Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 3.4 - Chapter Pr

Prologue 

In the midst of a cool mid-spring breeze, Tuuli was out and about, shopping with her mother Effa and her childhood friend Lutz. It was a tradition in Ehrenfest for girls to switch from knee-length to shin-length skirts upon reaching ten years of age, which meant she needed to prepare clothes for her upcoming birth season. 

The apprentice contracts that started at the same time as one’s baptism also tended to end when one became ten. A child would thus need to decide whether they wanted to renew their contract at the same workshop or move to an entirely new one. It was a significant crossroad, to say the least. 

Once her contract ended, Tuuli would be joining Corinna’s workshop as an apprentice leherl—the very goal she had been working toward for the past two years. It was currently only a verbal agreement, meaning they had yet to sign any contracts, but there was no way that the Gilberta Company or Corinna’s workshop could go back on their word when she was the personal hair stick craftswoman for Lady Rozemyne, the archduke’s adopted daughter. Thus, she was preparing for the move without worrying too much about it. 

Next summer, I’ll be a leherl just like Lutz. 

It would mean saying goodbye to all the friends she had worked with over the years, but Tuuli was walking on air, having come one step closer to her dream. She briskly reached the city’s central plaza before turning back to look at Effa and Lutz, who were following behind. 

“So, Lutz—where to now?” she asked. 

“We’ll be ordering your workshop clothes, as well as a Gilberta Company apprentice outfit, since you’ll occasionally be accompanying them to the temple as Lady Rozemyne’s personnel. It’ll be easier for us to place these orders first, as that way we don’t have to carry the other clothes we’re buying today around with us. That’s why we’ll be starting with Corinna’s workshop.” 

At Benno’s request, Lutz was accompanying Tuuli today. She thought it was really impressive that he was always looking after others and helping them like that. 

“Thanks for helping with this, Lutz. I know you didn’t have to come.” 

“No worries. Master Benno asked me to, and I’ve gotta get my summer clothes as well.” 

Lutz took the lead, starting to explain where they were headed. Once they had passed through the plaza and entered the north part of the city, the atmosphere became noticeably more high-class; the passersby were wearing visibly more expensive clothes, and their tones were much more polite. 

As she noticed her mother looking around hesitantly, Tuuli came to realize that, at some point, she herself had simply gotten used to going to the north part of the city. While she still felt nervous going into Corinna’s workshop, walking around outside wasn’t stressful at all anymore. She giggled to herself, looking around as she continued to follow after Lutz. 

I wonder if other people mistake me for a northerner now? 

“What’s with the grin, Tuuli?” 

“Lutz, Mrs. Corinna personally invited me to join her workshop so that I could make Lady Rozemyne’s hair sticks. Isn’t that amazing?” 

Any apprentice knew what a proud achievement it was to have another workshop specifically ask you to work for them. Lutz congratulated her with an amused smile, but Effa looked a little exasperated. 

“Tuuli, you shouldn’t say things like that in public.” 

Other craftspeople would certainly empathize with how significant it was for Tuuli to be scouted, and her coworkers always made a point to celebrate the apprentices moving to new workshops. But she was a poor southerner moving to a rich northern workshop—something that barely ever happened. It was likely that she would attract more envy than sincere praise for her good fortune, and in such a cramped city, it was much easier to live if you avoided attracting unnecessary resentment. 

Tuuli puffed out her cheeks in response. “I know, I know. But what’s the problem? Nobody around here even knows us.” 

She instinctively knew that this wasn’t something she should openly talk about, even to her friends, which was why she had refrained from bragging no matter how much she wanted to. When people asked what her plans were, all she could do was respond with vague answers. 

“Lutz has already joined the Gilberta Company, so I should at least be able to talk to him about this. It’s not like I mention it around the neighborhood. How could I go on about joining Mrs. Corinna’s workshop when Laura’s upset that she might not even be able to stay at our current one?” 

Everyone in Tuuli’s current workshop knew that she was often invited over by Corinna to make hair sticks, so they could surely piece together where she was moving if they thought about it for a second. But even then, she had tried to avoid outwardly saying it to anyone besides her family. 

