My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 116
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 116
I'm dumbfounded.
She came to me out of the blue to repay me for my favour?
Leaving me in the dust, Aronia holds out a sack to me.
What is this? I peer through the loosened opening and see a pile of glittering gold and other jewellery.
"...?"
My eyes widen in disbelief. I can't understand the meaning of these treasures in front of me. Why would she suddenly offer them to me?
Stunned, I rub my eyes with one hand. I open them again and look at the sack in front of me. At first glance, they seem to be worth a fortune. Where could a mere countess get such expensive things?
"Lady Aronia, are you sure...?" Are you sure you weren't on your way back from a robbery?
Sensing my suspicion, Aronia quickly waves her hands in the air. "Oh, no, this is my rightful property!"
"Then...."
Then…. Has she come to sell these jewels to me?
"Lady Aronia… are you starting a pyramid scheme?"
"No!" She waves her hands in the air in a flurry. "I've actually just started a new boutique business and I'm making a lot of money!"
And so she begins to explain.
Once, a long time ago, I went to a tea party that Aronia hosted. That's when our relationship was at its worst, and she made the first move on me.
She was so rude to me in front of all the other young ladies, that I couldn't control my nasty temper and overturned the table.
I think I destroyed quite a few of Aronia's things then…. So I wrote her a check for the damage.
"You used the money I gave you to fund your business."
Aronia nods in confirmation and continues her story.
She took her inspiration from the velvet dress I wore to the imperial ball. While colourful dresses were in trend at the time, I wore a simple design with little embellishment.
It was an unusual dress that caught the eye of many. Not only that, I was the only lady at the ball to dance with the Crown Prince.
So it was only natural that all eyes were on my velvet gown.
Aronia saw it and realised that velvet would soon be in trend within the empire.
She caught on pretty well.
Ever the perceptive one.
Aronia was right.
After that ball, the buzz about velvet dresses spread like pollen in the spring. Everyone was interested in the unfamiliar and exotic fabric of velvet. This was true not only in the capital but also in the provincial estates.
Aronia pooled all her funds and made a deal with a merchant from the Hebnia Kingdom for an exclusive supply of velvet.
With the velvet fabric in hand, Aronia set up a new boutique, gathering together some of the most skilled dressmakers in the capital, including Madame Beatrice, the most skilled dressmaker in the city.
She gave them velvet fabric and asked them to design simple garments.
In the end, Aronia's idea was revolutionary. It was a complete reversal of a fashion trend that was about to become overwhelmingly flashy and bustling.
And with the fame of velvet having been noticed by the Crown Prince, Aronia's boutiques were abundant with customers.
Aronia was not a cushion of money, but a blanket of money.
"Of course, I didn't get ripped off this time," she says. "I checked the contracts carefully when I dealt with the merchants of the Hebnia Kingdom, and I only paid twenty-five per cent down when I drew up the contract, then another twenty-five per cent when I saw that the fabric had been shipped, and the rest when the goods were in my hands."
"That's great." I remember how Aronia had started a business a long time ago without a clue and got scammed out of her money.
Yeah, she's smart, so she must have learned from her last failure and done things right this time.
Failure is the mother of success, or so the saying goes.
Yes, Aronia, failure is how you learn.
To be honest, Aronia and I weren't that close.
But now that she's here, I don't mind hearing her tell me that she's back in business and starting to thrive.
Because that's an indicator that the Empire's economy is doing well!
Velvet was an expensive luxury item, and if it was selling so well, it must mean that the nobility were still resourceful and money was flowing.
"So, what did you bring these jewels for?" I ask, having listened intently to her tale of niche market success.
"To return your investment, of course."
"Investment?"
"Yes, that's right." Smiling genuinely, Aronia nods. "If you hadn't thrown me a check back then, I'd still be living as an insignificant countess, so thank you for giving me a second chance."
"...." I was immediately speechless.
Uh… I didn't exactly give her a chance. It's just that I was a little overzealous at the time, and I got back at her…. I was just doing what my conscience told me to do.
I sit still for a moment, unable to respond and stare at the sack before me.
The brilliant jewels glittered, reflecting the light from the chandelier above the parlour ceiling. I feel a strange sensation as I gaze at the pile of gems, each one sparkling with colour until my eyes ache.
"I can't take this," I say.
"But you must." Aronia cut me off.
At the same time, I can hear her inner thoughts.
‘I deliberately brought jewellery, not cash, because I knew you wouldn't accept it, and if you refuse again, I'll say it's too heavy to carry back!’
I can't not accept it.
"Thank you, I'll take it."
A bright smile spread across her face.
"By the way," Aronia continues. "Princess, do you happen to need a new velvet dress? The weather has gotten quite chilly, and I think you'll enjoy wearing it when you go out!"
"I don't need...."
"Oh, come on, speaking of which, I'll send someone to make you one and give it to you!"
Aronia smiles and begins to brag to me about the skill of the dressmakers she hired.
Her offer of a free velvet gown was really just a gesture.
‘Hoho, when the Princess goes out in a velvet dress, people's attention will be drawn back to velvet!’
Aha, so that's the goal. I finally understand why Aronia has visited with all this jewellery. She wants me to wear the velvet dress again, as I'm the most likely fiancée of the Crown Prince.
That way, the velvet dress will once again be the talk of the town, and Aronia will once again be able to rake in the money.
"You want to use me as an advertisement." Hearing Aronia's inner thoughts, I throw it straight at her.
Aronia stiffens, as if she's been stung. She laughs awkwardly. "Oh, it's not for advertising. I've always meant well…."
‘How did you know? I was just trying to get people interested in velvet fabrics again now that winter is here!’
How did I know? Because I can hear your inner thoughts.
"I'll wear the velvet dress from the Lady."
"...Really?"
"Instead." I cut Aronia off just as she's about to hang a satisfied smile like a banner over her lips. "I'll keep ten per cent of the Lady's boutique sales for a month after I wear the velvet dress."
You and I have a business relationship, don't we, Aronia?
I smirk, uncharacteristically like myself for the first time in a long while as I toss her the offer.
"...!" Aronia covers her mouth with one hand, unable to hide her embarrassment. She doesn't seem to want me to see the desperation on her face, but I can see it all the same.
"Please, please lower the rate to five per cent." After a long pause, Aronia hesitates and tries to negotiate.
"Five per cent?"
Isn't that too much of a slap in the face?
"Oh, no, actually, five per cent is a lot, Princess! My boutique is very labour-intensive to process the velvet fabric. Add to that the upkeep of the boutique, transportation costs, and customs duties, and it's a business that takes a lot of money!"
"Five per cent is the best you can do?" I ask, cutting through her long-winded defence.
"Of course!"
‘Actually, eight per cent is a close second!’
"Then we'll settle for seven per cent."
Having read Aronia's mind and gotten the information I want, I ring the bell on the table. I realise that Aronia will be too whiny to go to eight per cent, so I cut it by one per cent.
"Princess!"
"Think it over, my dear Lady Aronia," I say as I ask the maid who entered the parlour to bring me paper and a quill pen. "Velvet is a fabric that doesn't look good in spring and summer, and if you don't want to leave any bad stock, now's your chance, if you know what I mean."
In the end, Aronia cried and signed the contract before she went home.
