TOSWB 23

Chapter : 23

I Thought the Original Was Finished

The next day.
I sat at my desk, lost in thought.

“Hmm.”

The last time I saw Ian, he was completely in charge of cleaning the garden and windows of the salon.
If things went really well, I thought it might be a good idea to recruit him directly.
Judging by the manager’s displeased expression toward Ian, it seemed like it would take a few more years before Ian could fully showcase his talent. In that case, bringing him to our marquis household wouldn’t be a bad idea.

If I waited just a little, he would surely contribute to increasing both the honor and wealth of the marquis house.
And with Ian around, I wouldn’t have to worry about having nothing to wear ever again.
Ian would also prefer to be somewhere there’s at least one person who recognizes his worth, rather than stuck doing garden work or window cleaning.

“Alright.”

Having made up my mind, I sat at my desk, took out paper and pen, and sent a letter to Salon de Francia.
As I had mentioned beforehand, the letter stated that I wanted Ian to come to the marquis house for a day.
After finishing the letter, I handed it to my maid. By this evening, it would arrive, and by tomorrow morning, Ian would be here.
I went to sleep with anticipation.

Early in the morning, I asked the maid to prepare for a guest. I requested that she prepare thoroughly because a talented individual, who would be responsible for the marquis house for the next ten years, was coming.
The maid seemed to brush it off lightly, saying, “Looks like the young lady finally made a friend.”

Ian arrived around noon.
I had been sitting by the window, resting my chin on my hand, and the moment I saw the young man with uniquely lavender hair, I rushed out before anyone else.

“Welcome!”
“…Thank you for summoning me, Miss Tina Valentine.”

I greeted Ian with a bright smile. Seeing him after such a long time, he looked awkward, as if his clothes didn’t quite fit him right.

“Summoning? I just invited him, but somehow that got misinterpreted,” I thought.

“Come in!”

Ignoring any formalities, I led Ian into the mansion. Lunch had just been prepared, so I immediately took him to the dining room.
Ian seemed fascinated by the noble’s house, moving his eyes around busily. The Valentine marquis house had been built a long time ago, so it was unusually large.
Being a commoner, Ian probably had never been invited to a noble’s house before. No wonder he was curious.

“Here, don’t be shy, sit!”
“…Yes.”

I sat across from Ian and began the meal. He awkwardly picked up his knife, and though it wasn’t proper etiquette, I didn’t bother correcting him.
All the other servants stepped back. Ian might feel uncomfortable, and I needed to discuss something in private.

I was mentally preparing the words to persuade Ian to join the marquis household when he cautiously spoke up.

“…May I ask you something?”
“Huh?”

I paused mid-cut with my fork and looked at him. Ian’s expression looked somewhat troubled.

“What is it?”
“…Well…”

Though he had asked if he could ask something, he hesitated for a long moment. I waited for him to continue.

“…Why do you always choose someone like me… honestly, I don’t understand…”

I secretly felt relieved at his words. I had been wondering how to bring up the topic, and he had opened the conversation for me.

I put down my utensils, smiled, and spoke.

“Ian.”
“Yes?”

Ian looked slightly flustered at my calling his name.
I lowered my voice so no one else could hear.

“Have you ever considered working for the marquis house?”
“…Huh?”

He was stunned by my words, and after a moment, repeated them in a dazed manner.

“As a gardener?”
“No!”
“Do you need me to clean windows?”
“None of that.”

How much did he do at the salon—gardening and window cleaning? Had he forgotten his own profession?

“I’ll support you, and you can make whatever clothes you want.”

Nobles usually had personal stylists, or if they liked dressing up, they had salons like the empress. Nobles cared a lot about appearances.
If someone appeared at a banquet in a standout outfit, they could become the star of high society—and the person who made the outfit too.

With Ian, it would only be a matter of time before we were making money off the nobles’ pockets.

