BOPE 48

Chapter 48 …

The servants’ dining hall had been prepared for a dinner feast in honor of the house servants who had returned from a grueling march, as well as the newly hired tailors.

On the table sat steamed and fried dural, brown bread made from grains, dural soup, and steaming hot ramen.

Donghui made frequent trips to the convenience store to ensure the servants’ dining hall never ran out of ramen. It was a bit of a hassle and slightly tiring, but even moving 400 packs at once wasn’t heavy for him, and since it didn’t cost him anything, he didn’t mind. As long as he kept working diligently, the servants could enjoy unlimited ramen for free.

He also made sure to set a rule forbidding anyone from taking food outside the servants’ dining hall—there were simply too many potential problems that could arise. If they could eventually make ramen on-site here, the rule could be scrapped, but for now, it stayed in place.

The sharp-eyed Handsome even appointed someone to manage the ramen supply, easing Donghui’s worries.

“Wow, can I really eat all of this?”

Yujin stared at the steaming bowl of soup in front of her, gulping hard.

Delma, having heard a brief explanation of their circumstances, patted Yujin’s round head and nodded enthusiastically. It had been ages since someone this young had lived in Grace Castle.

“Of course. If that’s not enough, you can have more, so take your time and eat a lot. Just be careful not to eat too fast or you’ll get a stomachache, okay?”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Yujin immediately began scooping the soup with her spoon. Unlike Julia, who was still a bit dazed, Yujin was quick to adapt—perhaps because of her age—and she was already getting along well with people. As a result, more and more servants found her adorable.

“This is so delicious! I’ve never eaten anything this good in my whole life!”

Yujin didn’t spill a drop as she blew on the hot soup and polished off the entire bowl. Then she got another serving, dipping bread into the soup, mashing steamed dural into it, and finishing her meal with practiced neatness.

Julia and the other tailors also enjoyed their meal immensely.

For them, even finding work that let them buy one meal a day would have made coming to Grace worthwhile.

But Grace offered far more than they expected.

Not only did they receive free lodging, but also three meals a day at no cost.

And that wasn’t all—their daily wages were two to three times higher than what they had earned doing assistant or menial work at other tailoring shops.

“I think coming to Grace was the best decision ever.”

“Right? I never imagined it would be such a good place.”

“The lady of the house is so beautiful, and she seems so kind as well.”

The tailors’ praise for Grace and their lord continued throughout dinner. But what really shocked them happened after the meal.

“How was the food? Did it suit your taste?”

After the meal, Donghui summoned the tailors to his office and asked.

“Yes, it was truly delicious.”

“I can’t remember the last time I ate until I was full.”

“Thank you so much, my lady. I will do my best from now on.”

The tailors, one after another, expressed their gratitude.

Smiling warmly at their visibly brighter faces, Donghui turned to Handsome.

“Butler, bring it in.”

All eyes turned toward Handsome, who had been standing to one side of the office.

Except for two men, all the tailors were young women, and there was a faint sparkle of excitement in their eyes as they looked at Handsome.

Ah, to be young.

Donghui thought like an old man, watching their rosy, sparkling gazes.

—Says the pot to the kettle, dear user. You’re young too.

The status window suddenly popped up before his eyes.

Fine, I admit I’m young. But why are you suddenly talking so informally?

Donghui narrowed his eyes.

—…Young too… sir.

The halfhearted “sir” at the end made Donghui grimace. He then gave another nod to Handsome, who had stepped closer.

Like a seasoned assistant, Handsome handed each tailor a sheet of paper with something written on it.

“What’s this?”

The question came from Monel, the eldest of the eight.

She looked as if she’d been through a lot—her hair, once blond, was dry and straw-like, her thin, pale face had prominent cheekbones, and her deep gray eyes held a maturity beyond her years.

She couldn’t have been more than twenty-one or twenty-two, but it seemed she spoke up out of a sense of responsibility as the eldest.

Monel glanced nervously between the paper in her hand and the lord.

“A contract.”

Hearing the lady’s calm answer, a flicker of confusion passed through her gray eyes.

“…A contract?”

She had never signed a contract in her life and didn’t quite understand.

