“Magic Butterfly” and a New Assistant
"I've decided! The new store will be named 'Magic Butterfly!'"
"Mm, that sounds good."
Three days after the completion of the store, I finally settled on a name.
Over these three days, I kept coming up with names, only to discard them and start over.
Neither Alizée nor Plum gave me any advice, insisting that, as the store owner, it was my decision.
Well, now that it’s decided, I can just order the sign.
"So, the maids who will manage the store for Plum have arrived, right?"
"Yes. They arrived in town last night. They mentioned they would come to greet you soon, so it should be any moment now..."
"Lady Lily, you have visitors."
"It seems they’ve arrived."
"Indeed."
I asked Jenna, who came to inform me, to show Plum’s maids into the reception room.
When we arrived, seven women dressed in long skirts with wide-sleeved shirts and vests were waiting.
These must be the maids who came from the Darshe Principality.
"… Oh my? Gerbera, you came too? It's been a while."
Oh, so Plum has an acquaintance here.
Or rather, since these are Plum’s maids, she must know all of them.
The one Plum called Gerbera looked like a girl about my age, with a red flower hair ornament.
While the others looked to be in their twenties, she stood out as much younger.
I wonder if there’s a story behind that?
"It’s not just ‘been a while’! Why haven’t you returned to the Principality?"
"Even if you tell me to return, it would go against my principles to abandon the one who saved my life. That’s just not my way."
"Even so! At least come back once!"
"Calm down. Are you the leader of this group?"
"Of course not! The leader is Famille!"
"… What have you come here for?"
"To serve Princess Plum, of course!"
It seems one of the maids has been assigned specifically to take care of Plum.
Upon further conversation, I learned that this Gerbera woman is a member of the Bewitching clan and is around 400 years old.
She was saved by Plum during her time in the military and has been her attendant ever since.
However, since Plum doesn’t usually wear dresses that require assistance, and her armor from the Principality is designed to be donned independently, there wasn’t much for Gerbera to do once Plum left the military and returned to being a noble.
With Plum’s sudden disappearance, it seems Gerbera had been quite stressed.
"Hmm. If Lily is willing to keep you here, I’ll accept your service. What do you think?"
"I have no objections. Come to think of it, given Plum’s status, you do need a maid, don’t you?"
"I’m just a mere guard now, so it doesn’t matter much. So, Famille will be the person in charge of the store?"
"Yes. It’s been a long time, Princess."
"Stop calling me Princess; it feels strange."
"Princess, you are still a Princess. And, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Famille, the leader of the group sent by order of Lord Sazaby. I look forward to working with you."
"I’m Lily. I look forward to working with you as well. I’m not very accustomed to dealing with the nobility."
"I understand this store is effectively going to be exclusively for nobles. Is that correct?"
"Ah, yes, but…"
"Then, it could be problematic. We will provide guidance in that regard. From what I can see, you lack experience in running a store catering to higher-ranking individuals."
It's not that I lack experience—it's more that I never planned on owning a store for nobles.
This all just happened.
But it’s true that I’m lacking, so I should take this opportunity to learn as much as possible.
I look forward to working with you all from now on!
What do you think about this chapter?
