Chapter 190 The Black-bellied Young Lady
"Hey Chris! Don't lump me together with Adam, okay? I'm not like those idiots!"
Chloe burst out in anger.
"Chloe isn't an idiot, but didn't Sara say something ridiculous about you?"
"I'm just copying Mother's style, that's all!"
"Chloe, I understand how you feel, but you can't say that. Aunt's face is terrifying, you know?"
Elizabeth glared at Chloe with a demonic expression. She never thought she'd be betrayed by her own flesh and blood, her daughter.
"Eeek!"
Chloe cowered at her mother's glare.
"Aunt, please don't get angry. Your face will get wrinkles if you keep making that expression!"
Elizabeth, taken aback, put on a ladylike mask again and coughed artificially.
"Ahem. Ms. Sara, I have many things I want to say to you, but can you please stop calling Adam an idiot?"
"Ah, I just asked if he was an idiot. It was Chris who decided to call him an idiot."
Elizabeth glared at her second son with a demonic expression.
'This mask is more fragile than glass...'
"You guys, are you making fun of me?!?"
"Adam... no, I'm saying this for your own good, but we're not making fun of you. We genuinely think you're an idiot. And a pervert too."
It was the moment when Chloe handed Adam a blow. Probably, the damage was greater than when Sara pointed it out.
"Ughhhhhh!"
Adam ran out of the conservatory, crying.
"Oh dear, he's crying!"
"I'm telling you, Chris. It's fine to just leave him be. I'm only speaking the truth. Lately, Adam's reputation has been pretty bad even among the young ladies."
"Ewww, because he's gross?"
"No, it's because he's an idiot. He can't even hide the fact that he failed the Academy's entrance exam twice. Because of Adam, I was humiliated at the tea party too."
Chloe was being extremely harsh, but Christopher just shrugged it off.
"Anyway, Sara, I'm going to study. I feel like I don't understand what you're doing because I don't have enough knowledge. Whatever's interesting about me right now is probably just a small part of it, right?"
"I made a toy for the first time yesterday. I don't know what you think is interesting, Chris."
"I want to find something interesting about myself too. I want to play with Sara!"
Just then, Chloe butted in.
"Hey Chris, Sara's a girl, so she should play with me!"
"Uh... I don't have that much time to play, though..."
But Chloe wasn't listening at Sara's words.
"Where did you get that dress from? I've never seen that design in the capital, Sara."
"I bought it from the Sophia Merchant Guild."
"I heard from the Lady-in-Waiting and the maids that the Sophia Merchant Guild doesn't have a fashion department, right?"
"That's right. The boy who designed this dress is the same one who designed the small items for the hunting tournament's souvenir bags, and the women who sewed it are also the same ones who sew small items as a side job."
"So it wasn't made by a professional dressmaker?"
"Yeah. That's why I want the kid who designed this dress to seriously study design."
Then, Chloe leaned in towards Sara and started lecturing her.
"They can learn basic techniques, but don't let them an apprentice at some workshop!"
"Why not?"
"As far as I've heard, they're from a poor commoner family, right? Your ideas will get stolen and used for their benefit, and that's it!"
"That's true, they're not from a wealthy family."
"There are many designers who take advantage of their apprentices, exploiting their ideas for their own gain. Poor kids from humble backgrounds will easily sell out their designs for a quick buck. And in worst-case scenarios, they'll even hinder their apprentices' independence."
"That's terrible."
"I know many people who've fallen victim to that. They must have wanted to gain sympathy from the nobles and become their patrons, but..."
'Hey, Chloe is surprisingly kind-hearted?'
Just as Sara was about to feel a little impressed with Chloe, she immediately ruined the moment.
"The Sophia Merchant Guild is connected to Sara, right? Then, why don't you become their in-house designer, and Sara can be their patron? That way, you can make my dress too. I can buy a ton of cute dresses cheaper than the royal capital's dressmakers!"
Sara was slightly taken aback. It seemed Chloe hadn't taken a single lesson on management, yet she had a natural sense of balance when it came to the flow of money, as if she could feel it in her bones.
"Are you saying Sophia Merchant Guild can sell it cheaply to you?"
"It's only natural for cousins like us to give each other a discount, right? Instead, I'll tell those ladies about the dress I bought from Sophia Merchant Guild, and I'll teach that young designer about the latest trends in the capital city."
"...That's not a bad idea, is it?"
"But considering our conversation yesterday, it seems like I won't be able to buy dresses and accessories freely like I used to."
'I think Chloe is not stupid. She's even capable of proposing a business model, and it's not bad that the condition is something she can do on her own, without relying on her parents' power.'
"But isn't it bad for a noble lady to talk about money?"
"I'm scared because if I keep relying on Father, I might suddenly not be able to buy anything anymore. And I don't think Sara will always be there to help me."
"Haha, yeah, I think I will only help you this one time. But I can't keep helping a foolish person who doesn't learn."
"If we go bankrupt, Grandfather might even disown Father, right?"
Edward, who was being scolded by his daughter and niece, slumped his shoulders in disappointment. Even Marquis and Robert felt sorry for Edward.
