OBWESB 18

Chapter 18

Indebted Beyond Measure

Cheers to a full house!!

For what? For the shop I opened, of course!

Did that happen fast? Well, I am a man who gets things done! (Strike a pose)

Though, how do I put it… I feel like the tension inside my own mind has been escalating day by day. How strange… I’m pretty sure I wasn’t quite like this in my previous life. I suppose it’s the backlash from constantly suppressing my true self in public.

If someone out there had the exact same ability as me, they would probably be utterly repulsed by the sheer gap between my outer facade and my inner thoughts… definitely. Ah, thinking about that suddenly brought me back to reality. Now that I’ve cooled my head, let me introduce the shop.

The shop’s name is Liliana.

The origin is a play on the name of our household’s reincarnated maid, Miss Lilia!! Truthfully, I spent a lot of time brainstorming all sorts of chic, overly complex names, you know? But then again, I am terrible at that kind of stuff. Even in my previous life, there were high-end clothing boutiques or sophisticated patisseries whose names I couldn’t even read, let alone remember. I ended up frequenting those places for ages without ever actually knowing what the shops were called.

Therefore, simplicity is key!

If anyone ever asks about the origin, I can just say it was inspired by her idea for the macarons, which simultaneously serves as an excellent countermeasure against getting exposed as a reincarnator.

I am a man who prioritizes self-preservation.

“It is a massive success. It looks like we will be securing regular customers in no time.”

Smiling pleasantly right before me was a genial young man with dark brown hair and eyes.

“As expected of Lord Kaiser. Your foresight is truly exceptional.”

As Rif, who sat beside me, let out a satisfied smile, the young man nodded vigorously in agreement.

“Please leave the management to me. I will absolutely live up to your expectations.”

…How dependable. He is incredibly dependable, but… a twist of guilt is making my stomach ache just a tiny bit.

Our current location is Liliana, situated on the central street of the Royal Capital. However, we aren’t in the storefront, but rather in a small backroom that doubles as an employee break space. As the owner, I sneaked in here to secretly check on the shop’s status.

“I hope I haven’t pushed you too hard, considering you have your own family business to attend to?”

Out of sheer guilt, my brow furrowed slightly.

“Not at all. I am nothing but delighted to receive the opportunity to be involved in a business venture such as this.”

The young man before me was Alan, the second son of a major, well-reputed merchant family in the Royal Capital.

“Furthermore, Louche is completely thrilled at the prospect of being useful to her big brother.”

And details aside—he happens to be the husband of Rif’s younger sister, which makes him Rif’s brother-in-law.

When establishing a shop, a store manager is obviously required. As the eldest son of a Ducal House, I naturally cannot stand behind the counter myself, nor do I have any intention of publicly announcing that the shop belongs to me. While advertising that fact would undoubtedly boost sales, it would simultaneously bring along a mountain of troublesome social obligations.

I had been searching for a manager and staff without any concrete leads, which was when my exceptionally talented attendant, Rif, stepped up to volunteer.

When he first put himself forward, I did hesitate a bit, you know? I knew where Rif’s younger sister had married into, so I easily anticipated that he would tap into their employees. I felt quite guilty about causing them trouble.

But at the same time, I had absolute faith in any choice Rif made…

As a result of giving in to that sweet temptation, instead of just regular employees, the second son of a major merchant family ended up becoming the store manager! His wife—Rif’s sister—is currently out front working hard to serve customers as a shop assistant. The rest of the staff were also hired through the merchant family’s connections.

Ah… despite saying I didn’t want to cause trouble, I am relying on them immensely.

No, I mean, look. Under normal circumstances, I’m supposed to be the heir to a Ducal House, right? Yet, because of my sheer selfishness regarding yielding the peerage to my younger brother, I already feel incredibly guilty for handing Rif the short straw in life. Even though Rif comes from a lower-ranking noble family, he is brilliantly capable, and with that unique ability of his, he could easily climb much higher in society… His older brother, who is the heir, and the rest of his family are incredibly wonderful people, so instead of complaining, they treat me with nothing but kindness. To pile on top of that by dumping work onto his sister and her husband who married into a merchant firm…

Even so, they really are incredibly dependable in reality. Because they are absolutely brilliant at what they do.

“Both the macarons and the chocolates are remarkably cute and beautiful, so there is no doubt they will become popular for both personal indulgence and as gifts. Moreover, that packaging… The concept of making it not just beautiful, but designing it so that the wrapping can be reused as a charm, alongside the message cards that double as bookmarks, is simply magnificent.”

Perhaps because he was a merchant to the core, Alan’s calm tone suddenly filled with intense passion the moment the topic shifted to the merchandise.

“I had initially considered more glamorous, jewelry-like pieces. However, after listening to my sister and friends, I decided to go with smaller-scale accessories.”

