***

<Purchase limit: 2 per person>

Anticipating a huge crowd today, I put up this notice in large, albeit crooked, letters at the marquis’s main gate stand.

Some people who didn’t like this policy protested, asking us to sell more, but they were dealt with by the Justice Minister’s glare.

“If you cause a disturbance, you might have to go to the Ministry of Justice for questioning right away.”

“…But this is too…”

“Or there’s always the option of summary judgment.”

“Eek!”

Or rather, should I say they were dealt with by the enormous law book in her hands.

The fear of being hit with that law book and dragged to the Ministry of Justice if they dared raise their voice in front of her seemed quite effective.

“Wow, the sign is sparkling!”

“They say that man made the moving balloons in front of the store… And the welcome fireworks that go pop-pop-pop, too.”

Baron, the Alchemy Tower Master, was amazing, and besides providing various special effects for the opening, he was like a human measuring device.

“Hey, didn’t you give me less? It clearly looks less than that one.”

“Why don’t you weigh it then?”

When Baron shrugged, the complaining customer weighed it and had to close their mouth seeing there wasn’t even a 0-gram difference.

“How many years do you think I’ve spent measuring while making medicine every day? Haha.”

Baron laughed proudly.

“Sena, move this over here and that up there. Hans, please help that customer with the leg difficulty!”

As the shop owner, I directed the employees and kept restocking products so they wouldn’t run out.

Looking around, I saw Adam working hard, too, sweating profusely.

‘I’ll have to give them a good performance bonus.’

“It was good that we took enough preparation time, miss.”

Adam clicked his tongue, looking at the endless line.

We had already anticipated that there would be many people today.

The previous tasting event was successful and left a good impression on people.

Moreover, with the issue of poor harvest becoming prominent and the food crisis becoming real to people… the demand for easily storable red sugar beet products can only increase!

Though I hadn’t expected it to be this crowded, with people from all over the capital rushing out.

The money we received from them had filled three cash boxes and was halfway through filling a fourth empty one.

We still had more than half of our products left, but it seems we’ve already recovered more than today’s costs.

‘But… we’ll need more hands.’

Before reincarnating as Arinel, when I went to department store events, I used to curse internally when the organizers failed to predict demand and let it get too crowded.

But seeing this crowd far exceeding expectations, I think my past self was wrong.

‘I didn’t expect this level either.’

And that’s when it happened.

“Lady Mylar!”

“We’ve been waiting for news of today’s opening!”

“We’re here!”

A group of young girls appeared all at once.

Including Count Anes’s daughter, they were the young ladies from my business partner’s families – members of ‘Lafiole’.

Come to think of it, I had sent them invitations.

“I got a good night’s sleep to help Lady today.”

“I’ll handle the product explanations.”

“We brought ice water for the waiting people.”

Instead of choosing items, they rolled up their sleeves, showing their delicate wrists, and their eyes sparkled as they offered to help.

“But…”

Is it really okay to accept help from these children? Child labor…

Ah, I’m a child, too.

“When you think about it, this is all for the empire, so we can’t just stand by.”

At Count Anes’s daughter’s words, I stared at her for a while before nodding.

I hadn’t been very active in making friends… but seeing them come to help like this made my heart warm.

***

Buzz buzz-

Around 2 PM, all the red sugar beet products we had made were sold out.

‘Waah! It’s even more crowded than expected!’

We started the opening at nine, and everything was gone in just five hours.

But people were still standing in line until the end.

‘…But that child…’

It was Duke Siegfried’s son whom I had met in the forest when I went with Briton last time.

A face with noble features, cold like his father.

I didn’t know when he had lined up, but he was quite far ahead in the line.

“I waited three hours only to find it’s sold out.”

“How can this be!”

“Sell more red sugar beet rice cakes!”

“We can’t leave like this!”

“Please sell more!”

Although we had stopped letting people line up after announcing that products were sold out, it seemed it wasn’t enough to handle the incredibly long line that had already formed.

I regretted not cutting off the line earlier, knowing this would happen.

“What should we do?”

“Yeah, what should we do?”

“Would they leave if we hit them with the law book?”

“Or maybe an alchemy bomb…”

I could hear the siblings having this absurd conversation.

“What should we do…?”

The young ladies helping me also looked troubled.

Hundreds of people had waited for hours. They looked like they might start a riot.

Things would be different if Duke Guermont appeared.

No, let’s not think of such extreme measures.

“……”

Eden Siegfried was staring at me with an expressionless face.

The boy didn’t look anxious like others, nor did he look annoyed.

He was just observing me, his gaze seeming to study how I would handle this situation.

‘What a strange child.’

After observing the situation for a moment, I let out a small sigh and climbed onto the stand.

Even standing there, I was only about two heads taller than the adults, but I could still get everyone’s attention.

Startled by my sudden action, Anes and Baron called out my name.

“Arinel!”

“Arinel?!”

“It’s okay.”

After responding to them, I cleared my throat and shouted as loudly as I could.

“First, thank you, everyone, for showing such support for Mylar Shop!”

The murmuring crowd all turned their attention to me.

“However, we’re out of stock and can’t sell any more items. I’m sorry!”

But even with my direct apology, people who had waited for hours wouldn’t just leave as if nothing had happened.

Whether it was because of rumors about me being the Crown Prince’s fiancée and receiving imperial favor, or rumors about Duke Guermont’s influence from the tasting event, or because of the Justice Minister and Alchemy Tower Master standing behind me, no one openly protested.

But the dissatisfaction in their eyes didn’t disappear.

I would have felt the same. Anyone would be annoyed if told to leave after waiting for hours because there’s nothing left to sell.

That’s when I had an idea.

“For those who waited long today but couldn’t make a purchase, we’re going to issue waiting tickets.”

People started murmuring at my words.

“Waiting tickets… what are those?”

“Waiting tickets?”

Even the girls helping me tilted their heads in confusion.

‘It’s like a number ticket.’

Eden Siegfried’s gaze became subtle at my solution.

His lips seemed to move slightly, but I couldn’t make out what he muttered.

I continued speaking.

“We’ll distribute numbered tickets stamped with our shop’s seal in order. Tomorrow, we’ll only sell to those who have these numbered tickets. When our staff calls your number, that’s when you can make your purchase.”

A moment of silence fell among the people at my words.

Then, one by one, they started nodding in understanding.

“So, since I’m fifth in line, I can buy fifth tomorrow.”

“Without having to stand in line?”

“That’s not bad at all.”

People’s complaints stemmed from feeling their hours of waiting in line had been wasted.

Then why not make it worthwhile?

Even if they couldn’t get their reward for their efforts today, they could be assured of getting it tomorrow.