Chapter 24. A Thing That Recognizes Its Master
‘It’s real, my lady. That’s not a face you can fake, no matter how hard you try. Please trust this Betty, won’t you?’
“Mela, this is silk imported from the East. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Wearing a mask made from the fabric he had bought at a street stall, Leofric and I were strolling through the festival grounds.
Silk from the East, tapestries embroidered with exotic patterns, flower crowns and bouquets made of vibrant, colorful flowers…
While wandering hand in hand with him through the bustling crowd and curious stalls, I kept thinking about what Betty had whispered to me.
Even if I was unsure, she was convinced that Leofric clearly had feelings for me.
‘It might not be the marriage you wanted, my lady, but it’s definitely the marriage the Count desired! I’m telling you, you can’t fake an expression like that!’
Of course, as a member of the Marquis of Vermerian and once the belle of high society, it was only natural for me to become the Crown Princess.
But even that couldn’t have happened without the Crown Prince’s intent.
Bluntly put, if it hadn’t been me he wanted by his side but someone else, Betty argued, there’s no way this marriage would have taken place.
The current Crown Prince wasn’t exactly lacking in support either — not to the extent that he’d need a powerful ally through marriage.
Betty had raised her voice, questioning why such a man would go through with a marriage he didn’t want.
Her words made a kind of sense…
“Look at that, Bella. You’ve never seen something like this in the capital, have you?”
At the moment, Leofric had the face of a ruler — comparing the capital and Waynes, thinking over how to use this cultural difference to his advantage. Nothing more, nothing less.
Watching him, I decided not to dwell on Betty’s romantic theories or the hand he was holding onto mine with such casual ease.
He was simply enjoying the moment.
With so many people around, he was just making sure not to lose me — because I was his wife.
So I decided to just enjoy the festival without thinking too much.
There was no need to overcomplicate my already complicated thoughts.
“Mela. Is there anything you want? Most of the things here are only available during the festival. There are many rare items. Take a look.”
While I was nodding to myself after making that decision, Leofric suddenly brightened up again — perhaps the merchant next to him had said something intriguing.
It was fascinating, after all — silk from the East, unfamiliar foods, and trinkets one couldn’t normally see.
I followed his gaze and looked over the items inside the street stall.
There were things like wall-hanging mobiles, tapestries with unusual patterns, and paintings whose meaning I couldn’t decipher.
There were also accessories that women might wear around their necks or ears — but what caught my eye the most was…
“You have a keen eye, young lady.”
The stall owner seemed to notice where my gaze had landed and let out a chuckle, speaking in the Empire’s tongue with a peculiar accent.
His laughter gave me an eerie and unsettling feeling. I asked cautiously.
“…What is that?”
“That’s a fragment of an ancient artifact, now extinct. Have you heard of magic? They say it grants the caster’s wishes — anything at all.”
“Magic?”
Magic, of all things. Out of nowhere.
I let out a small chuckle at his words.
I had heard that a very, very long time ago — centuries ago — there had indeed been such a thing as magic.
It had spread centered around the imperial family, who were said to be descendants of dragons.
But over time, it became the domain of the strong alone.
They started wars — meaningless ones, both large and small — simply to show off their power.
And in those wasteful wars, it was the innocent commoners who suffered and died.
One prince, unable to bear the sight, gathered a few scholars who studied magic as a pure academic field and disappeared with all the magical books and records scattered across the continent.
No one knew where he had gone.
But even afterward, whenever someone was rumored to possess a record related to magic, this prince would appear out of nowhere, take the record, and vanish again.
Since then, magic had become a matter of oral tradition — but with no one left to teach its proper theory, the number of people who knew anything about it dwindled.
Eventually, it was considered a privilege of the imperial family who carried dragon’s blood — and then it was lost entirely.
So to claim that this was truly an ancient artifact…
And now, this shabby merchant is suddenly talking about magic?
As a merchant’s daughter, and someone who now ran a trading company herself, I could only think this man was a bold con artist.
‘To speak of magic before royalty, how dare he?’
Of course, he probably didn’t know that Leofric was of royal blood.
But even so, to speak so casually of magic — which had disappeared, leaving only traces in royal vaults — he was clearly not in his right mind.
I looked at the still-smiling merchant in disbelief.
“Magic? How could something that has already vanished remain here?”
“It has vanished, yes. But can you guarantee that nothing was left behind by the prince who took all those records and disappeared?”
