It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Louise from the Lant family.

　We were ushered to a table in the back of the room, and a beautiful woman gracefully spoke to us.

　Her clear blue eyes were slightly lowered, giving her a gentle impression at first glance.
　She had a high nose and small lips. Her skin was white and translucent.
　The tips of her golden hair, not quite a vertical roll, but extending to her chest, swayed in a curling arc.

　She is truly a picture-perfect young lady.
　She is probably less than twenty years old.

　She lifted the edges of her lips to form a smile, then bent her petite body elegantly to make a kingdom-style greeting with the corner of her forehead forward.
　It was the perfect embodiment of ladylike charm.

Nice to meet you. I'm Paula Alvarez. I see I've kept you waiting for some time.

　It was Paula, the daughter of a noble family, who returned the imperial greeting with her tail lightly peeking out from her back.
　The woman who introduced herself as Louise gave a small shake of her head and continued the conversation.

I'm sorry for barging in on you at such short notice without informing you beforehand. I just couldn't stay. ....... Oh, please have a seat.

　With those words, a pan-racial woman in a maid's outfit pulled the back of a chair for us.
　This woman had dark hair, a slim body, and a pretty face.

"So, you wanted to see us, sir?
Yes, sir. I have brought your order. I'd like you to check it first.
Young lady, it's already dark outside.

　When the maid behind her shouted in her ear, Miss Louise fluttered her long eyelashes.
　I'm not sure if you've heard of this, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

You're right. I apologize for that. I was in a hurry.
So, what did you bring me?
Oh, I didn't tell you that either. I brought you a loom.
Oh, thank you very much. It's just what I wanted.
Yes, so I've heard. I also brought a special weaver with me this time. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask her.
"That's very kind of you. Thank you very much for your kindness.　


"No, I'm glad you like it.

　The ladies smiled happily at each other.
　But to me, who was present, it was too sudden and I didn't know what was going on.

　It is true that a loom is an item that I want as much as I can get a few fingers around my throat.
　And it would be very nice to have a craftsman to teach me how to use it.

　However, a loom is an item that costs at least two digits in gold.
　If you take it lightly, you can be sure that things will turn out very badly later on.
　In the first place, you said you were going to place an order, but this matter has been entrusted to Hans-san, so I'm sure one of us won't ask him to do it on our own.
　Yes, that would be .......
　Also, these two women look vaguely familiar: .......

　No, we need to check first.
　Who, why, and how did the loom come to be here?
　When I casually looked at the maid lady, expecting a detailed explanation, she shrugged her shoulders as if troubled.
　No, we're the ones who are confused. .......

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.　Miss Paula.

　It was a calm woman's call that came from behind us at the right time.
　Her voice was so firm that we could easily tell who she was without turning around.

"Yes, please. Noemi.
"Well. The Louise over there is the daughter of the Lant merchant who deals in yarn and fabric in the territorial capital of Octogone.

　With that one word, a lot of things fell into place for me.

"Oh, is it possible that Hans-san mentioned this before?
Yes, the lady I helped before is her grandmother. I think that's how we ended up in this business meeting.

　Last time, Hans and his friends were returning to the village when they rescued a carriage that had been attacked by bandits.
　One of the passengers was the mother of Mr. Jörg, the president of the Landesverein, who had been invited to the house as a benefactor of their rescue.

　In other words, it seems that Hans-san was right to order the loom.
　Probably, he dropped by the Landesverein on his way to the capital to finalize the deal.
　And she personally brought it here.

I thought you knew about it. I apologize again.
I apologize for not recognizing you sooner. Thank you again.
I have this for you. Please.　

　While Paula and Louise were smiling at each other again, the maid lady behind me presented me with a letter.
　The sender's name is Hans.
　When I opened the letter, the dark-haired woman's eyes widened in surprise for some reason.

　When I read the letter without paying attention to it, I found that the content of the letter seemed to confirm the conversation we had just had.


　The two looms you ordered have already been paid for.
　And as for Miss Louise's request, her parents are satisfied.

"Requests?
Yes, I've been longing for the simple life of ...... the countryside for a long time.
I've already arranged for a carpenter, so there's no need to bother. We've already arranged for the carpenters, so there's no need for you to worry.
"Huh?

　As the maid lady continued to speak, I hurriedly turned my attention to the rest of the letter.
　It said that the Lant Trading Company had offered to build a trading post in this village.
　Furthermore, Miss Louise wanted to be personally involved in the management of the trading house.
　She also said that she was able to purchase a loom at a reasonable price because of this offer.

　In addition, the second page of the letter mentions an unavoidable situation, which also requires a meeting to be called later.

...... "Hmmm, so the process is the same.

　I see, the village chief must have thrown the whole thing to me. 　
　I'm doing my best not to let anyone see me from the outside, but if they live inside, they'll soon find out how abnormal this village is.
　I can't make a decision on such an important matter on my own, and I can't stretch out my response to someone with a family name.
　Considering our future relationship, it is definitely a matter that I should make a decision as soon as possible.

　I just don't know what brought me here.
　When I looked behind me for an answer, I saw that Noemi's face had become rather grim.

"Could it be ......?
"Perhaps it has something to do with Hans?

　Paula seemed to have sensed this as well, and asked me for an answer.
　It's very possible, but it's too much for Hans to have even the young lady captivated. .......

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.
　Paula smiled her usual relaxed smile and spoke to me instead of answering.

What can I do for you?　Sir?
"Huh?
Huh?
Well... You're welcome, Miss Louise. Welcome to our village.
What?

　Apparently, the lady and her maid didn't realize that I was the head of the village until just now.