126 sericulture business
***[Heroine Oscar]***
If the banquet of the hunting season has a strong social aspect, the spring visit can be seen as an extension of work.
Upon arriving at the permanent residence, I parted ways with Catherine and headed for the office.
Catherine is with the Lord Lady.
Perhaps she will be guided here and meet the wives or daughters of the lord’s relatives.
Staying here for only one day, leaving tomorrow morning.
She and I had to save time.
When I arrived at the office, I was greeted by familiar officials.
After saying a word to each of them, who bowed their heads respectfully, they sat down.
Alcohol, snacks, and drinks were lined up on the table in the office.
It’s about to start a full-scale drinking session.
I feel it every year, but the lords of the dukedom are really good at drinking.
It was amazing to see that he didn’t get drunk easily even after pouring so much into it that he didn’t know where it was going.
The lord, who knows that I don’t drink, suggested a drink made from fruit juice.
The season has just changed from winter to spring.
Since it is not a world with plastic greenhouses, fruits are usually preserved in sugar after being picked in the fall.
Since sugar itself is an expensive commodity, fruit eaten when it is not in season is a very valuable food.
However, the fruit juice on the table was not one, but several.
Some of them may have been picked up and pickled from other places especially for me.
‘Every time I come like this…’
With a grateful heart, I took a glass and drank it without leaving a drop.
instead of the alcohol these people drink.
Drinking a fruit drink from a large glass at once is a bit painful, but one shot was the standard for the people in this family.
Responding to sincerity is probably no more than a one-shot.
It’s a bit painful, of course.
Seeing me drink a glass, the lord and his sons poured alcohol into their mouths.
I didn’t even seem to have moved my neck, but the large glass full of alcohol was gone in an instant.
Did it have a big mouth, or did it eat it up so fast I couldn’t even see it?
“That’s great.”
As I admired it, the lord smiled wahahahahaha.
“Ever since I was young, this has been my strength. I can drink one drink faster than anyone else. No matter how old I am, I do not lose to young people.”
Isn’t it a bit strange for a talent to be proud of?
After chatting for a while to soften the atmosphere, I got to the point.
“I read the report that nothing special happened, but how is it? Are there any special difficulties?”
At my words, the lord smiled.
“Are you worried about the rapid increase in the number of demons?”
I nodded.
“It’s a caterpillar that has a natural enemy, so I just want to be sure.”
“Well, there have been some bad things. There have been a few times when spiders and bees that eat silkworms have crawled in. Several of them have died.”
Seeing the concern on my face, the lord added:
“However, the damage is not great. The cracks were immediately found and repaired, and since then, we have been monitoring them very diligently to keep our eyes open.”
Looking at the lord’s face, he seems really good.
I was a little relieved.
“But it’s really great. When the Duke first said he would use them to make cloth, he really…”
The lord stopped talking and smiled.
You probably thought you were crazy.
He said he would grow demon larvae and spin them to make cloth.
I smiled.
“At that time, you were the first person who followed my words. I am truly grateful for what happened at that time.”
The lord shook it so hard that his head fell off.
“No, I have to thank you. The West has been a poor area for generations because there is not much land to cultivate. You made it possible for me to live on it. Even if I bow down, it’s not enough.”
“…”
Because there are many forests in the west, of course there are many monsters and trees.
Several types of small monsters resembling moths lived in it.
Moth demons are hard to find in other regions.
It seems that the western climate and forest environment suited them better than other places.
The moth demon didn’t directly harm people, but it was not very welcome because it ruined the fields.
When it becomes a moth, it sucks the blood of small animals such as mice, but when it is a caterpillar, it eats plants as its staple food, so it is said that there are many cases in which it enters corn or wheat fields.
Until I discovered silkworms, they were just a nuisance.
The lord’s eldest son turned his large head toward me and asked.
“But how did you really know? Their cocoons could become thread.”
“…”
I shrugged my shoulders a little.
Not a big deal.
When I was on Earth, there was a TV broadcast of children dyeing cocoons with beautiful colors for a while.
I just saw it and remembered it.
The cocoon I found here was just a little bigger, but it looked exactly the same.
In addition, for easy recognition, there were many shiny threads protruding from the elongated, round cocoons.
