Let's Go Shopping in the Market Area (1)
In conclusion, the interview turned out to be more stringent than I had anticipated.
First, the atmosphere in the interview room was downright intimidating.
A windowless cubicle bathed only in the dim glow of a single magic lantern hanging from the ceiling.
“Please fill out your personal details for me, customer.”
The man who had brought me here placed a single sheet of paper in front of me. A fountain pen and ink were already ready.
The moment I saw the form I nearly burst into laughter, but I managed to hold it in.
Paperwork really does sap the life out of a person.
I filled in every field and handed the sheet back. He glanced at it once, then placed it on what looked like a modern photocopier.
“This machine will check whether the documents contain any falsehoods.”
Luckily the man answered my unspoken question before I could ask.
The result was obviously all true.
From there he launched into questions about the reason and purpose of opening an account and the deposit amount, and so on.
Fortunately I had already thought things through, so I answered smoothly.
I had not expected such thorough verification, though. I was surprised.
“The applicant is suitable for account opening.”
It was only after an hour-long interview that I was finally allowed to open an account.
Thankfully they did not try to force me into some weird modern terms-and-conditions nonsense.
Instead I had to sign a document outlining the rules I absolutely had to follow while using the Secret Bank.
Summarized in a few short lines, it read like this.
1. Never disclose anything that happens in the Secret Bank.
2. Only address staff members as “Owl.”
3. The deposit must be at least one hundred gold.
There were a few more clauses, but the most important thing was that.
A minimum of one hundred gold…
That sum equaled about two months’ worth of taxes from Nedville territory. It was also nearly half of the salary I would receive.
If I had not known that the Eckhart Empire would fall in four years…
I would have been planning to use that money to live independently.
“Anyway, when does this account-opening business finally end?”
I muttered while staring at the empty desk.
I had already paid the ten-gold account-opening fee ten minutes earlier.
‘In Korea it would have taken ten minutes to open an account, and I would have been flooded with complaints by now.’
I understood why, since this was a medieval world, but the wait was painfully boring.
A few minutes later the staff member finally walked up to the desk.
“Here it is. Please take a look.”
Oh, I was finally a customer of the Secret Bank.
I flipped the bankbook over and over. A dark cover with the Eckhart imperial emblem was embossed on it.
What?
I had never ordered any custom design.
“What is this?”
“You are an imperial staff member, are you not? That is why we prepared the exact same shape for you.”
Custom service, I see.
At the same time I understood why they were doing this.
Money leaving the imperial palace was basically managed by the Ministry of Finance. The list of items used for the Privy Purse—the maintenance of the emperor and empress—would be excluded. Everything else would be recorded transparently.
In other words, my upcoming salary would also be recorded transparently.
‘But even so, would they really check every single thing I spend?’
I asked the staff member about that point.
“Our Secret Bank prepares for every possible situation. The more preparation, the better.”
Forewarned is forearmed, huh.
I quite liked the operating principle.
I left the bank with my bankbook in hand, feeling rather pleased, and stepped outside.
After that I boarded the waiting carriage and headed toward the shopping district of Deleson.
* * *
Before choosing clothes I decided to satisfy my hunger first.
I stepped into a convenient restaurant and had a somewhat late lunch.
Only after that did I head to the shopping district of Deleson.
“Hmm. Which one should I pick?”
I had never been to the shopping district of Deleson before, and with so many shops it was hard to decide where to start.
In Nedville territory you could count the shops on one hand—four at most.
Here, though, even a quick glance suggested at least thirty.
That kind of abundance naturally triggered choice paralysis.
Regular clothes, sure, I could just walk into any store and buy whatever. But…
“The tailcoat is the real problem.”
The only money I had left was thirty gold.
I had spent a lot during the journey to Deleson because of accommodation. After I entered the palace I had not left the grounds, so the money had simply remained.
I had only spent the ten gold for the account-opening fee.
“Ah, what’s the point of worrying out here? Let’s just pick the first one I see.”
I scratched my head and walked into the nearest men’s clothing store. And I was surprised.
It was properly stocked with not only regular clothes but also tailcoats.
“Welcome!”
The shop owner hurried over to me.
“I’m looking for clothes and a tailcoat.”
“Which would you like to see first?”
“Clothes first.”
The owner led me to the clothing section.
Part of me wanted something cheap, but if I was going to wear it inside the palace as well, I needed something good.
And buying something good had another advantage—when I later resold it, I could get a higher price.
‘I’ll wear it well for a year and sell it when I leave the empire.’
Or even sell it in that other country.
Thinking that way, I felt a little more relaxed and chose two rather expensive sets of clothes.
Next came the tailcoat.
I honestly did not know what was good, so I asked the owner to recommend something suitable.
“Sir, how about this?”
