In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 37

These days, there was one particular topic of conversation in Heslot Market. It was the large, green building that had boldly appeared on Heslot Central Road. The entire grand building was painted with that expensive green dye. The previously old building on that site had been renovated and repaired, rising to a full four stories, boasting an exterior luxurious enough to seem a bit out of place in the market. As a result, there was much speculation among market-goers about the building’s purpose. Some said it would be an upscale bar, others a high-class inn. The common thread in their opinions was that everyone expected it to be a place selling very expensive goods.

And today, a large sign was finally hung on the building.

<Gallahan’s Apparel Shop> People walking busy slowed down, one by one, looking at the sign. The sign, written in a luxurious script befitting the building’s exterior, seemed more suited to Sedacuna Street, the aristocratic district.

“Apparel shop?” Hanson, who ran a large fruit store nearby, mumbled, looking up at the polished sign.

“Isn’t that a typo for a tailor’s shop?” Robert, who ran a bakery next to Hanson’s store, approached and said.

“Yeah. If it’s a tailor’s shop, it’s a tailor’s shop, but I’ve never heard of an ‘apparel shop’ before.”

“What do I know?” Robert grumbled, disliking the flashy building that towered among the shabby ones.

“But do they plan to use that whole big building as a tailor’s shop?” Margaret, who ran a crockery store right next to the apparel shop building, joined the men’s conversation and asked.

“Such a showy tailor’s shop should be built in Sedacuna. Who’s going to go to it here in Heslot?” Others agreed with Hanson. However, even as they spoke, they couldn’t take their eyes off the dark green building.

It was then. The closed door of the apparel shop opened, and a young woman, smiling brightly, greeted the merchants.

“Hello!” She wasn’t overly made up, but her appearance was somehow captivating, making people feel a little intimidated yet unable to look away.

“I’m Violet, the manager of ‘Gallahan’s Apparel Shop’! I look forward to working with you all!” She had originally been a mid-level manager in the Lombardi Merchant Guild’s textile department and had recently been scouted by Clerivan and transferred. Having extensive experience dealing with all sorts of textile merchants from across the Empire, interacting with people was as natural as breathing for her.

At Violet’s cheerful greeting, the merchants nodded one after another and introduced themselves. And Felicia, the bakery owner, couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked Violet, “Is an apparel shop like a high-end tailor’s shop?”

“We’re a little different from tailor’s shops. You can think of us as a place that sells ready-made clothes!”

“R-ready-made clothes?” People looked at each other, confused. Violet, seemingly used to such reactions, smiled brightly and said, “The store opens in two days. Please come visit! You’ll be able to buy clothes for less than 2 silver!”

At her words, people blinked a few times, then burst into laughter.

“Oh, you! You’re good at joking for a young person!”

“How can a piece of clothing sold in a place like this be 2 silver! Even if you go to a cheap tailor’s shop, you have to pay 1 silver and 50 copper!”

“These days, just buying fabric costs 1 silver!”

But Violet spoke with a serious expression. “It’s true. Just see when our store opens. But you’ll have to come quickly, won’t you? The goods will sell out fast.” At her serious demeanor, those who had been holding their stomachs and laughing gradually stopped.

“R-really?”

“Yes, of course!” But people still looked half-convinced. Violet shrugged, thinking that everyone would know on opening day. And she didn’t forget to give one last reminder. “Don’t forget to spread the word around too! ‘Gallahan’s Apparel Shop’ opens in two days!”

Today was a class day. And one more thing. It was also the day my father’s apparel shop, named after him, opened in Heslot Market. My father, who hadn’t slept a wink all night, probably due to nervousness, left early in the morning, and I, having eaten a simple breakfast alone, headed to the classroom a little early. There had been a message that class would start a little earlier today due to Clerivan’s schedule. He was probably going to the shop in the afternoon to check on the situation.

I opened the classroom door, passing through the now familiar hallway. I expected Lorraine, if not the twins or Bellesac, who always came early to read, but the classroom was empty.

“Am I the first one?” That’s rare. I took my seat in the classroom without much thought. It was the same seat I always sat in with the twins.

Then I heard the classroom door open again.

“Hello, Teacher!” I smiled widely at Clerivan. It was my business smile. Clerivan always smiled back when I smiled like this. But today, something was different. He was smiling faintly, as was his habit, but his eyes, tightly fixed, stared at me.

“Teacher, is something wrong?” Clerivan approached where I was sitting and took out a small jar from his pocket, placing it in front of me.

“Do you know of this product, which is currently selling like hotcakes and is called Lombardi Ointment?”

“…” I didn’t know how to answer. It was the ointment I had directly negotiated with my grandfather for a recommendation letter. And I heard my grandfather had even gathered the Lombardi vassals and boasted that it was my creation. So, answering “I know it well” would be fine. But not knowing the intent of Clerivan’s question made me hesitate. I just looked at him for a moment instead of answering. Clerivan’s light blue eyes met my gaze directly.

“…Then I will tell you my thoughts,” Clerivan said in a low voice. “Other vassal families believe that when the Patriarch held a meeting and announced that Young Lady Florentia made this ointment, it was simply a doting grandfather boasting about his granddaughter. So they think they’ve honored the Patriarch’s wishes by ordering large quantities of this ointment through the Lombardi Merchant Guild to distribute to their employees or something similar.”

