Chapter 72

When Artie smiled awkwardly, Marie wedged herself between the two.

“Uncle! You shouldn’t stare so intently at our Artie just because she’s pretty. That’s rude to a lady.”

“Ah, sorry. Sorry. She’s such a rare beauty that I committed a discourtesy. I do apologize, young lady.”

Instead of answering, Artie smiled faintly.

Paul no longer paid Artie any mind and went to the counter, rummaging through a pile of parcels nearby.

“Here, the item you’ve been waiting for. , Volume 4.”

“Kyaa! Finally!”

Marie went wild and snatched the book from Paul’s hands as if grabbing it away.

“My baby! You waited so long!”

Watching Marie clutch the book to her chest and kiss it before even opening it, Artie thought Marie truly loved books.

Paul, looking at Marie with satisfaction, added a remark.

“Do you know how hard I fought to keep this book? There were people offering to pay extra, begging me to sell it to them, but I saved it out of loyalty to young lady Marie.”

“Of course you should prioritize loyalty to me! I’m this bookstore’s VVIP, after all!”

When Marie answered confidently, Paul laughed heartily, saying that was right.

“Of course, of course. This is why I like young lady Marie.”

Even as he said that, he did not forget to subtly emphasize his own credit.

“It hasn’t been officially released yet, so in all of Appennino, young lady Marie will be the first person to own this book. You know well how hard I worked to get this, don’t you?”

“Of course I know, of course!”

“Without my connections, it would have been hard to get. Well, I’m not trying to boast—just so you know.”

At Paul’s words, Marie laughed heartily.

“So how much did the person who offered to pay extra bid?”

“You want to know?”

“Yes.”

“You might feel burdened once you know.”

“I’m incredibly rich, so don’t worry and tell me.”

“Well, if you say so, I’ll speak comfortably. It was 200 gold.”

Marie’s expression shifted slightly. Artie was also thoroughly shocked. Two hundred gold was four years’ living expenses for an ordinary family of four in the capital.

“Do you happen to remember who made that offer?”

“Well now, who was it……. They said they were a butler of some high noble house.”

“Tell me anything you roughly remember.”

“What was it……. I remember them mentioning the Chancellor.”

If it was the Chancellor, there was one place that came to mind.

“……Gabriel.”

Marie’s expression turned cold.

‘She badmouthed the books I read along with Ivana, yet behind my back she was paying extra to get them?’

“The young lady of that house said she wanted it so badly, begging and pleading, so I did feel a little bad.”

“Well done, Uncle. Please keep doing exactly this from now on.”

“Well, it was the right thing to do, but.”

“I’ll give you 400 gold as a reward.”

“What?”

Both Paul and Artie looked at Marie in surprise.

Marie, burning with determination not to lose to Gabriel, boldly took out four coins worth 100 gold each from her clothes and handed them to Paul.

Paul, confirming the coins bearing the seal of the Imperial Currency Fund and Emperor Carlo’s face, looked back and forth between Marie and the coins in shock.

“Young lady Marie, were you this rich?”

Marie, belatedly coming to her senses, smiled awkwardly.

“Not exactly, but it hurts my pride.”

“Heh heh. You’re the kind who’d sell her own house for pride.”

Uncle Paul, laughing heartily—whether from joy or disbelief—groaned and handed two of the coins back to Marie.

“For conscience’s sake, double is too much, and I’m a merchant, so I’ll take just this much.”

“Then please accept this too and take good care of the next volume. Consider it a pre-order.”

“Heh heh. A pre-order for the next one too? This young lady asks for difficult things.”

“It would be great if you could secure it in advance, but even if not, please set aside my copy in advance. I’ll come find it myself again.”

When Marie spoke confidently, Paul, who had been torn over the money, finally raised both hands.

“All right, do as you please, young lady.”

Even so, he did not forget to add one more thing.

“In exchange, I’ll give you all the books you buy today as a service.”

“Wow, really?”

“But that doesn’t mean you can go on a shopping spree. I’ll be watching.”

“Hmph. When have you ever seen me buy recklessly?”

“You buy enough to fill two carriages every time.”

“I can’t come often, so I have no choice!”

Marie grabbed Artie’s hand.

Looking at Marie’s blazing eyes, Artie read her determination to shop to her heart’s content, as much as she had been unable to come out.

“Artie, let’s start over there!”

“O-okay.”

“Artie, pick some out too. Today I’m buying!”

Marie truly seemed set on it, sweeping through every display stand.

Artie joined in beside her, but while Artie picked two books, Marie was already holding twenty.

“This one has a princess as the protagonist. Princesses as protagonists aren’t great.”

“Why aren’t princesses as protagonists great?”

