Chapter 37

-ˏˋ♡꒷︶꒦꒷︶︶︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷♡ˎˊ˗

(Hildea’s POV)

I moved to the right side along with Sien, rather than the crowded entrance.

‘Was it protected by some sort of magic? It was actually a wall, but suddenly the space moved and a door appeared out of nowhere.’

‘It’s strangely interesting.’

And someone magically opened the door and greeted us as if he was already waiting for Sien to knock.

“Hello, guest. Welcome to the Secret General Store.”

‘Oh! So it’s a secret general store. The name is intuitive.’

I gazed at Sien, who seemed bewildered. However, I looked again and saw her turn back to her normal, as if she’d been calm the entire time. 

But I remember seeing her flinching, licking her lips, and moving her feet as if she wanted to run away at any moment.

‘I must have seen it wrong.’

Anyway since I trust Sien, I entered the door without hesitation. Then, my vision suddenly changed.

Unsurprisingly, a splendid view appeared.

“What is this… What is all this?”

“These are the mysterious items that our secret general store is proud of, Noble Lady. I heard that you intend to buy a gift for a young man your age. Is that correct?”

I nod.

But if I could go back one second before I answered, I would have shaken my head.

‘Because I’d like to go somewhere other than here.’

However, we were already here. The attendant suddenly flashed a wide smile and clapped.

Clap! Clap!

I thought it was not a simple applause because things suddenly flew and landed in front of me as if they had wings.

‘What is this?’

“You don’t need to be surprised. These are items worthy of the reputation of our Secret General Store, which high-ranking customers pay a hefty price to find. Oh! And of course, you can also customize your order!”

I narrow my eyes.

‘Surprisingly, such a place exists, but how did Sien know about this place?’

From the way the attendant talks, it seems that he only deals with high-ranking nobles who can afford to pay astronomical prices?

And um…

‘For some reason… This kind of – ”

It’s not possible, but somehow, I see things that remind me of my previous life.

‘But it can’t be?’

I tilt my head and stop, looking at the object in front of me.

The goal of this trip is to look for a simple return gift. I’ve already decided on what to give but unfortunately, none of the items here are what I wanted.

But some still caught my eye.

‘Then again.’

Everything would look good on him.

Gabriel has such a gorgeous and handsome face that it is rare to find something that doesn’t suit him.

‘And this one would look good on him.’

“How much is this?”

Before I was aware of it, I was already saying that to the attendant. ‘What the heck?’

“Oh, you have a good eye! It’s a very rare item. I can assure you that the recipient will be very impressed, because any magic can be permanently engraved and contained. Oh, not only magic, but it’s also possible for the congratulatory remarks to be transmitted.”

‘Wait a minute.’

I looked at the attendant like I had heard something very unexpected.

But the one who said those words looked at me as if nothing was unusual and this was the norm.

“The congratulatory remark? As in the blessing itself, not the skills or the talent?”

“Yes. It’s not the talent – it’s the blessing.”

‘How is that even possible?’

I was not aware of the gift exchanged between nobles or this kind of secret store.

What I’ve learned is mainly the standard. The Marquis has always praised me for passing the noble etiquette class.  

‘But now it shows that I still have a lot to learn about the secret norms in this world.’

‘I didn’t know that there was a way to take the congratulatory remarks and give them as a gift. And now I know which item could be used for that purpose.’

‘There’s a possibility that this could be misused.’

When I frowned looking at it, the attendant read my reaction and like a professional, he gently whispered,

“I don’t know what you’re concerned about, but it’s not going to be dangerous because the congratulatory remarks cannot be abused. And they can’t be transmitted to just anything. This can only be done using special items, such as this one.”

“What do you mean by that?”

It’s embarrassing to make my ignorance obvious, but I need to ask questions in order to know about these things.

He then said something surprising.

“Congratulatory remarks can be readily removed, and cannot be used unless you’re that person. Should I say it’s like an imprint?”

‘My congratulatory remarks.’

.

‘Does that mean I can take it and put it in an object?’

“Items that contain remarks will only manifest to the person who received them. The congratulatory remarks can read the original owner’s mind like a ghost.”

“You mean, it can read the owner’s mind?”

“Yes.”

I immediately let go of it, like I was burned.

Then it floated in the air as if it had wings, and returned to its original position as if I had picked it up casually.

It can absorb congratulatory remarks.

An object that contains remarks and can read the mind of its original owner, which sounds scary.

I swallow dry saliva. 

I’m also confused.

“It can be a gift with a lot of meaning. Especially to your designated partner before the debutante ball…” 

He added an explanation that went in one ear and out the other.