The thread itself was so thin that you couldn’t even see it, but the few strands protruding from the cocoon were immediately noticeable because they glistened in the sunlight.
Looking at things like that, even though they look similar, they are, after all, completely different from Earth’s cocoons.
Even the threads and fabrics made look similar to Earth’s silk, but in reality, the magic beast’s was tougher and had a superior luster.
Besides, it seems to have some magical powers.
I still don’t know where it can be used, but some of the researchers under Mr. Sven are in charge of developing it.
I thought Sven would be interested, but he didn’t show interest, perhaps because he thought it was too plain.
It’s still being researched, but since it has magical powers, it might be possible to make something like warm winter clothes or air-conditioned clothes.
An aide brought a large box.
It contains several bundles of thread from silkworm cocoons.
Some were dyed, some were as they were, shining silver.
The dyed thread is pretty, but the untouched thread is also pretty because the light is twinkling.
I think it would be really beautiful to make a wedding dress with this thread.
I asked, examining the bundle of silk thread.
“I’d like to make it into a costume for the New Year’s banquet in the royal capital next year. Is that possible?”
The lord’s eyes sank slightly gloomily.
“I’m still a bit uneasy about dyeing. I think it’s okay, but the housekeeper and the person in charge of dyeing said that the color was a bit muddy and less applied.”
One of the lord’s sons murmured softly.
“Women are really picky. Even when I look at them, they seem to sell well enough.”
That’s how I see it too.
It seems to be beautiful enough, but where is it that it is muddy and less colored?
I carefully examined the ball of thread before opening my mouth.
“Now that I have an advertisement tower called the duchess, I want to make it into clothes before it becomes less topical.”
“If your wife wears a dress made of this yarn, it will really attract attention.”
I also nodded at the lord’s words.
“The original thread color is almost the same as my hair color, so if you are worried about dyeing it, please make a fabric as it is. It will be fine with that.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Suddenly, the lord looked at the ball of thread and at my hair and narrowed his eyes.
“Come to think of it, they’re really the same color. It kind of makes me feel weird.”
I’m a little weird too.
Everyone says these threads are pretty, but they’re actually vomited up by worms.
Thinking about it, I honestly couldn’t be happier.
After talking about yarn and fabric for a while, we headed out of the mansion.
Outside, horses were already ready.
A short ride on horseback from here will bring you to a place where silkworms are raised.
Every time I came here, I was visiting there.
“Everyone will be very strong when they see the Duke.”
The sons interrupted the lord’s words.
“This year, the number of new hires has increased, so it’s already going wild. The Duke said he’d come in person, so the newcomers are all excited and it’s almost impossible to work.”
“Especially women are upset.”
“If you happen to catch your eye, you’ll think it’s blooming.”
“There have been several cases where even wealthy families have sent their daughters for that purpose. They know that it is our family’s order to inspect this spring.”
hahahaha. Do you still have a family like that?
Saying that, I got on the horse, and the lord laughed loudly along.
“Duke, to be honest, so am I. If your daughter wants to go, I’m determined not to block the way. If my daughter admires the duke, even if she wants to become his concubine, I’ve decided to support her.”
I have no intention of using my daughter to benefit this person.
I know because we’ve been dating for a long time.
Perhaps she is purely thinking of cheering and pushing her daughter’s love.
But to say such a thing about a 10-year-old child made me sigh.
“It’s embarrassing. Katrin cries when I do that.”
“Certainly, that’s a bit embarrassing. But I also feel weak when I see my daughter. Anyway, my child will be entering as an apprentice maid in a few years, so please take good care of me.”
A few years later, if she was an apprentice maid, there was a high probability that she would be under Catherine, not her mother.
If she made a mistake, the villainous lady might appear again.
Recalling the image of Katrin raising her eyebrows, I let out a small sigh.
‘I’ll have to be careful.’
*
The sericulture facility I had visited after a long time had been reinforced more sturdily, perhaps to prevent the invasion of demons.
The wooden sericulture facility is lined with iron or thick wood.
Upon entering the building, the work spaces lined up like a checkerboard caught my eye.
Each space was filled with leaves and caterpillars.
They are silkworms before making a cocoon.
Most of the people who work are men, but there are also a lot of women.
