A Marriage of Convenience /The Marriage Business

Ch.49

"Lace?"

Even the name was unknown to him. Vincent blinked and stared at the lace in Bianca's hand.

Bianca lightly grabbed the lace fabric with the tip of her fingers and waved it towards Vincent. Vincent leaned in, bewildered, and took the lace fabric.

It was incredibly intricate. The fabric and thread were intricately intertwined to create a beautiful pattern. He had no idea how the hell this could be possible. It was light and delicate, like cicada wings, and it was transparent and beautiful. Vincent looked blankly at the colorful fabric in his hand. It was impossible for him to admit that Bianca's hands had made something so precious and beautiful.

Seeing Vincent's perplexed gaze, Bianca remained calm, as if she had expected it. That's because lace was still in fashion.

It was when Bianca was twenty-nine years old, thirteen years after her return, that she heard the word "lace."

When Bianca registered at the monastery, it became a trend for the nuns to make lace in their free time.
At that time, the handcrafted lace was added to the operating funds of the monastery, and Bianca had to participate semi-compulsively to raise funds.

It was only possible because she stayed in a monastery where they could afford to use linen thread. After that, the other monastery Bianca moved to couldn't afford it, and she had to do other tasks to raise funds.

She didn't know that what happened back then would be so useful. So, she asked Vincent, who was still playing with the lace in his hand.

"What do you think? Can something like this be sold?"

"Of course... yes. If it's something like this, it could be sold at a high price."

Vincent partially revised the evaluation he had made of Bianca in his head. Even slugs have the ability to roll. Who would have thought that Bianca had such creative talent in addition to her talent for consumption?

This lace would absolutely sell.
Vincent's intuition, who had identified numerous luxury items while taking care of Bianca, said so.

But there's a problem... Vincent added with some concern.

"But breaking into the distribution channels won't be easy."

"Aren't we going to the capital next year?"

Bianca replied lightly. She had already thought it all through.

The basic method of making lace was still there. However, it was only possible to create a monotonous and uniform pattern.

What Bianca used was a technique that was developed later on. After sewing a pattern onto parchment paper, a long and wide string is attached along the pattern's outline. After that, the string is used as a scaffold to create a pattern with needle and thread, and once it's finished, it's peeled off the parchment paper. Then, a large outline is secured with a thick string, and a lace is created that is densely and delicately filled with thread.

After the technique was invented, a lace craze erupted throughout the continent. The gradually developed technology was used to adorn the uniforms of priests and even caught the attention of the royal palace.

The lace was precious enough to be called the jewel of thread, and it became the envy of the nobles.

Therefore, if she takes the lace to the royal palace next year, it will attract attention. Everyone will ask where she got it from, and Bianca can sit back and make money if she tells them to contact her territory.

The money she earns through her business can accumulate to a certain extent as her fortune. Additionally, since the people around her will recognize that she did this for the family, she won't be able to be expelled from Arno Castle. From Bianca's perspective, it was a business where she won in many ways.

So, how does she promote the lace?
Handkerchiefs are rarely taken out, and combining lace with clothing was a skill Bianca was not familiar with. At most, she could decorate the edges of garments. However, it was also difficult to attract attention by decorating just the end of the fabric.

So, how about a shawl or a veil? It's moderately large and eye-catching... excellent. Not bad at all.

Satisfaction spread across the corners of Bianca's lips.

"I will showcase this at the capital's banquet. If it doesn't receive much attention, I can tell the royal princess. Everyone will be very interested in the lace even if they don't say it. Then they will look for a connection in our territory, so you won't have to worry too much about the distribution channel."

Vincent significantly revised his evaluation of Bianca. It was a smarter move than he thought, she had even considered sales targets and sales channels. He felt relieved to confirm that it was only because she didn't want to do it, not because she couldn't.

Although Vincent is in charge of the estate now, at some point in the future, Bianca will have to take control. The idea of leaving Vincent's lifelong heritage in Bianca's hands was disappointing, but now he seemed to be able to put his mind at ease.

Vincent, somewhat exasperated by the unexpected turn of events, responded with a voice full of loyalty he had never shown towards Bianca before.

"Alright. Let's gather the maids. The maids can steal the technology, so I will select them strictly."

"I will trust you."

Bianca smiled as she looked at the butler, who was incredibly reliable in his work.

Her smile was as fresh and gentle as the lace in Vincent's hand. A smile that Vincent had never seen before.