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The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life

[Simon of the Campbell Trading Company Goes to the Azenda Frontier Territory]

Translated by: ME

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*****

Having fulfilled his duty, Claude left the evening party early to escape those unsettling gazes.

Even if he asked Magnolia what she was thinking, she wasn't the kind of girl to stop, so his only option was to warn Gai. He decided to write a note to Lily as well. Whether they would actually function as a "stopper" for the girl remained to be seen, but he figured there was strength in numbers.

Once inside his carriage, he pulled out the writing materials he kept in his luggage, scribbled a quick message, attached it to the crow’s leg, and released the bird into the night sky once more.

***

「Oh, Master Claude. You’ve returned quite early,」

Thomas, the butler of the townhouse, greeted him as if it were only to be expected.

In the exact same tone and with the same gestures as Sebastian, the butler of the estate back in the Margraviate, he took Claude’s cloak. It wasn't surprising that they were so alike—after all, they were brothers.

「...A trivial matter came up,」 Claude replied, heading toward the office as Thomas followed with a knowing hum.

「Is it involving the Young Lady?」

Thomas looked at Claude with a soft smile. He recalled the Young Lady of the main house who had visited for a single night not long ago. She was a lovely girl whose features bore a striking resemblance to the late Lady Azelia. From what he had heard from others, she was quite the bold young mistress.

(Master William used to look just as troubled whenever Lady Azelia led him on a chase...)

As for Servas, he seemed to be at the mercy of both his mother and his granddaughter. Despite his rugged appearance, Servas had a gentle heart; being an only son, he had always been weak to his mother, who used to flit about with boundless energy.

(Fairies are innocent and whimsical in every age, it seems...)

The old butler nodded to himself, chuckling. He decided to brew some tea for his young master, who, despite his sighs, seemed to be enjoying himself in his own way.

***

Simon blinked as he received the letter bearing the crest of the House of the Margrave of Azenda. It appeared the Young Lady of the Gilmore family had come up with something else.

He still had the dress he had made for her, as she had mentioned there was no rush. Partly due to the start of the social season, he had hesitated to visit a young child who had only just moved territories... he had been wondering if it might be better to wait until she had settled in.

Normally, for such distant deliveries, he would place the goods on a company carriage making its rounds and leave the final delivery to a branch employee. However, having witnessed the discord between the girl and her mother with his own eyes, he felt a desire to see for yourself that she was living happily under her grandfather’s care. To see a child so small—not even reaching his waist—treated with such blatant coldness had been more than he could bear. It left a foul taste in his mouth.

He doubted the Campbell Trading Company would be receiving any more work from the main Gilmore house. The Marchioness already had a long-established company she favored. Her recent order had likely been a one-time trial to provide a bit of gossip; if another order came, he could simply decline due to a "scheduling conflict."

At any rate, even at a fast pace, it was a three-day journey one-way from the capital to the Azenda Margraviate. He would need to set aside a week for the round trip.

The social season had only just begun. It would probably be better to send someone else... but considering her ingenious dress-shaped drawstring bag, he felt that any deal with her was bound to produce something revolutionary. It was difficult to decide if he should trust it to a subordinate.

To put it plainly, he had a premonition that she would propose an idea he could never have conceived himself. Yet, because her proposals were so unpredictable, his common sense acted as a brake, making him wonder if it was wise to jump so readily at the words of a toddler.

(Scrap fabric and leftover thread... even if she fills a whole bag, it won’t be worth much.)

In fact, if she said she wanted them, he wouldn't mind giving them away for free; they weren't really something worth trading. Even if he collected all the scraps from the workshops and stores in the capital, it wouldn't amount to a significant sum.

For a moment, he wondered if she meant higher-quality cloth, but given the nuance of "scrap material," he reconsidered. She likely meant the tiny offcuts—even smaller than the handkerchief remnants he had delivered before—the kind that normally couldn't be sold.

(If she wants them from the associated workshops and stores, the volume will be considerable... but what does she intend to do with what is essentially trash?)

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find an answer, and he racked his brains in frustration.

「...If you’re going to agonize over it that much, you should just go and see for yourself.」

His head seamstress said, looking exasperated at the sight of her chairman slumped in thought.

He sat hunched in his chair, resting his chin on his hand as he glared at the letter and let out another sigh.

(She’s right. Agonizing won't solve anything. It’ll be faster to just go and check.)

If he was mistaken, then so be it. Although they had only interacted twice, she was a child who spoke with a maturity far beyond her years. He doubted she would call someone all the way from the capital to the Margraviate just because she wanted scraps for playing house or for kindling (...or so he hoped).

Deciding that if the request was truly impossible, he would simply explain it to her, he resolved to go himself.

