I’m sure His Highness Arnold wouldn’t welcome the idea of anyone painting him, but I wonder if somehow a miracle would happen and he’ll allow it. If a craze starts with him, and spreads from the upper classes to the common people, portraits can generate huge profits …

“My, Rishe-sama, you look so serious. Can I help you?”

“Mrs Khan. I’ve been working on a plan from what I’ve learned at this evening party and use it to revitalize economic activity.”

“That’s totally wonderful!”

A well-dressed marchioness, who was smiling sweetly, appeared in front of Rishe.

The good natured lady smiled and said, “There’s someone I would like to introduce to you, Rishe. This is Baron Vehlman.”

Along with her introductio, a tall man with a neatly trimmed moustache stepped forward.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rishe.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Baron. I’m glad I’m able to greet you here today.”

While plucking the hem of her dress and curtsying, Rishe scanned her memories. She had memorized all information related to the Garkhain aristocrats.

Baron Vehlman – a clan whose previous head built a fortune as a merchant and was granted a barony.

When Rishe looked up, the baron was smiling gently.

He was indeed calm with the bearing of a gentleman.

“I normally would have been afraid to have a word with the future Crown Princess, but after hearing of Your Highness Rishe from my old mother… I wanted to pay my respects by all means even just once, so I asked Madam Khan to intercede.”

“Mother, you say?”

“Yes. I was told that Rische-sama recently became a customer of my mother’s shop.”

Immediately, a buzz stirred around them.

The people who had been chatting with each other looked at Rishe in astonishment. Some spoke in whispers, but Rishe heard them perfectly well.

“No way, that dour old woman …!”

“Not even the previous Empress had the chance to be that shop’s customer, you know? That’s …”

After overhearing the exchange, Rishe figured the Baron’s mother.

“Could it be…”

“Thank you for your jewelry purchase. My mother was very pleased to have you as her first customer in a long time.”“Did you hear that? Rishe-sama even bought jewelry from that store…!”

The buzz got louder and louder, making Rishe confused.

I-Is it kind of a big deal…

She did say “choose my guests”, but she never thought it was something that would cause a stir in social circles.

So she gently corrected him with confidence.

“Actually, I just picked out the jewelry in the store. It was His Highness Arnold, not me, who bought the jewelry from your mother…”

However, that caused a third round of buzzing.

“His Royal Highness Arnold has given a lady a jewelry…!”

Yeah, he surprised me there too…

She replied deep inside and decided to keep her mouth shut.

The Baron smiled, then changed the subject flawlessly.

“Our foolish son has been absorbed in drawing designs since he got home. If there’s anything you don’t like, please let me know. I’m at your service.”

“Nonsense, the design I received was very beautiful and delicate. I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished product.”

“That’s great to hear. It would be a great honor for my family if the future Crown Princess wore it.”

Rishe was suddenly struck with curiosity and asked the baron.

“Speaking of which, I was told that a craftsman from Koyor is here and that the production time for the rings will be greatly reduced. Does a change in craftsmen shorten the progress by that much?”

“… Rishe-sama, the truth is, we don’t have any skilled craftsmen in Garkhain.”

Rishe was surprised by this unexpected reply.

“If you want to produce elaborate jewelry, you need a skilled craftsman, and the closest one is in Koyor across the sea. The period of time required for production is mostly spent on transportation. But this time, we have a craftsman in Garkhain and we would be able to save time, so that’s perhaps why mother told you that.”

The lady, who was listening nearby, asked the Baron.

“I thought inconvenience was the cause of the slow production of jewelry. So, that’s actually the case. But why are there no craftsmen in Garkhain?”

“It’s the by-product of the war, Madam.”

“Oh dear…”

The lady’s eyes widened, but for the same reason that Rishe had imagined.

“Garkhain is a country that honors valor, isn’t it? Many young people hone their skills in swordsmanship and martial arts. Thanks to that, the few jewelers there were originally has further declined due to the recent wars.”

She saw such a similar scene in her life as a merchant. When fewer people bought new jewels, there were no more jobs for the craftsmen, so they all went off to war as soldiers.

Any job that required manual skills would become rusty if their fingertips weren’t used. And an injured fingertip would make it even harder for them to return to work after the war.

I guess the sights I’ve seen in future wars have been recurring in past wars… Many countries with top-grade metal ornaments have been reluctant to participate in the war effort. Even Koyor, which has a lot of skilled craftsmen, played a major role in the war, but all they did was support their allies.

Besides, Koyor, a snowy country, couldn’t leave the house during the winter. The fact that they spend a lot of time indoors and that gems could be found in the country was probably another reason why it was the soil where artisans were nurtured.

“There are many blacksmiths, though. The skill of forging iron that can be used as a weapon and the skill in processing metal are two completely different things… Oops. This isn’t the kind of topic that should be discussed in front of women.”

The lady hurriedly concurred with the baron’s words.

“Yeah, you’re right, Baron. Your fondness for war stories is a bit poisonous to the ladies… I’m sorry for engaging to hear scary stories, Lady Rishe.”

Rishe politely bowed and thought.

Garkhain thought they had gained a lot by winning the war… But even in this undefeated country, they’ve lost some things.

On a second thought, it was perhaps a matter of course.

However, it felt somewhat strange for Rishe, who had only witnessed countries defeated by Arnold in her former lives.

She was tempted to hear more, but she couldn’t outrightly say so. She smiled and feigned interest in continuing the conversation, while searching for signs of her target.

Count Rovine is talking to someone on the other side by the wall.

After confirming this, Rishe suddenly realized.

… Are His Royal Highness Arnold and Prince Kyle going to the balcony?

When she followed their aura, she saw Kyle taking Arnold out to the balcony to avoid public scrutiny.

“— Mrs. Kahn, Baron Vehlman, please excuse me for a moment. My friend seems to be on his way over there.”

Rishe left and quietly followed Arnold and Kyle.