Volume 5, Act 43: A Calm and Bustling Spring

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One day in the spring of Cordelias 14th year.

Cordelia was entertaining her childhood friend, Vernoux in the warm flowery garden.

Your house has a lot of flowers like always.

Theyre beautiful, arent they?

Well, it seems like a scene that women would like.

The topic of flowers was brought up, but Vernoux still didnt seem interested in flowers and was stabbing his cake with a fork. As usual, he preferred sweets over flowers.

Todays sweet was a rare springy cheesecake made with checkerboard layers of strawberries and pistachios.

Then, Ill report it before I forget. I was contacted yesterday, and they told me that they can obtain all the books I requested for the mobile library next month.

Thats good. You can get that light illustration picture book that seemed difficult to obtain, right?

Yeah. I asked for some books personally when I placed the order, and they promised that they could get them, so I dont need to worry.

Some, you say How many books did you order, Dilly?

Oh, its still within the range of my allowance.

Just how much is this 『allowance』?

Vernoux shrugged. Cordelias allowance was from the profit she made with trades, and shed purchased books on cultivation methods and medicine plants, which were necessary for her research.

Three months have already passed since they had started the book loaning plan for the villages around the royal capital, commonly known as the 『Mobile Library』, together with the noble children.

Cordelias father, Elvis, set up their head office and consulted with them about speciality products, and they consulted with Vernouxs father, Marquis Flantheim, about which types of books to loan. Both of them made additional proposals, but they didnt reject the childrens recommendations, and the project advanced roughly how Cordelia and Vernoux had planned.

The reason why the project wasnt rejected was that the planners of the mobile library plan, had a review meeting in advance. They had the villages listen to what books would be selected and got opinions from librarians who would be employed as the book managers and shopkeepers of rental bookstores.

Incidentally, Vernoux is the chairman of the review meetings.

Vernoux wanted to leave it to Cordelia, but she insisted that it would be easier for him to make the call. The review meeting wasnt made up of all the donors; it only consisted of enthusiastic people, including those who got along with Vernoux, like Myles and Clifton, and Hazel, who Vernoux wasnt good at dealing with. Hazel had been very serious and had made firm remarks during the meeting, but she had been assertive, and it had made Vernoux run away immediately after the meeting had ended.

They found bad roads that need paving on the route, and there was an accident, but its generally going well. It was worthwhile to plan.

Yes.

By the way Dilly, Im curious about something whats that in the middle of the table?

Vernoux had changed his tone and glanced sharply at a transparent bottle on the middle of the table. The bottle contained small cubes wrapped in thin paper and was also put there for decoration.

Would you like some?

What? Theyre sweets? Are they good?

I like them.

Cordelia stood up, picked up the bottle, walked up to Vernoux and opened it in front of him.

Have one.

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