CH 15

15 – Watch Shop On 7th Avenue

7th Avenue was situated on the south-eastern outskirts of the capital.

Since most of the shops on 7th Avenue were family businesses, it was a tight-knit community. Whenever a new store opened, the thing they were most wary of was a newcomer who would break the peace. So, 7th Avenue merchants flocked to the front of the building to check on the owner as furniture entered the newly completed watch shop.

People came and went there all summer, and it looked like it was ready to open after nearly a year.

The most curious among them was the family who owned the bakery in the building next door. Their daughter Liv was interested in the woman her age who seemed to be the owner. 

“Is that woman from the Crimson family?” She asked her friends beside her.

“Isn’t she that woman? The one who divorced the Captain.”

It was widely known that the daughter of the Crimson family had divorced the Captain of the Rubied. Salantier was agitated by Captain Dumfelt’s imprisonment of his mother in a psychiatric hospital for a while.

Scarlett Crimson.

She had become quite famous for selling her husband’s information and getting divorced. But, since then, no fuel had been added to the fire. A year later, the interest had waned.

“Is it that woman?”

“Aww, I don’t know because there never was a picture in the newspapers.”

Since Viktor Drumfelt was doing a high-risk job chasing pirates, his family’s photo was never to be published.

Chosen by her parents and other local merchants because she was the same age as the watch shop owner, Liv grabbed her breadbasket and entered the shop.

She was able to take a good look at the shopkeeper for the first time.

‘She’s stunning...’ was her first impression.

The woman was beautiful. Her light blonde hair, which fell into a long braid over her shoulder, her soft eyes and slightly swollen lips were so becoming that even women would think she was ethereal.

She stood with her hands clasped, with a neutral but slightly aloof expression. Liv had no idea what that expression meant in high society, but it felt rather arrogant here.

She approached her.

“Hey.”

When the woman turned around, Liv held out her basket.

“My name is Liv Alek. As your neighbour, please accept this welcome gift.”

“Ah… Scarlett Dumfel… Crimson.”

“Are you really her? Captain Dumfelt’s…..?” Liv asked, amazed.

Scarlett nodded in response. She then reached out her hand and took the basket. ‘Can I really give this ordinary bread to someone who lived in that great Dumfelt family?’ Liv thought anxiously.

“Thank you.”

‘Wow, she’s gorgeous...’ thought the young woman, shocked by the beauty of Scarlett’s smile. ‘I’ve never seen someone this beautiful in my entire life’.

Scarlett had always been wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a mesh to keep from prying eyes, so Liv was actually the first person to see her face properly.

She happily smiled as Scarlett fiddled with the handle of her breadbasket. She seemed anxious and at a loss on how to interact with the locals.

“Have you been here all summer? What have you been doing all this time?” Liv asked.

“How did you know?”

“This is a small neighbourhood. If anything happens, word will travel fast here.”

“That’s true… Oh, I made watches. I’m a member of the Crimson family.”

“Really? You can make watches?”

“Just call me by my name,” said Scarlett, surprising herself at the offer.

“Okay, Scarlett,” replied Liv, taken aback.

“It would be nice to have coffee together, but it’s still a bit complicated at the moment. Soon... Would you like to come over for coffee?” asked Scarlett with an apologetic look and a bashful smile.

“I’d like that. When you’re done, open the window on the second floor and call me. That’s where my room window is.”

“I will!” beamed Scarlett.

Liv had thought she looked cold, but she was much nicer than expected.

She said her goodbyes to Scarlett and left the shop. 7th Avenue merchants, including her parents, waited for her outside, anxious for information.

“Liv, how did it go?”

“Were you lucky? Did she take the bread?”

Liv cut short the barrage of questions.

“First off, she is really Scarlett Crimson, and she did divorce the Captain.”

“No, why is there such a celebrity in our town...”

Everyone was puzzled at Liv’s revelations.

“And she’s not that uptight. She said she made all the watches herself. And she’s really, really, really pretty. She’s the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”

As soon as Liv finished speaking, the merchants who couldn’t hold back their curiosity anymore rushed into the watch shop. Soon after, they all left the store with satisfied expressions on their faces.

“Aww, I’ve never seen such a pretty girl in the world.”

“Isn’t she lovely?”

“I was worried all summer for nothing. If I had known that she was such a gentle girl, I would have gone and talked to her sooner.”

All the merchants who were worried that a strange person would move into the neighbourhood felt relieved. Liv glanced towards the store, worried that Scarlett might have been surprised by the crowd. Then she came out of the store for a moment, carefully raised her hand, and waved at Liv. As Liv waved back emphatically, Scarlett smiled brightly, feeling reassured.

♔♔♔

//Aww, the townsfolk are so sweet~