Flower of Steel

er Rave’s delightful exit, the boutique became silent.
It was Adrian who broke that awkward silence and said, “I’d better get going too.
I have someone waiting for me.”

“Oh, of course.
Farewell, sir.”

Adrian smiled brightly at my response and replied, “Same to you, my lady.
Until we meet again.”

I almost froze because of that smile.
Whoa, how can a person be so handsome that I still have to say it even if my mouth hurts saying it?

“…He sure is a wonderful man,” commented Lumi.
She seemed to have been mesmerized by his handsomeness.
Yeah, he sure is.

“Ugh, What’s wrong with you all? That man… Ugh, what you see isn’t everything!”

Chelleno’s words made me wonder more about the man Adrian.
I wanted to question my cousin about him, but he didn’t seem to want to talk about it, so I didn’t ask in detail.
So, Sir Adrian isn’t just some ordinary knight?

“Where are you going, Marin?” asked Chelleno, who was trying to get back on the carriage after we bought everything we needed.

“I have to get something.
I’ll come back soon.
Rey, follow me.”

Chelleno looked displeased as soon as he saw Rey.
He would have followed me, but he didn’t get out of the wagon, probably because of him.

Rey, on the other hand, didn’t seem interested in Chelleno and asked, “Don’t tell me you’re going to buy that again?”

With a slightly dissatisfied voice, I nodded and replied, “Of course I am.”

“You’re rich now.
Why the fuss now?”

I frowned at the utter lack of consideration in his words.
This wasn’t a simple part-time job.
It was the joy of my life.
“It’s my hobby, so don’t bother.”

Rey frowned.
I didn’t feel good either as I could see disapproval in his eyes which were a similar color to mine.
Then he replied, “Yeah, okay.
But don’t go too much.
People will laugh at you if they know.”

Who will laugh at who? It’s my noble hobby! I’m always proud.
Because of that, I pridefully… walked into a stuffed doll store.
Rey seemed embarrassed to be here, so he decided to wait from a distance where he could see the entrance.

“Whoa… The capital sure is different,” I commented astonishingly.

The sheer number of parts and materials for dolls were enormous already.
The cute but full of different materials and dolls, the boutique had some dolls that I made myself.
It sure was worth selling them anywhere in the world.
Honestly, I’m actually dubbed ‘Doll Master M’ among doll sellers.
It was a nickname I got because my dolls had a sense of dignity of a master craftsman within them.
Isn’t that the best reputation Doll Master M deserves? Hah!

“Can I get that and that?”

As always, I felt happy when I bought doll materials.
I should make a cute teddy bear with this.
I haven’t made one in a while.
Would Harry like it if I sent it to him?

I saw Rey in the distance when I got out of the store.
He seemed to be tired as he had his eyes closed.
While I was trying to call him…