And after a while.
“Wow, 10 points!”
“Another 10 points!! Amazing!”
As she performed her stunts, passers-by all gathered to watch, forming a crowd in front of the store.
Ayla, who got a perfect score on all five shots, was able to receive a piece of pure gold as a prize.
The store owner looked tearful and offered her the gold, but she shook her head and pointed to the rabbit doll in the cupboard.
“Not that one, that doll.”
“… … yes?”
“Please give me that doll.”
When Ayla said this, the store owner wondered what kind of cake this was and quickly placed a fluffy rabbit doll in her arms.
Everyone around her lamented that it was a waste. He thought that a noble lady who had no idea what was going on in the world was kicking his uniform away with his own hands.
However, Ayla, who received the rabbit doll, approached the crying girl and held out the doll.
“Here, it’s a gift.”
“Ugh?”
“It’s a gift from my sister.”
There were no friendly words or gentle smiles.
Ayla seemed so embarrassed that she couldn’t even make eye contact and just held out the doll.
A young girl, probably no older than seven years old, accepted the doll with a puzzled look, and before the child even realized what had happened, Ayla had disappeared among the people.
“Wow, sister, you’re cool!”
And while the girl was belatedly expressing her admiration and clapping her hands passionately.
Ayla recognized her as she had performed a trick and moved to a place a little further away from the downtown area to avoid the people pointing at her.
Perhaps because it is a bit far from the main street of the festival, there were hardly any passers-by nearby.
Feeling relieved by the silence, she entered a small souvenir shop that caught her eye.
“Welcome, welcome!”
A short, plump woman greeted Ayla with a bright smile. Inside the store, accessories made of colored stones that were slightly transparent were on display.
As she was looking at the stone sparkling in the sunlight as if fascinated, the store owner spoke to her.
“Little girl, I guess you’re from abroad?”
“… … “How did you know?”
He didn’t say anything but he didn’t know how it was discovered that she was a foreigner, so Ayla asked in a puzzled voice.
Then the store owner stretched out two fingers and explained the reason.
“I knew it for two reasons. First of all, she has fair skin.”
“iced coffee… … .”
“Do you think they come from some cold region? Our Inselcorp Kingdom enjoys the sun, so everyone’s skin gets tanned.”
When Ayla realized that her skin tone was different from that of the store owner and let out a sigh, she smiled and said.
“What about the second?”
“Second is… … “I knew this because the young lady was looking at these natural stone ornaments with wonder. They are common to Koreans, so no one pays attention to them. That’s why our store always flies around.”
She proudly said that these stones were a specialty of the Inselkov Kingdom.
For some reason, there was no one in the store with so many pretty things.
When Ayla looked out the window at the people passing by, everyone was wearing bracelets, necklaces, and other accessories made of translucent stone beads.
“Ugh, look at my mind. “I was happy to see a guest who came after a long time, so I spoke to him without hesitation. I won’t disturb you. Let’s take your time and look around.”
As the store owner said this and took a step back, Ayla began looking at the displayed accessories again.
It was really pretty that they all sparkled. There were so many different colors that it was a pleasure to see them.
After looking at it for a while, Ayla thought about her father and mother and chose cufflinks made of dark blue stones and bracelets made of white and purple beads.
She planned to keep it in the box Winfred gave her and give it to her parents one by one when she saw them later.
And, one more thing.
‘… … You live while you live. just.’
She also chose one for Winfred. It was a necklace with a yellow stone that resembled the color of his eyes.
For a moment, she thought that it might be too simple a gift to give to the crown prince of a country.
After all, when it comes to gifts, it’s all about the heart.
Ayla, who had chosen gifts to give to the people she missed so much, was just about to calculate them.
The chime hanging on the store door opened with a tinkling sound. It seemed like another customer had entered.
“For some reason, there are a lot of customers today. I’m looking at you. I’ll count the customers who arrived first and then leave.”
The store owner said with a bright smile that he had sold three items. The suspicious figure, wearing a deep hooded robe, nodded and approached the display case as Ayla did.
“This is a service. I’m giving it to you because the little girl is pretty.”
