I'm Done Being Your Best Friend

Why did I just think of it now? I also had a scarf made of this thread in my previous life.

“This thread is not made in the Empire.”

I said looking down at the embroidery. In the first place, if it was from the Empire, it wouldn’t have been difficult to find. Since it could not be obtained from the empire, wasn’t it recognised for its rarity and for that, entered the imperial family?

“Really? I’ve never heard of such a thing…”

Madam Ford tilted her head. I did not think I would see this thread here. I touched the flower embroidery with a renewed look.

In the southern part of the continent, there was a country called ‘Brew’. Most of the country was mountainous, and the people of the kingdom lived a nomadic life and raised livestock.

This was alpaca hair, imported from such a place.

I knew the future this material would bring. Because that was in my past too.

It was soft and light, and even the colour was natural when dyed. In addition, I didn’t know how it was able to work that way in detail, but it could keep warm in winter and was still light and cool to wear in summer. Hence, it could be used in any season.

Since being imported by the household of the Moore, alpaca hair had become a sensation in the kingdom. It was not only used for decorations like this, but even clothes would be made using fabric of this kind.

Strangely, people who sneezed whenever near animal fur were perfectly fine with alpaca fur. That’s why it became even more popular.

That said, the Moore family acquired even greater wealth thanks to it.

Then…What if I sabotaged it?

If it’s a product that would be imported by the County of Moore in the future, wouldn’t it be okay for me to import it now?

With that in mind, I asked Lady Watson.

“Lady Watson, do you urgently need to make a dress out of this fabric?”

“Pardon? No, not necessarily…”

“Then, please give this to lady Cruz. The one who was promised first is lady Cruz.”

“Even lady Nelson thinks it’s mine, isn’t it?”

When lady Cruz raised her nose in pride, lady Watson’s expression crumpled.

Instead, I spoke to the young lady of Watson.

“Maybe I can find a way…”

…To not only defuse the situation, but also steal the wealth that Daisy’s family would gain.

I decided to discuss it with Logan, whom I would meet the next day.

***

Logan took me to a coffee house on Lambert Street. There, where all the tables were divided into small rooms, Logan ordered me a coffee.

“The coffee here is pretty good.”

When the drinks were served, Logan explained, adding a sugar cube to my cup.

“If you want something that isn’t moderately sweet, one should be fine.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled and also put a cube in his cup. Then, holding the cup with a rose painted on it with both hands, I spoke up.

“I have a favour to ask of the duke.”

“What kind of favour would that be?”

Perhaps my words were unexpected, Logan tilted his head to one side. He looked at me while I had my head down.

I thought he was staring too hard, but I didn’t show it and started to talk about the business.

“I’m thinking of starting a business.”

“Business?”

He must have never thought I would bring up such a topic. Logan’s eyes widened in surprise, and he straightened his posture. I guess it’s a bit sudden. I looked at his expression and asked cautiously.

“Do you think it’s nonsense… ?”

“No, of course not. Please, tell me.”

Logan shook his head and spoke hastily. Still, it seemed he was willing to listen. I hadn’t gotten an answer from him yet (about whether he agreed to her favour), but I felt more relieved. Because I couldn’t talk about this unless it’s Logan.

I took a piece of cloth the size of my palm from my bag and put it on the table.

“Please look at this piece of cloth.”

It was something I had obtained from lady Cruz.

As Logan looked down at the blue silk, I pointed my finger at the white embroidery.

“This thread used for embroidery is alpaca’s fur.”

“Alpaca….?”

A look of wonder appeared on Logan’s face.

Needless to say, the name must have sounded unfamiliar to him. The kingdom hadn’t come to know of the existence of such an animal yet.

“Yes. It’s an animal that breeds only in Brew.”

The reason I wanted to tell Logan about this was simple. Logan was the only person I knew who had a good grasp of how business worked.

Of course, I didn’t intend to borrow his money. Even though we had made friends, borrowing money was another matter.

What I wanted him to help with was the process from starting a business to running it.

I took a sip of the thinly steamed coffee and continued.

“Alpaca’s fur is more valuable than sheep’s wool. I don’t know if you are aware, but even in the empire, it’s a kind of thread that’s treated as a supreme product. You can embroider on the fabric like this, or you can make clothes with it as well. In the empire, starting with the imperial family, it seems to be gradually becoming popular, but the Kingdom of Beland is still unaware of its existence.”

“I didn’t know that such an animal existed. How did Lady Nelson find out?”

Logan asked seriously. He must be curious, but I couldn’t tell him the detail that I came to know through the memories of my previous life.

“I read about the feature in a book. I got this thread by accident after going to a boutique.”

At that, Logan nodded with a ‘I see.’

I was glad he didn’t ask specifically. Now all that remained was to convince Logan.

“I want to import this thread from Brew. Considering the distance, I think it can be done at a lower cost than importing from the Empire.”

The Empire was in the northern part of Beland Kingdom, and Brew was a country further down in the southwest direction from Beland. It’s closer than the empire, so the transportation cost would be cheaper.

“I think it’s worth bringing this alpaca fur into Beland Kingdom. As it is rare, it can be sold to nobles as a luxury.”

Logan was a trustworthy person. I would never have brought it up in the first place if he were the type to listen to my thought and then used it for his own self-interest. It was something I felt while meeting Logan from time to time.

On top of that, he even had an eye for investing only in businesses that would succeed. He couldn’t be better suited to make a partnership offer.

“Could you do business with me? The duke must be very busy right now… but if possible, I would like to discuss business methods together. This business will surely succeed once we start it.”

I waited silently for Logan’s answer. As it was a sudden request, I understood that he might hesitate. If I got rejected, I would have to find another way…

As I was anxiously waiting for his words, it wasn’t long before Logan opened his mouth.

“You mean together with lady Nelson?”

“Yes.”

“Milady and I, just the two of us…? Selling this alpaca’s fur?”

“Yes. It’s like a partnership.”

I nodded. Is he thinking about the profit he will get from doing business with this? His words were inspective. That’s a positive sign, right? I was quietly anticipating.

And Logan’s answer came faster than expected.

“All right.”

I did expect to get an answer right here. But what I expected was ‘I’ll think about it’. Yet, after only a brief while, I heard his confirmation.

Since it’s a business deal, how could he make a decision only based on my simple explanation?

I was even more surprised even though I was the one who suggested it. I asked in bewilderment.

“Really? You’re really going to do business with me? I only have the will to start this business, I don’t really know anything about it…”

“I know that. It doesn’t matter.”

T/n: simp -_-