“Yeeeah... Leherl contracts are a big deal to anyone who’s worked hard for them, but you can’t really talk about ’em when others are having a hard time just getting their current contracts renewed. Since I’m already a leherl and won’t be changing stores, I can’t say I understand how rough the envy gets for people who are changing workshops... but I get that you’ve been working hard, Tuuli.” 

Lutz spoke without a trace of resentment, and his words helped to ease Tuuli’s heart just a little. She had always kept her silence when people started talking about their contracts, but even then, they often looked at her with jealousy. The fact that Lutz was treating her the same as always was a relief. 

“You might not know how hard it is to change workshops, but you still really struggled at first, right?” Tuuli asked. 

Right after his baptism, Lutz had joined a big store in the north part of town as an apprentice merchant, without his parents’ introduction or any experience in the business to rely on. Tuuli was getting confused from all the differences just moving to another workshop in the same industry, and yet Lutz had been thrust into a new world at a much younger age without anyone to guide him. 

“You know, Lutz... If you hadn’t gotten into the Gilberta Company, then I wouldn’t have thought it was even possible for me to join Corinna’s workshop. You really are incredible.” 

“Hey, that’s all thanks to Myne. I only got in because she negotiated with Master Benno, and having access to her workshop in the temple gave me a chance to prove my worth to the store,” Lutz said casually as he looked at Tuuli. “My place as a leherl is only secure right now because I’m their connection to the archduke’s adopted daughter. I mean, sure, I worked hard as well, but... Yeah. 

“Aren’t you in the same boat, though? You were able to become a hair stick craftsman because Myne taught you how to make them yourself. And now that she’s asking for your hair sticks as the archduke’s adopted daughter, the Gilberta Company’s desperate to get their hands on you. You’re working hard to make the best hair sticks you can, for sure, but Myne’s the one who paved the road ahead for you.” 

Normally, nobody would entrust the crafting of a hair ornament meant for the archduke’s daughter to an apprentice who wasn’t even ten years old yet. Everyone wanted to personally work for the archduke’s family, so adults would snatch that kind of work away from kids by saying they weren’t ready for it or something along those lines. The only reason the Gilberta Company hadn’t done that was because they understood that Myne wanted to see her family, and Lutz was making it clear that Tuuli was only in the position she was thanks to her little sister preferring her hair sticks. 

“Right... That’s true,” she replied. 

Tuuli could remember back when Myne had collapsed all the time, barely been able to help out, and frequently ended up bedridden with fevers, and these memories were so deeply ingrained in her mind that she initially found Lutz’s words hard to accept. But her current situation really had only been possible thanks to Myne. 

“That’s why I’m not gonna let anyone beat me when it comes to printing and paper-making. You’ve gotta do the same and hone your skills so that nobody can make better hair sticks than you. There are eventually gonna be adults coming outta the woodwork who are better than you, and if their hair sticks are way more impressive than yours, you’ll end up losing her business.” 

Were the Gilberta Company to sell the archduke’s adopted daughter inferior hair sticks while other noblewomen had access to better ones, it would be seen as a disgraceful form of mockery. 

“Tuuli, do you know what’ll happen if your hair sticks end up looking worse?” 

“I won’t be able to see Myne anymore, right?” 

“Nah. Corinna and Master Benno would never risk angering Myne by doing something like that. You’d still go to deliver the hair sticks, of course, but they wouldn’t be yours. You’d have to give her ones made by someone else, all while pretending that you made them yourself. You wouldn’t want that, would you?” 

Tuuli shook her head; that was the last thing she wanted. She once again steeled her resolve to keep working hard, determined to keep working for Lady Rozemyne. 

“Why, if it isn’t Lutz and Tuuli. Benno told me that you’d be arriving soon,” a familiar craftswoman said as they entered Corinna’s workshop. “Lutz, you can handle the paperwork while Tuuli and I go to the changing room to get her measurements done. You have other urgent errands that you need to finish today, don’t you?” 

