Chapter 311 Morning Preparations
On the 6th morning after waking up, Sara finally felt free to move. Just to be safe, after having breakfast in her room, she received a check-up from Amelia and Rihito, confirming that her health was fine. After that, Maria helped Sara get ready without showing any worried expressions.
"Milady Sara, your schedule today is a meeting with Marquis Grandchester, right?"
"Yes. My grandfather is heading to the royal capital in a few days, so I want to meet him before he leaves. He said he would make time for me in the morning. We also need to discuss how to handle things with the Academy. After that, I'll have lunch at the main residence. My grandfather invited me."
After finishing Sara's hair, Maria intricately braided the side hair into a half-up style while checking Sara's plans for the day.
"After lunch, you're going to the Sophia Merchant Guild, right?"
"I'm not really looking forward to it, but the Commerce Guild called for me. I can't send a golem to handle it, so I have to go myself."
"Will they blame you for the wheat hoarding issue?"
"I don't think they're foolish enough to complain about what the lord decided, but they might throw some snide remarks my way. They might have noticed what Pochi and the others did while I was out, but since Sedrick hasn't said anything, I guess that's not the case."
To check the completed hairstyle, Maria held up a hand mirror behind Sara.
"Even if I style it like this, it will get undone if Lady Sophia changes it, right?"
"I'm sorry. You went through all this trouble for me, Maria."
"No, I don't mind being undone. It's just that no matter how complicated I weave it, Milady Sara can magically recreate it the same way, so I feel a bit like my job is being taken away."
Sara checked her back in the hand mirror Maria was holding and nodded at her reflection in the dresser mirror.
"I don't intend to hurt the pride of a maid, but I need to have it styled like this at least once to understand how to do it myself, so I can't recreate it with magic."
"So, that means you still have the job of thinking up a new hairstyle, right?"
"That's right. After that, it's about coordinating the look. It will reflect my own tastes to some extent, but I feel more comfortable if I get suggestions that fit the style of a merchant guild leader or a young lady."
"If that's the case, then Sophia should have a personal beautician as well."
"Sophia is supposed to be staying at the Jeffrey residence, so it's quite difficult. We need to secure her own home soon. I plan to discuss that with my grandfather today."
"That's true. If we don't move out of the Jeffrey residence soon, rumors about marriage will start spreading."
"Those rumors have already been around for a while."
"Isn't it because Sir Jeffrey looks at Sophia with such warm eyes?"
Maria let out a sigh but continued to help Sara change clothes skillfully. After all, even in the Marquis's office at Grandchester Castle, you can't just come and go in casual clothes, even if you're family. She put on the petticoat, then layered the skirt on top, and finished up the bodice part.
"Because Sir Jeffrey is cool, right?"
"I think Sir Jeffrey is too old for milady. I think Sir Scott is better. They look quite similar, so I'm sure he will grow up to be a handsome man like Sir Jeffrey in the future, don't you think?"
'Huh? Does Maria maybe have a crush on Scott? By the way, these two are the same age. Maria looks more mature because she's working, though.'
"Still, with Sara's figure, I can get away with soft fabric underwear like this, but with Sophia, it's a pain to wear a tight corset. I can never get used to tightening my body, no matter how many times I do it."
"Then please develop beautiful underwear that doesn't need to be tight and sell it at the Sophia Merchant Guild, Milady."
"That's a difficult problem that would require a fashion revolution. Well, it's true that I want to do something about underwear a bit more."
Sara was tired of the pumpkin pants she was wearing. Although she was still a child and could be called cute, the design definitely brought her mood down. When it comes to Sophia, it's either a thong or boyshorts.
"But then, underwear isn't something you show off, so as long as it's clean, isn't anything fine?"
"It's a very important issue. Different underwear can change your mood. It can even affect your work efficiency."
"Ah, I see, that's how it is."
Maria wrapped a wide ribbon around Sara's waist and made a big bow at the back. To keep it from slipping, she pinned it in place with a few hidden pins. Actually, these pins were 'safety pins' that Sara had Teresa make for her. She also had Teresa use her connections to create other small parts like hook-and-eye fasteners, which she handed over to the designer Lucas.
'I want to make a zipper too, but I wonder if the blacksmiths in this world can create that structure? Well, the biggest problem is that I can't draw a blueprint for it.'
Sara vaguely remembered the structure of a metal zipper and had tried to sketch it out. However, her lack of drawing skills was a disaster, and when Teresa saw the drawing, she even asked if it was a drawing of an animal's spine.
"By the way, isn't the golem Sophia working today?"
"I have so much work piled up, so I plan to have the golem Sophia handle the office in the morning. I'll switch with her at the Sophia Merchant Guild's office."
"Are you heading directly to the Sophia Merchant Guild from the main residence, Milady?"
"I'll come back once. I want to go with Durandal. I haven't ridden him since I fell. I hope I didn't forget him there."
"I think it should be fine. Sir Blaze talked to him and was running with his beloved horse, Alva."
"Durandal must have been happy about that."
"I heard him was chasing after Alva's rear."
"I thought so. That horse loves girls."
"But I heard he was in a bad mood because he was interrupted by Sir Scott's horse, Dimna."
"Ahaha. I can totally picture it. Durandal has lost to Dimna in a race before, so there's a lot of rivalry there."
"It's funny how they act like humans."
"Of course! Horses are alive too, and they have their own personalities."
Sara turned around to smile at Maria.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I'm all set."
"This is my job. But before we go to the Sophia Merchant Guild, you need to change back, right, Milady?"
"Yeah. I can't ride a horse in this dress."
"Should I get you some horseback riding clothes?"
"What should I do? I want to run a bit, so a side saddle wouldn't be good..."
"By the way, Lucas saw the knight-style outfit for Sophia and is making a knight-style horseback riding outfit for you too, Milady. Do you want to use that?"
"That's a unique choice. But it sounds fun, so maybe I'll wear that today."
"Understood. I'll prepare the outfit and wait for you to come back."
Then, Sara headed to the Marquis Grandchester in a carriage. Today, a different maid was driving, but Maria had also started training in horseback riding and driving carriages, so it might not be long before Maria becomes the coachman too.
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