“An hour. How about going to a nice restaurant and having a meal? Eat some meat and drink a little alcohol.”
As I held out five bills, the man gestured toward the remaining wad of cash.
“Prices have gone up a lot these days. I guess we’re in wartime.”
“… … .”
Hermia quietly added three more sheets.
“Big and small wars are always happening on the border. The Kingdom of Muller is a small country caught between two empires.”
“How about three hours instead of one? Fifteen chapters.”
“…two hours.”
In the end, the man who had 1.3 million PERSO in his hands stepped back with a satisfied look on his face.
She had only intended to spend about 500,000 perso, but the bleeding was greater than she had expected. Hermia tightened the string again with trembling hands.
“That, that, that thief just stole my entire month’s salary in two hours!”
And then, looking at Andy who was jumping up and down, he held out two bills.
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me for this. This is really all I have.”
“Don’t worry, my mouth isn’t that expensive.”
As he said that, Andy took the money and put it in his pocket.
‘I’ve spent a third of my entire fortune… … .’
Hermia entered the market with her drooping body.
It had been a long time since I had seen the sight of shops lined up tightly on both sides of the street and people bustling about between them.
Here, things like dignity, courtesy, and careful deportment were of no use. People who were talking, running, and shouting to their heart’s content all seemed happy.
Only then did I feel a little better. For a 1.5 million pesos landscape, it might not be so bad.
“Miss, shall we each buy a crepe?”
Andy was looking around excitedly as if nothing had happened.
‘No. I have to buy the thief Young-ae and the brooch with the remaining money.’
I clearly shouted that in my mind, but when I came to my senses, I could taste chocolate in my mouth.
“… … ?”
Did something go into my mouth? I don’t remember. And when I blinked, I had an apple pie in my hand.
“When did I buy this?” Andy looked down in confusion as he finished calculating the price and chuckled.
“I’m shooting it specially today!”
‘That’s the money I gave you.’
Anyway, she concluded that she had already paid for it and began to inhale it frantically. She ate the jam with her fingers as if she was going to eat it, and before she knew it, she was in front of the bookstore.
Hermia cautiously entered. The first thing she saw was a shelf full of yellow books. All of them.
It was not an exaggeration to say that it was famous, as it was piled high on the shelves outside the bookshelf and sold. Even in the brief moment I was looking around at the scene, a girl picked up the book and ran over.
Hermia walked to the checkout counter holding the same books the child had chosen. Two of them, mine and Irene’s that had been burned.
“I heard that volume 2 came out too. Is it not available here?”
When I asked while handing over a bill, the bookstore owner calmly handed me a thick ledger.
[-List of those who reserved volume 2 of Thief Youngae-]
The names were listed so densely below that I couldn’t stop turning the pages.
“The first edition is sold out as soon as it comes out. If you reserve it now, you will receive it in about two months.”
“There are that many in Volume 1?”
When I asked the owner of the bookstore, he threw me change and a pen as if he found it annoying.
“It’s been half a year since the first volume came out. I brought more recently because I heard that precious people like you are reading it. Since I’m busy, please write down your name and leave.”
‘What is so unfriendly?’
If it were my mother, I would have stabbed her in the eye with this pen. With that thought, I opened the last page of the ledger.
As I was writing ‘Herm…’ without thinking, an unfamiliar voice suddenly interjected from the side.
“Write with your real name?”
“ah.”
It was only then that I noticed the names of the other people who had made reservations.
[I am a princess
Miss Sae-chim-degi
A plump and chubby beauty
I am Bell]
The list, which started with something like a nickname, changed into a strange form as it went on.
[Bell♡William
Bell♡Unconditionally Jade
William♡Jade]
She almost broke the flow and wrote ‘Hermia Bahnsen’ without thinking. She thought for a moment, then made a mark and wrote the new name.
[Mrs. R]
‘Hmm… … Is that too obvious?’
As I was thinking about whether to write again, I heard a small laugh. It was the man who had interfered a little while ago.
“Mrs. Rockford? You’re being aggressive.”
I turned my head and saw a blond man wearing some kind of spinning toy glasses. He was even whistling a short tune.
“Isn’t an active woman a problem?”
“No way. You’re totally my type.”
He leaned his elbows on the shelf, grinning mirthlessly.
“Really.”
What’s this? Wearing funny glasses and pretending to be cool.
Hermia muttered to herself and slightly frowned as she observed the man. Even though half of his face was covered, his neat nose and handsome lips were impressive.
But you never know. There might be a buttonhole or a bird’s eye hidden behind the glasses. Besides, the first impression was already made from the rough posture and speech.
So, a quick conclusion. He’s just a punk, no different from the guys who used to pester me every day when I was a commoner.
“Excuse me, do you know me?”
After making a decision in my head, a harsh reaction naturally came out.
“… … .”
If they were ordinary gangsters, it would be normal for them to back down at this point. If they thought of the Duke of Rockford just by seeing the ‘R’, then there’s no way they wouldn’t know that they were the daughter of the famous Bansen family.
The man stroked his chin quietly. He seemed to be studying me as I had observed him.
“The young lady of the Countess walks around with chocolate on her lips… … .”
