Third Arc: Eighteenth Chapter

The next day, on a fresh day after our first meeting. This time, Anje included, we visited a shop that Elliot ran. It was different from yesterday's shop, a big place like a department store, and its reception room was quite spacious too.

Elliot, who had shown us to the reception room himself, launched into business the moment he sat down on the sofa.

"So then, Lady Cosette. About the goods to sell in Lumelica. These high heels, the riding boots, the riding wear, they are fine enough to present straight to the royal family. But more than that, this material called 'rubber,' I would very much like you to teach me how it is made..."

Wearing a merchant's face now, Elliot stole a glance at my expression. But the method for making rubber was House Edelweiss's exclusive technology, a top secret kept entirely under wraps. Even to Lady Remie's husband, I couldn't just hand it over. Well, Elliot surely understood that much, so this was probably only a light jab. A "lucky if she tells me" sort of thing. I made a troubled face and smiled vaguely.

"...I have left that matter to Father, so I can't decide it myself. The rights and such are all so complicated. Oh-ho-ho."

In truth the final say rested with me, so I could have told him, but it really was too complicated, and I had genuinely dumped the whole thing on Father. Still, playing a part like this somehow made me feel like a proper merchant, and it was rather fun. Perhaps thanks to my splendid acting, Elliot's cheek was twitching. He must have thought me a troublesome business partner.

"...Being told 'oh-ho-ho' now, of all times, is somehow... pff..."

So that's it. It seemed that in Elliot's mind I had become a complete oddball.

"...Ahem. By the way, how about the beauty and health goods? I would very much like to recommend these as well."

I pushed forward and brought out the health goods I had carried with me. On the long carriage journey to Lumelica, the one that came in especially handy was the aodake-fumi, the bamboo foot board. Perfect for economy-class syndrome, which has been talked about here and there in Japan in recent years! A fine item I dearly wanted to give to Elliot, who likely made many a long trip.

Elliot took the aodake-fumi I had brought out and examined it all over, peering at it from below, eyeing it from the side, giving it a knock or two.

"This is called an aodake-fumi. You step on it barefoot, tramp tramp, to improve the blood flow in the soles of your feet. When you sit still on a carriage journey and such, your feet get restless, don't they? I thought it just the thing for you, Elliot, since you must travel often, so I brought it along."

"I see, how interesting. What splendid inventiveness, though. I'll try it later, thank you. And this, what is it used for?"

Tucking the aodake-fumi happily into his coat, the next thing Elliot showed interest in was the hula hoop. By the way, I couldn't stop wondering about the make of his clothes, which had a fold roomy enough to swallow a good-sized aodake-fumi whole.

"Um, the make of those clothes..."

"It looks like a plain hoop, but is this a health good too?"

"Ah, yes."

I stood up to show Elliot the hula hoop, which I had gotten much better at than before.

"This is a dieting device. You swing it around your hips like so..."

Clatter, clatter.

"...By exercising like this, you can expect it to tone and firm the waist..."

Clatter, clatter.

For a moment, the two of us said nothing.

"...Help me, Lady Julia!"

"Hmph! Leave it to me!"

At my call, Lady Julia, who had been waiting hidden, made a graceful entrance. Stepping splendidly through her signature dance moves, she worked the hula hoop, and the way it spun around her arm, stretched neatly out to the fingertips, was as beautiful as a stage performance.

"Whoaaa! Beautiful!"

"Oh, this is magnificent!"

The dance had gone beyond advertising the hula hoop's dieting effect and risen into art, and I felt I had seen the future of the hula hoop.

...Wait. ...Rhythmic gymnastics?

In time with the clapping that had started up before I knew it, Lady Julia raised her hands high, and little by little the dance charged into its climax and grew fiercer. Lady Julia leapt high with the hula hoop, and Georg caught her by the waist, lifted her, and spun in a splendid turn! And for the finale, Lady Julia, hoisted up onto Georg's shoulder, struck a pose with the hula hoop! From me, of course, and from Elliot, Sissi, Lady Remie, and Anje, applause broke out.

"What an artistic performance! Georg's lifting was wonderful too! When did he..."

...Hm?

"...Georg, what are you doing here?"

"Yo! I was bored!"

Wiping the sweat that glittered on his forehead, Georg delivered these baffling words with a refreshing smile.