Magical Tool Master Dahlia Never Compromises ~ Starting Today: Life as a Freelancer ~

Hearing the unexpected name, Dalia couldn't help but ask.

If you think about it carefully, it's not surprising that Oswald opened such a big store on Noble Street and often went in and out of the royal city even if he ran a chamber of commerce.

"Yes, you've already met him through your connections as a magic tool master. He quoted a consultation price of one large silver coin for two hours, and said Ivano could also be present. However, there are many misunderstandings about Oswald..."

"Well, if you mean about his wives, I've heard about that. After all, Mr. Oswald is a friend of my father's. I met him a while ago."

Oswald had three young wives, and outsiders naturally gossiped about him, but to Dahlia, he was simply her father's friend.

"It's a good thing you knew him because of Carlo. Oswald is lithe and friendly, which easily attracts women, but also easily leads to misunderstandings. But he's actually quite serious."

When she heard "easy to attract women", she thought of Wolff.

Being one-sidedly infatuated isn't always a good thing. Wolfe's situation is especially sympathetic. Oswald might have had his own hidden struggles.

"We had a bit of a fight at home. When my eldest daughter was in elementary school, she went to 'The Right Eye of the Goddess' a few times to buy magical tools. She even wanted to give her an Oswald-embroidered white handkerchief..."

Gabriella said with a motherly look of distress.

The embroidered white handkerchief was a token of love used by aristocratic women. Even without saying anything, simply handing the handkerchief to someone meant, "You are my first love."

Entrance to the elementary academy required an exam, so the enrollment age varied, typically between nine and fourteen. Dalia honestly thought that confessing one's first love at that age was a truly courageous and ambitious undertaking.

"What happened to the handkerchief?"

"My husband stopped me from giving it to Oswald. As a result, my daughter didn't speak to us for two weeks... My husband even cursed Oswald for a quick death."

“That’s really…”

Whether that was Oswald’s fault is debatable, but from the father’s perspective, it was certainly troubling.

Not only is there a big age gap between the two parties, but the other party also has several wives and is not an ideal son-in-law.

No, considering her daughter's age, Oswald may have only had one wife at the time.

"But love is like measles. She gave up quickly and is now married. This memory has become a joke."

"That's it."

"Anyway, Oswald doesn't mind talking about the past."

"I won't ask..."

If you listen to too much, your expression might reveal the truth the next time you see Oswald.

Oswald had been kind enough to teach them the etiquette of the royal city, and Dalia didn't want to be disrespectful to him. If she heard others talk about him, she wouldn't delve into it, just listening and letting it go.

"Is Mr. Oswald free? He runs both the guild and the store, so he must be very busy, right?"

"He delegates the work to his subordinates, so it's no problem. He said he spends half his time on research and generally only takes on less urgent cases, and he also takes time to rest."

He sounded like he had a good grasp of work-life balance. Perhaps she and Ivano could ask him for advice on that aspect.

"Remember to ask Ivano to accompany you when you learn etiquette. Since you're a woman, it's not disrespectful to do so. Also, Oswald already has three wives and probably won't marry again, but you still can't let your guard down."

"People like me don't need to be on guard..."

"What do you mean by 'someone like me'? Dahlia, are you just posturing, or do you lack confidence?"

“How can I be confident…”

Being stared at by those deep blue eyes, her voice unconsciously became softer.

"Your looks aren't particularly striking, but you're still a beauty with makeup on. You're the president of a merchant guild that frequents the royal city, and a sure-winner as a magic tool maker. You're also a graduate of a high school and the daughter of a baron. Why are you still so insecure?"

"After all, no one has ever called me pretty, and there are only Ivano and I in our guild. The fact that I was able to sell the magical tool this time was just luck. If the magic tool fails, I will lose all my money, and the products I develop may not always be hot sellers. Although I am the daughter of a baron, this status does not mean much after my father passed away."

Gabriela only mentioned superficial advantages.