“Yes. Just as it says, this is a contract between you and me as employer and employee. You’ll see that the contract term is one year.”

Most of the tailors had only picked up bits of reading while learning their craft.

So Donghui had asked Scrooge to draft the contract in simple, easy-to-understand terms, even for those with little education.

They began reading the papers slowly.

**[Employee ( ) will work as a tailor at Grace Castle for one year starting from (000 year 0 month 0 day).

Working hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with one day off per week.

Renewal of the contract after one year will depend on work attitude and performance.

Monthly pay is 5 silver, and may increase to 6 silver upon renewal if work attitude and performance are satisfactory.

(However, leaking or causing damage to affairs occurring within Grace Castle will result in immediate termination of the contract, and compensation for damages may be claimed.)]**

At the bottom was the signature of Chloe Grace, lord of Grace Castle.

After reading the terms, the tailors widened their eyes in disbelief.

“You’re really paying 5 silver?”

Assistant tailors typically earned a maximum of 3 silver a month, if they were paid at all—many worked unpaid “to learn,” and some masters even charged tuition fees.

“Yes. And when you renew after a year, the pay will go up. But of course, that depends on producing results.”

Donghui planned to gauge their skills before having them make a variety of clothing designs. The clothing here was far too uncomfortable, lacked warmth, and was difficult to maintain.

“We’ll work hard!”

“We’ll do our best not to disappoint you.”

The tailors eagerly filled in their names in the blank spaces. Their handwriting wasn’t elegant, but they were grateful to even be able to read and write. They felt almost thankful to the masters who had once forced them to copy and memorize clients’ names as “tuition.”

The tailors’ work began the very next day.

They cut thick fabric into standard sizes and made children’s clothes in three sizes.

“Make them as comfortable to move in as possible. For the coats, make them a little roomy so that several layers can be worn underneath.”

“Yes, my lady!”

Even as they replied, the tailors were quietly impressed by the lady’s attention to such details.

The power of Cloment was astonishing.

Following the lord’s specified ratios, the builder mixed the materials and applied them to house walls and road paving.

Mortar Village and Enol Village were being rapidly refurbished; Mortar Village in particular had transformed into a far more refined version of itself.

Once the work in Mortar and Enol was mostly complete, Donghui summoned the chiefs of both villages, the builder, and Scrooge to his office.

The village chiefs had lived their whole lives in villages under the Grace domain, but this was the first time they had ever been invited to the lord’s castle.

They weren’t nobles or wealthy merchants—people like them simply had no reason to enter a noble’s home.

Compared to other noble estates, Grace Castle was large but old and worn. Yet to men who had spent their entire lives in small villages, everything—from the great drawbridge to the towering stone walls and the huge castle—was dazzling.

The carriage the lady had sent for them was so fine they hardly dared to sit properly.

The two carriages arrived at the castle gates almost at the same time, and the butler guided them into the office together.

They sat stiffly, legs drawn in, glancing around nervously and bowing deeply to everyone they met.

Compared to the servants of Grace Castle, who were neatly dressed, they felt like the shabby ones. The Enol chief, who had never thought twice about his own clothing before, kept fidgeting with the frayed hem of his coat.

“If you’ll wait here a moment, the lady will be with you shortly.”

Handsome addressed them politely.

He was impressed by their devotion to their people, and the lady had given specific instructions to treat them with respect.

“Thank you.”

“Much obliged.”

The two bent low in thanks, and Handsome returned the gesture with a warm smile.

A short while later, just as Handsome had said, the lady entered the office and strode quickly toward them. Startled, the chiefs jumped to their feet and bowed deeply. They had met her several times in the village, but meeting her inside the castle felt entirely different.

In the village, the lady had seemed somewhat approachable. Here, she was unmistakably a noble of lofty rank.

“Please, sit comfortably.”

After kindly inviting them to sit, Donghui got straight to the point.

“The reason I asked you here is that I want to know how well you know your villages.”

“What do you mean by that… exactly?”

The Enol chief asked cautiously, trying to grasp the lady’s intent. He knew nearly everything about Enol Village, but he wasn’t sure what she was getting at, so he couldn’t answer confidently.

“Then I’ll put it another way—what can Mortar Village and Enol Village sell?”