I also knew that Ian’s contract with the salon had little time left. Alone, he would wander in search of another job.
My offer would be tempting to him.

“…”

Yet Ian didn’t immediately answer. He seemed to be thinking, still slightly hesitant.

“Of course, I’m not asking you to come for free.”

I revealed a secret weapon hidden in my pocket: a pouch of gold coins. I placed it in front of him.
After a brief hesitation, Ian took it and checked the contents, then opened his mouth in slight surprise.

“…This is too much.”

Of course. This was my entire fortune, after all—equivalent to years of allowance spent at once.
Though it was a bit of a financial hit, I considered it an investment in the future.

Even though the marquis house was facing financial difficulties, I could still afford to hire at least one commoner.
Ian seemed a bit unsettled by the amount—he was more frugal than I expected.

It seemed Ian was timid and lacked confidence, but I couldn’t let him refuse my offer for that reason. Here, I had to be firm.

I crossed my arms, pretending to pout.

“Are you saying my judgment is wrong?”
“Huh?”
“I’m the one who recognized your worth.”
“…That’s not what I meant.”

He answered awkwardly, and I pressed forward with a bright smile.

“So, you’ll accept, right?”
“…?”
“Ah! And! Within a year, I’ll open a salon in your name.”

Of course, this was to more efficiently make money off the nobles.
I planned to actively promote the clothes and accessories Ian made, but it wasn’t enough for one person alone.
I didn’t have the funds to open a salon now, but I was confident I would in a year.

“How does that sound? Hmm?”
“…”

I leaned over the table, holding it with both hands, pressing the point to him.
It might have looked desperate, but it couldn’t be helped. Outwardly, I seemed the superior, Ian the subordinate, but in reality, it was the opposite.

I stared at Ian with wide eyes. His lavender eyes wavered. He hesitated. I stared even harder.
Finally, he closed his eyes tightly once, then opened them and spoke.

“…I’ll even clean the kitchen.”

Gardening, window cleaning, and now kitchen cleaning? Seems he had become exceptionally skilled at cleaning at the salon.
Anyway, I could take that as a positive answer.

But there was one thing I had to stop.

“No.”

I said it more firmly than ever. Ian looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.

“You have to cherish your hands.”
“…”

Ian looked even more shocked. He hadn’t expected me to say that.
Until now, he must have done all sorts of menial work—window cleaning, gardening, toilet scrubbing, dishwashing.
But knowing how talented he really was, I couldn’t dare give him such menial tasks. He would never have been treated this way before.

“…Thank you, Miss Tina.”
“Mm.”

Only then did a relaxed smile appear on Ian’s face. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen him smile. He seemed a bit moved. I smiled in return.

“Now, I should call you ‘Young Lady.’”
“Ah, Young Lady…”

Ian said it awkwardly. As a commoner, he had probably never used that title before.

“Let’s work well together.”
“…Yes, I’ll do my best too.”

I smiled and extended my hand as if offering a handshake.

Ian agreed to come to the marquis house once his salon contract ended. It wouldn’t be long.
I had thought nothing good could come of being entangled with the empress, but gaining Ian alone was a huge win.

That day, I couldn’t stop smiling foolishly.

“Heheh.”
“Why are you laughing like that?”

My older sister asked as if I was acting strange, but I just shook my head. I already felt like a wealthy person.

“Are you too excited because the empress invited you?”
“…”

Her words made me stop giggling. A sigh escaped my mouth instead of laughter.

“Haah…”
“?”

She just looked at me oddly and passed by.

The next day, a letter arrived from the imperial city.
It was from Leopold, asking if he could visit in three days.
Was he expecting me to play that same friend game again? Annoying. But having already asked him once, I couldn’t refuse.

I sat at my desk to write a reply.

“Hmm.”

I pondered for a moment, then wrote a short reply to Leopold and sealed it in an envelope.

Bring melon ice cream when you come.

…Since I had been exercising diligently, a little treat like melon ice cream was fine, right?