Chapter 5

Peterson could not hide his embarrassment, yet kept glancing at Pyria.

His intentions were so obvious that it almost made her laugh, but Pyria held back and pretended not to notice.

“That, ahem, well. It must be expensive?”

“It is, a bit. Haha.”

“Hmm, how much does it cost?”

Pyria glanced around and gestured Peterson closer.

With his face flushed, Peterson leaned in.

When she whispered the price in his ear, his eyes widened instantly.

“That, that expensive?”

“Don’t worry. The one I gave your wife was a damaged batch, so I gave it to her cheap.”

“Oh, even so, that’s quite a bit.”

Peterson shook his head.

For an ordinary man like him, that price was quite expensive.

In truth, his wife handled all the finances, and the only time he spent money was for a few snacks and a beer with friends.

But Pyria, fully aware of his situation, gave him an elegant sideways glance.

“Is that something a gemstone wholesaler should be saying?”

“Well, gemstones aren’t food… they don’t disappear when you eat them.”

Pyria laughed and playfully slapped his back.

He was a little annoying, but also amusing.

A merchant who traded tens of thousands of gold trembling over a dessert worth less than a single gold was funny to her.

Maybe his wife was just that good at keeping him in check.

“Pfft, it’s not like you eat it every day. For a little mood change, this much is fine, isn’t it?”

“Ahem, that’s true. So, can I ask for that damaged batch too?”

Pyria gave him another elegant look.

“No. Damaged batches are for those who really need them. Make a proper reservation and buy it. You’re secretly stingy, you know.”

“Ugh, fine. Then what if my wife asks for it instead of me?”

“You’re sly, mister.”

“Hehe, that’s why my wife keeps me around.”

“Is that so.”

As their chat wound down, a strange atmosphere could be felt from afar.

For a moment, even Pyria and Peterson turned their heads to look.

A man was walking across the street.

His jet-black hood pulled low over his head was strikingly ominous.

Even the hair spilling from under the hood was black.

People scattered to the sides in an instant.

Like a flock of black thrushes fleeing a hawk.

Peterson, recognizing the man, bolted like a colt with fire under its tail.

“Oh dear, I need to run.”

“Ah, hey…! Running away alone, how unfair!”

Pyria couldn’t even catch Peterson and just wiggled her fingers.

She knew all too well that the man approaching with such intensity was targeting her.

Her lips quivered in distress, and her nervously clasped fingers twisted together.

Unable to simply run away, her toes just twitched.

The man reached Pyria in an instant.

Just moments ago, he had been far away, but his legs were so long that he was already right in front of her.

His gaze looking down at her was cold. Pyria unconsciously swallowed dryly.

Even with the hood pulled low, the sharpness of his jawline couldn’t be hidden.

His harsh, lean face seemed carved by the hands of a god.

Jet-black hair like crow feathers contrasted with his pale face, and in the center, a pair of violet eyes shone like jewels, so beautiful it made her breath catch.

His gaze narrowed sharply, and the look in his eyes carried such power that it could make a stopped heart beat again.

However, as he stepped closer and closer, the chilling aura he gave off made Pyria shrink her shoulders.

Like a surprise box packed with the suppressed anger of fairies, the man looked as though he might explode at any moment.

The people on the street had already backed away and fled.

Pyria was so startled that she covered her mouth with one hand and started hiccuping.

“…Hic!”

Finally, he stood right in front of Pyria. Standing just a few steps away, their height difference was even more pronounced.

Pyria’s head barely reached the man’s chest.

Slowly, he opened his mouth. His voice was cool and low, sending a tingle through her mind.

“I believe I asked you, Lady Lanelli.”

“Uh, hic, no, hic, yes?”

She couldn’t answer properly because of her hiccups. But the man’s gaze only grew colder.

“Seems you don’t remember what I said.”

“Hic! Ah, no, eh, hic! No, Mr. Reinhardt…”

The man, Reinhardt, furrowed his brow even deeper.

“I do have the surname Baristan.”

“But, but, hic! I also asked you to call me by my name, but you never do…”

“Sigh. Fine, Miss Pyria. Is that better now?”

“Yes, Mr. Reinhardt.”

At her bright reply, Reinhardt’s brow tightened even more. As he stared, Pyria’s neck shrank back.

“…….”

“Mr. Baristan…….”

Reinhardt let out a small sigh, then ran his hand through his hair inside the hood as if he were tired.

He had a chilly charm, like a vampire worn out by sunlight. The dark circles under his eyes and the exhaustion seemed to pour from him.

Pyria simply stared at his face in a daze, as if she’d lost her words.

He was the perfect image of a ‘tired vampire,’ and his beauty and presence utterly overwhelmed her.

He tugged the hood further down to cover his face and growled in a deeper voice.

“You remember our promise, don’t you?”

“Yes? Hic, of course. Uh-huh, I promised not to do experiments in the morning…”

“So you do remember. I thought you’d forgotten since I heard another explosion.”

“Yes…….”

“…….”

The silence settled coldly. Without a word, the man pressed Pyria with his gaze, questioning her about the explosion just moments ago.

“But it’s not morning anymore……”

Yet, faced with his fierce gaze, Pyria’s small courage shriveled instantly. She was so startled that her hiccups stopped. She fiddled with her fingers, busy watching the man’s mood.

Pyria could no longer resist and bit her lips, turning mute.

It was just past noon, so if he insisted, Pyria had nothing to say. She didn’t have the confidence to win an argument against him anyway.

‘But… just looking at that face makes me forget everything.’

The man looked even more exhausted than when she’d seen him a few days ago. The dark circles under his eyes had deepened, his skin had grown rougher, and his lips were so dry they were cracked and even bleeding a little.

‘I want to lick it for him.’

At the thought that slipped out unconsciously, Pyria bit her lower lip tightly. It was hard to resist the feeling of her toes curling. Before she knew it, even her hiccups had stopped.

The man glanced under his hood, then turned away completely, hiding his face as if he couldn’t handle Pyria’s increasingly watery gaze.

“Have you considered my proposal?”

“That’s… that’s difficult…”

In an instant, Pyria’s rationality returned. She quickly realized he was talking about business.

Yet, the man pressed her again, unable to let go of his persistence.

“I’ll cover not just the costs of moving the shop, but all losses—no, I’ll compensate several times over. Still not possible?”

“N-no… I can’t.”

He had been asking Pyria for quite some time if she would move her workshop to another street, promising to pay for relocation and damages.

Of course, Pyria refused. She had chosen this location after careful calculation. The distance to Krüzel Street, the delivery routes for wagons, everything had been thoroughly investigated before she settled on Pervellum Street.

There were other candidates, but they had problems.

There weren’t any buildings big enough for her workshop, so she’d have to demolish and rebuild, or the roads were too narrow, requiring several freight wagons.

Even if the conditions matched, the distance was too far, making delivery times longer.

That would mean her artisans would have to come in much earlier than now, which was a big burden in many ways.

So Pyria had no choice but to be firm about this issue.

Apparently, Reinhardt hadn’t expected much, so he soon gave up and turned away.

“I see. Understood.”

“Um, wait a moment!”