“So you’re saying this bracelet is a relic left by that vanished prince?”
“If you believe it is, then it is. If not, then it’s just a pretty bracelet.”
With a smirk, the merchant lifted the intricately crafted bracelet I had been looking at earlier.
“But, young lady, items like this usually recognize their rightful master.”
“Their master?”
“I don’t know what kind of magic might be in it, but from what I can see, I think it suits you quite well.”
Then he added with a chuckle, as if implying he, too, had once been a beneficiary of such a magical item.
Those words hit me like a warning as I continued to absentmindedly gaze at the bracelet.
A beneficiary of magic?
Me? I’ve never even been near such an item in my life.
Even if I had once lived as a member of the imperial family before dying, I had no interest in magical items supposedly kept in the royal vault, nor did I know what was inside.
All I knew were the names of a few things that were said to be stored there.
And yet, I supposedly had received the benefit of magic?
Or — if I were a “beneficiary” — that meant someone else used magic on my behalf.
But who?
As confusion flooded my mind and I couldn’t respond, Leofric gently placed a hand on my shoulder from behind.
“So, in the end, the shopkeeper is saying this bracelet would suit my wife?”
“Of course. For someone like her, this one bracelet would be far more valuable than a few carts of other goods.”
Chuckling again, the merchant offered the bracelet to me and Leofric.
The claim that one bracelet was more beneficial than several carts of goods was hard to believe — and so was the idea that I was a recipient of magic.
Looking back and forth between the bracelet and the merchant, I opened my mouth again.
“Are you a recipient of magic too? You’re selling a supposedly magical item and even claim to recognize someone else who’s been affected by it.”
“Me? Well, it’d be a mistake to think all beneficiaries are the same.”
Shrugging at my words, the merchant placed the bracelet in Leofric’s hand.
“When an item finds its rightful owner, it shouldn’t be bought. So take this as a gift and fasten it gently on the young lady’s wrist.”
“No, we must pay. How much do you want?”
Leofric was firm, even when handed a gift as if it were nothing.
He shook his head at the merchant’s words and insisted on paying, but the merchant merely laughed.
“You noble sir, you’ve clearly never been a merchant. The young lady here surely understands what it means when a thing finds its master.”
“…Even so, everything must be paid for fairly.”
“If you insist, then grant a favor the next time you meet someone like the young lady. Whether they’ve wronged you or helped you, just turn a blind eye once. That will be the payment.”
With that, the merchant slipped behind the stall and vanished.
“Shopkeeper! What are you—…”
The next time he meets someone like me?
Someone affected by magic? Or someone who returned after turning back time?
Lost in thought, I stood frozen in place.
Leofric looked as if he might chase after the man, then stopped.
He glanced between the flapping stall curtain and me, still rooted to the spot.
“Mela, are you alright?”
It was only a little while later that he spoke to me.
When I finally let out a sigh — almost a sigh of resignation — and looked up, Leofric was gazing at me with that same gentle posture.
I hadn’t even realized what was happening around me.
That a mysterious merchant at a festival had left me so shaken felt laughable, and I gave a faint chuckle.
“Ah… Yes. I’m sorry, Leo. I was distracted by something silly…”
“No, it’s alright. What he said was strange enough to warrant attention. It was as if he knew everything about us.”
“That’s true, but you know… there are always people like that at festivals, saying mysterious things to dazzle others. I knew better, but I got swept up anyway.”
When I was learning the ropes of trade, I’d often gone to festivals and markets near the capital with Hailey and Betty.
I had met countless merchants who lured people in with persuasive words.
Sometimes, I foolishly fell for their tricks and ended up spending more than I’d planned.
Hailey would always say, “You need to learn how to tell real from fake,” and make me compare the con artists who tricked me with the honest vendors she bought from.
By the time I could tell the difference perfectly, she stopped coming with me.
The one strange thing was — that merchant earlier didn’t show any of the typical signs of a scammer that Hailey had taught me.
Aside from his cryptic talk, he didn’t display any of the usual red flags.
Still, anyone who spouts such nonsense is a con artist in some way.
Feeling a headache coming on, I pressed my forehead briefly, then looked at the bracelet in Leofric’s hand.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shown interest in such a thing.”
“No, I also thought it would suit you. The bracelet itself is quite pretty.”
With a soft smile, Leofric lifted the bracelet in his hand.
“Would you extend your arm, Mela?”
