Abandoned talented woman decides to live a leisurely life with her family

A few days later…

“Anne, I need to ask you for some advice.”

Father walked into my room just as I had finally finished the second volume of the picture book for the twins.

“Yes, what is it?”

I whispered to Maria to prepare some tea and then invited Father to sit on the sofa in my room.

As we sat down facing each other, Father suddenly began to speak.

“It’s about the picture books.”

Ah, I remembered that he had given them to the twins.

“Please wait a moment.”

I went to my room, picked up the two new books I had just finished, and brought them back.

Handing them to Father, I said, “Here they are.”

“Yes, these are the ones. Elmer and Alma’s tutor mentioned them.”

—Hmm? Did I do something wrong?

Was there an issue from an educational perspective?

In my previous world, this story was considered an essential part of early childhood education and was treated as a classic. I didn’t think it could be that bad… While I was pondering this, Father spoke again.

“The tutor spoke very highly of these books. She mentioned that she didn’t want to keep them just within our family but wanted to share them with other children as well. She suggested that the other tutors’ families could use them too.”

—Huh? For other children?!

I could write as much as I wanted for Elmer and Alma, but mass-producing them for other children? That’s too much for me!

I was overwhelmed.

No matter how much free time I had, I had no intention of making a living as a picture book author.

For me, it was enough to be sandwiched between Elmer and Alma, watching them clap their plump little hands after finishing the book. I was satisfied if they enjoyed it.

Perhaps my thoughts showed on my face, as Father quickly reassured me.

“Oh, I’m not asking you to make more yourself. I was thinking we could apply for a patent and copyright so that someone else could produce and sell them.”

“Patents? Copyright?”

I was half-surprised that such concepts already existed in this world, and I repeated them aloud.

“How should I proceed with that?”

I had only a vague understanding of these terms from my previous world, but I wondered if they worked the same way here.

“First, you’d need to register your name with the Merchant Guild.”

“Merchant Guild?”

I had heard of it before but had never been involved, so I repeated the term, trying to understand.

“Yes, the Merchant Guild.”

“It’s like a gathering of people who make a living through commerce. It’s also where copyrights and patents are managed, which I’ll explain later. So, joining is essential.”

“I see…”

It seemed almost certain that I would become a member of the Merchant Guild.

“Copyright is the right that the creator of a work holds. For example, in the case of this picture book, it’s the right you have, Anne, to decide how your story is used. Of course, if someone else uses something you created, you would receive payment.”

If that’s the case, it must be similar to the copyright I vaguely remembered from my previous life.

“And as for the patent, it involves registering something like a picture book.”

“I see.”

“A patent grants an inventor exclusive rights to a particular technology or invention. The inventor can then choose to allow others to use the technology for a fee, receiving payment in return. It’s also possible to grant the technology for free if desired.”

“…Money?”

I was puzzled after hearing that explanation.

—Hmm, what should I do?

Even though it’s a picture book, it’s more like a reproduction of my memories from a previous life. And the story is based on something that happened in my previous world. It wasn’t something I came up with.

But focusing on money felt somewhat wrong…

“I don’t care about the money…”

As I began to say that, Father suddenly reached out and covered my mouth.

“Isn’t there something you want to do? Something you saw after coming to this country?”

“What I want to do… What I’ve seen… Ah!”

It reminded me of the scene at the soup kitchen in the church.

“If I could make a living by selling picture books, would it be possible for me to donate to the church regularly?”

I leaned forward and asked eagerly.

“Exactly. Well, you’re not an artist, so I think you should leave the creation of the picture books to a trustworthy company and simply collect the royalties.”

“So that’s possible too.”

“It’s wonderful that your work could help advance children’s education, and it’s noble to use the money generated from it to help the poor consistently. What do you think?”

I immediately nodded in agreement with Father’s suggestion.

—I’ve pretty much decided to join the Merchant Guild and become a businesswoman.

At the very least, I w

on’t be a burden to Elmer and Alma, taking care of them and providing for them.

Yes, I felt a little relieved.