Short Story: The Clothing Store Owner

My name is Zanac Zenfield. I’m the owner of the popular chain of stores, Fashion King Zanac. I originally founded my store after inheriting wealth from my father. It was a serious investment, and I nearly went bankrupt quite a few times, but after a lot of hardship, I finally found my footing.

I still remember that fateful day quite well. I was sitting in my carriage, trying to think of new clothing designs. I wanted to come up with something that would shock the entire world! I poked my head out of the carriage window in the hopes of gaining some inspiration, and then I saw him. He almost blended in with the scenery, but the young boy I saw that day had clothing unlike anything I had ever seen.

What was it? I couldn’t say for sure. The clothing was simple, yet functional and sharp. It was the big break I’d been seeking. I had my carriage stop, then I went to speak with the boy. I negotiated with him for his peculiar attire. That was my first encounter with the lad who would go on to become the grand duke of Brunhild, Mochizuki Touya.

His clothing was simply sublime. I almost felt guilty for giving him only a measly ten gold. I had severely underestimated the quality of the thread work and the material. Using that clothing as a base, I started to design my own outfits. Before I knew it, Fashion King Zanac became a household name. Amazingly, it didn’t end there! The grand duke became a regular patron of my store and even submitted new clothing designs from time to time. The more we made, the more we sold, and the more nobles took notice. Nowadays, there’s a Fashion King Zanac in almost every major city on the continent. I never would have expected to make it this far in such a short time, and I truly owe the grand duke a debt for that. He’s been like a divine blessing ever since he entered my life.

And now, I face the most important challenge of my life… creating wedding dresses for his brides-to-be. This task has been no small feat. After all, there are nine of them! All nine dresses have unique materials, designs, and dimensions to them as well. Fortunately, the grand duke never seems to worry about expenses, so he commissioned me with enough of a budget to make multiple prototypes. Thanks to that, I managed to finally create a base dress that I think everyone will find appealing. I’m sure that once this wedding is over, the beautiful dresses will be coveted by brides all over the world! I’ve already set mass production plans into motion and dedicated an entire company subdivision to wedding attire. The grand duke even came up with a brilliant idea, saying that I could create a service for people to rent formal clothing or dresses from me for a limited period before returning them! Naturally, I’ll have to ensure the safety of my property by asking for an up-front deposit from potential customers, though.

Either way, this royal wedding will change the course of weddings forevermore. The name “Fashion King Zanac” will become inseparably linked to marriage. What greater honor could I ask for? At any rate, I should get back to work… Once people start ordering dresses, I’ll be busier than ever!