The craftswoman swiftly guided Tuuli and Effa to the changing room in the back. There were several seamstresses there, who instructed Tuuli to remove her clothes so that she could be measured. 

“It feels so strange making work clothes for you after all this time. I mean, you’ve been coming here for two whole years now,” one seamstress said to Tuuli once she was in her underclothes. 

Effa smiled, sensing that Tuuli was already welcome in the workshop. “We’ll be coming to sign her contract at the end of spring. Everyone, please take good care of my daughter.” 

“Oh, we will. She’s been coming here to teach us how to make hair sticks for years, but now we’ll finally be working together. I’m sure it’ll be wonderful.” 

Tuuli could feel her nerves starting to fade as everyone welcomed her with open arms, and the lingering fear that her joy was sure to be met with tragedy slowly began to ease. 

“You’ll need a Gilberta Company apprentice outfit for when you deliver goods to the temple, right? We’ll go ahead and measure you for that as well, then.” 

As measure after measure was placed against her body, Tuuli couldn’t help but feel a little strange. She had helped to measure Myne and Brigitte in the past, but this was her first time getting made-to-order clothes from a workshop. As a seamstress herself, she was excited to finally be on the other side for a change. 

“Given how fast Tuuli has been growing, we should make the clothes a little too big for her,” Effa said to a seamstress. “Otherwise, she’ll soon grow out of them and we’ll need to order new ones.” 

“Shall we make the skirt a little on the longer side, then?” a seamstress replied. 

Tuuli put her clothes back on while her mother was busy talking to the seamstresses, and once the order was done, they exited the changing room. 

“All done getting measured, Tuuli? C’mere, then. The shoemaker’s here,” Lutz said. 

No time was wasted before Tuuli was seated in a chair and measured again, this time for leather shoes. She desperately struggled to hold back her laughter as her ticklish feet were touched all over. 

Myne said that getting measured was rough. Now I understand why! 

Once Tuuli had finished ordering the clothes she needed, Lutz, Tuuli, and Effa went to the high-end used clothes store that they had visited several times since Myne first bought clothes for her there. Today, they were looking for things to be worn in the north of the city, namely a bodice and a shin-length skirt suitable for a ten-year-old girl. 

“I’ve gotta buy some clothes of my own, so let’s split up and each get what we need,” Lutz said, before promptly heading to the boys’ section. Tuuli moved to the girls’ section with Effa, who looked visibly worried about buying clothes from such an expensive place. 

“So, Mom—is this long enough?” Tuuli asked, showing her the skirt she had just put on. 

Effa bent down to get a closer look, then stood back up with an amused smile. “That should work. It looks a little long on you right now, but come autumn, you’ll be glad to have that extra length.” Watching Tuuli try on one skirt after another seemed to have made her a lot less tense. “Now we need to get you a bodice. Hm... How does this one look?” 

Tuuli took the bodice from her mother. It was like a vest, except the front was fastened together with lace, and girls started wearing them at ten years old to give them a prettier figure. She began to put it on, tightening the garment until it was pressed firmly against her body. 

“I think I’ll need a bit more practice before I can do it perfectly,” Tuuli mused as she twisted from side to side in a mirror, feeling a little more like an adult than before. In her own opinion, she actually looked pretty good. 

As Tuuli smiled to herself, Effa tapped a finger against the lace of the bodice. “There’s a knack to tying these so they don’t come undone. What you’ve done here will come loose before the end of your workday. You’ll need to practice before summer comes, but in any case—is this the one you want?” 

“Mm... I think this other one’s cuter. What do you think?” Tuuli asked, holding up another bodice that had caught her eye earlier. 

Effa’s face clouded over slightly. “It’s definitely cute, but don’t you think it’s a bit much to wear to work?” 

The two agonized over the choice for a while, before eventually spotting Lutz dumping the clothes he had picked onto the counter. Tuuli called out and started to wave him over. 

“Lutz, Lutz. Which of these would be better for a Gilberta Company apprentice?” 

“Since you’re gonna be a leherl, you should probably get both.” 

