Contracts and Village Prospects
The servants' dining hall was filled with a lavish dinner prepared for the exhausted servants returning from their long march and the newly hired tailors.
The tables were laden with steamed and fried Dural, brown bread made from grains, Dural soup, and piping hot ramen.
Chloe made sure to stop by the convenience store regularly so the servants' dining hall never ran out of ramen. Though it was a bit bothersome and tiring, carrying four hundred packs at once felt weightless, and since it cost nothing, she didn't mind. As long as she kept moving diligently, she could provide the servants with unlimited free ramen.
She also made sure to establish a rule against taking ramen outside the servants' dining hall. There were too many potential side effects. Once they could produce ramen here, the rule could be lifted, but that time had not yet come.
The quick-witted Handsome even appointed a dedicated ramen manager, easing Chloe's worries.
"Wow, can I really eat all of this?"
Yujin stared at the steaming bowl of soup in front of him, swallowing hard as he asked.
Delma, who had roughly heard the situation, patted Yujin's round head and nodded firmly. It had been a long time since such a young child had lived in Grace Castle.
"Of course. If this isn't enough, you can have more, so eat slowly and plenty. Be careful not to eat too fast and get an upset stomach, all right?"
"Yes! Thank you!"
Yujin immediately began scooping up the soup with his spoon. Unlike the still-dazed Julia, Yujin adapted quickly, perhaps because of his young age, and got along well with everyone. The number of servants who found him adorable only grew.
"It's so delicious! I've never eaten anything this tasty in my entire life!"
Yujin blew on the hot soup without spilling a drop and ate it with gusto. He even asked for a second bowl, dipping bread into it and mashing steamed Dural into the soup, finishing his meal with great satisfaction.
The other tailors, including Julia, ate just as heartily.
They had thought that simply finding work and being able to afford one meal a day would make coming to Grace worthwhile.
But Grace offered them far more than they had expected.
Not only were they provided with lodging, but three meals a day were also free.
That wasn't all. Their daily wages were two to three times higher than what they had earned as assistants or doing odd jobs at other tailoring shops.
"I'm so glad I came to Grace."
"I agree. I never imagined it would be this good."
"The lord is so beautiful, and she seems kind-hearted too."
The tailors' praises for Grace and its lord continued throughout dinner. But what truly astonished them came after the meal.
"I hope the meal suited your tastes."
Chloe asked as she looked at the tailors who had been summoned to her office after finishing their meal.
"Yes, it was truly delicious."
"I don't even remember the last time I ate until I was full."
"Thank you so much, my lord. I will do my best from now on."
The tailors rushed to express their gratitude in response to Chloe's question.
Chloe gazed at them with their brightened expressions in satisfaction before turning to call for Handsome.
"Butler, bring it here."
The tailors' gazes all shifted at once to Handsome, who stood at one side of the office.
Since all but two were young women, a peculiar flutter stirred in their eyes as they looked at him.
Good timing, good timing indeed.
Chloe muttered inwardly like an old woman as she observed the girls' pink, sparkling gazes.
Look who's talking about others being in their prime, user. You're in your prime too, you know.
Chloe's eyes widened at the status window that suddenly appeared before her.
In your prime... yo.
Chloe stared at the awkwardly attached "yo" with a sour expression before nodding once more toward Handsome, who had approached at just the right moment.
Like a seasoned assistant, Handsome handed each tailor a sheet of paper with something written on it.
"What is this?"
The one who asked was Monel, the oldest among the eight.
Her hair, which must have originally been blonde, was now dry and straw-like from hardship, and her thin, pale face showed prominent cheekbones. Her deep gray eyes carried a prudence beyond her years.
She looked no older than twenty-one or twenty-two, but she spoke as if driven by a sense of responsibility as the eldest.
Monel alternated anxious glances between the paper Handsome had distributed and the lord.
"A contract."
At the lord's calm reply, a flicker of confusion crossed her gray eyes.
"...A contract?"
Monel looked bewildered. She had never written a contract in her life.
"Yes. It means exactly what it says—we are entering into an employer-employee contract. As you'll see when you read it, the contract period is one year."
Most of them had only picked up scattered letters while learning tailoring by watching over shoulders.
Chloe had asked Scrooge to craft the contract wording with special care so even those with little education could understand it easily.
