grown-ups, Renate quickly fled the scene while saying, “I’ll get uncle to read me a picture book when he’s in a better mood.”

“Tuuli”

When the ill-tempered Mr Benno called my name, I flinched. The instant our eyes met, Mr Benno jutted his chin towards me. That was enough for me to understand what he was here for. It was regarding my refusal of the royal commission.

……Am I going to be admonished for refusing?

The mere thought of it gave me a suffocating level of fear and apprehension. Was it because he was the master of a separate store named the Plantin Company? Or was it because he was Myne’s oldest acquaintance and the closest to her out all the merchants? Was it because he was responsible for deciding which people from the lower city could be brought to the temple? Being scolded by Mr Benno gave me a completely different level of fear compared when I’m scolded by Master Otto or Mistress Corinna.

Master Otto and Mr Benno quickly moved into the office and Mistress Corinna looked at me, holding her forehead while muttering “Geez, Otto is……”

“Tuuli, if you can’t do it then even if it’s Benno, just say no. If you force yourself to try to make something when you don’t have any confidence in making a good product, you won’t be able to satisfy the customer. I’m on your side, Tuuli. I can’t overlook the possibility of ruining a good craftswoman.”

From her perspective as a craftswoman and a workshop manager, Mistress Corinna supported me from behind and smiled as if to reassure me. Feeling as if I could breathe a little easier, I walked together with her to the office.

The moment the door shut, Mr.Benno crossed his arms and looked at me. His reddish-brown eyes stared at me as if to say he wouldn’t let me escape. My heart began to race and my body started to tremble.

“Tuuli. I heard that you turned down Lady Rozemyne’s request so I would like to know your reason why… Do you have any other commissions?　Or are you saying that you can’t make the same kind of product for royalty?”

My lips quivered. I didn’t know what to say. I looked at Master Otto, Mr Benno, and Mistress Corinna in turn. When our eyes met, Mistress Corinna nodded lightly as if to encourage me.

“Those were… Lady Rozemyne’s hair pins were made with the intention of providing a little support to Myne, who lives in noble society to protect her family. It was made with my feelings for Myne who was poisoned and had to sleep for two years… I don’t have confidence I can make something like that again.”

Mistress Corinna’s concerns were right on the money. I wasn’t sure whether I could make something for someone else with the same feelings I had when I made it for Myne. There were no falsehoods in my words.

“Until now you’ve made a lot of hair pins for nobles, haven’t you? Aren’t you the one who taught all the other craftsmen how to make hair pins?”

I slowly shook my head in response to Master Otto’s impetuous words.

“Those were off-the-shelf products made with the same standards as other craftsmen, and I’ve been told to make them with a lower quality than what I would make for the archduke’s adopted daughter. Obviously the requirements are different when it’s for nobility compared to when it’s for royalty, right?”

“Yeah, what is required is something equal to or better than what you’ve made for Lady Rozemyne.”

“I’ve never made hair pins for a customer I’ve never met, nor do I have any experience trying to match an outfit I’ve never seen before. On top of all that, you’re telling me that my first time is going to be a commission from royalty…”

I don’t know what the great duchy’s princess looks like, nor do I know her hair colour or what her dress looks like. In such circumstances, even if you ask me to make a hair pin that is better than Myne’s, I don’t have any confidence that I can do it.

“I see, it’s understandable that you would feel a sense of repulsion when told that your first hair pin commission from a client other than Lady Rozemyne would be from a member of royalty.”

Mr Benno scratched his bangs and let a troubled expression show on his face. I let out a sigh of relief as I realised that he had accepted my opinion. I trust Mr Benno because I know he wouldn’t just give me any thoughtless orders and would properly heed my opinions.

……Hmm?

I realised that Mr.Benno’s reddish-brown eyes hadn’t lost their resolve. They remained sharp and alert as if to make sure they captured my every reaction. When our eyes met, Mr Benno’s gaze grew even more intense.

“Tuuli, if you insist that you can’t do it no matter what, then we have no choice but to leave it to another craftsman. But if the product turns out to be unsatisfactory, Lady Rozemyne will be scorned as the person responsible for it.”

“Eh……”

“Even if we offered her a hair pin crafted by another craftsman, Lady Rozemyne probably wouldn’t scold or dismiss you from your position as her personal hair pin craftswoman. She would simply keep her emotions buried in her chest while being denounced by royalty.”

Mr Benno said that even if I couldn’t produce a hair pin that satisfied royalty, Myne would protect me from the ire of others, but Myne herself and the archduke would both be scolded by the royals.

“And when that happens, would Tuuli not regret it? Would you not end up resenting the craftsman who was appointed, thinking that if you had made it yourself, you might have made something a little bit better and perhaps Lady Rozemyne wouldn’t have had to suffer the painful experience of being denounced by royalty?”