Marie answered with a displeased expression.

“When the protagonist is a princess, there’s about a 90 percent chance she’ll have an arranged marriage or a contract marriage, and the partner is either a northern duke or a foreign prince, right? That’s where I lose interest.”

“Because it’s realistic?”

At Marie’s reaction, Artie laughed.

“No! Do you know what the princess setup is like? It’s always the same—wise, patient, able to govern people! That’s not a person, that’s a complete doll!”

After going on and on about why she hated princess stories, Marie let out a sigh.

“Anyway, I don’t like these. Where do you find a princess like that? I’m not reading it. Artie, don’t read it either.”

“But I’m curious…….”

Artie sent her a pleading look, but Marie’s wall was solid.

“Absolutely not. Only read with your eyes closed.”

In the end, Artie could not buy the book Marie so detested.

* * *

“What on earth are you doing that takes so long?”

Essen complained the moment they came out of the bookstore.

Marie, who had come out in a good mood after getting the book she wanted, frowned the moment she saw Essen.

“Well, shopping can take a long time. Why are you so cranky?”

“You said you hated crowds and made us wait outside, and then you don’t come out—that’s why.”

“Is this your first time shopping with a woman? If you act like this, Essen oppa, you’ll never get a girlfriend.”

“…….”

Essen’s face twisted as he clamped his mouth shut.

At the unexpected victory, Marie’s eyes went wide instead.

“What’s with you? You should be saying what does a woman have to do with it. Did something happen to you, oppa?”

Essen glared at Marie without a word.

That was scarier to Marie. His usual cranky temper was actually better.

“Don’t tell me you’ve got a woman you like?!”

“…….”

Essen’s gaze briefly flicked toward Artie. He turned away immediately, but Artie was not one to miss it.

“……?”

Artie tilted her head, but Marie, of all people, did not notice.

“Gasp, really?! Essen oppa?!”

Marie, eyes wide, turned into a hyena who had spotted prey within seconds and clung to Essen.

“Who is it?! Is it a lady I know? Where did you meet her? Huh? Oppa, say something!”

“Get off me, Marie.”

“Tell me and I’ll get off!”

Marie clung persistently to Essen.

Essen, irritated, shook Marie off and hid behind Diano.

Diano, who had inadvertently become a shield, ended up colliding with Marie just like that.

“Ack!”

“Aaack!”

Marie, who had somehow ended up in Diano’s arms, fell to the ground together with him.

“Ugh.”

“Ow…….”

Looking at the two who had fallen where Essen had dodged, Artie wore a pitiful expression.

She was especially worried about Diano, whose head had struck the ground directly. Marie came to her senses first, got up, and kicked Diano.

“How dare you block a princess’s path!”

Marie shouted, but Diano did not so much as twitch a finger.

“Marie, you killed him.”

Essen said with a look of disdain.

“What are you talking about, it’s because of Essen oppa!”

“Still, you’re the one who killed Diano.”

“I didn’t kill him. Hey! Wake up! I said wake up!”

Marie sat down and grabbed Diano by the collar, shaking him. Artie was genuinely worried about Diano’s condition.

“It’s too late now. He’ll never come back to life.”

“Essen oppa, don’t say such unlucky things! He’s not dead!”

After shaking him for quite a while with no response, Marie grew frightened.

‘What if he really is dead? Did I kill someone?’

As she grew confused, Marie suddenly burst into tears.

“M-Marie?”

Artie was startled and comforted Marie. Still sprawled over Diano, Marie sniffled.

“To think I killed someone……. This can’t be. Wake up, wake up!”

Just as Marie was crying—Diano suddenly sat up and promptly bumped heads with her.

Thwack!

“Marie……!”

Marie collapsed sideways.

“Ah.”

Having come to his senses, Diano looked at Essen and Artie and opened his mouth.

“I must have dozed off for a moment.”

No. You nearly died just now.

Artie barely swallowed the words she wanted to say and smiled awkwardly, while Essen silently looked at Marie, who had bumped heads with Diano.

“Huh?”

Seeing Marie sprawled on the ground, Diano was flustered.

She had lost consciousness from the impact of their heads colliding, but Diano, having just woken up, could not know that.

“Why is Her Highness the Princess like this?”

“Well, asking us that…….”

Essen shrugged as if deliberately deflecting.

“In this state, we can’t wander around anymore.”

Artie, receiving Essen’s gaze, nodded in agreement.

Essen smiled faintly, then straightened his expression and looked at Diano.

“Diano, you carry Marie. Let’s return to the palace.”

“Uh…… yes.”

Not understanding why he had to carry the Princess, Diano obediently followed Essen’s command.