Beyhern cleared his throat, seemingly displeased, and spoke.

“Bring out the attire and hunting tools that this gentleman needs. But remember, nothing less than the finest from head to toe will do.”

“Understood, sir. No question about it,” the boy replied with a sly smile, leading them to a display of leather gloves.

The items were primarily intended for nouveau riche individuals or wealthy merchants.

As the boy laid out a pair of gloves made from buffalo leather, he spoke confidently.

“How about these? They’re made from the highest quality buffalo leather. The condition is impeccable. Feel free to try them on and choose.”

“Try them all,” Beyhern ordered enthusiastically.

Edward, instead of replying, slipped on the closest pair of gloves.

True to the claim of being premium buffalo leather, they were astonishingly light and comfortable to wear.

“How do they feel?”

“I like them.”

“Don’t you think the color is a bit too dark? And the design is somewhat plain,” Beyhern commented.

“I agree,” added Second Lieutenant Walter. “Would you try the next pair? They seem to have a lighter tone.”

“…Fine,” Edward muttered, though he couldn’t discern any difference in color between the first and second pair. Silently, he tried on the next pair.

A nagging sense of doom settled over him as he began to suspect this ordeal wouldn’t end anytime soon.

“How about this one? Does it feel uncomfortable?”

“I like it.”

Realizing Edward’s answers wouldn’t change, Second Lieutenant Walter stepped in.

“This color is too light, don’t you think? The attire the Baron will wear needs to have a certain weight to it, and these gloves stand out too much.”

Edward remained silent. He still couldn’t tell the difference between the first and second gloves.

Walter, inspecting carefully, handed Edward another pair.

“How about these? The color is darker than the others.”

“…I like them.”

“Try them on quickly,” Walter urged.

Suppressing a sigh, Edward put on the gloves.

To him, the third pair seemed no different from the first.

Yet, the other two tilted their heads as if still dissatisfied.

“This one feels too dull,” Beyhern mused.

“Indeed. What about these?”

Edward wordlessly slipped on a fourth pair that looked identical to the first three.

Just then, loud voices came from deeper inside the shop.

“Are you messing with me? Bring out a proper product!”

“This is a master artisan’s finest piece! If you keep this up, I’d rather not sell it at all!”

The clerk, glancing briefly in that direction, shook his head with a sigh. Beyhern, unable to contain his curiosity, asked cautiously,

“Is something going on back there?”

“Ahem, a regular—er, a picky customer is here,” the boy explained with a grin. “Every time they come to pick out even a single shirt, it’s like a nerve-wracking battle.”

“They must be desperate for money. Clearly not a noble,” Beyhern speculated.

“They claim to be a servant from a noble household, but from the way they talk, they’re definitely not a servant.”

“If not a servant, then what?”

Looking around nervously, the boy lowered his voice.

“I think they’re a noble from a poor family, pretending to be a servant to hide their circumstances.”

After all, nobles can’t openly haggle over prices. The boy even clicked his tongue, imitating an adult.

Instead of scolding the boy for gossiping, Beyhern smirked with interest.

“Shall we take a look inside?”

“Why?” Edward asked flatly.

“Why not? Whether they’re a servant or a noble, they seem to have an eye for quality. We might learn a thing or two.”

Walter, snapping his fingers in agreement, chimed in.

“If they’re so discerning, just seeing what they choose could be insightful.”

“…Do as you wish,” Edward replied, resigning himself to their whims.

The group moved deeper into the shop.

Past racks of shirts and trousers hung neatly, they came upon an area displaying riding gear.

There, two people were arguing over a leather guard.

“Why are you charging full price? There’s clearly a scratch here!”

“Where, exactly, do you see a scratch?”

The tall clerk bent awkwardly, closely inspecting the guard. The so-called servant raised their voice.

“Look here! Are you blind? There’s obviously a scratch right here!”

“Leather can get small marks like this just from being touched improperly,” the clerk retorted defensively.

“Then, who do you think mishandled this? Me, wearing gloves? Or you, with bare hands?”

“……”

The employee’s eyelid twitched, as if overwhelmed by irritation.

