Chapter 65
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 65
In the early days of the venture, those who served the Lord felt a twinge of guilt about focusing on profit. Catherine had even lost sleep, wondering if they were exploiting the divine for material gain.
But when those profits allowed them to readily welcome children from the Eper Orphanage, provide stipends for the monks’ hard work, and increase their soup kitchen service in the slums from once a week to twice, Catherine’s heart changed.
‘Lord Yawar answered my prayers for help. He sent Sister Harriet to our convent.’
In the past, the sisters of Saint Clarissa and Harriet had wept together over their bleak reality, but now they faced each other with smiles. If this wasn't divine providence, what was?
“We will do our best,” Harriet said. “Above all, we will not let greed take root.”
“I believe you.”
Harriet smiled brightly and gathered her things. She needed to hurry if she wanted to meet with Emma, Sophia, the soap workshop staff, and Marie, the head of the herb workshop.
However, as she stood up, the first thing she noticed was the snowfall painting the world outside the window a pristine white. She had simply assumed the room was bright because it was daytime, not realizing the light was reflecting off a fresh blanket of snow.
“Oh… it seems I’ll have to impose on you until the snow melts, Mother Superior.”
Only then did Catherine seem to realize it was snowing. She walked to the window, pushed it open, and stretched her hand out into the air. The wind blowing in wasn't as cold as she had expected.
“Hmm. It looks like it will keep snowing until tonight. It’ll pile up a bit, but it should all melt in three days at most, so don’t worry too much.”
“Does Lord Yawar tell you things like that, Mother Superior?”
“You just get a feel for it when you’ve lived in one place long enough. If the snow is going to pile high enough to stop a carriage, the tip of my nose starts to sting.”
Harriet decided to trust Catherine’s intuition. The thought of staying overnight at the convent actually brought her a sense of ease; she found she preferred it this way.
Emma, who had come to guide Harriet, raised her hand the moment she heard the news.
“Sleep in my room! I’ll take the floor!”
It was obvious to everyone that "sleeping in the same room" really meant staying up late to gossip. Catherine chuckled and offered a more suitable solution.
“There is a room with two beds that we keep for travelers. Sister Harriet and Emma, you two can sleep there tonight.”
“Yes, Mother Superior!”
Emma’s expression was one of pure delight. She likely had no idea how much that enthusiasm meant to Harriet.
‘I thought I’d never have a friend again in my life.’
Emma felt more like a younger sister than a peer, but the distinction hardly mattered. Feeling another person’s genuine affection settling into her life was so joyful that Harriet didn't feel the need to question the nature of their bond.
* * *
Perhaps because it was Holy Festival Week, another visitor arrived at Saint Clarissa Convent.
“Welcome, Your Grace. I hope your journey wasn't too arduous?”
“It has been a while, Mother Superior. I apologize for arriving without prior notice again, but I am grateful for your warm welcome.”
Cedric Kailas, visiting for the second year in a row, was the picture of a gentleman. Although he claimed he hadn't sent word, Catherine had more or less expected him. A month ago, a letter had arrived from a retainer of the Kailas family, asking "what the convent most urgently needed."
Cedric had already donated 200,000 Dirham toward the expansion of the soap and herb workshops. Catherine had politely sent a letter of refusal regarding further gifts, but she had a feeling he would show up regardless.
‘For a man of the Duke’s standing, there must be dozens of grand cathedrals vying for his presence.’
While she was grateful he hadn't forgotten their small convent, her curiosity continued to grow. Cedric, however, maintained a relaxed expression, as if his presence here was the most natural thing in the world.
He followed Catherine into her office. After exchanging brief pleasantries, he produced an envelope and handed it over.
“Please use it for a good cause.”
He hadn't brought a chest full of physical coins like last year, but Catherine suspected the amount was similar. A donation any smaller would be a blow to the prestige of the Ducal House, after all.
‘Does this mean larger denominations are more convenient for us now?’ she wondered, reminded once again of the convent’s improved circumstances.
Catherine offered him warm tea and expressed her gratitude for his multifaceted support of the soap business.
“Thanks to your additional donation, the expansion of the workshops is nearing completion. If you hadn't helped us then, we wouldn't have been able to keep up with the demand.”
“I simply did what was best for my interests as an investor,” Cedric replied, humbly deflecting the credit. “It is I who should be grateful to the sisters and monks who maintained such high quality despite the grueling schedule.”
Donating a massive sum to a business that would take years to see a return was not something just anyone would do. Catherine found herself growing increasingly fond of the Duke.
‘I still can't quite read him, but he doesn't seem like a bad person.’
Besides, wasn't his primary reason for investing to "repay" Saint Clarissa for the help they provided when he was in dire straits?
With a proud heart, Catherine explained the current state of the convent and the production process for their products. Cedric listened, nodding silently, before speaking cautiously once she finished.
“I don't know how you will take this, but I believe <Saint Clarissa Soap & Herb> shouldn't just be a place that sells soap. The range of items should be expanded, and it might be wise to change the name to something simpler…”
Catherine’s eyes widened in surprise, and she pushed up her glasses.
“You are saying the exact same thing as Sister Harriet. Did the two of you discuss this?”
“What? Has Miss Harriet Listerwell already been here?”
“She arrived yesterday. She suggested we abandon the current name, which is a bit of a mouthful, and create a brand called <Clarissa>. She also suggested diversifying our inventory beyond soap and toner. What was it she said? Something about ‘weaving in our own narrative’...?”
As Catherine relayed Harriet’s ideas, Cedric found himself feeling a bit flustered.
‘Was I a step too late…?’
Recalling that Harriet had mentioned various products in her initial business proposal, the diversification was predictable. However, it was surprising that her branding strategy was identical to his own.
‘Harriet Listerwell… she certainly has a knack for business.’
She had even promised to hand over the entirety of the business rights to the convent once it was stable. To care so deeply about a venture that would eventually leave her hands was truly admirable.
“Did she say anything else?” Cedric asked.
“She believed that if we focused on quality, design, and storytelling, <Clarissa> would be even more successful. She was up late into the night talking with the workshop managers.”
“What time did she leave?”
He asked out of concern for a woman traveling alone after sunset, but Catherine shook her head.
“The snow piled up, you see. She stayed here last night. We need the snow to melt before we can send someone to the lower village to call for a carriage, and the storm didn't let up yesterday…”
Cedric paused, staring at Catherine, before the realization hit him.
“Then… she is still here?”
“Yes, that’s right. She might even have to stay another night.”
Cedric’s gaze fell to the teacups on the table. Indeed, the closer he had gotten to the convent, the deeper the snow had become. The carriage he arrived in was sturdy enough to handle the mountain roads, but a hired carriage from the village would not be. To a common coachman, the risk of a broken axle would outweigh the fare, meaning Harriet would be stranded until the roads cleared.
He looked up, his long eyelashes fluttering.
“Since my carriage is already here, there is no need to call for another. It is also dangerous for a woman to take a hired carriage alone in this weather.”
Catherine’s eyebrows rose in pleasant surprise. “Sister Harriet will be delighted! Thank you for your consideration, Your Grace.”
“She is my business partner, after all,” he replied smoothly.
Not long after, Harriet entered the office at Catherine’s request.
“You called for—oh?”
Harriet noticed the man sitting opposite Catherine before she even saw the Mother Superior. His presence was far too commanding to ignore.
“If I had known you were coming, I would have offered you a seat in my carriage, Miss Harriet,” Cedric said.
“I, too, had no idea the Duke would be visiting.”
Even if she had known, she likely wouldn't have dared to ask for a ride. Catherine watched the two of them, sensing a strange, awkward tension vibrating between them.