“The fabric feels nice. The color is good too, and the price is…”
I trailed off there.
Fifty gold?
Was the owner really trying to sell me an overpriced item?
“Hey, is there anything cheaper than this?”
“This is one of our most popular items. The price is relatively reasonable.”
This was reasonable?
I tilted my head as the owner brought out another tailcoat. The price listed was at least double the first one.
“Of course you know, but if you want custom sizing here, there will be an extra charge.”
“How much?”
“Including alterations and delivery, twenty gold.”
“Hmm…”
So buying the fifty-gold coat would actually cost seventy gold!
More than double what I currently had.
‘Should I just wait?’
But I quickly erased the thought.
I was not really interested in clothes anyway, and going back later would be a pain.
“Fifty gold, then.”
“Yes, sir! I’ll take your measurements right away.”
The owner measured me with quick, efficient movements.
Then he asked if there was anything else I wanted.
“Just like this.”
“Yes. The tailcoat is seventy gold. Including the clothes you bought today, it comes to eighty gold.”
I handed the thirty gold to the owner first.
“Is it possible to pay later? I work in the palace, after all.”
While saying that I took out the staff badge only imperial employees could possess.
Fortunately the badge was engraved with the imperial seal, and the owner recognized it at once.
“Of course! As an imperial staff member, that is no problem.”
“When you come to deliver the clothes, I’ll pay the rest then.”
Good thing I showed the badge.
I asked the owner to deliver all the clothes at once, then left the store.
I still had about two hours until I needed to return, but there was nothing else to do.
“I might as well head back.”
I had already started preparing escape funds.
I turned toward the palace.
* * *
The weekend passed, and Monday came around again.
The day I hated working most during the week.
But this Monday was different. Why?
“We will pay your salary statement from last month.”
The day I finally received my first paycheck!
Of course the word “salary” made me happy, but it was not just me. A faint smile played at Mulia’s lips, and Flora clapped with joy.
“Let’s start with Flora.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Flora shot up from her seat with a bright voice. Cecilia placed the statement in front of her.
Next was Mulia, of course.
Only after Mulia had returned to her seat did my name get called.
“Luke Nedville.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I wondered how much it would be.
I stood before Cecilia’s desk with high expectations. She handed me the statement along with the bankbook.
The bankbook prepared by the Secret Bank.
I was momentarily startled, but I bit down on my teeth to hide my emotions.
“From now on your salary will be paid into this account. And once every quarter we will check your spending record, so please keep the account tidy.”
“I will remember, Your Majesty.”
I guessed I would be using the Secret Bank often.
“One more thing. During the probationary period you will receive only ninety percent of the regular salary. Note that. Starting next month you will receive the full amount.”
Only after Cecilia finished explaining could I finally return to my seat.
Now I had to look at the numbers.
“Oh…”
The amount on the statement was a whopping one hundred eighty gold.
That meant the actual salary was nearly two hundred gold.
That was quite a good income. Saving half of it for a year would come to twelve hundred gold.
Twelve hundred gold could build a mansion on the level of a duke’s residence.
Even if my whole family moved to another country, we could live comfortably for several years.
I took a moment to think about how I would spend this month’s salary.
‘One hundred gold for savings at the Secret Bank, fifty gold for the clothes… then thirty gold left over.’
What could I do with that thirty gold to make people say I had spent it well?
While I was still pondering, the faces of Mom, Cyril, and Emma suddenly came to mind.
Ah. I could give them gifts!
But I did not know what women liked, so I needed advice.
Of all the people I knew, there was only one woman I could ask about gifts—Flora Delise Simonian, the daughter of the Marquis.
‘I’ll ask her after work.’
After finishing my duties, I had dinner, then went to Flora’s room.
“Oh my, Luke-ssi. What brings you here at this hour?”
“I need your help, Miss Simonian.”
“Help? Sure, I’ll do anything I can.”
How easy it was to deal with someone so cheerful.
Mulia and Cecilia should take a page from Flora’s book.
“I want to give gifts to my mother and younger sister back home, and my childhood friend, but I don’t know what women like. Could you perhaps advise me?”
“Ah, perfect timing. That is my specialty.”
Flora straightened her shoulders, radiating confidence. Seeing her, I suddenly felt assured.
“Do you know the tastes of family and friends?”
“…”
Suddenly my mouth went dry.
Cyril liked flashy things, so that would be easy. But Mom and Emma were the problem.
“It seems you do not know. Then I cannot give good advice…”
As soon as I said that, Flora clapped with a sudden “Ah!”
“Let’s do this! How about we go shopping in the market area together this Saturday? While you look at things, inspiration might strike.”
“Oh! What a good idea.”
Just like that, I made plans to go shopping in Deleson’s market area with Flora, just the two of us.