Chapter 229 The Price Of The Spieluhr Music Box Is Varying
Elizabeth was feeling very good.
On the first day of the hunting tournament, while the men were out hunting, it was common for many women to deepen their friendships at tea parties. Recently, more women like Rebecca have started to enjoy hunting themselves, but Elizabeth didn't find outdoor activities that fun.
After lunch, Elizabeth's tea party was held in a relaxed manner, with many women from prominent noble families attending. She felt a bit anxious when she received a last-minute message that Lady Duke Arbal would not be attending due to feeling unwell from drinking too much the night before, but since she planned to show up at the salon later, Elizabeth decided not to worry too much about it.
Using herbal tea that was good for the skin, she captured the hearts of the women, and when she handed out small pouches containing the same blend of tea leaves and hand cream to keep their hands moisturized, everyone's cheeks flushed with happiness.
Then, a maid entered with a cart full of small music boxes. This was a gift that Edward had bought, increasing his debt to Sara. He had begged Sara a lot to get a good deal, but she wouldn't give it away for free. Since it was half the original selling price, Elizabeth decided not to push for more. Considering that the herbal tea and cosmetic samples were provided for free, she understood that asking for more would indeed be unreasonable.
"Please take a Spieluhr music box if you would like one."
Everyone expected that they would take them home. Since the songs included are slightly different, they seem busy opening and closing them, but it looks like the popular ones are "Puppy Waltz" and "Traumerei." Since it's a small magic stone, the recording time isn't very long.
They plan to pay the Sophia Merchant Guild for what they take home, so it would be better for the Grandchester Young Marquis couple if some were left over, but seeing the noblewomen express their gratitude makes those thoughts disappear.
"Everyone, we will open the salon after the tea party. I believe the gentlemen who have finished hunting will also join us. Of course, there will be food prepared, so please feel free to join us."
They had already announced the salon, but when she spoke again, most of the participants followed Elizabeth to the salon venue in a line.
If Sara saw this scene, she would probably want to say, "It's like Professor XX's grand tour." Elizabeth's nostrils are slightly flared. Even the Lady of the Duke is walking a bit behind Elizabeth.
For the high-ranking women, it's just that they are letting Elizabeth guide them to the venue, but from the outside, it looks like they belong to Elizabeth's faction.
When they arrive at the salon, Sophia respectfully welcomes the noblewomen and has prepared expensive gifts. The noblewomen here recognize that the Grandchester family supports the Sophia Merchant Guild, and they will likely take this gift as a favor from the Grandchester family.
'Well, it's actually Sara's merchant guild, but since she's the daughter of Grandchester, it's not too far off.'
Chloe, dressed in a cute dress, approached Elizabeth.
"Oh, is Ms. Chloe also attending the salon?"
"My daughter is going to help introduce the new products from the Sophia Merchant Guild. My son Christopher will join us later."
Elizabeth smiled brightly. She sat cutely next to her and proudly showed off the body cream she received from Sophia to a nearby woman.
'I'm sure this product will sell like hotcakes. I wonder how much money Sara plans to make. It would be nice if we got some kind of return.'
It seems that just getting the souvenir products for free and haggling the Spieluhr down to half price wasn't enough. However, Elizabeth still hadn't realized that she had fallen for Sara's scheme.
After all, 'Elizabeth, being a noblewoman, had checked the prices of the products and haggled over the Spieluhr'. Also, since her husband's debts were increasing, she had asked Edward if they could repay them, and despite her dislike for it, she was checking the documents with numbers herself. At this point, she was even starting to worry about whether they would make a profit.
Astonishing change it is. There is quite a bit of regular income. If She starts paying attention to her expenses, her financial situation will improve quickly. Her daughter Chloe has also started learning the basics of accounting, and perhaps the Young Marquis's debt will be paid off sooner than expected.
* * *
The outside of the venue became lively, as people who finished the first day's hunt stepped into the salon. Of course, it was Edward who was guiding them. Nearby, he could see Robert and Rebecca as well.
"First, let's quench our thirst. We have cider ready. There's also wine and juice, so feel free to drink whatever you like."
"Hey, Ed, don't you have Elma brandy?"
A nobleman nearby spoke to Edward. They seemed to be close friends.
"Well, we had quite a bit of it yesterday... Oh, look, Sophia is here."
"Yes. Your Excellency the Young Marquis Grandchester. Did you call for me?"
"Do you have any Elma brandy in stock?"
"Yes. I brought some for this salon. There isn't a lot, though."
"Hey! It seems like we have some! Let's have them bring it to the playroom later!"
The men cheered loudly.
'Wait, was it really that good?'
"By the way, for those who aren't good with strong alcohol, you can mix Elma brandy with Elma juice. It's said to be a forbidden method, but mixing it with cider makes it easier to drink."
Then the man who had spoken to Edward earlier raised his voice.
"No, no! To mix such fine liquor is an insult to the drink!"
"I'm honored that you enjoy Elma brandy so much."
Sophia smiled.
As drinks were served to the participants, chatter began all around after Edward's signal for a toast. Following Elizabeth's instructions, the servants gently opened the lid of the largest music box from the Sophia Merchant Guild.
This music box was actually a special, one-of-a-kind item that was not for sale. It had not even been offered to Crown Prince Gerhart. When recording the music, they cleared the area and Sophia played the piano in her own form. It was difficult to play with Sara's hands because they were too small. All the pieces being recorded were Beethoven's piano sonatas. In addition to the 3 major sonatas, "Moonlight," "Pathétique," and "Appassionata," it also included "Tempest," which she loved during her Sarasa days. Since the third movement was her favorite, they even created a smaller music box that only played that part.
Sara thought it would be nice for background music in salons or stores, but the magic stone they used was too large, making the selling price unrealistic. By the way, there is another version of the music box that is not for sale, featuring Chopin. This one includes plenty of pieces like "Fantaisie-Impromptu," "Revolutionary Etude," and "Heroic Polonaise."
As the sound of the piano filled the room, music-loving nobles gathered near the music box.
"Is this music box for sale too?"
"This one is not for sale. It's usually kept at our main store as a promotional item, but we brought it here today."
"Is there any chance you could sell it to me specially?"
"I'm going to have to make it from scratch, but since we're using a pretty big magic stone, making something similar will cost quite a bit."
"Wow!"
The woman gasped and peered cautiously into the music box.
"It's true! What a huge magic stone it is!"
It seemed that the man, who was likely her husband, was also nearby, and he leaned in to look into the music box after his wife.
"This is something we could never afford at home."
"We also have smaller, more affordable music boxes. If you need, I can show you a sample in another room."
Sophia said, calling over an employee in charge of the music boxes and instructing them to show a sample and hand over a catalog in a separate room.
Nobles who loved music, watching this exchange nearby, also started to head to the other room to see the music box samples. As expected, there were noblewomen gathered around the cosmetics display, receiving product explanations from the employees of the Sophia Merchant Guild.
Nearby, the men sat on a sofa, looking bored, and one of them picked up a herbal tea catalog. As he flipped through it, he noticed the 'Men's Page' and, after studying it closely, called over a nearby employee from the Sophia Merchant Guild to start tasting the herbal tea.
"Those guys are definitely going to buy something."
Sophia smirked.
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