In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 34

“I’m on my way to meet Lord Galahan now, so I suggest we go together.”
“Ohh…” That’s what it was. Not just me, but the children around me also nodded in understanding. Lorraine lightly patted her chest, seemingly having thought I was going to be dragged away by Clerivan and scolded.
“Hmm.” Clerivan narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly displeased by everyone’s reaction.
“Th-then, shall we leave?”
“Yes! Let’s go!” The twins, noticing his sharp gaze, stealthily got up.
“Goodbye!” And before I could stop them, they said goodbye and scurried away.
“Goodbye, Florentia. Goodbye, Teacher.” Lorraine also quickly said her goodbyes, not wanting to be left behind, and moved away from us. Bellesac, who had been waiting for his sister by the doorway, glared at me once and then followed her.
Everyone was afraid of Clerivan. Of course, he wasn’t a particularly easygoing person, and his gaze was sharper than others, but still. I looked at Clerivan.
“It’s just, I don’t understand.” Although his strong, cold expression made it hard to see, he was definitely a handsome man. My concentration in class was good, partly because the content was excellent, but also partly because Clerivan was good-looking. Yet, everyone was so afraid of him.
“Right, Teacher?” Clerivan shrugged at my words.
“Well, Young Lady, you do seem a little unusual.”
“Is that so?” Clerivan didn’t answer further and walked ahead. But he didn’t walk away on his own, leaving me behind. Instead, he walked slowly, hands clasped behind his back, as if taking a stroll. He was being considerate of me, who couldn’t walk as fast as an adult.
See? He’s such a kind person.
***
“Yawn.” I tried to hold it in, but a yawn finally escaped. I wiped away the tears in the corner of my eyes and watched the two men, who were diligently having a meeting.
“But then it wouldn’t be a business aimed at commoners, would it?” My father said, displeased, to Clerivan.
“This price is affordable for commoners with a bit of money,” Clerivan replied in a calm voice.
“Right. It’s a price only affordable for those with money. That’s my point.”
“The emphasis of this business isn’t on price. It’s on quality. On quality.”
“What’s the use of a high-quality product if people can’t afford to buy it?” The meeting had been going in circles for a long time now. At first, I was surprised. I hadn’t realized my father could be so passionate about something. At the start of the meeting, my father had seemed intimidated by Clerivan, but now he had shed that demeanor and was sharply confronting Clerivan.
However, if my father was fire, Clerivan was ice. He calmly and clearly rebutted my father’s fiery ideas, pouring cold water on them. Of course, that’s what made them a good match.
While I rested my chin on the table and flicked cookie crumbs with my fingernail, my father and Clerivan reached a stalemate.
“Let’s take a break.”
“Hoo.” My father’s face, as he rubbed his eyes and sighed, looked very tired. I carefully approached him and asked, “Dad, are you okay?” My father, who had been smiling weakly at my question, made an “ugh” sound and sat me on his lap.
“Tia.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think Dad can do well?” Indeed, the business he was embarking on was completely different from my father’s innate personality. The previous Koroi-Yung business was similar, but that was more a case of things happening by chance. This time, however, was different. This business was being spearheaded by my father from beginning to end. Even the capital was his own. It wasn’t money with the Lombardi label; it was money that Galahan, as an individual, had saved over time. Of course, it was a “all-in” venture only possible because he was a Lombardi, meaning even if this business failed, he would have no trouble living comfortably for the rest of his life.
“Dad, hang in there.” Even if it was just a line from a familiar children’s song, I sincerely patted my father’s shoulder. “Clothes made in advance for the person who will wear them, that’s cool, isn’t it?” I deliberately raised both hands and exaggeratedly exclaimed.
That’s right. The business my father was planning was, in a word, a “ready-to-wear clothing business.” He said the idea came to him when they made promotional prototypes for the Coroi business and distributed them to the nobles. One might think it’s just a general clothing business, but the important thing is that the concept of “ready-to-wear” didn’t exist here yet. People here generally went to a tailor’s shop to have clothes made. From the perspective of someone buying clothes, it was quite a convenient system. Everything could be solved at once by visiting a tailor’s shop where professional fashion designers, tailors, and seamstresses with extensive experience were on standby. Through consultation with a designer, one could have clothes made in the desired style, using the desired fabric. And because they were custom-made to fit the body perfectly, there was no need to worry about the fit.
However, that made it expensive. Even nobles, unless they were quite wealthy, considered clothes to be rather precious. This was especially true for elaborate and delicate dresses worn to banquets or social events, as the material costs alone were considerable. If nobles weren’t free from the cost of clothes, how much more so for commoners? Those who could afford it sought out cheaper tailor shops that catered to commoners, but otherwise, clothes were made at home. Because fabric was bought and then sewn into clothes, a comical situation arose where the mother’s skill determined the quality of the family’s clothes. Not only that, I heard that the poor didn’t even wash their clothes often, for fear of wearing them out from frequent rubbing.
