Chapter 001
Episode 1
At seventeen, I met a fortune-teller at a festival. Accompanying my elderly parents to enjoy the sights, she handed me a cookie, a fortune cookie with a note inside. Having seen others do it, I broke the cookie in half to check the fortune.
[A great sorrow will come, but it’s too early to despair. You will rise again.]
The fortune was accurate. That autumn, my parents passed away within days of each other. I wept for a long time as I buried them in the leaf-strewn ground. Their passing was expected since they had me late in life, but the grief didn’t fade.
Though I became an orphan early, the trading company my parents had built and their vast inheritance protected me. I learned business from a young age, and with loyal retainers by my side, I managed to rise without too much difficulty.
The year I turned eighteen, I sought out the fortune-teller again.
At the same festival, in the same spot, the grizzled fortune-teller held out a basket and told me to pick a fortune cookie. Without hesitation, I chose one.
[The flow of luck is unfavorable. Rather than pushing forward recklessly, how about proceeding with caution?]
An eighteen-year-old brimming with vigor wasn’t likely to heed such superstitious advice.
I expanded the business aggressively and tasted bitter failure several times. I lost many people during that period. When the company began to falter, I swallowed my pride and bowed to prominent nobles, pleading for investments, which was exhausting.
At nineteen, twenty, and twenty-one, my luck continued to flow in an unfavorable direction.
[Your luck is weak, and everything you do may feel unsatisfying.]
[Maintaining the status quo is best. Remember that there is meaning even without dazzling progress.]
[Now is the time to protect your nest. Dangers lurk all around.]
Minor setbacks piled up, and I had to learn to move cautiously and carefully. There were times I struggled to pay the salaries of those working for the company.
Then came my twenty-second year.
Finally, luck was on my side.
[After a long darkness, a radiant new day has dawned. The sun by day and the moon by night are on your side. Leave the nest, spread your wings wide, and soar to great heights!]
I had just finalized plans for a new business venture.
Without hesitation, I gathered the remaining funds and investments and poured them into the new project. Many tried to dissuade me, given the string of failures, but I didn’t listen.
‘If this fails too, I’ll just find another job, pay off the debts, and live on.’ Honestly, I felt a sense of reckless freedom. After years of no significant success since my parents’ passing, I was a bit worn out.
On the day the product launched, I waited anxiously for the response. The old steward I sent to check the market didn’t return until late at night.
‘Did it flop?’
An ominous feeling crept up. Yet, strangely, I felt calm. Perhaps, after years of misfortune, I’d been waiting for a moment to fail spectacularly.
Then, the office door burst open, and the steward, drenched in sweat, rushed in. It was late winter, chilly, why was he sweating so much? Before I could ask such a trivial question, he shouted.
“It’s done, it’s done!”
“What’s done?”
‘Ready to fail?’ I asked without even standing, but the steward stomped over and slammed my desk.
He was old but strong. The ink bottle nearly tipped over. As I grabbed the wobbling bottle, he bellowed.
“It’s sold out! Thousands more orders have come in!”
“…”
What? Was I so desperate I was hearing things? No, I wasn’t that desperate, was I?
Suddenly, the steward rounded the desk, came to my side, and pulled me up into a tight embrace.
“A huge success! A huge success! We’re saved!”
I couldn’t even hug him back, just standing there, stunned. I couldn’t believe it. I’d been ready to let things fall as they may, and now this?
“Our poor young lady… Losing your parents so young, how hard you’ve worked… Finally, finally, your efforts are paying off…”
The steward started tearing up. It didn’t feel real yet, and his crying made me flustered, so I just patted his back out of habit.
‘So, I don’t have to worry about salaries anymore? I can Stuart can give bonuses too? No more groveling to investors for funds. I can pay dividends generously and keep running the company!’
Only then did the tears come.
“Young lady, don’t cry…”
“You’re the one crying first, sob…”
“Waaah…”
“Waaahhh!”
Alright, I admit it. The steward and I were both overly emotional then.
But so what? Crying from success is a hundred times better than crying from failure!
After that, our company’s main product sold like it had wings. Even the imperial family bought in bulk, and we got an exclusive imperial design.
I can’t skip introducing it. The incredible product that’s been sustaining our company for years.
It’s called ‘TokTok.’
With ‘TokTok,’ there’s no need to go to the post office to send a letter. Just tap away on the small typewriter attached to it. Enter the desired message, press send, and the text appears instantly on the recipient’s ‘TokTok.’
Why stay tied to paper and ink? Huh? Letters have more drawbacks than benefits. Most importantly, they can’t deliver urgent news right away, causing delays in hearing of a parent’s passing or resolving a lover’s misunderstanding in time.
So, it’s no surprise ‘TokTok’ sold like crazy.
Now, people in the empire can’t imagine life without ‘TokTok.’ They’re used to getting replies within ten minutes, no matter how late.
I was practically sitting on a pile of gold. The imperial family even granted me a title. The nobles who once scoffed when I begged for investments now lined up, clamoring to reserve limited-edition models.
Years passed like that. The fortunes remained excellent. Looks like I’ll spend this year’s end extravagantly too. Stretching out my legs, I enjoyed a leisurely teatime, savoring life.
“Steward.”
Recalling the past suddenly put me in such a great mood that I called out to him impulsively. The steward, pouring tea, responded as promptly as a ‘TokTok.’
“Yes, Mistress.”
He’s so whimsical. Depending on his mood, he calls me young lady, master, or mistress, switching back and forth. I didn’t mind much.
“Was the world always this beautiful?”
“Oh, come now.”
“Next year’s luck will be amazing too.”
The beautifully decorated greenhouse was warm and cozy even in midwinter. With a wood stove burning and lounging on a greenhouse sofa, I was filled with optimism.
‘Ugh, I feel great. The days of scrimping on heating costs feel so far away.’
“Are you going to that fortune-teller again this year?”
The steward asked, sounding disapproving. I waved my hand, still sprawled on the sofa.
“Of course.”
“Isn’t it time to stop? You’ve succeeded this much.”
“That’s exactly why I have to go.”
“You’re too swayed by fortunes. They’re just for fun.”
“Fun? Fun? The fate of our company depends on them!”
He nagged for a while after that. But no matter what he says, as soon as the New Year’s festival starts, I’m rushing to the fortune-teller grandma. I’ve got a good feeling this time too.
Crackle crackle, the sound of burning wood was peaceful and cheerful. If I fell asleep like this, I’d surely have sweet dreams. As I gently closed my eyes, sleep warmly embraced my shoulders.
