Chapter 405 9th Birthday II
Sara's birthday party turned into a huge celebration with nearly 500 guests, mostly from the upper nobility. While it was within the expected range, it was still the maximum number of people.
Looking back, this party was different because over 90% of the invited guests said they would attend. Normally, nobles only respond about 70% of the time, or even as low as 40%. Just because they don't reply doesn't mean they won't come; they might show up unexpectedly, which can be difficult to manage
It's also hard to predict the number of guests because one invitation can cover several people, like partners or family members. This is especially true for underage children, as parents and relatives often join as well.
Also, the royal family was not sent an invitation. If they express their intention to attend, they can join any party. It would be disrespectful to turn away royal members. However, due to security reasons, they usually declare their intentions early, so it's not entirely flexible... or at least it shouldn't be, but sometimes princes and princesses show up unexpectedly, so they can't let their guard down.
"Liz, how much food and drink should we prepare?"
"This time, it's hard to estimate."
"Since the guests will have partners, should we just plan for about 300 people?"
The noble family's party usually involves a lot of preparation done well in advance. Of course, even with all the effort put in, sometimes the party can end up being quite empty. However, if they prepare thinking only a few people will come and then a large crowd shows up, it becomes a huge embarrassment for the hosting noble family due to a lack of drinks, food, and gifts.
"Hey Revi, get it together. Sure, the etiquette book says 'expect 3 to 5 times the number of invitations sent,' but that assumes the main guests are adults."
"You sent out about 50 invitations for kids, right?"
"There are 48 minors. Some families might come with their relatives."
"This is really tricky. It's not just about the food and drinks, but can we even secure enough gifts?"
"That's handled by the Sophia Merchant Guild, so I think it will be fine. On the day, we'll just give out small accessories with little gems and a catalog. It's a new approach, but it might become popular in the future."
For celebrations like birthdays and weddings, it's common for guests to bring gifts. In return, the hosts give out souvenirs, but often the quality of these gifts is lacking. It's really hard to prepare something that each guest will like when you don't even know who will be attending the party.
So, Sara decided to use the "catalog gift" method, which is common for wedding favors in her previous life. Guests can choose their favorite item from the catalog and send a letter to the Sophia Merchant Guild, and later, the desired item will be delivered from the guild.
This method is very beneficial for the Sophia Merchant Guild. They can gather information like the nobles' 'names,' 'addresses,' and 'who they brought as partners,' of course, but they can also understand each person's 'preferred products.' It's certain that they can create a very detailed 'customer list.'
"Hey, Liz. Is the Sophia Merchant Guild's products really a hot topic in high society?"
"I've been busy since the hunting tournament and haven't returned to the capital, so I can't say for sure, but from the letters I receive, I'd say it's a big trend."
"Is it really that big?"
"The Sophia Merchant Guild doesn't have a store in the capital, so the fact that people want them but can't get them is one reason it's a hot topic. Just receiving an invitation to this party makes people envious. Thinking about it, I think it's safer to expect about 7 times the number of invitees."
"Do you really think that many will come?"
"They will. Everyone wants to get their hands on the Sophia Merchant Guild's products."
"Nobles really can't resist new things."
By the way, the Grandchester family sent out a total of 70 invitations. Elizabeth's prediction was very accurate, but for her, the fact that it was the 'maximum scale she expected' was more of a problem. It was too close to the limit, and there was not enough room to spare.
Elizabeth and Rebecca were happy to see many replies to their invitation. They were glad they chose to rent the Duke Arbal's villa. Although they could have held the party at the Grandchester estate in the royal capital, it would have been hard to manage with over 200 guests. The Duke Arbal's villa, however, was a prestigious venue given by the royal family and could easily host 1,000 people.
However, for successful events, having skilled staff is more important than the venue. The Grandchester family had some capable servants, but they were limited to their royal capital estate. They thought about bringing more servants from Grandchester Castle, but Marquis Grandchester decided against it due to a fever outbreak. Instead, they asked Duke Arbal's servants for help.
