Money and Debt
"Do you ever stop to think about how rarely we have to deal directly with money?" Lynn asked.
"We paid for these drinks," I said, raising a teacup to make my point.
"Yes. And you pay cash for your fashion magazines. But you don't pay cash for your clothes, for any food delivered to the castle, for furniture, for livestock. Everything is done on accounts, in ledgers. And payments are sent by mail or by courier later."
"It is kind of crazy compared to our modern world," I said.
"I'm not sure it's that different. It's like credit cards really, just low tech." Lynn sipped her coffee and stared out the window.
"I wonder if that was the intention of the designers?" I said.
Lynn set her coffee cup down. She put her head on her knuckles and stared off into nowhere. "Maybe. Maybe this is how it actually was in the Victorian era for nobility."
"Maybe," I said. "It seems like a lot of trust is baked into the system. Which surprises me."
"True. A noble especially can buy a lot on their good name alone. I've noticed already how easy it would be to go into large amounts of debt. I'm baroness. And nobody in the barony is going to tell me no. In theory, I have to pay all accounts. But I could get into crazy amounts of debt before Leon would feel obliged to stop me."
"Leon would have to stop you? Of course, he's your direct superior. That would be awkward."
"It's a good reminder when I need to keep myself in check. I don't want to put him in that position."
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