I Became a Clothing Designer in Another World - Chapter 6

"Which would you like to hear about first, the reason or the money?"

"Then... tell me about the financial matters first."

"Yes."

My mother seemed not to have anticipated that I would be so confident, as she revealed a flustered look while shaking her pupils severely, but she quickly composed herself and asked me to talk about the money first.

"Um~ First of all, the cost of making the clothes and distributing them to the maids comes out to about 9 gold. If we assume the lifespan of the clothes to be at least 5 years, the uniform maintenance cost will be about 1~2 gold per year. Mother, didn't you spend about 300 gold last year on maid-related maintenance costs?"

"... It was a little more than 270 gold."

"Considering that, it's not that big of an expense, right?"

"Can you tell me how you calculated it? Things like the price of the fabric and labor costs."

"Just a moment."

I took out the pen and notebook that I always carry with me from my pocket and wrote down the figures I used to calculate the cost of the clothes one by one.

「

Fabric: Cotton 2 silver per meter, Silk 10 silver per meter.

Amount of fabric needed per dress: 3 meters.

Aprons and hair accessories can be recycled from the existing ones, so there is no change in the existing cost.

Three sets of work clothes and one set of formal wear are provided per maid.

For the head maid and exclusive maids, the formal wear is made of silk.

There are a total of 13 maids in the mansion, including 1 head maid and 3 exclusive maids.

Therefore, 35 sets of maid uniforms made of cotton and 4 sets of maid uniforms made of silk are needed, for a total of 39 sets.

The labor cost to produce these is...

... Therefore, it is expected to cost a total of 8 gold 87 silver.

」

"I calculated it based on these criteria. Is there anything strange about it?"

"Hmm..."

When I turned the notebook 180 degrees and showed it to my mother, she picked up the notebook and stared at the paper as if she would pierce through it.

Then, my mother, who was moving her left hand busily on the table as if playing the abacus, stopped her left hand abruptly, smiled, and carefully put down the notebook.

"There's one thing that's wrong."

"Huh?"

"You have to include the maids who manage the mansion in the Imperial Capital, if you include those children, it seems like it will increase by about 10%, so the amount will be about 10 gold."

"Ah..."

I didn't even think about the townhouse in the Imperial Capital, so I sighed and bit my lower lip slightly.

Shame flooded in at the embarrassing ending, considering how confidently I had spoken.

As I blushed and stroked my neck, my mother smiled unexpectedly contentedly and tapped the notebook with her finger.

"Still, you've prepared better than I thought. I thought it was just a simple tantrum, but that wasn't it. Since you seem to have worked hard, I will now evaluate your plan not as a mother, but as the lady of the house."

"Please be a little gentle..."

"Hmph, not a chance."

My mother snorted lightly, and her eyes sharpened.

"......"

I straightened my back and swallowed involuntarily at the ferocious look in my mother's eyes, which I usually only saw when she was nagging my father.

"First, why are the maids' uniforms necessary? As you said, it's not a huge expense, but it's still an unnecessary expense. What's the reason for spending 10 gold in the first year and 2 gold every year?"

"It enhances the sense of belonging and increases loyalty to the family, and it can make the maids look more professional."

"Professional? Explain in more detail."

"Clothes play an important role in forming the image of a group. Creating maid uniforms is like setting a standard for maids, like soldiers or clergymen."

Just like how school uniforms bring to mind fresh students, and military or police uniforms bring to mind stiff and rigid people.

"And a unified uniform can give a clean feeling at a glance. It also helps to establish order and discipline and increases the sense of belonging. It makes the maids feel like they are members of the Count's family, not just here to work. If these things accumulate, people will say, 'Even the maids of the Count's family have dignity.'"

Of course, this image is based on the assumption that the maids are very well-trained.

If the maids are raised poorly, the maid uniforms will disappear into history.

"What good is that image to us?"

"Managing maids is the virtue of the lady of the house, right?"

"That's right, the affairs of the house are the lady's authority."

"A positive image of maids will help form the image of Heiss and the maids working in the mansion. The image of 'a woman who has learned how to properly raise and handle servants' is not easy to obtain."

"Hmm..."

My mother tapped the table with her finger and closed her eyes slightly as if to recall my words.

Only the sound of fingers colliding echoes regularly in the silence.

What words will flow from my mother's mouth when the silence is broken...

I'm nervous.

Waiting for my mother's answer with an anxious heart for a minute, her finger stopped, and my mother opened her eyes and uttered a word in a low voice.

"Too optimistic."

"Umm..."

An answer close to negative.

I bit my lower lip and let out a faint groan.

