Chapter 27

How refreshing!

Annie waved her hands in goodbye as the nobles from afar pursed their lips.

Carla, barely holding back her laughter, whispered, “Good job, My Lady.”

“No woman should avoid a fight.”

Annie sat down on the wooden chair again. She could have a servant do the sale, but she tried to do it directly because it was a meaningful event.

But for some reason, she felt a cool breeze.

‘It’s hot, then it’s cold… What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?’

Carla stopped breathing. She hurriedly pulled Annie’s cuffs.

“Ah, My Lady…”

“Huh?”

“Well, over there…”

“What is it?”

Annie, with her doubts, turned her head. Then she saw a man striding towards them on a pair of long, slender legs.

Silky black hair flowing down the forehead splayed over the artistic features. It was the emperor: Ejed Jean Porcaus.

The problem was that he was walking toward her.

‘… No, it can’t be.’

There’s no way that such an indifferent man, who won’t deign to even answer a question asked by a beautiful woman, would be searching for her, right?

Annie thought with an awkward laugh.

“No, no way.”

“Huh… huh…”

“…”

It wasn’t possible that she caught that man’s attention. Pin straight legs that swung in long strides surrounded by a billowing black robe eclipsed Annie’s view as she sat stiffly in her chair.

She looked up at those extraordinarily long legs and raised her gaze with stiff lips. In front of her stood a cold, handsome man who would not look strange, and would look all the more valiant for it, if he pulled out a sword.

When he removed his glasses, they disappeared with a flash of gold in the blink of an eye. His presence demanded one’s singular attention, and it felt like one was seeing the emperor among emperors under an attention-grabbing spotlight.

Why did the emperor personally come this far? There are a lot of good items in the other stands too!

‘No… No way. This couldn’t be for revenge, right?’

Annie inwardly shook her head and made various guesses.

No, in reality, the seemingly complicated truth was very simple.

It was a bazaar held in good will, so he might have thought to buy one to set an example. She was just unfortunate enough to be chosen.

Annie grabbed Carla’s hand to calm herself down. Then she asked, smiling thinly, at Ejed. “What… would you like?”

‘I don’t think you want my life. You can take everything except that…’

Annie, who swallowed nervously in her heart, smiled enough to cause a spasm at the corners of her mouth.

‘Please. Please leave.’

Ejed was stiff and stood as still as a stone statue.

Instead of answering, he looked at the items on the floor and curled up one side of his mouth.

‘What? Why are you making that expression?’

It was as if he was laughing, which made Annie feel worse.

“Go… o… od.”

‘… Are you swearing now?’

The intonation on the letters sounded unusual. And it’s uncertain whether or not it’s just Annie’s perception, but the aides behind Ejed looked rather anxious and sweaty.

Ejed clamped his lips together tightly. Then, again, he inadvertently turned his gaze to the side.

‘Do you want to buy something? Is this some new method to disrupt businesses? Or are you trying to bother me?’

Annie’s complexion changed subtly. What are you doing?! You’re scaring off all of my customers!

She wasted a lot of time because of that douchebag Girkan and now this…

At that time, an amiable blonde aide named Doher emerged from behind.

“Ahaha. His Majesty is buying everything. Well, let’s see. The handkerchief and fur shawl made by Lady Dsev look really cool, and he says he took a liking to them. Hahaha.”

“… Is His Majesty a ventriloquist?”

As Annie caught him off guard, Doher’s expression quickly hardened and then relaxed. He was really like an aide to the emperor.

“Hahaha. No, you’re really good at jokes. He already noticed Miss Dsev’s stuff from there, earlier.”

As if it was funny, Doher laughed and talked while clapping to himself.  However, he did not get rid of the cold atmosphere.

The most suspicious was the tyrant’s response.

‘I-I don’t know!’

At Ejed’s continued silence, Annie hurriedly put her stuff in a tied cloth box.

She clasped the box in Ejed’s hand.

“Okay, here it is. Please donate the amount on your own.”

Strange. She gave him the goods, but he hasn’t moved.

‘Ah… he has an aide!’

Annie, who was stunned, took the box from Ejed’s hand and handed it to Doher.