Chapter 22: Chapter 22

“Every time a lady takes a step, I see how beautiful her shoes look in an instant! Any lady who pursues true beauty is supposed to pay more attention to her shoes than anyone else. I guess the lady here is the same.”

Laughing humorously, he offered a pair of hand-picked shoes to her.

“First of all, as for this golden-colored dress, I think you had better put on shoes with the same color. So, I would like to recommend these shoes first. Don’t you think this golden chain will make your slender ankles stand out? Oh, the selling point of these shoes is this elegant crystal ornament on the front. This sparkling decoration symbolizes a speck of sunshine from the dazzling sun.”

When Wendy did not pay much attention to his explanation, he seemed to show more zeal as a merchant. The man stroked his mustache with his fingertips a couple of times and said as if to give her some good tips, “Okay, stand at a slant like me. Then lift the hem up slightly and stick your left foot out a bit. It’s important to take a pose like this. How about it now? Don’t you think you can make the shoes more attractive by taking this pose? You will certainly look like an elegant princess. ”

The pose the man took never looked like a princess, but she nodded once at his enthusiastic explanation because his enthusiasm, as shown in throwing himself into his job, was something she could respect in a merchant like him. Of course, Lard seemed very tired as the man continued to explain, which made her recognize his competence.

Only after lots of time passed during which she checked almost all the shoes on display, did she choose three pairs of shoes. Funny enough, all of them were the shoes that the salesman recommended her first. The fact that Lard wiped his face after her choice meant that her tactics paid off very well. She let out a breath of victory after taking a deep breath. It was the same feeling as when she first opened her flower shop.

But what Lard said while paying for her shoes, quickly put a damper on her happy mood again. Lard spoke to the salesman with a dull expression. His voice obviously indicated he would not accept the salesman’s refusal.

“Your zeal as a merchant is very commendable. I was very impressed. Apart from the shoes, can you bring some accessories this lady here might need? You don’t have to bring a lot, because I’ve already recognized your discerning eye. Just bring the necessary accessories that match the three pairs of shoes. Let me pay dearly for your service.”

Hearing that, Wendy sprang to her feet unconsciously and urgently opened her mouth to oppose his request. By furrowing her brow deeply, she showed her determination that she would not be deceived by his trick.

“No, that’s not the right way. I can’t be satisfied unless I check them with my own eyes because I will be attending an important event. Let me choose them in person like I did for my shoes.”

“Wendy, haven’t you just appreciated his discerning eye? All three pairs of shoes you picked were the ones that he recommended to you first. So, let’s trust this expert’s discerning judgement. Above all, we don’t have much time. I hope you can understand my considerations for you.”

Lard told her without changing her facial expression at all.

‘How brazen-faced he is!’

When she was about to refute Lard again, the salesman approached him her a smile.

“Oh, it sounds like this knight’s suggestion is very reasonable. Let me try my best to save your precious time. As far as my discerning judgment is concerned, I can assure you proudly on the name of Woody Baldwin. If you are still concerned, let me stop by the Thamslin’s for a designer’s advice there. If you can wait here for a minute, let me come back right away. Hey, Elliott! Pay special attention to these guests. ”

As soon as he was done talking, the salesman went out of the shop as if he would not miss the opportunity. A little later a young man who was wet behind the ears served them fruit juice and cookies.

“Hello? My name is Elliott. Please call me if you need anything. ”

The young man greeted them shyly and stood at a distance. Wendy stared at the brown cookies left by the young man for a while.

‘I think I’ve underestimated this guy too much!’

Clenching her teeth, she grabbed one.

When she realized that he immediately noticed her weakness and exploited it, she was upset about him before she knew.

‘Is this the example of the imperial knight’s behavior?’

Anyway, Lard’s offensive tactics embarrassed her a lot. How could he counterattack by making use of the opponent’s vulnerability? He was far from a pushover.

“Does it taste good?” Lard asked, suddenly handing her a handkerchief.

He noticed the cookie in her hand had crumbled. She tried to calm down after dusting off cookie crumbs.

“Oh, these cookies are broken so easily. It looks like they didn’t adjust the temperature when baking them. ”

“Oh, I see. That makes sense…”

Lard stared at her while she dusted the cookie crumbs from her hands. Of course he could easily guess that the woman in front of him was upset. Her lips, which were tightly closed as if she was displeased with him, drew his attention. They looked like buds that would never bloom in the warm spring sun, namely very stubborn buds.

Barely holding back the urge to laugh, He turned his eyes from her because he was embarrassed at his own spontaneous smile at her. Reciting the imperial knight’s code of behavior at that moment helped him a lot to refrain from laughing.

Without knowing what he was thinking, Wendy was nibbling at cookies on the plate. If he had laughed at her actions at the moment, she might have lost her patience and left the shop immediately. Her anger at Lard, who incapacitated her elaborate attack in the blink of an eye, was more intense than she thought. In that sense, it was fortunate for both of them.

She ate cookies without paying attention to him at all then smacked her lips before she knew. When she put a few cookies into her mouth, her stomach, empty from her shopping in a long time, began to ask for more food. She suddenly felt hungry and diligently ate the cookies. It was also a means of controlling her anger.

Growl, growl.

At that moment, there was heard a strange sound in the quiet shoe store. The sound was very energetic, like when somebody pulled a metal table across a marble floor.

Her face began to blush rapidly.

‘Is the noise coming from my stomach?’

She couldn’t believe the betrayal of her stomach. Why did it betrayed her in front of him?

With her eyes staring into the air, she turned to the young man Elliott desperately.

Flash! She hit upon a good idea to get out of her embarrassment. Twisting her mouth a bit, she said to Elliott gently, “If you’re hungry, take this cookie here and try it.”

Although Elliott was noticeably embarrassed, she decided to insist, as if she was determined to carry out her mission. She pushed the plate with cookies toward the young man and gave him a nice smile. But her glaring eyes were so fierce as to convince him that she would not forgive him if he rejected.

“Come to think of it, I feel a little hungry, too. It’s a waste of time for us to keep waiting for him. I think we can come back after eating. ”

Lard’s sudden suggestion was enough to take her eyes off of the young man. Lard stood up and reached out to her. Fortunately, she couldn’t find any trace of mockery in his expression.

Looking up at his face inquisitively, she put her hand on his helplessly. Of course, he had to recite the imperial knight’s code of behavior once again while escorting her out.

‘Article 3: an Imperial Knight should act with honor, keeping in mind that his official authority is delegated from the emperor. Article 4…’

He could control his laughter once again thanks to the articles.

They mounted his horse and rode to a nearby restaurant. Her unexpected meal with him made her nervous, but she didn’t avoid the steak on the table, thinking she didn’t have to blame food for this. She thought she would go back after a quick meal anyway.

She began to eat quickly, so he couldn’t talk to her. As she had no intention of enjoying food leisurely at the restaurant and talking with him, she decided she would react coldly if he tried to talk to her. As if to ridicule her determination, he didn’t say anything to her during the meal.

The two ate as if each of them were eating alone. It was even more strange that they didn’t feel awkward about the silence between them.