Chapter 424

Waiting For a Reply From the King’s Younger Brother
A week had passed since the dinner gathering.
In that time, I’d been quite busy—discussing future plans with Marquis Vardmoi and Duke Roberaud, having tea parties with the duke’s wives and daughters… honestly, it’s been a lot.
Really, I’ve been *that* busy.
Marquis Vardmoi even told me to start thinking about what sort of personal compensation I should receive, so things have truly been hectic in all sorts of ways.
Still, what kind of personal compensation would be appropriate for me?

“Plum, what kind of compensation would suit me?”

“Hmm… in your case, you already have most things you need. There’d be no point in taking something like Mana Spider Silk, which is said to circulate in the northern lands.”

“Right. It’d be faster to just mass-produce it. At this point, anyway.”

“And asking for monetary compensation would be rather dull… Well, I’ll think on it too, for now.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

And with that, the matter of compensation was put on hold.
For now, I was waiting for a reply from the king’s younger brother.
With nothing to do in the meantime, I borrowed a room as a work studio and decided to do some quiet sewing.
The project was “a furisode for the elder daughter.”

I’d already taken her height and arm length measurements, so there wouldn’t be any issues as I moved forward.
I quickly got to drafting the pattern.
Once the basic pattern was done, I went to visit the elder daughter to confirm what kind of embroidery she’d like.
Originally, I’d wanted to make four versions—for spring, summer, fall, and winter—but that wasn’t realistic this time.

“You mean the design for the furisode?”

“Yes. It doesn’t have to be anything specific. What kind of image would you like?”

“Let’s see… When you wore that dress, Lady Lily, I felt an overwhelming sense of elegance. I’d like a pattern that gives off that kind of grace, but what sort of designs are there?”

Elegance, huh… What patterns would fit that?
I decided to show her my notebook filled with various pattern sketches.
In it were all sorts—layers of floral arrangements, motifs symbolizing clouds, traditional patterns, and even some with a more casual feel.
Faced with that, she could only blink in surprise.

“U-Um. Can you really do all of these?”

“Yes. The time required will vary depending on the complexity, but I can accommodate most requests. You don’t have to decide right away, so please take your time choosing.”

“Y-Yes. Um, would it be alright if I kept this notebook for a while…?”

“That’s fine. I have a duplicate, so no problem. If possible, please have your younger sister take a look at it as well.”

“I-I understand. Then, until next time…”

I guess she didn’t realize just how many furisode designs there were.
But it’s precisely *because* there are so many options that they cost that much.
… Wait a second.
Did I… mess up the pricing again?

What do you think about this chapter?