A Warm Welcome and Unexpected Gifts
Helena had arrived in Grace with a mix of doubt and hope after receiving Monel’s letter. The rumors about Grace Territory were so terrifying that when she mentioned coming here, all her friends had tried to stop her.
But Helena was utterly exhausted in both body and soul. No matter how harsh the environment, she thought she could endure it if she had her friend Monel to lean on. Besides, Monel wasn’t the type to make up empty stories.
The Grace Territory she reached with her troubled heart was nothing like what she had imagined.
She had heard the streets were overflowing with corpses of people who had starved or frozen to death, yet instead of bodies, the place was filled with the laughter of warmly dressed children running and playing.
It wasn’t just her who was shocked. Lin, the widow who had ridden in the carriage with a full stomach, clutching at straws in desperation, was also looking around with wide, round eyes.
They had arrived in Grace yesterday and been assigned temporary lodging. There, they had slept warmly and eaten a hearty breakfast.
Lin, who shared a room with Helena, had cried the entire time she ate, saying it had been so long since she’d had warm, delicious food. After spending just one night together, the two had grown incredibly close and discovered they were the same age.
Determined to work hard, Helena stepped into the workshop and found the environment surprisingly pleasant. It was clean, spacious, and most of all, while a fierce wind howled outside, the inside of the workshop was warm.
The faces of the tailors who had arrived earlier never lost their smiles; they looked bright and cheerful. They shared the items they had made, and whenever someone had a good idea, they would run to Monel, the team leader, to explain it and try making it together.
Even when the lord suddenly visited, the tailors didn’t look startled or afraid. Instead, they greeted her with the joy of reuniting with a long-lost family member.
How can a place like this exist? Helena rubbed her eyes several times, unable to believe what she was seeing even though she was looking right at it. Lin seemed just as stunned; every time their eyes met, she would widen hers in disbelief.
“Have you been well? I see so many new faces.”
The lord even recognized the newly arrived tailors right away and greeted them warmly.
“Yes, these are Helena and Lin, who arrived yesterday.”
Monel introduced not only the two of them but also the other tailors who had arrived three days earlier. Each time she introduced someone, the lord shook their hand and welcomed them, saying they had come to the right place.
“You will all become precious talents for Grace. My expectations for you are incredibly high. And I have a very big dream as well.
The people here will be at the center of that dream. So please work hard. Of course, you mustn’t harm your health. After falling ill myself recently, I realized that nothing is more important than health. If you feel unwell, tell me right away.”
The new tailors stared with wide eyes, unsure how to respond to the lord who spoke to them with the warmth of a kind neighbor.
If the tailors who had arrived earlier hadn’t answered naturally, they might have worried they were being scammed.
“Have you been well too, Julia?”
Julia looked far healthier than when she had first arrived in Grace.
She no longer had to worry about her younger brother starving or fear being driven out, so every day felt like a dream come true.
“Yes, thanks to Your Lordship’s grace, I am doing very well. I am truly grateful.”
Julia always made sure to express her gratitude whenever she saw the lord. No matter how many times she was told it wasn’t necessary, it made no difference.
“Is Yujin doing well?”
When the lord remembered her brother’s name, tears welled up in Julia’s eyes.
“Yes. Everyone treats him so kindly that I can’t even describe how much he loves it here. He was overjoyed that Your Lordship gave him warm, pretty clothes.”
“Those clothes were made by all of you. I could never have done it alone.”
It was then.
“Lord!”
A clear, bright child’s voice rang out from somewhere. Chloe turned her head toward the sound and spotted Yujin running toward her with a wide smile. She spread her arms, and Yujin dashed straight into them, hugging her tightly.
The boy, whose cheeks had grown nicely plump, looked even cuter and more lovable than before.
“Yujin! You’ve grown quite a bit!”
“Yes! Since I came here, I’ve grown this much! My sister said it’s all thanks to you, Lord.”
“Really?”
Even while talking to the lord, who seemed as lofty as the sky itself, the child showed no sign of fear. The tailors watching the two wore smiles just as bright as the boy’s.
“Yes! Oh! I have a present for you, Lord.”
Yujin suddenly remembered and rummaged through his pockets. The pants he wore had large pockets all over them. They seemed to be a special pair Julia had made for her brother, who loved collecting all sorts of things.
Could these be cargo pants?
Chloe’s eyes widened as she examined the pants Yujin was wearing. They were made from leftover fabric, so the colors were bright and varied, but thanks to Julia’s excellent sense and skill, the combination looked surprisingly harmonious.
What Yujin pulled from his pocket was a small paper-wrapped package containing dried mushrooms.
“What’s this?”
They were clearly mushrooms, but she had never seen this shape before. Chloe asked curiously, wondering if they truly were mushrooms. The round cap was excessively wide, and the stem was very short, making them look more like jellyfish than mushrooms at first glance.
“The head chef gave them to me. They’re dried mud mushrooms that the village chief of Enol Village brought. When you chew them, they have a savory flavor.”
“Yujin! How could you give something like that to the lord!”