Honestly, that’s a normal reaction. I’m only eight years old, after all.

“But I know the Young Lady too well for that.”

“Me…?”

“You probably came up with the idea and method for creating this ointment, didn’t you, Young Lady? Estira simply added the technical knowledge. Am I wrong?”

“No! I just really helped Estira, that’s all.” I tried to feign ignorance for now. But as expected, it didn’t work on Clerivan.

“Then are you saying Estira invented that ointment?”

“Yes. The important parts were all Estira’s…?”

“The idea of not just selling the medicine, but hardening it with beeswax and vegetable oil. And mixing Hipsy with it.”

“Estira is smart!”

“Of course, I know Estira has a brilliant mind. But she’s not someone who comes up with out-of-the-box ideas.” No, when did you figure out so much about Estira? Clerivan seemed to be convinced already. That the ointment was made under my direction, not Estira’s.

In fact, I had suspected something for a while now. On the day we had a meeting with my father about the price of the ready-to-wear clothing. Clerivan clearly knew that this ready-to-wear business should aim for high volume at low profit. So, his sudden mention of a high-price policy must have been to test my intentions. It was a little while later that I felt something was off about Clerivan’s attitude. But since he didn’t say anything after that, I just passed it off as my imagination. To be ambushed like this.

I chuckled and asked, “The class being moved up today, that was a message only for me, wasn’t it?” Clerivan, likewise, lifted one corner of his mouth and replied, “That’s right. The others were informed that class was canceled today. I judged that I needed proper time to speak with the Young Lady, so I did so. Please forgive me.”

“You didn’t have to go that far. If you had just asked, I would have answered.” Like Clerivan, I was just trying to test his thoughts; I had no intention of denying it until the end. It was happening a little earlier than I had planned, but it was bound to happen someday. It was Clerivan Pellet, of all people. It was a welcome development that a genius of commerce, whom I absolutely had to make my own, was approaching me with such curiosity.

“Then please tell me the truth,” Clerivan said in a serious voice. At that moment, I knew. If I didn’t answer Clerivan’s questions properly now, I wouldn’t be able to gain this genius’s cooperation, no matter what I did in the future.

I straightened my back and corrected my posture. “First, your guess is correct, Teacher. I made that ointment with Estira’s help.”

“As I thought…” Clerivan’s eyes twinkled as he looked at me. “Then is Lord Gallahan’s current business also your idea, Young Lady?”

“No, that’s not it. My father came up with the idea of making and selling ready-to-wear clothes.”

“Ready-to-wear. I see. That’s what we’ll call it.” Oh, right. There’s no concept of “ready-made clothes” here, so there’s no word “ready-to-wear.” Clerivan was now nodding, looking at me as if completely impressed. “When I heard you say ‘the price should be lowered,’ I knew. That you were far beyond what I had expected.”

It was then, wasn’t it? I could never forget Clerivan’s brightly smiling face. Even more so because he was so handsome.

“In fact, I had suspicions since the Coroi business.”

“S-since then?” A trickle of sweat ran down my back. How sharp was this man, anyway?

“The reason the business rights transferred from Lord Viese to Lord Gallahan then was because of you, Young Lady. More precisely, it was because you suddenly dragged Lord Gallahan in front of the wagon.” My face flushed slightly in embarrassment. Clerivan had already suspected something back then. My face burned at how hard I had tried to act ignorant.

“Back then, it was important to open the way for my father,” I explained.

“I understand that feeling. Lord Gallahan is too talented to simply be reading books.” As expected, Clerivan had a keen eye. He was the first person to praise my father in front of me, which made me happy. Honestly, I wished that, since things had come to this, he would intervene in my father’s business on my behalf. But I shouldn’t push too hard. Clerivan was a talent I absolutely couldn’t miss.

Perhaps my grandfather’s penchant for collecting talented individuals was inherited by me. I barely managed to calm my boiling desire to make Clerivan my person immediately and said, “Anyway, please continue to pretend you don’t know. I’ll try not to cause you any trouble…” I was speaking as politely as possible to appease Clerivan. I had successfully conveyed that I was no ordinary child, and I judged that was enough for now. And I intended to continue to show my increasing capabilities to build trust and eventually make Clerivan my person.

But before I could even finish my sentence, Clerivan’s face hardened as if making a sound.

“…Teacher?”

“Why is that?” Clerivan was angry with me.

“Huh?”

“Am I, after all, inadequate?”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“I asked if the abilities of this Clerivan Pellet do not meet the Young Lady’s expectations.”

“Of course not!” What kind of person are you going to be in the future! Aside from building the Pellet Merchant Guild, Clerivan’s achievements were immeasurable. Especially after he became the head, the Lombardi Merchant Guild’s profit margins rose almost in a straight line. At least in commerce, no one could match Clerivan’s almost animalistic intuition.

Clerivan, looking at me, bit his lower lip slightly, as if frustrated. And with a slightly trembling voice, he said to me, “Please… don’t push me away.”