“Ayame created these pieces with the duchess in mind, so if you permit it, I would like to borrow your name.”
“My name...?”
“Yes. I was imagining something like this.” Hiiragi pulled out a folded piece of paper from his breast pocket and flattened it out on top of the table. On it was the side silhouette of a woman’s face and the letters for “Mary.”
It was so on the nose that I felt dizzy before I felt ashamed. It reminded me of a certain Western confectionary company’s logo that I had often seen in special Valentine’s Day pop-up corners. I couldn’t help but run away from the reality of it.
“Th-This...is a bit...”
“Oh? Is it not to your liking?” he asked.
“I find it too direct... And wouldn’t it be better to emphasize ‘blue’ more?”
“Anyone who sees this name and logo and doesn’t think of your eyes... Well, they don’t deserve the privilege of buying Ayame’s creations in the first place.”
Urgh. I’m not sure what to say. I know I’m no match for a silver-tongued merchant, but I can’t give up here. I mean, come on, my name is already all over the hospital. And the sauerkraut that Lord Julius’s merchant company handles is called “Dew of the Sea,” which also stemmed from my name. I can’t handle it if my name gets slapped onto an entire raden series on top of all that. When future historians research Prelier and see my name on everything, they’ll write that there used to be a duchess with a huge ego.
“Let’s consider other ideas,” I said.
“It’s when you give up that the match is over!” encouraged the Coach An*** in my heart. I clenched my hand into a fist. I will struggle until the bitter end.
“Thank you very much for your cooperation.” Hiiragi’s eyes were originally quite thin, but they narrowed even further into an inscrutable smile that was befitting of a merchant.
Please forgive me for instinctively glowering. After all, I fought in vain. In the end, we had settled on “Mary” as the series’s name. I was surely making an ugly face.
Hiiragi’s shady smile disappeared when he saw my glower. He peered at me like he was looking at a strange, never-before-seen creature.
“Duchess, you are quite the oddball,” he said.
“I’m aware that my attitude is unladylike.” Embarrassed by my immature display, I straightened my posture.
However, Hiiragi said, “That isn’t what I meant. Someone as beautiful as you would draw attention simply by breathing. I can’t help but wonder why you loathe standing out to this extent.”
“You exaggerate,” I said.
Hiiragi shook his head. “Not at all.”
Even Ayame was shaking hers too. They were so in sync—I could tell that they really were childhood friends.
“Being that Ayame and I are from another nation, by nature, we should have a different standard for beauty than the people of Nevel do. I experienced this difference in values when we traveled through different countries. Yet somehow, your beauty is so perfect that it transcends even that difference.”
Ayame nodded in emphatic agreement. I was so distracted by her adorable gestures that I couldn’t focus on what he was saying.
“Um... Thank you?” I said halfheartedly, unsure how to respond. I never know what to do when someone compliments me to my face. If it were an obvious social nicety, I could just smile and move on.
“You truly are a humble soul. With a face like yours, you could have any man eating out of the palm of your hand,” Hiiragi said quietly.
He looked at me as if to say, “What a waste,” and I drew back. Unfortunately, I was sitting, and I bumped into the back of the sofa, unable to distance myself.
“Hiiragi,” Sir Leonhart chided. “Please don’t tease my wife too much.” The corners of his mouth were raised in a faint smile that showed elegance and charm. However, at the same time, it had an intensity behind it that left no room for argument.
Hiiragi donned a serious expression once more and lowered his head. “I got carried away because the duchess has such a benevolent heart. I deeply apologize.”
“No, I’m sorry for my immature display,” Sir Leonhart said.
Wait, I’m the one acting immature here! I’m still being influenced by the social values of my previous life, so I’m not acting like a leader. People always misjudge where the line is with me. “Benevolent heart” sounds nice, but I think it means I have no dignity. Sir Leonhart lets me do as I like, but sometimes he teaches me how to draw the line, like right now. My husband is too good for me.
“Well then, let’s return to the topic of the brand. We’ll proceed with the proposal we discussed, correct?” Hiiragi said.
“Yes,” I replied.