“Both...? But I don’t need that many. I can make do with one,” Tuuli replied, but Lutz shook his head. 

“As a leherl, you won’t just be going to the north part of the city whenever Corinna calls you; you’ll be living there. You’re gonna want a few changes of clothes, especially with summer coming up.” 

It was true that Tuuli would need several pairs of clothes suitable for her new living arrangement, but the thought of just how expensive that would be made the blood drain from her face. She gloomily cradled her head, while Effa stood in place looking visibly shaken. Who could blame them? These clothes were far more expensive than the ones they usually bought. 

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about the cost. We’ve got a pretty big budget here thanks to everyone’s favorite moneybags,” Lutz said, pulling out a guild card from somewhere beneath his shirt. It turned out that Myne had given him her entire savings from before she became Rozemyne, telling him to use it to keep her connected with her family and to help Tuuli achieve her dreams. 

“Hold on, Lutz—just how much did Myne end up making?” 

“Seems like she’s stealthily been adding money from her more recent earnings to it, so I can’t give you an exact amount. Either way, she’s making a ton more now that her work’s expanding in scale,” Lutz replied, averting his gaze as he placed the two bodices onto the counter. “Anyway, don’t sweat it. Just buy what you need so you don’t end up embarrassed when it’s time to work. I’m thinking you’ll need one more skirt and another bodice. Probably two or three blouses, too.” 

At that, Tuuli and Effa hurriedly went to fetch what Lutz had said they’d need. The small mountain of clothes on the counter was only getting taller, but Lutz seemed completely unfazed, casually asking the cashier to have it all brought to the Gilberta Company. 

“Let’s keep going. There’s a lot more that we need to buy,” Lutz said, before once again walking ahead. 

Tuuli was surprised enough that he was leaving the store empty-handed despite how much they had bought, but she was even more surprised that there was apparently more to buy. “Wha...? A lot more?” she asked, her eyes widened. “But we got all the clothes we needed...” 

“I just remembered that you’re gonna need new work tools and stationery. You’re gonna get a room now that you’re a leherl, right? That means you’ll need plates and stuff, too. We could put this off until you’ve moved there, since that’s when you’ll actually need it, but you can only use this card when I’m with you, so we might as well get it done now.” 

Lutz took them to all sorts of stores, all the while thinking back to what he had needed to buy when he moved into his room at the Gilberta Company. They ended up with pens, ink, boards, plates to be used with other leherls, and so on. These were all things that Tuuli never would have thought to buy on her own. 

“We owe you so much, Lutz. All this preparation really was beyond me,” Effa said, shaking her head with a tired expression. She was glad that her daughter’s dream to work at Corinna’s workshop in the north part of the city had come true, but it was completely unlike working in a poorer workshop, both in terms of the clothes they wore and the tools they used. 

As a result, she hadn’t known what Tuuli would need, how much she should be paying for her supplies, or what the other apprentices would be using. She was nothing but grateful for Benno’s consideration, both in sending Lutz over to help and looking after the money that Myne had left them. 

“I never thought Tuuli would be leaving home so soon...” Effa mused, the reality of the situation only just setting in now that they had bought so many household goods for the move. Once summer came, her daughter would be living an entirely different life. First Myne, and now Tuuli—her children kept leaving the nest, and a little sooner than she would have liked. 

“I’m a little scared about leaving home, but I’ll be fine as long as Lutz is there,” Tuuli said, patting her mother on the arm to console her. “Isn’t that right, Lutz?” 

But much to her surprise, Lutz crossed his arms and frowned a little. “I dunno... We might not be able to stick together for too long.” 

“Huh? But why? Are you gonna quit...?” Tuuli asked, both her and Effa looking at him with wide eyes. What was he even saying? Leherls couldn’t just leave their jobs. 

Lutz glanced around, then lowered his voice. “Can you two keep a secret? Tuuli, I’m only gonna say this ’cause I know you’re joining the Gilberta Company as an apprentice soon.” 

