Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Without realizing it, Chloe turned her head in that direction. A couple of men, who seemed to be clerks from Buckley’s store, were talking.
Chloe approached them.
“Excuse me. May I ask which kinds of cheese you currently have in large stock?”
The men looked flustered that a refined lady had spoken to them. Although they didn’t realize she was a duchess, they tried their best to remain polite as they replied.
“It’s Gouda cheese, ma’am.”
“Gouda… That would be the firm, round cheese, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“How much Gouda do you have left in stock?”
After a moment’s hesitation, one of the men answered.
“We have enough to fill three warehouses.”
Three warehouses! That was an enormous amount.
On Saint Sophia’s Day, as Sophia is the saint who is said to have taught people how to make cheese and butter, it’s customary for rich and poor alike to celebrate by eating dairy products. On this day, the cheapest cheese, Gouda, is especially popular among the common folk.
So in preparation for Saint Sophia’s Day, they had stocked up heavily on Gouda cheese. But unfortunately, around the same time, a neighboring country increased its butter exports, causing butter prices to plummet. As a result, the commoners opted to buy butter instead of cheese, and Buckley’s store was left with a mountain of unsold Gouda.
Upon hearing this explanation, Chloe felt like her mind was clearing—she had found a way to break through her current predicament.
Her face brightened.
“I see. Thank you for the explanation.”
“No problem, ma’am,” the clerks responded.
After Chloe went back inside Buckley’s shop, the clerks whispered among themselves.
“She has such a lovely smile.”
“Indeed, she does.”
Chloe then sought out Buckley himself.
“Mr. Buckley, I heard your store has a huge surplus of Gouda cheese. Is that true?”
“How did Your Grace find that out? It’s about to start molding soon. I was just thinking of selling it off at a loss before it becomes completely worthless.”
“Oh dear, you’d take a huge loss doing that.”
“Well, it’s still better than throwing it all away, isn’t it?”
Chloe smiled sweetly.
“In that case, what would you do if I told you there was a way to sell it all at full price?”
“What? Such a method exists?”
“Yes,” Chloe said calmly.
“I’ll teach you how to sell the cheese quickly. Just pay me the cost of the promotion.”
“You… You know a way, Your Grace?”
Buckley’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He hesitated. It didn’t seem like a duchess would make such a claim lightly.
Even so, could a woman—especially one with no business or marketing background—really know how to sell such a large stock of cheese? He had already tried every strategy he could think of, yet could barely reduce the stock by half.
But… it was also true that he couldn’t afford to ignore this woman. Buckley felt like a drowning man grasping at straws.
After a long pause, he spoke.
“Then… how much should I pay for the promotion?”
“Give me 10% of the net profits from the cheese sales. First, pay me the amount equivalent to one warehouse’s worth. If my method sells more than that, you can pay me accordingly based on the results.”
Ten percent of the net profit—a significant amount. But it was still a better deal than selling all that cheese at a steep loss.
Buckley finally made up his mind.
“I’ll trust in Your Grace’s wisdom.”
Chloe smiled brightly.
“Well then, may I hear this method of selling cheese?”
Buckley sounded a little anxious. Chloe sat down as elegantly and gracefully as possible and began to explain.
“When you sell cheese at retail, you cut off pieces from a large wheel according to the customer’s desired weight, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then insert three or four gold coins at random into each wheel of cheese.”
“What?!”
Buckley was stunned. Gold coins inside the cheese he needed to sell? Three or four coins per wheel? Why would anyone give away gold like that?
But Chloe ignored his shocked reaction and continued as if she hadn’t noticed.
“Then put up large posters to advertise. Something like: ‘Gold coins are hidden inside the cheese sold at Buckley’s Grocery! Will you be the lucky one? Come test your fortune!’ That sort of thing. People will rush in, hoping to get lucky and find gold.”
Buckley finally began to understand what Chloe was aiming at.
“So… it’s a lottery using cheese!”
Chloe smiled faintly.
Yes, it was essentially a ‘cheese lottery.’ In the Empire, games that awarded prizes by drawing lots existed, but there was no modern concept of a lottery. What Chloe had just introduced was, in effect, a new cultural concept.
In truth, this idea wasn’t entirely Chloe’s own. In her previous life, she had read many books about tea, including ones covering its history. The cheese-lottery strategy was actually the same promotional method used by Thomas Lipton, the founder of the now-famous Lipton company, when he used to run his own grocery store.
Chloe had recalled that story and taught it to Buckley.
Buckley quickly realized how fresh and brilliant her idea was. If executed well, people from all over the capital might come to Buckley’s just to buy cheese. He was so delighted it was as if all the cheese had already been sold.
“This is incredible! You’re truly a wise woman! I’ve been in business for 15 years, but I’ve never seen a promotional strategy this good!”
“You flatter me,” Chloe said shyly.
Just then, Buckley paused, his expression turning a bit concerned.
“But what if the Public Safety Corps intervenes and says people could choke on the coins while eating the cheese?”
“That’s easy,” Chloe replied. “Make a big public announcement too: ‘Beware! Buckley’s cheese contains gold coins. You may choke while eating, so please be careful.’ That way, you’ve fulfilled the warning requirement—and it actually serves as even more advertisement. More people will be intrigued and come buy your cheese.”
“Incredible! Your Grace, you’re truly brilliant!”
Satisfied with both the promotional plan and the contingency, Buckley handed over the upfront payment without hesitation—10% of the net profits from one warehouse’s worth of cheese.
In this Empire, women’s roles were extremely limited. Chloe was indescribably thrilled and proud to have earned money through her own efforts.
She used the payment to buy the groceries she had originally planned to purchase. By visiting several shops and searching thoroughly, she even managed to get imported goods.
With all the ingredients finally in hand, she returned just in time to start preparing dinner.
“Oh my goodness, madam!”
“You’re back, madam!”
As soon as Chloe entered the kitchen, the maids, who had been looking glum, immediately surrounded her. Chloe saw something in their eyes, a sense of expectation. A belief that maybe she had somehow solved the problem.
Her heart beat faster. Her head lifted, her shoulders straightened. Not long ago, she was a neglected, unwanted duchess whom no one trusted or acknowledged. But now, at the very least, the kitchen maids believed in her—as their mistress, their duchess.
Chloe smiled brightly.
“I’ve got all the ingredients we need. Let’s get started with the dinner preparations together with the chef.”
The maids’ faces lit up like blooming flowers. They glanced at each other and beamed with genuine joy.
“And then…”
