ALL NOVEL Chapter 107
Hanna quickly approached Rubette and bowed.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry. There’s a customer who mistakenly came to the shop, and I urgently asked her to leave.”
“…? They came to the wrong shop? Didn’t we ask them what they came to purchase when we gave them a waiting ticket?”
“Well, it’s not that. It seems like they don’t know the price range of the products we offer in our shop.”
“I see,” Rubette nodded as if understanding.
“I have money! Plenty of it…!” the woman said with a distressed expression. “But I didn’t know this was a shop only for nobility. I’m sorry if I was impolite.”
As the woman tried to get up, Rubette held her back. “Just a moment, madam.” Then she turned to Hanna and slowly read her name tag on her uniform, “Hanna… Gretel…”
“…”
In front of the nervous Hanna, Rubette spoke with a playful tone, “It seems we have a very smart employee with an excellent customer service manual.”
“Oh! You’re too kind,” Hanna replied, surprised. She brushed her chest and nodded in greeting.
“Manager.”
With a quick signal and a chuckle, Rubette turned away from Hanna.
Unlike Hanna, who was smiling obliviously, the manager stomped their feet in despair. They quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her away, saying, “Come with me, Miss Hanna.”
“Yes!”
Soon, the two of them disappeared upstairs.
“I’m the owner of <Blanc de Ruby>. I deeply apologize for our employee’s rudeness.”
As Rubette approached the forlorn woman and spoke, all the employees inside the store were astonished.
The woman was equally surprised and raised her hands with a bewildered expression. “No, it’s not that. It’s been a while since I visited a place like this, so I didn’t know well. I’m sure the shop has its own image based on what the young lady employee said…”
“No, madam. We mainly deal with high-end products, so most of our customers happen to be nobles, but it’s not a shop exclusively for nobility.”
“I-is that so?”
“As a gesture of apologizing for our employee’s rudeness, I’d like to personally assist you, madam.”
“P-pardon?”
The woman was taken aback, and the watching employees were even more surprised.
“Would you mind following me this way?”
“Oh, um, well… Thank you.”
As she extended her old handbag, a quick-witted employee stepped forward and accepted it.
Rubette, standing beside the woman, slowly guided her and asked, “What are you looking for?”
“Oh, I’ve come to see my son after a very long time, and I want to give him a gift. I heard there’s a trendy watch these days that’s very popular in the city.”
“You mean a wristwatch.”
Rubette approached a glass display case with four wristwatches inside.
“It seems we have these four models in the store right now. If you don’t find a design you like, please feel free to look at our catalog. We’ll contact you when it’s in stock.”
“Oh, my, this one is really lovely.” The woman pointed to the watch on the far right with sparkling eyes.
“Shall I show you this product?” Rubette asked amiably as she put on the silk gloves from the display case and took out the watch. Under the luxurious velvet cushion, the wristwatch had a price tag attached to it.
▶65,000,000◀
It was a staggering amount. The woman, who met eyes with Rubette for a moment, fumbled for words, “I-I do have the money!”
“Ah,” Rubette smiled apologetically. “I’ll apologize once again for our employee’s rudeness. Do you happen to know your son’s wrist size?”
As she asked, the woman, as if she had been waiting, cheerfully retrieved a thin strand of yarn from her purse. “If he hasn’t gained or lost weight since the last time I saw him, it’s probably this thickness.” Perhaps thinking of her son, a smile quickly spread across the elderly woman’s face.
Watching her like that, Rubette chuckled softly. “Your son will really love this.”
“Should I go with it?”
“Yes.”
Rubette measured the length of the yarn with a tape measure and handed the watch to the nearby employee. “Set the watch to size 41.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Madam, would you like to come this way?”
“Pardon?”
Rubette led the woman to a display of handbags for ladies. The hesitant woman extended her hand. “I’m sorry. I just came to buy a gift for my son.”
“If you see something you like, give it a try. Oh, this product is a new arrival for this autumn, and it would look great on you.”
“Well… It’s pretty. Very pretty.”
▶9,500,000◀
The woman glanced at the price tag, then closed her eyes tightly.
“To be honest, I’m buying this watch with the money my son sends me, so for myself…”
Rubette picked up one of the handbags on the display and handed it to the woman. “Don’t worry about that. I’m giving it to you as a gift.”
“P-pardon?” The surprised woman blinked her enlarged eyes and soon smiled, shaking her head. “If you’re doing this because of what happened earlier, it’s really okay. You don’t have to apologize. I understand the perspective of that employee.”
The woman looked around the luxurious interior of the store. “I didn’t know much and only heard this was a famous store, but now that I’ve come in person, I understand what kind of place it is. The reason they emphasized the store’s image makes sense now.”
“…”
“I didn’t know any better and came in shabbily dressed; it wasn’t very courteous. Let me just get my item quickly and leave.”
“Madam.” Rubette took a step toward the woman. “My failure in managing the staff is significant, but this gift isn’t because I’m bothered by it.”
“Oh?”
“You came to see your son after such a long time, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“To have such an affectionate mother… Just seeing your face will make your son happy. Of course, he’ll be impressed by the expensive gift as well. But if you’re still carrying that old bag, it might make him feel uncomfortable.”
“…”
“That’s how I’d feel. Rather than wearing an expensive watch on my wrist, I’d prefer a pretty bag for my mother who has worked hard raising her child.”
Rubette smiled warmly at the stunned woman and again insisted, “Children’s hearts are all the same. To make your son happy receiving the gift, how about giving yourself a beautiful bag, madam?”
“Oh, my…”
As the corners of her eyes grew warm and watery, the flustered woman covered her eyes with her hands.
