Knock knock.
Ashley jumped out of her seat when she heard a knock on the door of the largest studio used by the painters in the annex of the Grand Duchy of Blair Estate.
“Who's there?”
“It's Bonita.”
“Oh, come in.”
When the door opened, Bonita entered carrying a large bundle of documents in her arms. She also had a basket hanging tightly on her arm, filled with hot biscuits and fresh orange juice that had been squeezed early in the morning.
Ashley rushed forward to take the documents from her.
“This is…”
“From Mrs. Marigold. Miss Lennie has made some further adjustments.”
"I thought so. I've been waiting for this."
Even though they spoke in coded language, both Ashley and Bonita knew exactly what the heavy package was.
This was the next episode of the story “Safety Rules at the Duke's Haunted Mansion,” which Bonita brought to Ashley at Lainey's request.
In other words, this was the outline that Ashley would work on all night to turn into storyboards.
“One moment.”
After asking for some time, Ashley glanced at the papers. Although the contents were cryptic, she knew the rules and had no difficulty understanding them.
Once again, Ashley could breathe a sigh of relief.
“Ms. Pa—I mean, Ms. Marigold is really wonderful.”
They were not behind schedule, but Baroness Bablon was in the habit of sending parcels a day or two early. Because of this, Lenny's work schedule also gradually advanced, so receiving the materials on the actual deadline made it seem late in comparison.
Still…
“Is there anything I need to fix or get to Miss Lennie?”
“No, it's perfect!”
The finished product Ashley received was so well made that it was understandable even if it arrived late.
The previous issue of “Safety Rules in the Duke’s Haunted Palace” ended with an important event that tied all the threads together tightly. For this reason, Ashley was concerned that starting a new episode would be confusing.
But Baroness Bablon has proven that this concern is completely unfounded.
How could Miss Lennie find someone like her?
Ashley silently admired Lainey's talent for finding just the right people and putting them in just the right positions.
"I feel great. But Ashley, it's good to focus, just don't forget to eat something too, okay?"
Bonita said as she took out the snacks she brought and put them away.
“There is a rumor circulating in the Grand Duchy that painters do not get enough sleep these days.”
“Ah, haha… Well, a lot of the people who were helping us are gone, so we got into this situation.”
Ashley, and the other painters too.
The reason they were all working so hysterically, which was known even among the estate staff, was the sudden absence of the apprentice painters.
“It must be stressful. But I'm sure the good guys will join us again soon! Just be patient!”
Ashley gave Bonita a faint smile of encouragement, but her mind was already occupied.
At best, we can last another month like this.
Consuming physical energy was not sustainable.
Now that they are paid decent wages, the artists' quality of life has improved, as has their appearance, but keeping up with this kind of workload on a daily basis has had a negative impact on them.
Ashley secretly hoped that the day would never come when she would have to tell Lainey that she couldn't keep up anymore.
***
Handle!
After stamping the final document and organizing the papers, I let out a long sigh as I looked at the towering pile of files on my desk.
“It's finally over...”
From early in the morning until now - at a time when I would usually finish lunch and enjoy dessert - I have not rested a single moment. I sat at my desk and worked nonstop.
“I need to rest.”
My head felt very hot, so I jumped into bed without hesitation.
However, my mind continued to process everything that happened normally.
First and foremost, blackout curtains.
The refund amount was not as high as I thought.
I saw for myself the number of people crowded into Lady Lenny's leather workshop.
Baroness Bavron also expressed her concern, saying that the newspapers of the imperial capital had dramatically exaggerated the incident.
Given that the blackout curtain refund scandal has been making headlines even abroad, we expected the size of the refund to be massive.
But what do you know? The actual amount refunded was less than 10% of total sales.
Of course, we did a lot of preparation work beforehand.
First, we sent letters to customers explaining how to hygienically wash and treat blackout curtains, and detailing the manufacturing process.
At the end of the letter, we also included a promise: Even if they can't come to Blair's ducal territory, we will still process refunds – in an effort to restore trust.
Of course, we also explained that since the product being made of beast skin is not a defect, only 70% of the cost will be refunded.
After that, the number of people requesting refunds decreased significantly.
Maybe everyone is used to not living without blackout curtains?
Morning sunshine streaming in and waking you up even if you don't want to be awake – no one enjoys that.
لكن مستخدمي ستائر التعتيم اكتشفوا طريقة بسيطة للغاية لتجنب ذلك الضوء المبهر.
Once one becomes accustomed to comfort, one cannot go back. إلا إذا كان هناك بديل أفضل بكثير، بالطبع.
I bet a lot of people would rather hang huge leather curtains on their windows than deal with annoying sunlight.
Of course, it was also important to acknowledge that about 10% of consumers have an aversion to faux leather. This means that we need to think about developing alternatives, even if they are more expensive.
لكن ذلك كان مهمة مستقبلية، وليس قضية ملحة تتطلب حلاً فورياً.
لذا فكرت في أن بإمكاني التفكير في الأمر ببطء.
“Haaa…”
While the blackout curtain situation is largely under control...several unresolved issues remain.
أولاً، نقص الفنانين المشغولين.
ثانياً، المشاعر السلبية المستمرة المحيطة بزجاجات الترمس.
Once the chaos over the blackout curtains had subsided, Lady Elegance began making exaggerated reports to newspapers and magazines – claiming that defects in the imitation Thermos were in fact defects in the original Thermos.
وانضم صحفيون آخرون إلى هذه الموجة، محاولين كل منهم إثارة الجدل بطريقته الخاصة.
“Until now, I didn’t fully understand the inner workings of the Klitan Empire, so I couldn’t respond effectively.”
Naturally, I was more informed than average when it came to the administrative tasks I dealt with at SALT or known facts.
But I had no idea how rumors started or spread in the Klitan Empire, and I was not privy to the sensitive information that the nobles were exchanging among themselves.
These were things I could only learn through direct involvement in the Kleitan community.
So I made up my mind.
“حتى لو كنتُ شخصًا انطوائيًا…”
Even if I'm a typical introvert, I run out of energy five times faster than average when meeting strangers in unfamiliar places!
“يا ماركيزة أمبروز، لدي أمر أود أن أطلب مساعدتك فيه.”
باختصار شديد، انتهى بي الأمر مدعواً إلى حفلة الماركيزة أمبروز.
The event was officially described as a cultural gathering or book club, but in reality, it was a gathering of noble ladies and young ladies who loved “Safety Rules for the Duke’s Haunted Palace.”
My request to the Marchioness was as follows: Do not invite me as a distant relative of the Ducal House of Blair, but as one of the creators of the comic series “Safety Rules for the Duke’s Haunted Palace.”
This way, I will be able to win them over and integrate into the group more naturally.
Yes, I have a plan too.
The flight was scheduled for tomorrow, so if I didn't want to be late, I had to start packing.
However, should I lie down a little longer first?
My stomach was growling from skipping meals to go to work, but getting out of the comfy bed seemed like an incredibly daunting task.
At that very moment—
Knock knock.
"Ah, ma'am! Are you in there?"
I heard Bonita's slightly trembling voice from outside.
"Huh? Bonita, what's going on?"
Maybe it's because I've been going through different kinds of chaos lately.
I rushed to the door, thinking something had happened again.
And then-
“The Grand Duke... sent you a lot of dresses and accessories!”