One of the vassals was looking at me with a respectful face. Was his name Darren Drew Sheerkhan? A man who was a distant relative of Barcas spoke cautiously.
"If you like something, I'll buy it."
"That's it. I don't need..."
I, who was habitually about to say no, suddenly fell silent. I was getting tired of sitting still like an ornament.
I glanced at Barcas, surrounded by magistrates and council members, and stood up, hooded over my head.
"Yes. Take the lead."
Exiting the conference room through the back door, a large space crowded with hundreds of merchants was revealed.
I stood in front of the railing and looked down. On the tightly set up stalls, there were mountains of colorful woolen fabrics and felt, and behind them were long rows of carts and chests full of luggage.
"Please come this way."
The man led me up the stairs. I gripped the railing with one hand and took a cautious step. As I stepped down the last staircase, the lively scenery of the auction house filled my view.
I walked along the bustling passageway, watching the merchants competing for bids. While the men dressed as ordinary aristocrats sputtered and haggled, middlemen used scales and an abacus to calculate fees and taxes, and transporters loaded the stacks of textiles onto carts.
I felt like I had fallen into the middle of a frantic banquet hall.
I was looking at the spices sold by foreign merchants and approached a relatively quiet store.
On the rather shabby stalls, there were rows of craftsmanship made with coarse workmanship. As I scanned them with a deep look, a man who had been following quietly like a guard spoke to me.
"The jeweler is located in the side corridor area. Can I show you around?"
"That's it. I won't wear dwarf jewelry anyway."
"Oh...I see."
The man scratched the back of his head with a blank face. I ignored him and stepped into an alley lined with small shops.
At that moment, a tapestry on the wall caught my eye.
I stepped up to it and stared up at the unique embellished fabric.
On the elaborately intertwined fabric of golden, red, and dark maroon threads, the images of a young woman with pure white skin and a three-headed black beast were embroidered.
As I frowned at the eerie painting, I heard an unfamiliar voice nearby.
"Do you like that tapestry?"
I turned ny head and spotted an eastern woman inside the stall with a wary expression.
She put down the ledger she was holding and offered a deal in a polite tone.
"It's on the market for 30 soldem, but if you buy it, I'll trade it for 26 soldem."
"Someone bought such a strange tapestry."
A faint curiosity appeared on the woman's face at the blunt reply. She tilted her head to look at my face.
"You seem to be from another area."
I looked wary.
"How do you know that?"
"This tapestry depicts some of the most famous folk tales in the East. I thought you must have come from another place."
"Folk tales?"
I looked up at the fabric on the wall again.
Perhaps 8 was willing to show interest, the merchant immediately began to talk.
"It is said that a long time ago, there lived a huge monster that tried to devour even the stars in the sky. The greedy beast tried to devour all life on earth."
The woman stopped to see how I reacted. I gestured as if to continue. A clear voice with a strange resonance continued slowly.
"Then one day, the earth spirits awakened to calm the beast that threatened the world. She sang nonstop for a hundred days and nights to tame the monster, and a great warrior was born between them. The ancient Easterners believed they were descendants of this warrior."
I raised my eyebrows, remembering that I had heard similar stories from the maids of Raedgo Castle.
The vendor, who was rummaging through the neatly folded piles of fabrics, took out a handkerchief and spread it out on the stand.
"Even now, there are many Easterners who believe that this beast's pattern protects against bad luck. If you don't like tapestries, why don't you buy this handkerchief?"
On the reddish cloth was an embroidered monster with three heads. It was a familiar pattern.
I squinted my eyes and soon remembered that it was a sentence I had seen in a book when I was learning about the history of the nations. Before it was incorporated into the Roem Empire, it was a symbol used by the Sheerkan family.
I lifted it up as if drawn by something.
It was far from my taste, but I was reluctant to ignore the merchant's enthusiasm.
I glanced over my shoulder.
"What are you doing without calculating?"
At that moment, a slender hand with a bone protruding from the side reached out.
"Is this enough?"
With a chilling voice, a few glittering gold coins were placed on the shelves.
I flinched and looked back. Barcas, dressed in a dark navy blue cloak, looked down at me with a nonchalant face. He leaned against my back, a soft voice dripping down his temple.
"Is there anything else you want to have?"
I looked up at him from afar and then slowly shook my head. Barcas stared intently into my face and turned his attention to the merchant.
"Is the price of the goods sufficient?"
"Oh, that's enough. It's enough."
The merchant quickly grabbed the gold coins, and Barcas wasted no time in turning.
As I walked out of the narrow passage led by his hand, I saw the relatively quiet auction hall.
He spoke quietly as he stepped into the middle of the building.
"The jewelry store is over there. There are also caravans from the southern continent, so Your Highness should be able to find your favorite items."
I looked up at his face in a daze. At that moment, the man who had been silently following us interrupted without noticing.
"Your Excellency, Her Highness says that she will not wear any dwarven jewelry unless it is made of dwarves. But will the pagan things fill the heart of Her Highness the Princess?"
I stared at him through the hem of my robe. I can't blow up the chance to get a gem from Barcas because of such a jerk.
I blurted out a little impatiently.
"Come to think of it, I think it's okay to have at least one of the accessories that are a little different."
Barcas looked over my shoulder for a moment, then turned back to the front.
We passed through dozens of stalls and moved to the side of the building.
Soon, the entrance of the precious metals exchange appeared. Barcas led me into it.
"Welcome."
A merchant standing in front of the shelf gave a vague greeting without even raising his head. Despite the rudeness, Barcas didn't react much and led me to the shelf.
"If you like something, please let me know."
I scanned the red velvet carefully. There were large and small gemstones of quite excellent quality.
Some of them looked unusual even to my eyes, having been exposed to all kinds of rare treasures. As I picked it up, the merchant who was checking the quality of the stone with a small magnifying glass spit out a sharp volce.
"Guest! If you touch it carelessly...!"
The merchant who recognized Barcas belatedly gasped and jumped up from his seat.
Barcas said in a dry tone.
"Your Highness will buy all the things instead of your hands."
"Oh, no, sir, Grand Duke! Don't worry about it, just look at it to your heart's content. I didn't recognize you, so I disobeyed..."
I didn't even look at the merchant and turned my attention to the other gems.
Suddenly, I noticed a faint glowing blue mineral and stopped walking. I carefully lifted it and held it up to the light, and a mysterious silver glow appeared on the smooth surface. It was a beautiful moonstone reminiscent of Barcas's eyes.
"Do you like that?"
As I was looking into the gem as if possessed, Barcas spoke to me.
I stumbled and put the jewel down. The nape of my neck became hot with the look in his eyes as if I was looking into my heart.
"Ah, it's not good."
I snatched the red ruby from my side.
"I want to do this."
Comments
Post a Comment