"You seem to be looking at only the excessively positive aspects, and it seems like you are exaggerating the effect of the image too much."

"I guess... so..."

My mother's subsequent words were also hard to find positive aspects in.

I tried to inflate the most positive elements as much as possible, but it was still difficult to deceive my mother's eyes.

Of course, it's strange to be fooled by such trivial wordplay since she's lived as a Countess for decades...

It was a shame.

I regret not sleeping more and preparing a little more, but it's already too late.

"Tsk..."

As I smacked my lips and smiled bitterly, my mother chuckled and added.

"Still, it's not a completely impossible story, and the idea of visually showing the professionalism of the maids doesn't seem bad."

"Yes, nobles like superficiality."

"Superficiality... that's not wrong, I'll give the maids' uniforms a positive review for now."

"Thank you."

I got a pretty good answer, but since it wasn't completely confirmed, I didn't let my guard down and waited for my mother's next question.

"Next, I'm curious about the reason for differentiating the formal wear for maids."

"The head maid or exclusive maids are unilaterally entrusted with tasks that the lady of the house can trust, so it is necessary to clearly show them that you have a certain amount of trust and confidence in them."

"We're already treating them pretty well, both materially and mentally."

"That's right, but as I said a little while ago, it feels different when it's eye-catching, and wouldn't it be okay to invest about thirty or forty silver more in the head maid who has worked in the mansion for more than ten years or the maid who attends to you by your side?"

"That's right, it makes sense."

My mother passed over this answer without any particular criticism.

"Then, what's the reason for distinguishing between formal wear and work clothes for maids?"

"Durability and ease of maintenance are important factors for work clothes, and neatness and beautiful design are important factors for formal wear. I didn't think it was possible to combine these into one type of clothing."

"Then what purpose did you make the clothes that Emily is wearing now?"

"For formal occasions."

"I see."

My mother's head moved lightly up and down, and her fingers began to tap the table again.

"Optimistic, and although there are some problems, the plan itself is not bad."

"Then..."

Unlike a little while ago, this time a positive answer came out first.

I waited for my mother's words, desperately hoping that the story that came out later would not be a rejection.

"If you can solve the problems I present within a set period, I will go directly to your father and help persuade him."

"Really?!"

A condition was attached, but my mother allowed it.

She would even help persuade my father if the results were good.

I wanted to run to her and hug my mother right away.

"Well, my son, who was always lethargic, is taking on a new challenge, so it would be disappointing if I was too picky."

"I really love you, Mother."

"That's enough, what are you saying so embarrassingly."

My mother waved her hand and was disgusted by the expression of affection that came from my heart.

But even so, my mother twitched the corners of her mouth and made the brightest expression she had shown today.

"And I'm only going to help if you solve what I'm saying, so don't be too happy too early."

"I'm just grateful that you're giving me a chance."

And she tried to make a solemn expression while uttering a warning that was not in her heart.

It didn't mean much though.

"First of all, it seems unfair to only make new uniforms for the maids, so I would like the butlers to have similar uniforms to the maids."

"Yes."

This was not a difficult request.

Since she's asking for something similar to maid uniforms, I can just refer to the knights' uniforms or tailcoats and make one.

As I smiled and nodded, my mother continued without delay.

"And I don't know if the clothes that Emily is wearing now are for showing off to others or if they are comfortable to wear while working. I want you to discuss it with Emily and bring back a revised design."

"Umm... Yes..."

I don't know what's ambiguous about it, but I nodded while answering with a reluctant look.

"And finally, don't just stay cooped up in your room all day, come out to tea time and have a cup of tea."

"Haha... Yes."

The last one was the nagging that my mother always does.

I wondered if she would even include such a thing as a condition, but when I thought about it, I had been skipping it a little too often lately, so I had nothing to say.

"Then... how long will you give me?"

"One week, is that possible?"

"It's possible."

I'm not sure, but I nodded with the thought that if I fail, I'll have nothing to eat, so I'll succeed no matter what.

"Hehe..."

Whether she liked my appearance or not, my mother hummed and picked up the notebook she had placed in front of her and handed it to me.

"Your confidence is good to see, I hope you bring good results."

"I'll do my best."

"Okay, this mother will go first, you can finish your meal."

"Yes, see you at tea time later."

"Hehe~ Okay."

With that, my mother got up from her seat and left the dining room with a smiling face.

I wanted to return to my room as soon as possible to fulfill my mother's requests, so I picked up a fork and knife and hurriedly shoved the meat into my mouth.

The slightly cold meat was a little chewy, but it tasted better than anything else to me right now.