My thoughts were only focused on one thing.

‘Maybe, just maybe if I buy that and put my congratulatory remarks in it…’

‘Then, will I be able to know exactly how I feel?’

‘Why am I confused these days?’

‘Why is it every time I see Gabriel?’

‘Why is my heart throbbing like this?’

‘And another thing, why is it hard for me to look straight at Rosé?’

‘And…’

It may be useful to me rather than giving it to him as a gift.

‘Maybe I can see what effect the item containing my congratulatory remarks will have.’

‘Whether this would make someone unhappy, or heal someone like my powers do?’

I was surprised to think that far.

‘I must be crazy.’

I bit my lip, and then the attendant spoke like a devil whispering.

“Are you going to choose, Lady?”

‘No. I won’t buy it.’

I was about to say that.

“Think about it carefully.”

If it wasn’t for the attendant’s whisper which cut me off.

“This is the only one in the whole empire. If you don’t buy it now, you may not be able to on your next visit.”

“…”

“So, I recommend that you choose wisely. Come on, Noble Lady. Are you going to buy this? Or are you going to select another product?”

It was great rhetoric.

“I…”

I don’t know what came over me, because my hand just grabbed it as if I was possessed.

‘How did this happen?’

“Great choice.”

The attendant smiled broadly. I opened and closed my eyes as if there were dust in them.

Exactly, the gorgeous men’s cuff links I held in my hand.

They look so pretty that they make me think that they would suit him perfectly.

“……”

Somehow, the pretty thick purple jewel inside, which was shining, closely resembles the color of his eyes and seems to smile at me as if saying,

“Hildea, doesn’t your heart already know the answer to your question?”

“In my honor, you will never regret it.”

Finally, after hearing the attendant’s voice, I came out of the shop with Sien by my side.

The whole process was so unreal as if I was possessed by something.

There was a manual in my hand with instructions on how to transmit congratulatory remarks into the cuff links.

A gift that should have no meaning.

‘It doesn’t look like it. Should I just go back to the secret store and return this item?’

“Um… Milady.”

“Huh?”

“Would you like to go back now? People are watching…”

“Ah.”

If it weren’t for Sien, who was talking next to me, I would have been standing there blankly.

I looked around in surprise, and then I noticed where I was standing.

‘Oh my!’

The fact that the eyes of those people, who are gathered in front of the store to buy fancy things, looked at me with interest. 

It is a disaster.

I’m in a situation where unwelcome rumors surround me.

‘I have to leave this place before it becomes more out-of-hand.’

“Yes, Sien. Let’s go back.”

-ˏˋ ━━━━━━ ʚɞ ━━━━━━ ˊˎ-

(3rd Person POV)

Numerous people came and went in front of the temple.

A young man wearing a hood entered an ordinary carriage. Soon, the carriage moved as fast as it had ever been without leaving a trace.

After a while, a group of people came to the place where the carriage stood earlier.

“There must be some traces left. Hurry up and find it. Anything is fine.”

“Understood.”

The trained people looked around with agile movements.

After a while, what appeared to be a crowd approached the young man who was standing in the middle.

He looked very disappointed.

“Unfortunately, nothing was found.”

“Ugh! Nothing?”

“Correct. There were too many people.”

Annoyance crossed the face of the young man who received the report.

‘How could we miss this kind of opportunity so vainly?’

“I want to get rid of all the annoyingly crowded humans.”

He whispered as if grinding his teeth.

“I had no choice but to visit in person because my beloved mother hid her helper for me not to find it.”

“I’m sorry.”

But the funny thing was that his ferocious attitude and face did not match.

The young man gave off the impression that he couldn’t do anything bad.

He had pale white skin and severely curly hair that seemed to float whenever it got wet, but his slightly drooping eyes were gentle as if they were smiling even if he was angry.

Light brown eyes and auburn colored hair that look normal.

An appearance that sometimes made him look like a young boy. Some may think he’s much younger than his actual age.

However, if a worker at the Imperial Palace saw him, they would have been shocked to see him standing in a shabby hood.

“If you’d like, we can look around again, Your Highness.”

“No. I don’t think we will ever find anything here.”

He was the only noble heir of the Mielle Empire.

It was Crown Prince Benjamin.

His gaze, which was scanning the place, stopped in front of a crowded building.

“Your Highness? What’s wrong?”

Benjamin’s eyes narrowed.

He raised his hand and pointed his finger at a certain building.

The main culprit of the bustling crowd.

The entrance of the white pillar, as if it would never be left behind.

“…What building is that?”

TO BE CONTINUED….