“My, I’m really grateful for the thought, but… I’m too old and not beautiful. It wouldn’t suit me, a plain woman, to carry such a bag.”
“Oh, madam.” Rubette held the woman’s hand. “There’s no such thing as an unattractive woman. You are incredibly beautiful, madam.”
“…”
“Of course, the young you in your prime must have been beautiful, but now… even more so. The traces of the life you’ve lived have bloomed into something truly beautiful.”
Bloomed into something beautiful. The woman gently suppressed her trembling heart. Who could describe the modest wrinkles that had grown on her face with such fragrant words?
“I fell in love with the smile you had earlier when you were thinking of your son.”
“Oh…”
“You are beautiful. Among all the days you’ve lived, right now is the most beautiful.”
Upon hearing those words, the woman eventually burst into laughter with tearful eyes.
***
“Please be careful as you go,” I said as the elderly customer left the shop.
I let out a sigh and turned around. It seemed like my presence had been felt, as all four employees crowded around like turtles, craning their necks.
Sigh… Customer service is a mess, really.
“Did the manager instruct you to serve only noble customers?” I asked.
“No, ma’am. We’ve never been informed of such a thing by the manager. That’s why I gave the waiting ticket to that customer.”
“I see. Well done. The fundamental principle of our <Blanc de Ruby> is equal treatment for all customers. We don’t discriminate based on status. Anyone can enter as long as they have purchasing power.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Did you all see how I treated the customer a while ago? Remember that, and make sure to receive training on the specific customer service manual I’ve passed on to the manager.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Understood!”
Just then.
Desperate footsteps echoed from upstairs, racing downstairs. It was Hanna, the employee who had been taken upstairs by the manager discreetly.
“Ma-ma’am, the manager said something strange,” she said.
“Something strange?” Rubette inquired.
“They suddenly told me that I was fired…”
“I guess the manager is quite observant.”
“Wh-what?”
“Hanna, is there something wrong with the business? Or did you intentionally want to tarnish my shop’s image?”
“Ma’am? I didn’t…”
“Hanna, the customer you just mentioned was a very important one. They bought a 65 million-mark watch in full payment.”
“…!”
I stepped forward, closing the distance with the bewildered Hanna. “My shop is the top luxury brand in the city.”
“Yes, yes. Oh, I understand…”
“So, all the employees working in my shop should be suitable for it.”
“…”
“Driving someone out just based on appearances without giving them a chance is ter-ri-ble―”
“…”
“What I want to say is, I don’t want employees with that kind of mindset.” I patted Hanna’s shoulder a few times as if consoling her, and then added, “You don’t have to come in starting tomorrow.”
After delivering the notice, I left the shop.
***
The Imperial Palace.
An intimate gathering with the emperor, the empress, Crown Prince Lark, and a distinguished “guest” was unfolding.
“Is the food to your liking, Mother?” The emperor gazed at the lady who was practically his mother, Marion Endelturn, with unusual kindness and affectionate eyes.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“In the future, please be sure to bring knights with you wherever you go. It’s quite embarrassing for me, as the child who made you come all the way from the North, to walk alone.”
As the emperor spoke slightly irritatedly, Marion let out an apologetic laugh, “But I wanted to freely explore the city once and see what life is like here. I also had a desire to surprise you.”
“Well, you certainly surprised me. I could tell you’ve been through a lot coming all this way alone.”
The former empress smiled with concern. “I’m sorry, truly sorry.”
“By the way, what’s in that bag that you’re holding so tightly? What could be so precious?”
The emperor had been concerned about the way Marion had been clutching the bag on her lap since earlier. It seemed like she had acquired something new upon arriving in the city…
“It’s a gift I received here. I love it so much. I really do.”
“Oh?”
“Actually, when I visited a renowned shop to buy Your Majesty a gift…”
Thinking of the wristwatch she had brought as a gift for the emperor, Lark asked with a smile, “<Blanc de Ruby>?”
“Yes, that’s right. But the lady there was so kind and welcoming.”
“I see.” The emperor smiled as he carved his knife into the plate.
“It seems like the kind of shop favored by the wealthy, but even though I visited in such shabby attire, the lady there was so kind…” As Marion spoke, she suddenly choked up, pressing her hand to her cheek and biting her lip.
The emperor, the empress, and Lark were all taken aback.
“She said that if I carried my old bag, it would make my son uncomfortable, so she gave me this as a gift.”
“She must be a truly kind employee. The items in that shop are probably quite high-end to give as gifts…”
The empress exclaimed in surprise, and Marion chuckled. “No, it was the shop owner. I couldn’t see her face because she was wearing a mask.”
Lark, who had been listening, paused.
“Oh, Madame Ruby. I’ve seen her once before. She’s quite famous in the city these days for her business acumen.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It seems she gave you a good memory in place of this stubborn son of yours. I should greet her properly some time.”
Marion added cheerfully to the delighted emperor. “Do you know what she said to me?”
“What is it?”
“She said that the life I’ve lived is blooming beautifully on my face. She even said that my current appearance is the most beautiful.” Marion had a thrilled expression on her face, as if she had returned to her youth. “How kind-hearted must she be to say such beautiful words when looking at a wrinkled face like mine? I couldn’t help but shed tears.”
“This… this must have deeply touched you, Mother.”
“Yes, it did. It made me feel excited after such a long time. It was like going back to my beautiful youth.”
“Mother, you are beautiful even now.”
“Haha…” Marion shyly chuckled. “I didn’t properly express my gratitude to that lady, but before returning to the North, I must visit her again.”
“Let’s not do that.” The emperor smiled wryly. “It might be a good idea to invite her to the palace once. Perhaps the crown prince has… a connection with her?”
Lark flinched when the emperor inquired.