***
The next day, after lunch, Seria had a cozy afternoon, and as announced, a merchant came to visit her in the main hall.
“Good afternoon, Grand Duchess Berg. I am truly honored to be here.”
The merchant bowed deeply and smiled. It wasn’t a sales smile. He seemed sincerely happy to be here.
“The butler contacted me beforehand. He said the Duchess is going to do extensive work on the garden of the main castle. I have brought some samples from my shop.”
He seemed to have brought a tremendous amount of samples with him.
Naturally, there were no cameras in this world. Perhaps because of this, realist painting was very well developed. The painters could capture things in the paintings as if they were photographed.
Then Seria was naturally waiting for a book of samples, but what was brought in the parlor was unexpected.
“…”
She was at a loss for words when she saw the huge number of pots. There were dozens of potted plants that were all bonsai.Their weight wasn’t out of the ordinary, but did that many just now come all the way from his shop?
“Isn’t it a bit too much work to bring all these trees?”
“It’s an honor that the Grand Duchess called us, so we must show our sincerity. Please don’t feel pressure and take your time to look around.”
It was understandable that the merchant would do this. Considering the area of the garden of Berg’s main castle, it was not a sensible size, especially when one had to ride a horse to get from the garden to the gate of the castle.
Seria calculated that if she chose a single tree, the merchant would be able to sell enough trees to form a forest.
She explored the small forest of bonsai trees. In fact, to her eyes, they looked very similar.
“Are there any garden styles that are in vogue these days?”
“Yes, Grand Duchess. Of course.”
The merchant hurriedly took out a booklet. It was an extraordinary book, with gorgeous gold leaf painted on the cover.
‘The book is very fancy.’
At a quick glance, it seemed to be a book that was made separately for an important client. As Seria flipped through the good quality thick paper one page at a time, she suddenly heard a knock at the door. The door opened and Ben walked in, politely announcing that O’Bron had arrived.
Unlike yesterday, he came fully prepared with his servants and a lot of papers. O’Bron glanced at the booklet Seria was holding and gulped. Seria said to him,
“One moment, please.”
“Yes, yes. Take your time, Grand Duchess.”
O’Bron’s demeanor was so different from yesterday’s that he even became a tea fetcher himself. Seria was surprised, because she thought he would be rushing to sign a contract as soon as he arrived. O’Bron also served the tea to the merchant, and spoke cautiously, pointing with his chin to the booklet.
“You’ve taken great care of your business. Only elegant decorations to match the Grand Duchess’s new garden.”
“You have eyes, sir!”
The merchant was delighted with O’Bron’s praise.
“Actually, this booklet is not meant to be shown to any guests.”
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The Tragedy of The Villainess
Historical FictionStory not mine ... From Wuxia Worldsite