“From Lady Beatrix?”

“Yes, my sister attends the academy, you see. While one can wear flashy accessories in everyday life or at social gatherings, the same cannot be done at the academy. I figured that even if it isn’t something they can wear on their person, a charm they can attach to their bags or pen cases would bring them joy.”

“I see. What an excellent angle to approach from. That was a blind spot for me…”

Resting his chin in his hand, he immediately began evaluating whether he could apply that same logic to his family’s main business. He really was born and raised in a merchant house through and through. He never lets a business opportunity slip by.

“Once people start sporting them at the academy, word will spread like wildfire. We might need to reconsider our production volume. You there, bring me the inventory sheet for a moment.”

His speed in switching gears was truly impressive. Quickly shifting his focus back to Liliana, Alan called out to a young lady (a staff member) who happened to be passing by. Responding instantly, she brought over the inventory sheet, and Alan immediately huddled with Rif to debate the finer details.

I’m sorry. Even though I am the owner, I am the one struggling the most to follow the conversation.

Ah, wait, that’s wrong. The one struggling the most was Lilia, who occupied an honorary advisory position. I guess I’m second.

“Thank you very much. We look forward to your next visit.”

Miss Louche sent off the final customer of the day with a beautiful smile, accompanied by several other young ladies on the staff. The very moment the customer was completely out of sight, fist-pumps and high-fives were exchanged all around.

“Excellent work today, everyone.”

When I stepped out of the backroom to greet them, a chorus of high-pitched squeals erupted instantly—though, only within their minds.

Oh, wow, incredible!! Even though their inner voices are screaming “Kyaaa!!” at the top of their lungs, the expressions the young ladies directed at me to reply with a polite “Thank you for your hard work” were a display of perfect, unflinching archaic smiles. Seeing those serene smiles that didn’t betray even a hint of their inner thoughts, I witnessed the sheer height of their customer service skills.

“Today was just our first day, but I look forward to working with you all from tomorrow onward as well. Also, please take this.”

Accompanying my words, small boxes were distributed to each of the young ladies.

“Could this perhaps be…?”

“Yes. It is a set of macarons and chocolates. Please accept it so you can familiarize yourselves with the shop’s flavors. And furthermore…”

I let out a soft chuckle at the young ladies, who looked thoroughly surprised by the sudden gift.

“Please be sure to assist us in spreading the word about Liliana as well.”

Tied to the small box with a ribbon was a dainty charm. They came in various shapes like moons, stars, and flowers, featuring delicate craftsmanship adorned with genuine, albeit small, gemstones. The design was perfectly balanced—not overly childish—resulting in a finish that adult women could easily use.

If you want people to advertise a product, the best way is to have them use it firsthand!

“”””“Thank you very much!!”””””

The voices of the young ladies, all sporting radiant smiles, harmonized perfectly.

As mentioned before, the primary merchandise of Liliana consists of macarons and chocolates.

Coupled with the fact that delightfully colorful macarons did not exist in this world yet, the reception was overwhelmingly positive. The chocolates featured beautiful, intricate designs, and the combination sets of chic chocolates and adorable macarons successfully captured the hearts of the female clientele.

Furthermore, we added the previously mentioned charms and bookmarks to the packaging. Having heard that at the academy—where uniforms leave little room for self-expression outside of hairstyles—small accessories draw a lot of attention, I made charms the flagship product exactly as planned. While hair ornaments could have worked, noble young ladies tend to wear incredibly expensive ones, and raising the price too high would prevent non-nobles from purchasing them.

In addition, I intend to make small pin brooches another flagship item. A pin brooch can be subtly attached to the edge of a uniform’s tie or ribbon. (Accessories themselves aren’t forbidden by school regulations, though one might get scolded if they are too flashy.)

The variety is kept at a moderate level—not too many, not too few. If the selection is too vast, human psychology dictates that people tend to suffer from choice paralysis.

By keeping the selection limited and rotating the lineup seasonally, we can stimulate the desire to purchase. It seems the weakness to the phrase “limited time only” remains universal across worlds. Furthermore, it’s human nature to want to collect the rest once you start accumulating them. While a massive variety from the very beginning deters people, a achievable goal like “just three more to complete the set” makes it much easier to justify a purchase.

In one corner of the shop, distinctly separate from the small charms used for packaging, we also set up a showcase for larger, more glamorous jewelry, which naturally carries a significantly higher price tag.

The sweets are priced so that wealthy commoners can afford them, while the jewelry in the showcase targets the nobility to thoroughly drain their wallets… though I suppose to a noble, it amounts to mere pocket change.

On our very first day, the shop unexpectedly sold out entirely before closing time, making for a highly auspicious start.