Ayame sighed in relief. Then, she beamed at me as though she couldn’t contain her joy. “Lady Rosemary, being able to borrow your name is like a dream.” Her cheeks were dusted pink, and she smiled like an innocent child. It made me feel sorry that I’d been so unwilling. “I will devote myself to my work and create pieces worthy of this brand name!”
Apologizing felt like the wrong thing to do, so I simply said, “Please do. Let’s work hard together.” I’ll also endeavor to be worthy of Ayame’s creations, I vowed internally.
“I plan to make a progress report in two weeks. Would that be acceptable?” Hiiragi asked.
Sir Leonhart immediately opened his notebook. We checked my schedule and then gave Hiiragi a day I was available.
“Does this work for you, Hiiragi?” I asked.
“Yes, I will be available as well, so let’s meet then.”
“Very well, we’ll add it to our schedule.” Sir Leonhart turned to me. “Rose, what about the festival meeting matter?”
“Oh, that’s right! Hiiragi, do you have time next Tuesday afternoon?” I asked.
“I do. How can I be of service?”
“I plan to hold a meeting for the harvest festival, and if possible, I’d like you to participate.”
“A meeting for the harvest festival? You’re holding it yourself?” Hiiragi asked, his voice laced with confusion.
Yeah, I can understand your reaction.
Harvest festivals weren’t unique to Nevel—they were major festivals that occurred in every country, but they were primarily organized by farmers. They were typically small-scale events, with the largest being held at a village level. I had never heard of a feudal lord taking the trouble to supervise one before either.
But if I sat around and did nothing, Prelier’s festivals would go extinct. I’d heard that we used to have fairly lively events in the past, but now they were mere shells of their former glory. Apparently, people didn’t even gather to celebrate anymore, and they would just have a slightly fancier meal with their family. When I’d learned that, I’d thought it was such a shame.
While Prelier didn’t have any special produce that stood out from the rest of the nation, we still grew very delicious fruits and vegetables. It was almost perplexing that our produce wasn’t distributed in the capital. By holding a festival, we could attract all sorts of people who would learn how delicious it was, and that would contribute to revitalizing this region. And if I had the merchants currently residing in Prelier participate in the festival, they would likely form connections with one another without needing to use me as an intermediary.
Hiiragi listened intently as I quickly explained my thought process.
“There are less than two months until this year’s festival, so we’ll have to see how it plays out, but I’d like to gradually increase the scale. I’m hoping to incorporate various attractions and host competitions,” I said.
“What kind of events, for example?”
“Like a cooking or baking contest where you make a dish out of ingredients from your hometown, or something like a vegetable contest? Cooking a meal in a large pot to share with festival-goers might be fun, and I think an alcohol sampling event might be nice too. Another idea would be to have children dress up in costumes and give them sweets as a reward.”
Hiiragi let out a breath of admiration and amazement. “Your ingenuity surprises me every time. Although, I don’t quite understand your last suggestion.”
It’s not ingenuity—it’s a mishmash of memories from my past life, so I feel a little guilty. Also, because of my shallow knowledge, Halloween has been classified as something hard to understand, and I’m very sorry about that.
“Why don’t you adopt your ideas as is? I think you would surely attract a great number of people,” he said.
“The main characters of the festival are the farmers. If they’re dissatisfied, then the purpose of holding it would be lost. Besides, I’m not sure how realistic my ideas are, so I’d like to improve them through discussion.”
Hiiragi’s eyes widened. Then they narrowed once more. It wasn’t that shady smile from before, but a wry one filled with emotion. “Duchess, I see you can also be surprisingly greedy.”
“That’s right.”
I swore I’d amass economic might that won’t be easily undermined. I even carry the ambition of growing Prelier into a big city that won’t be outshone by the capital. But I don’t want to obtain that by cutting other people down. If I hold a successful festival while ignoring the farmers’ opinions, it would all be meaningless. Even if people tell me I’m being too idealistic, I can’t change that part of myself. I don’t want to change.
“I just want everyone to be happy together,” I said.
“Understood.” Hiiragi straightened his posture. “Though I may not be of much assistance, I will do what I can to help.” His dignified expression was a complete one-eighty from the breezy attitude he’d had up until now.
When Ayame saw him like that, a happy smile spread across her face.