After finishing Jacob's love counseling, it was time to talk about something more important.
"Alright, let's talk about what we should have discussed a long time ago. What do you think we should sell?"
"Oh, I've wanted to talk about that too. Do you have any ideas?"
"How about national specialties? To be honest, I don't know what Aimebisalon's specialties are."
The moment I said that, Jacob looked at me like he'd just heard something unbelievable.
"I think your common sense is only about half complete."
"What do you mean?"
"Aimebisalon is a fashion nation. Our clothing designs are more refined, more diverse, and more open than those of other countries."
"Wow, I've lived in the capital for so long and this is the first time I'm hearing this. By "open," do you mean women wearing shorts and showing their legs?"
This really was news to me. I had assumed every country had already embraced fashion trends.
But thinking about it, the reason clothing here was considered 'open' was probably because women exposed more skin. In a world where women had lower social status, preserving "purity" was often emphasized.
"Yes. Especially in the country we're heading to—there, showing anything above the knee is considered the behavior of a prostitute."
"I see. Then Grace doesn't need to worry. But what about Ethefelis and Alice?"
Ethefelis wore shorts, and Alice didn't own any clothes other than her priestess robes. She'd need something that didn't expose her thighs. Jacob waved his hand dismissively.
"Ethefelis should be fine. She has common sense."
"Then that leaves Alice. Riding a bicycle in a skirt is dangerous—if the wind blows from the front, it's an instant disaster. We should get her long pants."
"Why can you told about things like that without feeling shy?!"
Jacob protested loudly, his face turning red. What was there to be shy about? I wasn't imagining anything weird. I shook my head and laughed at him.
"You're way too innocent. Anyway, back to the point—what should we sell?"
"Ahem… selling clothes would work, but we don't have spare clothing to sell."
"Then what's your idea?"
"I think we should sell this."
Jacob pulled something out of his storage space. A brick—no, a bar of soap. I stared at him like he had to be joking.
"Soap? Are you serious?"
"I'm completely serious. This is a floral-scented soap newly developed by my family's merchant guild. Smell it."
I peeled open the wrapping paper, and a fragrance spread out—some kind of floral scent I couldn't quite identify.
"It smells great. But soap is pretty ordinary, isn't it? Anyone can afford it."
"No. Normally, scented soaps are very expensive. Commoners can't afford them because they require a large amount of flowers and careful selection, which drives up the cost. But this soap is designed for commoners. It uses very few flowers, plus a trade secret, yet the fragrance is comparable to what nobles use—actually, even stronger. That's why the cost is low and commoners can afford it."
So my common sense really was only half complete. Embarrassing. That 'trade secret' he mentioned was probably a catalyst that amplified the fragrance.
"I see. Your family's merchant guild really covers a lot of fields. There are no side effects, right?"
"Of course not. It's safe even for people with sensitive skin. And this soap has been on the market since October. It sells out almost every day. Customers who've used it all praise it—especially women."
"That's impressive."
After that, Jacob and I continued discussing traveling commerce. He had brought three different scents of soap, and in large quantities. He also mentioned that his marchent guild was planning to build another factory just to produce soap.
By the time we finished talking, it was already past eleven. After tidying up, we went to bed. Before sleeping, I climbed up to the loft to check the power and water levels—both were still at about half.
Since I was already there, I topped them up anyway. Then I went back to my room and fell straight asleep.
The next day, January 2nd, I got up early to brush my teeth and wash my face. Then I took out the clothes that had been washed and dried, folded them neatly, and placed them into each person's basket.
After that, I went back to my room to change. I'd put on my gear later, right before we departed.
When I headed to the washroom again, I saw Jacob there, washing his face with sleepy eyes.
"Good morning."
"…Oh, morning."
Jacob responded a beat late. I tossed my changed-out pajamas into the washing machine, reminded Jacob to throw his in as well, and then left for the living room.
When I entered the living room, I saw Grace already neatly dressed and wearing her armor, sitting at the dining table.
"Good morning, Mr. Karen."
"Morning. You just got here?"
"No, I've been sitting here for quite a while."
"You're up early."
"I'm used to waking up early because of knight training. My body just wakes up on its own at that time."
The time was 8:09 a.m. Knight training really started early—early enough to turn into a biological clock. Just then, Grace's stomach let out a loud growl, startling even herself.
"…Eh?!"
She must have woken up hungry. I smiled and said to her,
"I'll make breakfast now."
"Thank you…"
Grace thanked me shyly. I added one more thing while I was at it.
"Also, take off your armor. It takes up too much space. You can put it on again when we leave."
"…Yes."
She was fully geared up only to have cold water poured on her enthusiasm, and she looked a little dejected as she removed her armor. I didn't really care, though—it really did take up too much space.
After thinking for a moment, I started preparing a simple breakfast. Grace went to throw her pajamas into the washing machine, then came back and sat down again. The atmosphere felt a bit quiet, so I struck up a conversation.
"Grace, had you met Jacob and Ethefelis before this?"
"Yes. I met Ms. Eis at His Majesty the King's birthday banquet last year, when our families exchanged greetings. As for Mr. Jacob, we met at the acquaintance banquet. Ah—an acquaintance banquet is a party every noble attends at age twelve. It's meant for social debut and getting to know others."
Jacob had already told me about it, but it was better to pretend I didn't know.
"I see. I think I remember you saying you didn't have any friends."
"It's not that I have no friends! I just don't have any female friends!"
"Alright, alright. Then why didn't you make any female friends at the acquaintance gathering?"
Jacob had said Grace had an unapproachable aura that made people hesitant to talk to her. Since conversations start with questions, I continued acting as if this was my first time hearing it.
Grace looked troubled, hesitating as if unsure whether she should answer. Was there something hard to talk about? Still, I wasn't about to stop when we'd already come this far.
In the end, Grace spoke, her tone a little downcast.
"…I don't know. It just felt like everyone disliked me. And I'm not very proactive, so I just sat quietly in my chair and waited for time to pass."
"Really? Then how did you end up talking with Jacob?"
"Mr. Jacob was the only one who spoke to me. But I don't really remember what we talked about—I just remember being very happy."
"But you don't seem that close now."
Grace fell silent again. That shouldn't have been a hard question. She could've simply said there was no interaction between their families.
After a while, she finally spoke.
"…We only talked a lot because of the acquaintance gathering. Normally, there's no need for us to have any contact."
Her words sounded reasonable, but her tone carried a sense of sadness and finality. Combined with her earlier silence, it felt like there was something more beneath the surface.
At that point, it was hard for me to keep pressing. I had originally wanted to ask how she felt about Jacob, but… I let it go.
I'd find out eventually.