In this situation, my father’s idea was truly revolutionary. Even I, when I first heard it, actually wondered if my father wasn’t a genius. Seeing something so obvious from a completely different perspective is much harder than one might think. Well, the fact that Clerivan quickly jumped on board said it all.
“We can’t postpone deciding the price any longer,” Clerivan said, signaling the end of the break. “There’s quite a lot to consider: the cost of orders placed with the artisan guild, the cost of producing clothing patterns, and construction material costs, among others.” I got down from his lap and sat in a nearby chair so the two of them could talk comfortably.
Just then, my eyes met Clerivan’s. It was the same as usual, yet somehow different. But it was only for a moment. In the blink of an eye, that expression was gone. Did I see wrong?
“Lord Galahan, please listen carefully to what I have to say,” Clerivan said, turning his gaze from me to my father. “Lord Galahan, the reason I told you the store should be in Heslot Market, not Sedacuna, was based on the judgment that commoners would be more open to a new purchasing method than nobles.”
“But…”
“This business should target those commoners who desire high-quality goods.”
Huh? Wait a minute. I looked at Clerivan, startled. This isn’t right? But Clerivan was serious. There seemed to be no room for a joke in his eyes as he looked at my father.
“Hmm…” My father, too, began to consider Clerivan’s words very carefully. “High-quality goods, you say…” No! Father! That’s not it!
“Yes. Even if we use Heslot Market, it should be a business for those who can spend a decent amount of money for something new.” No, Clerivan, why are you like this too! Panic rising, sweat began to trickle down my back.
“Is raising the price the right thing to do…?” My father even clasped his hands and pondered. He had been doing so well until now! This business should target ordinary middle-class commoners. Therefore, the price should naturally be set low. People who have enough to try something new to save themselves the trouble of making clothes, but would prefer clothes cheaper than custom-made ones from a tailor’s shop. They would still get custom-made clothes from a tailor’s shop for special occasions, but for daily wear, they would gladly accept the disadvantage of potentially having overlapping designs and buy ready-to-wear clothes.
“Please think carefully.” I had trusted Clerivan! He was leading my father down the wrong path. I waited until the very last moment. For either my father or Clerivan to realize the blind spot in this opinion. But the moment my father opened his mouth after deep thought, I had to intervene.
“Then, raising the price would indeed be the way…”
“B-but I wouldn’t like that!” I hurriedly exclaimed, and my father looked back at me with surprised eyes. Since it had come to this, there was no helping it. I spoke as indirectly as possible.
“It means someone else might wear the exact same clothes as me, right? I’d just buy custom-made clothes from a tailor’s shop!”
“Would you?”
“Because I’ve always bought clothes from a tailor’s shop!” My father nodded slightly, saying, “That’s true.”
“So, I think the price of the clothes should be lowered. So people can easily buy and comfortably wear them.” I had considered just giving him a hint as usual, but I couldn’t risk things going wrong again. I looked at my father and said in a strong tone, “And there are more commoners without money than rich ones, aren’t there?”
In short, the market was bigger. Of course, the profit from selling one piece of clothing would be small, but one shouldn’t disregard selling in large quantities at a low profit. That was precisely the advantage of early ready-to-wear clothing.
“Florentia’s words seem to make sense. What do you think, Mr. Clerivan?” At my words, my father looked at Clerivan, seemingly asking for his opinion. I also turned my head towards him with my father. And I saw it. A smile spreading across Clerivan’s face as if in slow motion. It wasn’t just a fleeting, casual smile. It wasn’t his usual cold, mocking smile either. It was a bright smile, truly happy.
“Mr…Cl-Clerivan?” My father’s flustered voice was heard. I was just as surprised. This was the first time I had ever seen Clerivan Pellet smile like this, neither in this life nor in my previous one. No, I had never even dreamed he was capable of smiling so brightly.
Unfazed by our astonishment, which bordered on horror, Clerivan continued to smile. And at the end of his gaze, there I was. But surprised by Clerivan’s picturesque smile, I had no time to think about such things.
Then Clerivan, who had suddenly risen from his seat, approached me.
Flinch. Startled, I instinctively stiffened, but I didn’t move recklessly. I just watched Clerivan’s actions silently. Clerivan walked over to me, knelt on one knee in front of me, and lowered himself. It happened before my flustered father could say anything. And the place where Clerivan’s fingertips touched was my sleeve. More precisely, the ribbon on my sleeve. The knot had come undone at some point, and the string was fluttering. Clerivan silently took hold of the end. His long, white fingers made a rustling sound as he tied a pretty knot, quickly forming a splendid ribbon.
“Th-thank you…” At my small voice, Clerivan looked up at me and smiled.
“You’re very welcome, Young Lady.” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his face. It was as if his gently folded eyes held more meaning than what I was seeing. As if something had changed within him a moment ago. I sat there, quietly gazing at Clerivan.