"That's...how is it?"
"Think about it. If someone can't even manage their own household, can they manage a territory? If I were Grandfather, I'd definitely disown them."
"Shouldn't you trust uncle, Chloe?"
Chloe gazed at Sara like a troubled child.
"You know, Sara, you don't understand the social scene in the capital city at all."
"What do you mean?"
"If you exclude the royal family and those with royal blood, like the Duke family, the Marquis Grandchester family is a high-ranking noble family. In the past, they've produced many queens. So, my father and mother are prominent figures in high society, getting attention from many nobles."
"That's right, isn't it?"
"When my mother or I buy dresses or accessories, it quickly becomes known in high society. In other words, if we restrain ourselves from buying things, that also becomes known quickly. If you understand that, you can't just suddenly tell us to restrain ourselves from buying things."
"That means you're saying people will doubt the Grandchester family's financial situation, right?"
Chloe nodded.
"That's right. Just before I came here, my father suddenly told me to 'restrain myself from buying things.' When I asked for a reason, he explained that the budget allocation had been reduced. But until then, I didn't even know that my father's money was allocated from the Grandchester family. I thought I was rich because no matter how much I spent, I wouldn't get scolded."
"You're definitely rich. You have a huge mansion in the capital city."
"But that's actually my grandfather's money, not my father's. And the reduction in budget allocation isn't a recent issue, is it? If they had clearly told me how much I could spend from the start, I could have maintained our family's reputation in high society while also using the budget wisely."
"Chloe, you're not stupid."
"That's what I'm saying. Don't lump me together with Adam."
'Maybe Chloe has more flexibility and is smarter than aunt?'
"So, I got really angry and said, 'If Father became Marquis sooner, we could use more of the budget!'."
"C-Chloe! You absolutely can't say that! As the Young Marquis, Edward is the successor, but at the same time, he's also a subject of the Marquis. That statement is treasonous!"
"Yeah. Later, the governess and Lady-in-Waiting scolded me until they turned blue. I guess that's right. If I got punished, they might get dragged in too. I think I said something really stupid."
'What's going on? Why did she reveal something that's clearly not in her favor?'
Chloe quickly stood up and approached the Marquis, bowing her head deeply.
"Your Excellency Marquis Grandchester. I made a statement that insulted Your Excellency. I will accept any punishment."
"Raise your head, Chloe. It's just childish babbling. I won't take it to heart. Just don't repeat it, that's all."
"I deeply appreciate your kind heart."
Then, the Marquis chuckled, shaking his shoulders.
"Chloe, you're quite clever, just like your mother. Did you think you could swindle me out of my fashion budget by doing this?"
"Did you see right through me?"
Chloe laughed with the expression of a mischievous child who got caught.
"But you're better at handling things than your mother. You know what can't be helped, right?"
"If I threw a tantrum at Father, he wouldn't have any money to spare, so I'd have to rely on someone who has it."
"Then, it would be better to suck up to Sara instead of me."
"Of course, it's already decided, isn't it!"
Chloe turned to Sara with a subtle, gentle smile.
"There's no choice, is there? We can't suddenly make an haute couture, so let's make cute dresses mainly for kids and girls. I can use them for tea parties and such, right? Let's make Chloe the image model, and girls will gather at the tea party and wear them proudly. As an advertisement fee, I'll prepare the dresses for free."
"Yay!"
"That means you'll have to come to Grandchester territory every time we make a dress, right? I'll just give you the size and have it made, but Chloe's different, right? For formal dresses, even temporary stitching is necessary."
"It's okay. I'll come with my grandfather."
"Will you be okay riding a horse with grandfather, though?"
"I think I'll be fine. I'm better at horseback riding than Adam or Chris."
Then, Marquis opened his mouth.
"If Chloe's coming along, would a carriage be okay?"
"I'm tired of long carriage rides because of Adam."
"I see."
Marquis looked down, suppressing a chuckle.
"I need to find someone to teach the kid the basics of design."
"What are you saying? You can just ask the costume department at Grandchester Castle."
"Huh?"
"So, Sara doesn't think like a noble, huh?"
Chloe's face lit up slightly with a happy expression.
"You know, in normal high-ranking noble families, there's a costume department. Of course, Grandchester Castle has one too. Usually, they do alteration work, but they also make undergarments and nightwear."
"Wow, I didn't know that."
"It's not just that, you know. Noblewomen can't wear the same dress multiple times, so they have to remake their existing dresses into new ones. There are tailors who can create their master's clothes from gifted fabrics. That's why many tailors from noble families have experience working as dressmakers. Of course, there are also those who leave their noble family's tailoring duties to become independent dressmakers."
"In other words, you're saying Chloe should learn from the Grandchester castle's tailor, right?"
"It's quick and easy, and she won't get caught up in some weird workshop and end up in trouble, right?"
"That's true. Thanks for the advice."
"No problem. Good luck with the dress."
It seems that Tsundere Chloe is transforming into a strong-willed noble lady.
'I'll teach Chloe the basics of accounting, and it'll be useful later on.'
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