After swearing them both to secrecy multiple times, Lutz paused, continuing only once they had gotten back to the poor part of the city where those related to the Gilberta Company rarely ever went. 

“Master Benno’s planning to step away from the Gilberta Company to make a new store that deals in paper and books.” 

As it turned out, the Gilberta Company was making too much money from printing and paper-making when it was supposed to be a clothing and accessories store. And since these thriving new industries had been actively started by the archduke’s adopted daughter, it was clear that they would only keep growing over time. 

“Lady Rozemyne’s caused the industry to grow way too much since she was adopted. Plus, she’s already proposed some original clothing designs that’ll probably end up starting new fashion trends, hasn’t she?” 

Corinna was still desperately finalizing the clothing design that Rozemyne had given her for Brigitte’s outfit, and in the case that it became popular with nobles, the Gilberta Company’s status would be boosted even higher. Tuuli understood that. 

“The other stores are pretty desperate to get in on these new industries, and Master Benno sure got a stern talking to during the last meeting of all the large store owners. He’s gonna have to start a new store for printing and paper-making so that he can split the profits and protect the Gilberta Company’s share in the clothing market.” 

“Mm? It isn’t good that he’s making lots of money?” Tuuli asked, visibly confused. She didn’t really understand why Benno had to protect his store when it was doing so well. 

“Making money’s great and all, but when it causes other stores to start getting envious of you, that leads to problems. It’s the same reason why, even though your move to a new workshop is good, you’ve had to keep reasonably quiet about it,” Lutz explained, which made everything click into place. It certainly was important to avoid making other people jealous. 

“Plus,” he continued, “Master Benno’s planning to take his new store and stick with Lady Rozemyne no matter what happens or where she ends up going. She’s funding the entire printing industry right now, and she’s his biggest customer, so nothing will start or move forward without her. Her passion for printing is more important to him than sticking in his home duchy.” 

Nobles often moved to other duchies for the purpose of marriage, and the same fate could very easily befall Rozemyne; since Ehrenfest was fairly weak compared to other duchies, it was entirely plausible that she might one day need to leave for political reasons. In such a case, Benno was prepared to join her personnel and relocate his new printing store to wherever she ended up. 

“But he wouldn’t be able to do that with the Gilberta Company,” Lutz explained. “They’ve got existing customers, connections, and a trusted reputation; they can’t just throw these things away for Lady Rozemyne’s sake. Corinna in particular really cares about staying in her hometown, which means that if Lady Rozemyne does end up moving somewhere else, the Gilberta Company won’t be following her.” 

“But I want to go with her!” Tuuli exclaimed. She knew that the Gilberta Company couldn’t give up everything it had worked so hard to establish here in Ehrenfest, but she was signing with them specifically so that she could keep being Lady Rozemyne’s personnel; not following her if she left would defeat that purpose entirely. “I guess I should sign as a lehange instead, since leherls are tied to their store...?” 

“Nah, nah, nah. That’s not what I’m saying here. We don’t know for sure if she’ll end up moving to another duchy. This is all just a maybe. Plus, you’ll really want to sign as a leherl if you can—it’ll totally change how you’re treated, and that’s important for poor people like us who don’t have any real backers to support us. Everyone will look at you differently.” 

Lutz had gone from being a lehange to a leherl apprentice, so there was no denying that what he was saying was the truth. 

Tuuli grit her teeth. “I mean, I want to sign as a leherl too, for sure, but my dream isn’t to join the Gilberta Company. It’s... It’s to become a top-class seamstress, and to make her clothes for her someday. I promised her I would.” 

What mattered to Tuuli more than anything was the promise she had made to Myne right before the archduke adopted her. A gentle hand patted her on the back, and she turned to see Effa looking down at her with a slight smile. 

“Tuuli, there’s no point worrying about these things on your own. You need to talk to Mrs. Corinna about this. We haven’t signed a contract yet, so let’s think hard about what will be best for you,” she said warmly. 

At that, Tuuli nodded, letting out a quiet sigh as they walked back home together. Never in her life had she thought she would need to debate on whether or not to sign a leherl contract.