Since it’s against living creatures, there’s a lot of delicate work, and it’s said that the women also have a lot of work to do.
Among the women staring at me was a woman wearing clothes and makeup that were not suitable for this kind of work.
Perhaps they were the people who came to work for the duke’s lover or concubine.
The lord and his sons didn’t talk, but it must have been a bit of a bribe.
In this world, bribes, if not taken too far, are part of everyday transactions.
It was so common that even such crude people would have no hesitation.
‘It’s not bad if I can build a family by making my income more abundant with something like this.’
As I got used to this world, I came to think that way too.
It’s a story that couldn’t happen on Earth, but well, if you go to Rome, you have to follow the laws of Rome.
“We are also building new sericulture buildings elsewhere. Silkworm weaving is a bit tricky, so we searched for skilled people and hired them, and the fabric came out much better than expected. The New Year’s banquet is worth looking forward to, of course, but I think.”
“I have high expectations too.”
After taking a look around the working environment, move on to another building.
After touring the workshop full of cocoons and the space where the cocoons were boiled in water and made into thread, encouraging the workers and returning to the mansion, it was already time for dinner.
***[Catherine, Duchess]***
While spending time with the lord’s wife and meeting the mountain of women of the family, Catherine heard many times about the youngest daughter of the family.
It is said that he is a serious and lovable child who is not suitable for his age of ten.
It is said that he fell in love with Oscar after seeing him from afar while visiting the sericulture room a few years ago.
At the time, I thought it was a child’s remark, so I just passed it over, but I heard that he had no choice but to ask the Duke for a meeting because he had not forgotten about it and begged for it for several years.
‘Yes, I know that feeling.’
If it’s Oscar, everyone will surely fall in love.
Katrin involuntarily squeezed her fingers as she changed her clothes to prepare for dinner.
“Ma’am, if you strain your body like that, you won’t be able to tighten the corset. Is it okay if your waist is thick?”
“But Anne, what can I do with the power entering the body on its own?”
Anne sighed.
“He’s ten years old, ma’am. He’s still a child.”
Catherine turned and looked at Anne.
“What are you talking about, aren’t you? Have you forgotten that I fell for Oscar at the age of three and pushed and pushed and pushed to take this place? You can’t ignore him when he’s ten years old. Even that kid has been working with Oscar for years. I love you, but you can’t be careless.”
“My wife was my fiancé from the beginning. She didn’t take the position by pushing and pushing. That little lady can’t take the seat next to the Duke even if she pushes and pushes again and again. The Duke won’t deal with her anyway.”
“Anyway! If you make fun of the other person as a child, you’ll get a serious nose injury.”
“Because of such a lady’s personality, all the servants of the Marquis family were in trouble. If I hadn’t loved my fiancé, the lady wouldn’t have brought me as a lady-in-waiting, no matter how close she was to me.”
At Anne’s words, Catherine snorted.
“Of course. I can’t have a competitor by my side, right? If Anne hadn’t been on good terms with her fiancé, she would have managed to find a lady-in-waiting over 40.”
“Well, I understand that feeling. It’s ridiculous to put a young woman in front of my man.”
“That’s right. Auntie’s words have never been wrong.”
Katrin met Anne’s gaze and opened her mouth.
“Don’t put a girl who is prettier or younger than me in front of my man.”
“Don’t show a woman prettier than me in front of my man.”
Words came out of both of their mouths at the same time.
Anne nodded.
“Neither do I want to go out with a young lady in front of my fiancé.”
“…”
Anne says something to Catherine, but in the end it’s the same.
After all, they were both educated by their aunt.
“Now, breathe in. Tighten the corset.”
At Anne’s words, Catherine held her breath and took a deep breath.
Anyway, today you have to look your best.
Because I have to compete with a girl five years younger.
“…”
I need to breathe a little more.
Make your waist a little thinner.
Katrin inhaled until her chest was about to explode.
Oh, what can I do? I’m going to die like this really. I can’t breathe.
“Breathe, girl! Then you die!”
Anne’s startled voice rang right in my ear.
He seems to have lost his mind for a moment.
Whoa, Katrin took a deep breath and inhaled again.
Anne, fasten the corset.
really die like this