…… Of course I’d regret something like that!

I had sworn to do everything I could to help her. I could easily see myself stamping my feet in frustration and regret for failing to keep that promise.

“Hey, Benno…”

When Mistress Corinna tried to stop him, Mr Benno waved his hand to silence her, but his gaze remained steadfast on me the entire time. He looked straight at me and told me the harsh reality. Mr Benno is different from Mistress Corinna, who was always trying to protect me. But within those strict reddish-brown eyes, I could see his trust and confidence in me.

“You were able to make something that Lady Rozemyne was able to puff out her chest and proudly present as having been made by her personal craftswoman. This is a job for Lady Rozemyne’s personal craftswoman. Is it really okay to give it to someone else?”

The reason I’m Lady Rozemyne’s personal hair pin craftswoman is because I still possess skills that others cannot match. It’s because I can make hair pins that are suitable for the archduke’s daughter. If there exists a craftsman whose skills are recognized by royalty, there is a possibility that I will be replaced. I suddenly remembered the words that Lutz once said to me. “You’d have to give her hair pins made by someone else, all while pretending that you made them yourself.”

…… I don’t want that to happen.

This is something I can’t run away from. This is a job that I can’t afford to pass to anyone else. Having realised this, I stood up and looked straight back at the reddish-brown eyes which had been observing me this entire time before opening my mouth.

“…… No, I’ll make it! Please let me make it!”

Master Otto slapped his desk with a shout of “Alright!” while Mr Benno stood up and lightly patted me on the shoulder.

“Tuuli, I had faith that you would say that. Good luck.”

The tension in his reddish-brown eyes vanished and as he smiled, I could see his trust in me showing on his face. I could feel something indescribable tugging at my heartstrings. It felt like something wonderful was going to happen if I managed to get through this trial. Feelings of joy welled up within me. My entire body burned bright with the conviction that I was definitely going to make a hair pin that would surprise everyone and leave them satisfied.

“Geez, you’re being so pushy. Tuuli, you shouldn’t carry this burden alone. Let’s make it together with everyone else.”

Mistress Corinna sighed in exasperation and looked at me with eyes full of concern. I nodded back to her with a smile brimming full of motivation.

“I’d like to know as much as possible about the customer so that I can do everything I possibly can to satisfy them.”

*

After that, I was extremely busy. There really was far too little time until the deadline to make something more intricate and beautiful than Myne’s hair pin. After discussing with Mistress Corinna and the other craftsmen about the most suitable size for an adult woman, selecting the red thread that looked best with Lutz’s blonde hair and asking my colleagues Inez and Karen to make small flowers and leaves to decorate the surroundings, the Gilberta Company began to work together to make the hair pin.

It was a hair pin with small white flowers surrounding a warm red koralie, the precious colour of the earth goddess, and young green leaves flowing like vines, reminding us of the coming of spring. It was completed on a day when the end of winter was fast approaching. I contacted the temple and soon received an invitation for delivery.

Then, on the day of delivery, I headed for the temple in a carriage with Master Otto and Mr Benno while carrying the box containing the hair pin which I had made with my best possible efforts. I was extremely nervous since I had to deliver the hair pin in-person.

For starters, I was nervous about heading to the temple in an unfamiliar carriage since I had always gone there on foot. Secondly, since I was going to meet Myne for the first time since she woke after falling asleep for two years. I was also anxious about the very act of meeting Myne itself. I was confident that I had made a beautiful high quality product fit for royalty, but there was a difference between a good product and a product that suited the customer. I wasn’t sure if the prince would be satisfied with my work. I got nervous just imagining the possibility of disappointing Myne.

…… Ahh, I’m so nervous that I’m not going to be able to move!

Even though my mind was in a complete mess, the High Priest was together in the orphanage director’s office with Myne. I hadn’t expected him to be there. It was the first time I had seen him since the contract to turn Myne into Lady Rozemyne. The image of him speaking in a cold and stern manner was strongly burned into the back of my mind. That’s why I felt chills all over my body.

“High Priest, This is Otto, the successor of the Gilberta Company, and Tuuli, Lady Rozemyne’s personal hair pin craftswoman.”

I stiffened at Mr Benno’s introduction and joined Master Otto in giving a greeting towards a noble. I focused and tried my best to keep myself from stuttering. I had never been so glad to have been educated by Wilma and Rosina until now.

“May I pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the harsh judgment of Ewigeliebe?”

“I give you my heartfelt blessings. I pray that the God of Life Ewigeliebe will henceforth bring guidance to the Gilberta Company.”

The High Priest gave us his blessings in a shower of light. The slightly warm light gave me encouragement, but simultaneously brought about a mix of complex emotions as if I was once again confronted with the difference between a noble and a commoner.

“This is the item you ordered.”