In fact, Dahlia is nothing special. In some ways, the job of a magic tool maker means you earn more but lose more.

Even though she was the daughter of a baron, her father had passed away and she had no close relatives. She was completely isolated and helpless.

"You need to be more confident, Dahlia. The reason I talked for so long just now is because President Bartolini has been asking me to arrange a blind date for you and his son. And it's been less than three months."

"Blind date?"

"Yes, out of courtesy, nobles won't ask for a blind date within three months of a broken engagement or divorce. It's only been a month, and President Bartolini still insists on having dinner together... His family holds viscount status, and they say you could become his wife if you marry him. The conditions are quite good. Do you want to meet his son?"

"No, I don't plan on dating or getting married."

Dahlia answered immediately, and Gabriella narrowed her eyes at that.

"Will you reject all other blind date invitations from now on?"

"Yes, thank you for your help."

"If you hate blind date invitations, you can go out with Lord Wolffred more often. It will be a good 'disincentive' for blind date invitations. However, it may delay your marriage, or even prevent you from getting married at all."

"That's not bad either."

Dalia answered with a smile, without a trace of confusion in her expression - this reminded Gabriella of her beloved daughter who was carefully embroidering on a white handkerchief.

At that time, she could only pretend not to know her daughter's feelings and silently protect her. It's the same now.

However, because of her status and age, she now has more things to do.

Gabriella murmured in a voice that Dahlia couldn't hear:

"...If it's really too late, I'll help you push that 'restraint'."

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

After leaving the vice-guildmaster's office, Dalia went to the stables to take a carriage back to the Green Tower.

The story of the embroidered white handkerchief reminded her of her father, Carlo.

She recalled that she had embroidered on a white handkerchief when she was a child, about six or seven years old, and had just learned to use a needle and thread.

It started when the maid Sophia said, "Miss Dahlia will embroider on a white handkerchief one day."

"Noble women would give embroidered white handkerchiefs to their first love." Dalia still didn't quite understand what was said after hearing it.

Although she has memories of her past life, they are vague, and she has no experience in love. Moreover, perhaps due to the limitations of her physical growth, her understanding is unlikely to exceed her actual age.

But she was very concerned about the word "first love" and couldn't help asking her father if he had ever received the handkerchief.

The father replied with a distressed expression:

"I once confiscated an embroidered handkerchief..."

He turned his eyes away, looking very sad, and she also felt inexplicably sad.

She thought that her mother must not have given her father a handkerchief.

"Dad, do you still want to receive the embroidered white handkerchief now?"

"Maybe."

"...Can I give it to you?"

She wondered if he would say, "I don't want to accept a handkerchief from my daughter. Give it to your future first love," or if he would reluctantly say, "I'll just accept it for now." She asked hesitantly, and her father immediately answered loudly:

"Of course! This is what I want most right now!"

The father probably said this because he didn't want to hurt the young girl.

But Dahlia was inspired by her father's words and worked hard at embroidery under Sofia's guidance. She used red thread, the same color as her hair, to embroider the simplest and most simplified version of wild roses.

She worked so hard to give it to her father during the winter festival that she even secretly got up at night to embroider.

But she was just a child who had not yet attended primary school.

The finished product was terrible, with twisted lines and wrinkled fabric. She even pricked her hand with the needle during the process, leaving a bloody stain on the handkerchief.

In the end, let alone first love, it is simply a handkerchief full of resentment.

She cried to Sophia, "It has become a cursed handkerchief..." She praised Sophia, "Don't worry, you did a great job."

Sophia gently press-washed the handkerchief, starched it, and then carefully ironed it.

After she sorted it out, the handkerchief became barely presentable.

"Dad, this is for you."

On the morning of the Winter Festival, Dalia came to the workshop and gave the embroidered handkerchief to her father.

Carlo did not take the handkerchief immediately. Instead, he stood up from his chair with a serious look on his face, knelt on one knee in front of his daughter, placed his right hand on his chest, and carefully accepted it with a noble etiquette.

