Lady of the Lord From the East

[Edited] Chapter 14

The master tailor was a trusted old hand, long employed by the Williams family. He lived in a nearby town and, upon receiving notice from the butler, hurried over with his apprentice, cleaning up all morning before arriving.

Alongside the tailor came the shoemaker.

They brought fabrics and leathers specifically tailored for Wei Wei, as well as several sets of ready-to-wear shoes.

This was a timely solution for Wei Wei, who was currently wearing Dolores' ill-fitting clothes with no suitable replacements.

The clothes and shoes they brought fit perfectly. Wei Wei suspected they had been pre-altered to her size, as they matched her waist and shoe size precisely.

Wei Wei's primary concern for shoes was comfort and ease of wear. She couldn't adapt to the pointed-toe shoes popular at the time and asked the shoemaker to remove the excessively long toes, preferring a more modern leather shoe shape.

"If possible, make the soles higher, like this."

To help the shoemaker understand her request, Wei Wei asked the butler for parchment and used a quill to draw a pair of chunky heels.

"This heel shouldn't be too high, about three centimeters—the height of three fingers side by side. And add some anti-slip patterns under the heel, like this."

She also sketched several common patterns.

"Can it be done?"

The shoemaker examined the parchment carefully. Wei Wei, having studied art, though not as a major, drew clear and precise designs.

At this time, although pointed shoes were popular in Europe, they didn't yet have the absurd lengths of later years, so shoemakers were still accustomed to making round-toed shoes.

However, he had never made shoes with heels before.

Still, the shoemaker assured her that he could make them with his professional expertise.

He cautiously asked, "Miss, what material should be used for the heel? Won't gold or silver be too heavy?"

Wei Wei's mouth twitched at the thought of gold and silver: "No, wood will be fine. You can try using lightweight and sturdy wood. If it doesn't work, just make ordinary soles."

"Any specific requirements for decoration?"

"No, full leather will do, nothing fancy." Wei Wei glanced at the embroidered shoes on her feet. If she needed elaborate shoes, she could handle it herself.

The shoemaker also eyed her shoes. He had never seen such a sophisticated style, clearly not made of leather, yet more refined than anything he had ever crafted.

Wei Wei then drew several styles of shoes and ordered short and long boots. The shoemaker confirmed he could make everything except the soles, satisfying her requirements.

Wei Wei's shoes didn't need much decoration and were mostly leather, so they weren't very expensive, but she ordered a lot and requested high-quality leather. After some thought, the shoemaker quoted a price of ten silver coins.

Wei Wei had figured out the currency exchange rates of European countries at the time: 1 gold coin = 20 silver coins = 240 large copper coins = 960 small copper coins.

The purchasing power was surprisingly strong.

Four small copper coins could cover an adult commoner's daily food expenses (two meals). While commoners didn't necessarily earn one silver coin a month and often bartered goods, ten silver coins were not cheap.