Prompted by Mr Benno’s words, I held out the box with the hair pin and stepped in front of Myne, who was dressed as the high bishop. Her sparkling golden eyes and her hair pin adorned indigo blue hair were the same as the Myne who I had always known. Her height and facial features also hadn’t changed from the Myne in my memories. Perhaps she actually seemed smaller to me due to my own growth? Or was it because I unconsciously compared her to Kamil’s growth?

I felt terribly relieved to see that Myne hadn’t changed and with such feelings in my heart, I showed her the item commissioned by the royals. I’ve already grown accustomed to the act of carefully opening the box and showing the hair pin inside.

“……It’s lovely”

Myne gasped at the sight of the red koralie hair pin. As she looked at me with approval in her eyes, I secretly felt relieved while keeping my smile pasted on my face. If I passed Myne’s assessment, then it’ll probably be okay. Even when she was a commoner, Myne’s eye for clothes and accessories was so amazing that even Mr Benno was impressed.

“Yes, there should be no problems with something like this. Well done, Gilberta Company.”

“It’s made very well. I’m sure Lady Eglantine will be very pleased with it. You’ve really become good at this haven’t you, Tuuli? I’m impressed.”

“Thank you for your kind words. Seeing Lady Rozemyne’s healthy appearance also fills me with joy.”

Once I received praised from both of them, I was able to smile a little more naturally. My heart, which had been full of tension and nervousness, was now filled with feelings of pride and accomplishment.

“Also, I would like to present this to Lady Rozemyne.”

I brought out yet another box. It was the Spring-themed hair pin I had made for Myne. In order to make the deadline for the red koralie hair pin, I had finished this one in a hurry, so upon close inspection you could see that some parts weren’t done too well. I hope she doesn’t notice.

“Oh my, what a lovely hair pin. Could you please put it on for me?”

I nodded while replying “yes” and carefully changed Myne’s hair pin while paying attention to the High Priest’s reactions. With my fingertips, I rearranged Myne’s hair, which was a little disheveled and hanging over her shoulders and swept it down her back. Holding myself back from patting her on the head like I used to in the past, I stepped back and commented “It’s done”.

“…How does it look?”

Myne’s maintained her poker face as she looked back at me. The stern gaze of the High Priest, who was scrutinising our interactions, told me that I couldn’t afford to let down my guard. What was the permissible degree of familiarity between a craftsman and a customer? I desperately tried to recall the words Mistress Corinna would use when complimenting a client.

“Lady Rozemyne, it’s a hair pin that I made especially for you. Of course, it looks very good on you.”

When I giggled, Myne broke into a smile as well.

…This degree of interaction is allowed, right?

I only found out later that Mistress Corinna’s words which I had used for reference were intended for talks between commoners, and not the kind of attitude one should show towards a noble.

*

After completion of the hair pin’s sale, the carriage carrying us began to rumble as we passed through the gates of the temple. Once I could hear the familiar hustle and bustle of the main street, I was finally able to relieve my pent-up tension.

“I was really nervous because the High Priest was there.”

When I relaxed and voiced my thoughts, Master Otto chuckled in agreement.

“I also didn’t expect the High Priest to be there, so I was just as surprised. But I’m glad we were able to greet him without screwing up.”

“Yeah. You guys didn’t only ace your greetings, you even got praised by the High Priest. Nobles usually never compliment any commoners. Even when taking Lady Rozemyne’s favouritism into account, you guys did well. Good job, Tuuli.”

Mr Benno had completely reverted to his usual self with no semblance to the man who had been putting on airs while interacting with nobles. He smiled cheerfully while patting me lightly on the head.

“Kyaa!”

My heart skipped a beat. I was so startled that I almost leapt out of my skin and then reflexively shielded my head. For some reason, I suddenly simultaneously felt very happy and embarrassed as my face started turning red.

“…… Geez, Mr Benno! I’m not a child any more so please don’t pat me on the head.”

I must have felt embarrassed because I was being treated like a kid. I glared at Mr Benno but he simply said “My bad, my bad” with an expression that didn’t look even slightly apologetic at all, and started to talk with Master Otto about the scheduled sale of goods in the castle when Spring comes around.

I looked out the window and tried my best to forget about these embarrassing feelings. But the sensation of a large hand patting my head still lingered and wouldn’t disappear. I tried putting my own hand on my head but something about it felt different.

My reflection in the window was smiling happily back at me. I wondered if it was because I had been praised for the hair pin I had worked so hard to make. I recalled my feelings of joy in the temple earlier when I had been praised by Myne and the High Priest. But it was somewhat different to how I felt when Mr Benno had just patted me on the head.

…What is this, I wonder…? Could I have felt the happiest when I was being praised by Mr Benno…? I’ve never felt this way before… I wonder what these feelings are…

It would be a long time until I understood the meaning of these feelings I’d experienced for the first time.