This brazen servant had been frequenting the shop like it was their own home, finding absurd excuses to haggle for lower prices.

The problem was that the servant’s criticisms weren’t entirely off the mark.

“It seems to be my mistake, so I’ll knock 10 rus off the price.”

“Isn’t it customary for defective products to go for half-price?”

The employee’s lips trembled.

“This piece was handcrafted by the owner, from selecting the leather to preprocessing and tanning. Just the tanning process alone takes two months! Minor blemishes like this naturally occur in the process. Do you understand?”

“Then give me 20 rus off.”

“I’d rather not sell it at all.”

“Alright, 15 rus.”

“11 rus! Not a single rus more.”

“Fine. Then fix it for free.”

The employee shuddered, glaring at the servant. Watching the exchange with a vacant expression, Beyhern hurriedly stepped in.

“We’ll buy that guard. At full price.”

The employee only now seemed to notice them. The servant exclaimed in alarm.

“I found it first! I already finished haggling, so why are you interfering…!”

The servant couldn’t finish their sentence. They’d locked eyes with Edward, who was staring intently.

“……”

Edward’s gaze trailed down from the servant’s trousers to their shirt and vest, finally resting on the short, rounded brim of their hat.

Their waist-length red hair seemed to have been stuffed entirely under the hat.

The small, pale face was half-hidden by thick glasses, with a few strands of red hair sticking out from beneath the brim. A dainty mustache sat under their sharp nose.

Having taken in this sight, Edward let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

The servant hesitated before parting their crimson lips.

“Um… hello, Edward.”

“……”

“No, I mean, Baron Adrian. Nice to see you. Lovely afternoon, isn’t it?”

Edward calmly nodded in greeting.

“It is indeed a lovely afternoon, Yelodia. Are you here to purchase hunting attire?”

He had almost asked if she had come to “hunt” hunting attire.

Considering how ruthless Yelodia was at bargaining, if Edward had been the shop’s employee, he would have conceded half the price already.

Yelodia, startled, stammered out a reply.

“Oh, no, well… I mean, you must be here to buy hunting attire too, Baron.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Edward’s expression betrayed none of his thoughts.

Yet Yelodia felt the same dread as if she had run into all three of her older brothers in the middle of Lonel Street.

Out of all the shops, she had to pick this one, only to run into her betrothed. She desperately wished for a hole to crawl into.

Beyhern, observing the two in turn, suddenly paled.

“Wh-what the…?”

“Shh.”

Yelodia pressed her index finger to her lips, and Beyhern gasped softly, then looked at Edward.

Edward simply nodded silently. Beyhern’s gaze wavered uncertainly.

“Baron, what… what is this…?”

Edward spoke with composed praise for Yelodia.

“That outfit suits you very well.”

“Well… thank you very much.”

It seemed an odd time to offer such a remark, but there was no choice but to express gratitude.

No other words came to mind.

As Yelodia stood awkwardly, fidgeting with her hands, Edward sighed and turned to Beyhern.

“Beyhern, pay for that guard. At full price.”

“But I just negotiated a great deal for it…”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t see that.”

Edward’s tone was firm, leaving Yelodia involuntarily pouting.

How much effort had it taken to haggle the price down by 11 rus? The thought of it brought her to despair.

Edward placed a hand over his chest and gave a small bow.

“I humbly ask you to consider my honor. I would rather not have Yelodia bargain for anything. Do you understand?”

“If you put it that way…”

Yelodia hid her reddened ears with her hands, lowering her head. Edward’s formal demeanor felt both embarrassing and strangely pleasant.

Beyhern, who had been idly watching the scene, muttered to himself absentmindedly.

“Then I’ll go ahead and pay for the guard…”

No one answered Beyhern. Everyone was too busy gauging each other’s reactions.

Edward suddenly made a suggestion to Yelodia.

“Shall we take a walk?”

“Are you done shopping already?”

“I’m not exactly in the mood to make any purchases right now.”

“……”

Subdued, Yelodia nodded.

“Alright, then.”

As Edward began to walk, Yelodia hesitated before quietly following him.