“Even among well-dressed people, there is a way to distinguish between nobles and non-nobles. For example, if someone is a noble’s daughter, she would never expose her bare hands. The upper class tends to be conservative and strict about etiquette. Some young ladies even wear gloves indoors. Come to think of it, there were people passing by who seemed expensive but wore gloves, and others who did not. The most certain way is to memorize faces while entering and leaving the upper-class social circle. Even so, occasionally, people pretending to be foreign nobles can deceive you, becoming subjects of ridicule in social circles.”

“Why be deceived? Just don’t trust anyone from the beginning.”

Oh, such a method. Siod admired it internally.

“Of course, it’s fine for you since you’re from the Rodante family. Gwenevere Rodante receives 10% of the national defense budget as Adelia’s guardian. However, how do ordinary nobles make money? Nobles don’t work.”

“Rent from land?”

“That’s right. However, additional income beyond the dowry brought by the bride during marriage is almost negligible. So, what do you think nobles would do if they want to earn more money?”

“I don’t know.”

“Invest. Noble society praises those who make big money through good investments, and those who fail try hard not to show it. That’s how noble society works.”
James’s father often talked about what he invested in this time, but William wasn’t interested in such things, so he just let it slide.

“Not trusting anyone is a good method, but generally, excluding the Rodante family, it’s not a usable method. Because of that, people sometimes fall victim to scammers. If you had to maintain the family without Gwenevere’s income, what would you do? By the way, the Rodante family’s territory is nothing but wasteland.”

“…Cultivate the wasteland?”

William gave a clever answer, although Siod had never taught him anything.

“That’s also a good method. Then, whom would you entrust the work to? How would you hire and selectively assign tasks? What you need at that time is the ability to see people, insight.”

That insight. William sighed. He wasn’t confident in that.

“So, what do people notice first when judging someone?”

“Their attire?”

“Their attire, their manners, subtle habits like attitudes, etc. If you are in noble society, you will be constantly tested for insight. At least, everything you wear and possess, even small things, will be evaluated.”

William understood vaguely what Siod was trying to say.

‘Does it mean what I show is equally important?’

Upon arriving at the dessert cafe, Larisa looked at the menu and made a happy face.

“Teacher, I can’t decide…”
“Everything from here to here, just order it all.”

“What? I can’t eat that much!”

“If you can’t finish it, you can pack the leftovers and have them sent to the mansion.”

Larisa learned a new world. Nobles might not be great, but being rich is the best.

“Teacher, I want to become rich like you too.”

Come to think of it, William also had a question.

“Professor, are you from a noble background?”

Siod, as far as he knew, was a commoner.

“Oh, I was a noble. Once. I went into exile.”

Noble status was present in Cardia and Larann, so it didn’t matter where he went. However, William didn’t ask any further. He thought it would be impolite.

‘He’s deep.’

Siod felt proud even of that. It seemed like everyone thought he resembled him.

‘Not Gwenevere. She’s definitely not. It’s just that everyone resembles me.’

As the desserts arrived one by one, Larisa carefully finished her contemplation and said,

“I’ll have these two.”

“The rest, pack them. To Rodante.”

“Alright.”

After finishing the order, Siod didn’t say anything for a while to let the kids eat comfortably.

There were also etiquettes to observe when drinking tea, but today, he didn’t come to teach such things.

He wiped off the cream that smeared Larisa’s cheeks with a handkerchief and asked William,

“You mentioned earlier that you want to open an alchemy sundry shop, right?”

“Yes?”

“How about going to a sundry shop later?”

“Oh…”
William was a little confused. Wasn’t he here for noble classes? However, since William had never bought anything before, he was also curious about what a sundry shop was like.

As he nodded, Siod chuckled and said, “Let’s go when you’re done.”

Seeing Larisa looking tired, Siod picked her up and held her. Larisa rested her head on Siod’s shoulder and began to doze off.

“That’s the sundry shop over there. Once inside, you can choose things yourself.”

“What?”

“Surely you’re not going to go inside and buy nothing? That would be embarrassing.”

“Okay.”

The interior of the sundry shop was luxurious and neat. As soon as they entered, an employee greeted them with a courteous attitude.

“Welcome.”

Since William usually told the butler if he needed anything, going to buy items himself was a first. William looked around the store with a curious feeling.

“Are you looking for a specific product?”

“I’m looking to buy a fountain pen…”

“It’s over here.”