“Oh my.”
Hermia rubbed her lower body with the back of her hand. She didn’t even think to take out a handkerchief.
An Gyeong-nam looked at the sight as if he found it amusing and then crossed his arms.
“You know, what do you think about a guy asking a woman who’s already engaged out on a date?”
“It’s the worst.”
“Then how about a cup of coffee with the worst guy ever? Just this time, if you pay… … .”
“Are you a pervert and a beggar?”
“He’s a pervert, but he’s a beggar… … .”
Hermia turned her head to look for Andy, who was engrossed in a book she had taken out from a corner of the adult section.
“Andy!”
“Whoo. Oh, yes! Miss! Let’s go!”
It was the moment when I was about to leave the bookstore, ignoring the persistent gazes that followed me.
“Hey, noble lady!”
It wasn’t the glasses guy, it was the bookstore owner.
“You have to leave a deposit before you go!”
“Reservation deposit?”
“If you write down your name and don’t come to buy it, I’ll be the only one who loses because I ordered in bulk.”
What kind of book is that, with a deposit for each book… … .
Hermia stood at the counter with a dubious look on her face.
“How much is it?”
“The book costs 10,000 pesos. By the way, there are no refunds if you don’t come to pick it up.”
“Here it is. You can come and get it in two months, right?”
“If you pay 30,000 Persians, you can move up the order.”
The owner still held out his hand with a sullen face.
“50 thousand perso is next week, not two months.”
“… … .”
“If you give me 100,000 Persians, I can deliver it to your home within two days… … .”
“president.”
Hermia cut off her master’s words softly.
“Do I look like a young lady who doesn’t know the ways of the world because I wear nice clothes and am polite?”
“…yes?”
She stood upright and stared into her master’s eyes for a long time without saying a word.
A tense atmosphere filled the bookstore, and a drop of sweat ran down the bookstore owner’s temple.
“… 20,000. Please bring it forward by about a month instead of two months.”
“Oh, yes. I understand. Come back in a month.”
Huh. Hermia snorted and confidently walked out of the store.
“Phuhat!”
The man, who had been looking back and forth between the owner and Hermia, suddenly burst into laughter.
“She was a smart-aleck girl who pretended to be smart.”
Then, at one point, he suddenly stopped laughing and grabbed the hand of the owner who was trying to put money into the cash box.
The owner’s face was distorted in pain by the strong grip that was tightening around his wrist, unlike his slender physique.
“Oh! What the hell are you doing?”
“Business should be done honestly. Volume 2. There’s an extra set aside, right? Isn’t that right?”
“Wh, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Get out of here before I call the police for obstructing business!”
Then the man said, “Eek,” let go of my hand, and stepped back.
“Public authority is difficult. Of course, not me, but you.”
The man opened the book he had been reading again, leaned back against the wall, and quietly announced.
“Just read this and then I’ll leave quietly, so wait.”
“What? You’re going to leave after reading without buying anything? Do you think this is some kind of library?”
The owner, who had been getting angry, suddenly shut his mouth tightly. This was because he was face to face with the reddish brown eyes behind the glasses.
In the Kingdom of Muller, red eyes mean only one thing. The master’s complexion gradually grew colder as he saw the red eyes that only the royal family had.
“Excuse me, but is there… Prince… … .”
“I lost all my money on my way here. I think I was pickpocketed inside Postbury, so as a fellow resident I have to take moral responsibility. The price of two books.”
The man turned his gaze back to the book and announced quietly.
“It was an important scene, but the flow was broken.”
[Belle’s father, Count Jacob Binns, had a greedy half-brother.]
“Ah. Here it goes. His name is Arno Vince… … . So, is this Arnold Bahnsen?”
Gerard’s eyes narrowed sharply.
* * *
Hermia counted her remaining money as she walked down the clean and quiet Lundberg Street.
I gave 1.5 million Perso to the bandits and Andy, and spent 40,000 Perso at the bookstore, so I’m left with about 3.4 million.
‘I guess I’ll have to buy the smallest brooch. Damn it.’
The countess’s disappointed face was already looming. Then, as if by habit, my temples began to prickle.
She sighed softly and arrived in front of a store with a fancy sign.
A few soldiers standing guard outside the store spotted the two, but Hermia, preoccupied with her finances, passed them by without noticing them.
“Welcome, Hermia.”
As expected from a place selling valuables, the doorman, who had a long sword on his belt, greeted her politely. Hermia accepted the formal greeting and went inside.
Inside the largest jewelry store in Lundberg, there were more than a dozen employees. They were all standing stiffly for some reason, and when they saw him, each of them looked surprised.
Maybe it was because it was my first time visiting a store without my mother, I could only guess vaguely.
“Oh my! It would be difficult if you come now!”
Soon, the owner of the store, Mrs. Sophia, came running over, beaming with joy.
“Good afternoon, Madam Sophia.”
“It’s a beautiful afternoon, as always, Miss Hermia.”
Sophia, who had just given a routine greeting, immediately grabbed Hermia’s arm and whispered.
“Sir Walter is here right now. He’s selecting jewels on the second floor!”