Although the sudden arrangement caused some issues due to different household rules, the servants organized by Victoria were exceptional. They adapted well to the Grandchester family's methods and offered useful suggestions for managing the venue. Even though the venue belonged to the Duke Arbal family, the Duke's servants treated the Grandchester family's staff with respect and did not act superior.
As the lady of the Marquis Grandchester family, Elizabeth felt a deep sense of unease about the situation. With everything set up like this, she couldn't help but nod at Victoria's suggestion, "It's Ms. Sara's escort, but how about my Alfred?"
Elizabeth and Rebecca were aware of Victoria's plans. They learned from Sara and Chloe about the events at the royal banquet and knew the Duke Arbal family was targeting Sara. However, they found it hard to believe that a real 6-year-old could have romantic feelings for Sara.
Although Sara would soon be a Viscount's daughter, they doubted the Duke Arbal family could offer enough benefits for a political marriage to be attractive to her or the Sophia Merchant Guild. Sara had expressed her desire, "I want to avoid getting too close to specific noble families, as it might affect dealings with other families. There's nothing I can do about being close to the Grandchester family, though."
Victoria's plans would likely be thwarted by Sara. Thinking this way eased Elizabeth's mind. Watching Elizabeth, Rebecca thought, "She's not very ladylike, but she's noble and cunning. This sneaky side of her hasn't changed at all," but she kept silent to maintain smooth relationships.
* * *
Meanwhile, the star of the day, Sara, couldn't believe so many people would gather for her birthday party until she saw it for herself.
Even though she is the granddaughter of Marquis Grandchester, she is the daughter of the third son who once left the noble ranks. Arthur's elopement is a well-known story, so almost no noble is unaware that Sara grew up as a commoner.
It was hard to believe that nobles, who value their pride, would come to celebrate the birthday of a common girl just because the products of the Sophia Merchant Guild were attractive.
Certainly, if Sara were an ordinary girl, even if she had connections to the Sophia Merchant Guild, there would be fewer nobles who would want to be close enough to celebrate her birthday. However, Sara is beautiful, talented in music, and has several magic abilities. Her magical power is very high, even among nobles. This makes her a valuable daughter in the marriage market. However, some important people appreciate talking to her more than just her talents.
Noble children often mature quickly because of their environment. Many show off their knowledge and act like adults, but Sara behaved like a well-mannered child. However, the clever nobles saw through her act. They noticed that both the Crown Prince of Roisen and their own prince were interested in Sara. In a social world full of risks, paying attention to such details is crucial for survival.
The key figures in the social scene, or rather the political world, were more aware of Sara's uniqueness than the Marquis Grandchester family had anticipated. Naturally, they were also aware of the commotion with the academy professors and had confirmed that Sara's name was indeed included in the papers.
Understanding this situation, if one were to observe Sara from a distance, it would be easy to see that her attitude was intentional. After all, she had only been receiving education from the governess for a few months. Still, it was undeniable that, for a girl who hadn't even reached her teenage years, she was incredibly smart.
Looking back now, Rebecca's choice to let Sara show her abilities was smart. If Sara used her past knowledge to live well, it would be tough to keep it a secret, even with the protection of the Marquis Grandchester family and the Sophia Merchant Guild. People attracted by money would soon see that Sara was different. Since hiding it was not an option, Rebecca believed they should manage the information they shared openly.
In fact, whether Sara had a careless personality or not wasn't very important. Creating new flows of people, goods, and money meant having various impacts on those around her. As evidenced by the numerous spies that had appeared, clearly many were watching the Sophia Merchant Guild and the Marquis Grandchester family closely.
They couldn't help but notice that the Marquis Grandchester family had changed a lot since Arthur's daughter, Sara, arrived. And considering how similar Sophia and Sara looked, it was strange not to think about their connection to the Sophia Merchant Guild.
So before the party, news spread quickly among the nobles that Sara had met the king. It was unusual for anyone to be unaware of this. Most palace servants had ties to noble families, making it hard to keep such meetings secret.
As a result, the birthday party of a 9-year-old girl, who appeared to be neither noble nor commoner, turned into a tense event. Many powerful people from politics and business, or those linked to them, attended with their own agendas.
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