"Thank you, Dahlia. I will treasure this."

Seeing her father smiling, Dalia smiled back happily.

If the story ended here, it would be a tearful memory.

Unexpectedly, her father then rubbed her head violently, completely messing up the hairstyle she had made for the winter festival.

To celebrate the winter festival, Irma helped her tie an exquisite braid early in the morning and decorated it with artificial flowers.

Irma later came with a gift and was furious when she saw the situation. She kept blaming her father, but she still helped her braid her hair back together. Whenever she thought of the handkerchief, she would think of the following part.

That white handkerchief may no longer be in the Green Tower.

Even so, every time she thought of her father's big hands and Irma's angry look, she couldn't help laughing.

Under the clear blue sky, Dalia walked out of the Merchant Guild with a smile on her face.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Before going to the Orlando Chamber of Commerce, Ivano visited several chambers of commerce.

He informed those chambers of commerce that he had resigned from the trade guilds and joined the Roseti Chamber of Commerce.

Every chamber of commerce was quite surprised to hear that he changed his job and surname, but this should become a good topic.

There are only him and Dalia in the Roseti Chamber of Commerce now.

If you want to pave the way for future marketing and publicity, perhaps you can first arouse the interest of businessmen and let them drive the conversation.

The cancellation of the engagement between Dalia and Tobias, the second son of the Orlando Chamber of Commerce, has caused a lot of discussion.

However, Dahlia later founded the Roseti Chamber of Commerce, asked the guild master and Wolf to be guarantors, and quickly developed five-toed socks and dry insoles, allowing her to enter and leave the royal city. This achievement, which could be called a great leap forward, sparked more discussion.

Yet people had little chance to ask Dahlia what had happened.

She usually only traveled between the Green Tower and the Trade Guild, working hard. Otherwise, when she went out, it was always with Ivano or Wolf.

There are neither brother chambers of commerce that act as guarantors for each other, nor are there familiar chamber of commerce presidents.

Furthermore, the Roseti Chamber of Commerce was sponsored by Wolf of the Count Scafalot family and Viscount Jedda, the head of the Chamber of Commerce. Other chambers of commerce did not dare to look down on them simply because they were new.

Even if those chambers of commerce wanted to obtain their information or establish relationships with them, it would be difficult for them to establish direct contact with Dahlia.

In contrast, Ivano was a former member of the Commerce Guild—to be more precise, he had not yet left the Guild, so he had talked with many guild leaders and even participated in their transactions.

When many people heard that Ivano had joined the Roseti Chamber of Commerce, they took the initiative to show their goodwill.

Since the other party wants to obtain information and transaction opportunities from him, he can also receive corresponding things.

Now it's his turn as a businessman to show his skills.

Ivano returned to the carriage, thinking that there was still some distance to go, so he closed his eyes and was immediately attacked by sleep.

Dahlia was right, he might have accumulated some fatigue.

He fell into a trance and a red quagmire appeared before his eyes.

"You unfilial son! Where have you been?!"

In front of the red quagmire, his uncle scolded him with tears in his eyes. He hardly felt the pain of the beating.

He spent the night at his lover's house and returned home in the morning in a happy mood, only to find three bodies covered with sackcloth. Under the sackcloth were visible the shoes of his parents and sister.

He wanted to lift the sackcloth, but his aunt stopped him crying.

He remembered that he still lifted the cloth and saw the three people's remains which were not at all peaceful.

However, in his memory, everyone seemed to be wearing pure white masks, and he had no idea what they looked like.

"I'm sorry, I caused our family store to be mortgaged and all our property was lost. Your sister is not in good health, so we will take her with us. You have to live." He looked at his father's scribbled suicide note and felt so sad that he wanted to vomit.

My father has always been meticulous and has never written in such messy handwriting.

He knew their family's store wasn't doing well, but his father just told him everything would be fine.

At the age of nineteen, he was immersed in his dream relationship and never cared about anything else.

When the red swamp turned red and black, he heard someone's long cry -