Chapter 20
“Don’t tell me… did you make it with that textile?”
Belia glanced sideways at Barun.
‘Are you nervous, brother?’
She met his gaze and gave a small smile before shaking her head.
“No. I didn’t make clothing out of that textile. This dress is made of the finest quality yarn.”
The marquis’s face visibly fell in disappointment.
“Then that textile…”
“I made something else instead of clothes.”
Belia turned around.
“Sue! Can you come here for a moment?”
At her request, Sue approached holding something in her hands.
“That is…”
Everyone in the meeting room, including the marquis, leaned forward.
They tilted their heads in confusion at the unfamiliar item.
Belia took the bag from Sue and held it up in one hand.
“This is the product I made from the textile, and the business idea I came up with.”
Belia closely watched their reactions with a nervous heart.
As expected, everyone looked bewildered.
“Is it… a bag?”
Belia’s eyes widened in surprise at the marquis’s question.
“That’s right!”
“A bag?”
People blinked at the bag, which looked completely different from those currently used in the empire.
Seeing their reactions, Belia spoke up.
“The moment I received the textile sample thanks to Father’s consideration, I thought to myself—there’s no way to make clothing with this. I bet you all had the same thought earlier, didn’t you?”
She handed the bag back to Sue and stepped into the center of the meeting room.
“As you can see, the textiles are all dark and coarse. As my brother mentioned, they could be used for winter garments, but they’re too rough for nobility to wear.”
Belia met eyes with everyone in the room.
“So I started thinking of ways to use them, and found my answer in our company’s motto.”
“Our motto?”
“Yes, Father. Our jewelry business has a long-standing history. And its identity is very strong. ‘A single gift of beauty, just for you.’ That’s our motto. And that’s where I got my idea.”
As always, a compelling story was key to a good presentation.
Amid the fully focused audience, Belia made sure to meet Barun’s eyes.
“The clothing market in the empire is already dominated by the Trunia Company. Even if it’s a national project, it’s not worth entering such a competitive market with textiles that aren’t even suitable for garments. Instead, we should create a new market that pairs well with our company’s strength—jewelry.”
“So the idea you came up with was this bag?”
“Yes. Bags are mostly used by commoners. Nobles don’t use them. But if you make nobles want to buy them, the situation changes. This bag is made from that textile.”
Belia held up the bag.
“There’s no need for bags to be large. Because this isn’t for commoners. Market bags focus on practicality—how much they can hold, how durable they are, and how long they’ll last. But this one focuses on beauty. Can you see it?”
She spun the bag around. It sparkled under the chandelier light.
“Pretty, right? It’s a bag made specifically for nobles.”
The marquis examined the bag in Belia’s hand closely.
‘A bag, huh…’
It was quite unfamiliar, but just from the outer appearance, it looked luxurious enough to be mistaken for a decorative item.
The marquis stood and walked over to Belia.
“Let me take a closer look.”
“Yes, Father.”
Belia handed him the bag with a slightly tense expression.
“Is this leather?”
“Yes. I made the handle with leather that best matches the textile.”
Although the textile itself was heavy, the bag was small and not heavy at all.
Its perfectly hand-held size was also appealing.
The marquis turned the bag this way and that under the chandelier light.
“It sparkles.”
“Yes, the textile itself has a bit of a shimmer, so I tried to bring that out as much as possible in the grain.”
The subtle shine and tasteful design made it seem perfectly suitable for nobles.
Wearing a dress made from the finest yarn and holding the bag, Belia looked every bit the noble lady.
“Oh-ho.”
It was hard to believe this elegant item had been made from the coarse textile sitting beside him. A soft exclamation escaped the marquis’s lips.
One by one, the merchants began standing.
“Marquis, may we take a closer look too?”
The marquis nodded.
The meeting room quickly became lively.
As everyone hurried to examine the bag, Belia began explaining its finer points.
The more she explained, the more people nodded in agreement.
“It’s not bad, is it?”
Positive reactions started emerging.
Everyone began imagining their wives or daughters holding such a bag.
They had thought the perception of bags would be hard to overcome, but the merchants were trend-sensitive and quite open-minded.
“Noble reactions won’t be bad either.”
The marquis gave a favorable response.
“Yes, but Father, I don’t plan to sell this to nobles.”
“What?”
Belia smiled confidently.
She had based the idea on the princess’s concept from before her regression, but she hadn’t just copied it.
“Nobles don’t want ready-made items. They want things that are unique to them—just for me. Like how they get clothes tailored and choose their own colors. That’s what I want to apply to the bags.”
Belia signaled to Sue behind her.
Sue came forward carrying something wrapped in black leather.
“In what way?”
“I want to create synergy with our jewelry business. I plan to decorate the bags with gemstones.”
“On the bag?”
Belia wanted to expand into the bag business, but by leveraging the original strength of their company—jewelry.
She removed the black leather and revealed another bag inside.
“Like this. If we really go into the bag business, we’ll decorate them with our company’s jewels and turn them into true luxury goods.”
Gasps escaped the room as the jewel-studded bag was revealed.
Diamonds were intricately embedded on the black bag, forming the shape of a tiara.
It was dazzling—something that anyone would instantly recognize as a luxury item.
“You mean to turn bags into accessories like our jewelry.”
“Exactly! That’s exactly right! As expected of you, Father! There’s a strong perception that bags are for commoners. So even if it’s pretty and luxurious, starting out like this won’t work. It has to scream luxury for nobles to accept it.”
Before her regression, the reason bags had quickly become popular was because of the princess.
Nobles didn’t resist the idea because someone of such high status—an imperial guest—had carried one.
But this time, there was no princess.
No matter how pretty or refined it was, if no one prominent flaunted it, bags would still be seen as items for commoners.
That’s why Belia had thought the design had to be more unique and extravagant. After days and nights of deliberation, this was the solution she came up with.
“Synergy with our jewelry business…”
The marquis echoed Belia’s words.
Belia waited anxiously for his answer.
She had pushed ahead with the idea because she believed in it—but if the marquis said no, that would be the end.
Even though she had poured effort into it, she couldn’t help but be nervous.
She had rushed to prepare the sample, so it wasn’t perfect.
With tense eyes, Belia awaited his response.
“Very well.”
“Pardon?”
It hadn’t even been long, but the marquis nodded.
“Good. Not bad at all. A bag decorated with jewels… If we display it in a storefront on the capital’s main street, it will definitely draw attention. What do you think?”
He turned to the head of the capital branch.
“I think it’s a good idea as well. The lady makes a valid point. The clothing market is already saturated, and trying to start a business with fabric unsuited for clothing would be too risky for us. But a completely new market has a better chance. And creating synergy with our jewelry business—this is a brilliant idea.”
“I agree with the branch manager. And honestly, I noticed the bag the moment the lady walked in. Even without the jewels, it’s already very attractive.”
“I agree as well.”
One after another, people voiced their support.
Belia’s face noticeably brightened.
“Really?”
“Of course. Barun, what do you think?”
For the first time since Belia had entered the meeting room, all eyes turned to Barun—who had not said a single word until now.