To be safe, he sent a messenger to the Margrave’s townhouse. He couldn't just show up unannounced, so he intended to confirm a schedule... but a reply came immediately. They said the timing was up to him but requested it be as soon as possible. They also noted they would send word to the estate ahead of him, so he should notify them as soon as his schedule was set. They would likely use a fast horse or a military pigeon.

Realizing that the other party was in more of a hurry than he had anticipated, Simon scrambled to gather scraps from nearby workshops. Along with some end-of-roll fabrics just in case and the completed set of dresses, he hopped into his carriage.

***

「How is this?」

The grandmother’s handiwork was nothing short of masterful. She explained that commoners often bought cheap cloth and sewed it themselves, so needlework was second nature to her. It was an unexpected windfall.

「Your shight is bad, but you are show good!」

「Ho ho, it’s just years of habit, child.」

Lily was also staring intently at the stitches. Beside her, the old woman, who was missing several front teeth, let out a cackling laugh.

「Gwanny, are all the women in the shlump this good?」

「Hmm, some are better than others, I suppose, but we’re always mending rags. You get good at sewing whether you want to or not.」

Magnolia nodded at the old woman, who was tilting her head curiously, and then turned her gaze toward Victor and Dominic.

「...It's not like that. I'm creating a job for people who can't do heavy labor or standing work. We'll make buffering material out of scraps so the bottles don't break during transport..」

The two of them nodded.

「Understood. I’ll ask around right away!」

「Is tomorrow afternoon acceptable for the meeting with the Clothing Union?」 Dominic asked, checking his schedule as he looked at Magnolia. Over the past few weeks, he had completely stopped treating her like a mere child.

Magnolia thought of the dark-haired gentleman who was the chairman of the Campbell Trading Company and gave a thin smile.

「Yes. As soon as the Campbell Company’s carriage enters the territory, the eastern garrison is scheduled to contact us. If there are major changes, I’ll let you know in advance, so please look after it.」

「Understood.」 Dominic made a serious expression as he scribbled something into his ledger.

***

Adjacent to the Azenda Margraviate lay a town called Orsay. It was a small city on the edge of the neighboring territory, managed for generations by the Baronial House of Orsay, the local governors.

The main branch of the Campbell Trading Company was located here in Orsay. It wasn't a specialized clothing store but a general store that handled everything from food to sundries. Being close to the Azenda territory, they had recently been focusing on purchasing foreign goods to distribute to other territories, as well as selling domestic items to foreign ships.

Perhaps because the House of the Margrave of Azenda was a prestigious military family and high nobility, they didn't seem to have much of a head for business. The main branch of the Campbell Company always thought it a waste given they had access to the sea, but they were grateful nonetheless, as it allowed them to make a tidy profit.

The company was run by Simon’s older brother. Since the younger brother had long been interested in fashion, they had decided the capital would be a better fit than the countryside, leading Simon to open a boutique in the Royal Capital a few years ago.

「It’s rare to see you here, especially since the social season has just started.」

The chairman of the main branch was rolling up his sleeves and unloading goods himself, but he broke into a smile upon seeing his younger brother for the first time in a while. They were brothers who looked like photographic negatives of each other—the older brother had brown hair and black eyes, while the younger had black hair and brown eyes.

「There’s something I’m a bit curious about,」 Simon replied.

「Hoh? A new business venture?」 The older brother watched him with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He hadn't meant anything deep by it, but Simon tilted his head with a somewhat complicated expression.

「...Well, yes. You could say that, but it’s more of a courtesy visit.」

「Hmm?」 The brother tilted his head at his sibling's uncharacteristically indecisive attitude and ambiguous answer, but he told himself it didn't matter.

「Since you’ve come all this way, I assume you have a delivery somewhere? Do you want to rest? How about some tea?」

「No, I’ll head over to the client first and then come back... it might be better if my sister-in-law is here too.」

「I see. Fair enough. I’ll have dinner ready, then.」

Since there might be a dinner invitation from the client, Simon avoided lunch. After dropping off things like inter-store shipments and letters, he climbed back into the carriage.

「Safe travels!」 His good-natured brother waved with a grin, and Simon leaned out to wave back. The Azenda Margraviate was just ahead.

After passing through the city walls and traveling for a while, the lord's mansion came into view. For a residence belonging to a man at the pinnacle of the military, it was quite modest—a charming house that belied his hulking physique.

Light brown walls were covered in climbing ivy and pale little flowers. Apple and oak trees grew in the front yard.

(I recall the Margrave was the son of the 'Knight Marquis and the Fairy Princess'... It doesn't look like a house where a 'Demon General' would live, but it certainly fits a house where a 'Fairy Princess' once dwelt.)

He felt as though he had wandered into a fairy tale, but his client was a high-ranking noble. While they seemed tolerant, no rudeness would be forgiven. With that thought, Simon braced himself.

*****

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