After Ayla finished paying with the money bag she took from the sleeping Gerald, the store owner put a purple stone carved in the shape of a flower into her hand and said,
“In our country, these stones are considered a kind of amulet to wish a child health and happiness. I am giving this as a gift to our pretty little girl in the hope that she will be happy, so I hope she will accept it.”
Her heart seemed to be touched by the store owner’s words.
It felt like a dream to receive such a blessing from a strange, foreign merchant whom I met for the first time today and who had no idea who Ayla was or what kind of life she had lived.
“Thank you.”
Feeling unfamiliar, Ayla said her goodbyes as if she was embarrassed and tried to leave the store.
Because she wanted to quickly see other places before time ran out.
However, her plan to enjoy the festival economically goes completely awry when she hears a familiar name inside the store.
“Wow, this would suit Ayla.”
When she heard her name, Ayla reflexively turned her head.
It’s not like she’s the only one with the name Ayla, but she could also be talking about someone with the same name.
And to the place she turned her head.
Winfred was looking at the ring with a large blue stone with sparkling eyes.
‘Winfred?’
Ayla rubbed her eyes at the absurd sight that unfolded before her eyes.
He was much taller than she remembered, and his voice differed from before as if he had completely passed his transformation period.
But those pure golden eyes full of curiosity, and the vaguely clueless expressions and gestures… … Winfred was right.
Why is the crown prince of the Peles Empire in a small souvenir shop in the Inselkov Kingdom?
“Oh, isn’t it? “Do you think this would suit you better?”
This time, Winfred muttered to himself while holding in his hand a gorgeous rose-shaped ring made entirely of blue stone.
At that sight, Ayla let out a smile between her lips without even realizing it.
She doesn’t know what happened, but the mere fact that she met Winfred in a place like this made her happy and made her smile without even realizing it.
Ayla cleared her throat, muttered, and silently walked closer to Winfred.
It was because she wanted to make him feel the surprise and joy she felt.
“Hmm, I don’t know. I think they both look good together. Should I buy them all?”
“… … “They’re both pretty, but aren’t they too big? If I put them on my finger, they’ll be loose and fall out right away.”
Winfred must have had some sense, but both rings were pretty, but there was a problem with them being for adults.
When Ayla suddenly spoke to him from behind, he was startled and fell backward. The ugly scream was a bonus.
“Ugh!”
And as if that sound was a signal, the door to the store burst open and the servant he saw before came in. He was accompanied by a bunch of guards wearing casual clothes.
“Yes, master! “What’s going on?”
It seemed like Winfred was alone, but in fact, it seemed like guards were waiting outside the store.
Ayla thought to herself that she was fortunate. She was wondering if he, who was walking around alone and was almost assassinated by Cloud, was still sneaking out and walking alone.
Winfred, who looked at Ayla in disbelief for a moment, seemed to have come to his senses and stood up, shaking his hands.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just surprised to meet a friend… … .”
“A friend? What kind of friend… … ?”
“Oh, get out now! “Don’t disturb me.”
He shouted as he pushed the servants and guards out of the store, and the store owner looked at Winfred and Ayla, wondering what was going on.
“Sorry. “You were surprised by my escort.”
“Oh, no, it’s okay. It looks like you are from a noble family. Don’t worry about me, let’s talk. It’s okay.”
When Winfred blushed and apologized, the store owner waved his hands and said it was okay several times. Moreover, so that they could talk comfortably, he even told them to call him if they needed to and evacuated them to the back of the store.
“… … “Ayla? Are you Ayla? Why are you here?”
“And you? “Why are you here?”
When Ayla shrugged and asked, he explained his situation with a still confused expression.
“Oh, I… …. I came as a congratulatory envoy to the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony but came out in disguise because I wanted to watch the festival. But why did you really…?”
“It’s a long story. Are you going to keep talking here? Wouldn’t it be better to buy something quickly and go somewhere else?”
To her words, Winfred replied, ‘Oh, yes,’ and paid for the two rings and a few other accessories he had chosen earlier. Although he added a few times the tip, saying it was the price for making a fuss in the store.
