Cough
"So, what are you doing here, Emma? What can I help you with today?"
I asked her, ignoring the elephant in the room. The more I pretended that everything was normal, the better I was able to act.
The female in front of looked at with calm eyes, and she truly did look mature, even with the face of a kid.
"Shopkeeper, I ca here because I was in the area, checking sothing, and decided to drop by. There was nothing I needed in particular to help out."
Emma told as she sipped the tea I gave her. Her face told that there was sothing she was dying to speak about, but she did not want to overwhelm , so she was holding herself back.
However, as considerate as she was being, I would much prefer it if she were to speak her mind about this topic. It would make her feel lighter.
I was a good therapist, and it was my job to poke into that matter. So out of sheer habit, I pushed the situation forward.
"You do not have to bottle whatever you are feeling inside. Sotis, it is better to let your emotions out."
I told Emma, and she took a sharp breath before she gave a searching look. Once she found what she was looking for, she looked back at her cup instead of .
"Of course, the shopkeeper seed to have figured out that I was still hiding sothing. Since you seem interested, I will tell you why I am here. Recently, sothing extrely important was taken away from the grove, and they have posted a reward for anyone who’s able to find it."
The female witch told , and I suddenly had a feeling that it would be much safer for not to hear what she had to say.
Before I could act on this feeling and tell Emma to stop talking, she continued to speak.
"The grove is the place which controls most knowledge in this world... Ah, you must already know that. They are the biggest supplier of books and other material. Anyway, the news is that they lost sothing extrely important recently that has caused an uproar."
"You better keep your ears out and try to find out what they have lost, shopkeeper. It can be extrely advantageous for you to be on their good side. After all, the Grove of Knowledge is one of the biggest attractions out there."
Emma told as she finished the last of her tea. She looked around, but nothing caught her eyes.
As she stood up, she paused and looked at a book not too far away from where she had been standing. Her eyes widened as she looked at that book.
I had a feeling she liked the book, and I offered it to her in order to get her out faster.
"You may borrow that book for as long as you like."
I told the female, and she hesitated for a second before she left. As soon as she did, I rubbed my forehead to get rid of the headache that was forming.
’The Grove of Knowledge? What an annoyance. I should not have heard of that place. That would have been better for my psyche.’
I went back to sleep that night, doing my best to forget about the grove and anything else troubling.
The next morning, the world felt as bright as ever. The twins helped set up the shop, and more custors started to co.
And I also received another surprising guest I had not expected to get so soon.
"Oh my-! Is that the duchess? What is she doing here?"
"This is not her first visit, right? I think she might like this bookstore."
The few people that were in my shop gossiped as they looked at the duchess with admiration-filled eyes. Their shell-shocked expressions were quickly replaced by indifference when the duchess’s bodyguards entered behind her, but it did little to curb their curiosity.
"Duchess Isabella, welco to my store. What can I get for you today?"
I asked her, hoping that she would take the hint and not cause a scene. Thankfully, the duchess knew when and how to keep up appearances, and she picked up a few books on her way to the table.
"Shopkeeper, I wanted to place an order for so... ’special’... books. Do you think you have so ti to hear my request?"
The duchess told , and everyone suddenly looked away with a look of understanding on their faces.
"Ah, it makes so much sense why the duchess would co here for the books."
"Hmm, I heard that the grove was in trouble these days. And this bookstore does have anything and everything one could ever want. No wonder she likes to be here."
"Darn-! I guess there is no controversy here after all. Maybe I have been reading too many books lately to think that there was sothing going on here."
The other custors sounded disappointed, but not everyone was convinced by the duchess’s words.
I had no intention of ’clearing my na’ or anything. Instead, I asked the duchess to take a seat first.
She had made an excuse to co and check on the kids most likely, and I did not want to disappoint her.
"Ah, wait a minute. Nyx, Erebus, please escort the duchess to the office. I will be there shortly to talk to her."
I told the twins, and they nodded before they led the duchess into the side office I had pointed them toward.
Everyone else looked at the twins with a curious expression on their faces. They wanted to follow them and know more about what I wanted to talk about with the duchess.
Unfortunately, the presence of the duchess’s bodyguards stopped them from coming after her. I turned toward those guards as well and gave them a nod of appreciation.
They did not return that nod, but I knew that they were going to look after my shop for now.
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