Julia, who had been watching her brother with nervous eyes, pulled him back in a panic, mortified that he had offered something so humble as a gift.
“No, it’s good. You can keep chewing it and it’s really savory. The head chef said it was delicious too.”
Scolded by his sister in front of everyone, Yujin’s shoulders slumped as he mumbled his reply. His already plump cheeks and protruding lips made him look like a little pufferfish.
Chloe, who had been momentarily distracted by the cargo pants Yujin wore, smiled softly and gently stroked the boy’s small head.
“You saved these instead of eating them, just to give them to me?”
When the lord seemed to understand his feelings, Yujin’s face brightened again.
“Yes! I’ve wanted to eat them since yesterday, but I held back. I wanted to give them to you.”
“Really? Thank you so much. I’ll enjoy them.”
Chloe popped the dried mushrooms the boy had been clutching tightly into her mouth and smiled brightly.
“My lord! You shouldn’t eat just anything like that!”
Handsome, who had become especially sensitive about the lord’s health, cried out in alarm. He knew about the mud mushrooms.
They were tough, chewy mushrooms that the people of Enol Village ate out of desperation when they had nothing else. Nobles would never put such things in their mouths.
But Chloe chewed the mushrooms in her mouth with a perfectly calm expression.
At first she had pretended they were delicious for Yujin’s sake, but the more she chewed, the more the mysterious flavor emerged, and her eyes gradually widened.
When it seemed there was no problem, Handsome felt relieved, yet at the same time, seeing how deliciously the lord was eating made him unconsciously swallow hard.
Yujin, reading the lord’s expression, grinned as if to say See? and asked,
“It’s really good, right?”
“Yeah. Wow, why is this so good?”
The dried mushrooms were probably the mud mushrooms the village chief of Enol had brought.
She had heard the head chef dried them to prevent them from spoiling, but she had never imagined they would taste like this. It was almost like… jerky?
She had never thought mushrooms could taste like meat. She didn’t know if the head chef had added a special sauce during the drying process, but she had a strong feeling this could become another specialty product.
“It’s really delicious. Thank you!”
When the lord smiled widely and praised him, Yujin was so happy he didn’t know what to do. Chloe kept her eyes on the boy as she called out,
“Handsome!”
Handsome, who had been standing beside her with a deeply worried expression, answered promptly.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Since I’ve received such a delicious snack, I should return the favor, shouldn’t I? Take Yujin to the head chef and have him fill a basket with cake or cookies. Let him share them with his sister and the others.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Yujin, who had never tasted cake in his life, rolled his round eyes in confusion, not knowing what it was.
Since Handsome had to stay by the lord’s side, he sent a servant behind him to take Yujin to the head chef.
Yujin skipped along happily, holding the servant’s hand. A wave of smiles passed over the faces of everyone watching the little rabbit-like boy from behind.
“Julia?”
“Yes, my lord.”
Julia, who had been watching the lord with a dazed expression, quickly stepped forward.
“About the pants Yujin was wearing.”
When the lord mentioned her brother’s pants, Julia’s face turned noticeably pale. Fidgeting anxiously, she bowed like a criminal and pleaded,
“I’m sorry, my lord. I used precious fabric however I pleased…”
“What are you talking about? It’s obvious they were made from scraps of unusable cloth.”
“But…”
“I really like those pants. Put together a team and make pants like that for the workers in the workshop too. Make the pockets really generous so they can hold various tools and equipment. While you’re at it, make a pair for me as well. Oh, and make a vest that goes with them. The vest needs lots of pockets too. Use the sturdiest fabric possible. Understood?”
“Pardon? Yes!”
Chloe gave a bright smile to the bewildered-looking Julia and raised her thumb in approval.
As she left the workshop, Chloe immediately ordered Handsome to summon the village chief of Enol Village to the castle. It seemed they needed to research further what could be made from the mud mushrooms.
If done well, they might be able to create a food that could be stored for a long time, like jerky.
“Ah, my lord. We have received word that a suitable site has been selected for the Dural Bread Factory in Morta Village.”
“Good. Tell them I will visit tomorrow. Also, we will be building a daycare inside the factory building as well, so have them proceed with both at the same time.”
“A… daycare?”
Handsome, who had been busily writing down the lord’s rapidly spoken words, stopped at the unfamiliar term and looked up.
“Yes. The bread factory will mostly employ young women, right? Then what about their children? We’ll hire several nannies to provide communal childcare so the mothers can work without worrying about their kids.”
Handsome gazed at the lord with renewed admiration. So many things were changing at a dizzying pace. Being able to stand at the center of it all felt like an infinite honor, and his chest swelled with emotion.
“…So that’s what a daycare is!”
“That’s right. Let the mothers who will work at the factory know in advance that the daycare nannies will be chosen from among them. We’ll pay them a salary just like the factory workers.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be completely free. Those receiving a salary would use the daycare at a low price, and families with many children would be able to use it for free starting from the second child.
Handsome was nearly losing his mind trying to record the lord’s groundbreaking policies. He had no idea where such ideas came from, but it was clear that Morta Village would become far more livable than before.