“That hot water bottle is for Prince Marcus,” I replied. “I thought he should have one, because my younger brothers have also said that it has helped them sleep soundly.”
The king can buy one from the Burns Trading Company.
In the end, I couldn’t help but prioritize the shota.
The queen let out a hearty chuckle.
“You’re very kind to those weaker than you, Patience. It’s a wonderful quality to have.”
I didn’t do it for any sort of impressive reason like that, I thought, feeling a bit bashful.
“Patience has also composed several wonderful pieces for the glee club’s performance during the Festival of Verdure,” Princess Margaret announced.
Though the princess had succeeded in passing Etiquette I, it seemed that she would still prefer to avoid questions related to academics. I proceeded to play several pieces for the queen, then I was given a ride home.
It was nice to get an extra night with my brothers. I was going to be in their room until dinner, so I could catch up on what had happened while I’d been away.
“I’m going to study hard so I can skip ahead as well, sister,” Nassius announced.
I wanted to let him know that he didn’t have to work so hard, but truthfully, senior division classes were much more interesting than junior division classes.
“Just don’t push yourself too much,” I cautioned him.
Nassius was probably going to do well in academic subjects. For practical ones, which PE teacher he ended up with would likely be the biggest factor in whether he could pass. If he ended up having Mr. Cuthbert, he was probably going to struggle. Even Russell had complained about his class.
It was the next day, and I had plans to visit the Burns Trading Company in the afternoon, so I wanted to go over the contract with Wyatt during the morning.
“There are no issues with this contract, my lady,” Wyatt said. “You will need the viscount’s signature here, and your signature here, then you should be set to deliver it.”
Wyatt then handed me two small notebooks.
“What are these?”
“This one is a pocket ledger for your bank account,” he explained. “I believe it would be best to have the Burns Trading Company deposit your earnings into this account. The second is a checkbook.”
I was surprised to have my own bank account. Sure, Aunt Lilianna had given me an envelope with what seemed like a check as payment for tutoring Samuel, but I’d never expected I’d have my own account and checks.
“I was hoping that the money could be used for the household,” I explained to Wyatt. My main reason for coming up with all these inventions using alchemy had been to help the angels.
“The vegetables from the garden, the harvests from the greenhouse, and your earnings from side jobs are enough for the household, my lady. Ideally, you would have never had to take side jobs in the first place... Please use this money for your future.”
I was an eleven-year-old with a checkbook, but I could only spend the amount of money in my account, which for now was the one-hundred-tiem minimum deposit that had been necessary to open the account. Even so, it was nice to have money I could spend freely!
I headed to my father’s study to have him sign the contract.
“Father, is it really all right for me to have my own account and checkbook?” I asked.
I was a child who couldn’t even sign contracts on my own. Was it really okay to let me have a checkbook?
“That’s for the profit you’ll be earning from inventions you came up with. Of course you should use it.”
Unlike Wyatt’s response, my father’s words were a bit more idealistic, but that was fine.
Once my father signed the contract, I signed my name below his. I was surprised to see that he had incredible penmanship. In my mind, academics were people with messy handwriting, but perhaps this was to be expected, since we were nobles.
Oh, I should teach Nassius and Henry calligraphy too!
I spent the rest of the morning with the angels, jumping rope and picking strawberries in the greenhouse. Since they’d both grown, I allowed them to each eat up to six strawberries. These strawberries were smaller than the ones from my previous life, so it didn’t feel excessive. I also picked some to bring as a gift for the Burns family.
Just as we’d planned, President Caesar arrived by carriage to pick me up. He greeted my father, then Mary and I boarded the carriage. This time, I wanted to do some shopping at the Burns Trading Company store, so Mary had gotten some money from Wyatt. Apparently, a noble lady wasn’t supposed to carry money around, and her attendant was to pay for her.
Now that I think about it, this is going to be my first time shopping in his world!
This time, Duchess Burns also joined us. She was an incredibly gorgeous woman. Is she really Caesar’s mom? I guess he mostly got his father’s genes. I don’t see any of the duchess’s elegance in Caesar.
“You must be Lady Patience, one of the new members of the alchemy club,” Duchess Burns said. “If Caesar ever causes you any trouble, you must let me know. I will give him a proper scolding.”
On the surface, she was just a beautiful mother, but it seemed that she was quite the plucky parent. It also seemed that Caesar was scared of his mother. He was like a kitten being seized by the scruff of his neck.
“It seems that my mother has taken a liking to you, Lady Patience,” Caesar remarked. “It’s rare for her to be fond of a young noble lady.”
The duchess then smiled at me. The people of this world sometimes have terrifying smiles.
“You’re one to talk, Caesar,” the duchess said. “You seem to like Lady Patience as well. Be careful, as you mustn’t push a young lady too hard. Your obsession with alchemy may blind you at times. Do not forget to be considerate of others just because you are feeling fine.”
She’s right. Sometimes the alchemy club keeps going even though it’s pitch-black outside. Bryce is the only one looking out for me.
“Thank you very much,” I replied simply.
In fairness, I should be warning them myself.
After that, Duke Burns signed the contract, and the objective of my visit was satisfied.
“I’ve been contacted by the Royal Academy; some teachers were asking if we could get some stock in of the needle threaders as soon as possible,” Duke Burns reported. “Now that the contract is signed, we can begin manufacturing them.”
Looks like my efforts to promote them worked!
“Did you do something, Patience?” President Caesar asked, keen as ever.
“I simply gifted the sewing and embroidery instructors with samples of the needle threaders,” I said. “Oh, I also gave some hot water bottles and needle threaders to Her Majesty, so there may be an order for more coming from the palace.”
There was a sparkle in Duke Burns’s eye. He likely sensed that this would be a great business opportunity. It seemed like he was ready to take off, but the duchess stopped him.
“Lady Patience, would you like some tea— Alois, what are you doing?”
The duke couldn’t go against his wife. He sat back down, and we all had tea together.
“Is that bicycle you mentioned before ready yet?” the duke asked.
I guess he hasn’t given up on the bike. Even President Caesar looks exasperated.
“Father, the bicycle still has many more improvements to go through before it’s ready for sale,” Caesar replied.
He’d probably meant that as a declination to share more, but it was a clumsy move. Just as I expected, the duke seemed intrigued.
“That must mean it’s almost complete. I’d love to take a look at it.”
See, I was right! Don’t come crying to me now, President Caesar. After all, I think it’s better if we can sell a bunch of these. I’m not just working on improvements to have fun.
I ignored President Caesar and took another sip of tea.
What a wonderful aroma.