They began reading through the contracts they had received.
The employee ( ) shall work as a tailor at Grace Castle for one year starting today (Year 000, Month 0, Day 0).
Working hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with one day off per week.
Renewal after one year will be determined based on work attitude and performance.
The monthly salary is 5 silver, which may increase to 6 silver upon renewal after one year depending on work attitude and performance.
(However, if any work-related information from Grace Castle is leaked or causes corresponding damage, the contract may be immediately terminated and compensation may be claimed.)
At the very bottom of the contract was the signature of Chloe Grace, Lord of Grace Castle.
After slowly reading the contract's contents, the tailors widened their eyes in disbelief.
"Are you really giving us 5 silver as salary?"
The most they had ever received as tailoring assistants was around 3 silver. Many tailors didn't even pay wages, claiming it was training, or even demanded tuition fees.
"Yes. The salary will increase upon renewal after one year. Of course, you'll need to produce results worth that amount."
Chloe planned to have them create clothes of various designs after gauging their skills. The clothes here were too uncomfortable, lacked warmth, and were difficult to maintain.
"I will work hard!"
"I will do my best not to disappoint you."
The tailors eagerly filled in their names in the blank spaces. Though their handwriting wasn't elegant, they couldn't help but feel grateful that they could read and write at all. They were almost thankful to the tailor who had forced them to write and memorize customers' names under the guise of tuition.
The tailors' work began the very next day.
They cut thick fabric into uniform sizes and began making children's clothes in three different sizes.
"Make them as easy to move in as possible. The outer coats should be made a bit roomy so that multiple layers of clothing can be worn underneath."
"Yes! Understood!"
Even as they answered, the tailors were inwardly surprised by the lord's meticulous care for even the smallest details.
Cloment's power was tremendous.
Builder mixed the materials according to the ratio Chloe had written down and applied it to the outer walls of houses and paved the roads.
Morta Village and Enol Village were being rapidly reorganized, and Morta Village in particular had transformed into something far more sophisticated than before.
Once the reorganization of Morta and Enol was somewhat complete, Chloe summoned the two village chiefs, Builder, and Scrooge to her office.
Though the two village chiefs had lived their entire lives in villages belonging to Grace Territory, this was the first time they had been invited to the castle where the lord resided.
Neither were nobles nor wealthy merchants, so they had never had reason to be invited to a noble's home.
Compared to other nobles' mansions, Grace Castle was merely large but old and shabby. Yet to the eyes of these two men who had spent their lives in small villages, everything—from the massive drawbridge to the high walls and the grand castle itself—captured their attention.
Especially the carriage the lord had thoughtfully sent for them; they felt so honored they could barely sit properly inside it.
The carriage carrying the two men passed through Grace Castle's gates at nearly the same time, and they entered the office under the butler's guidance almost simultaneously.
The two men sat with their legs together, looking extremely tense as if they had come to a place they shouldn't, constantly glancing around and bowing deeply to everyone they met.
The neatly dressed servants of Grace Castle seemed far more noble than themselves in their worn-out clothes. Even the chief of Enol Village, who had never thought about his own attire before, kept fidgeting with his tattered sleeves.
"Please wait here for a moment. The lord will arrive shortly."
Handsome treated the two men with courtesy.
Their devoted attitude toward their villagers had left a strong impression on him, and there had also been the lord's explicit instruction to treat them well.
"Yes. Thank you."
"Thank you."
As the two men bowed awkwardly, Handsome smiled brightly and returned the bow with equal respect.
A moment later, as Handsome had said, the lord entered the office and approached the two men with quick steps. The village chiefs sprang to their feet as if burned and bowed deeply toward the approaching lord. Though they had met her several times in the villages, meeting her here in the castle felt different.
The lord they met in the villages had seemed somewhat approachable, but the lord they met here felt like a noble of an incomprehensibly high status.
"Please sit comfortably."
Chloe spoke kindly to the two men before getting straight to the point.
"The reason I called you here is because I'm curious about how much you know about your respective villages."
"That is... what do you mean by that?"
The chief of Enol Village asked cautiously, trying to understand the lord's intention. He knew everything there was to know about Enol Village, but since he didn't understand the purpose of her question, he couldn't answer confidently.
"Then let me ask again. What can be sold from Morta Village and Enol Village?"