"Hehehe..." Margaret's cute laughter is muffled by the hustle and bustle of Lakeview town's center as Arthur kisses her in his arms. But despite the many people around doing different things, many stop to see why that girl looks so happy.
Aria shakes her head, seeing that scene, but her expression is content and warm. "Do you really want to make a commotion for everyone to see how much you love each other?"
"Oh," Arthur puts Margaret down as he notices dozens of judging glances upon them. She appears shy but proud at the same time, a contradictory combination that makes her look even cuter, so he kisses her lips once more. "I can't help myself when you're so adorable, honey."
"It's your fault~" She complains while embracing him and hiding her face in his chest like a scared bunny.
"Oh my~" Aria sighs. "Are you going to do this all day, aren't you? I need to buy the materials I came for, so why don't you explore around the square? The best shops are around here, so you don't need to go far." She looks at Eve. "Do you want to come with Mommy, dear?"
"Nops," Eve shakes her head while standing by Arthur's side. "I want to stroll with Big Brother."
"Of course, little one~" Aria giggles. "Just be careful. The laws of Eldoria condemn unprovoked attacks, but of course, the nobles don't care about following the laws themself. Also," she points to the gold medallions on Arthur and Eve's necks, the gifts from Alicia. "I've put another spell on them. Just press it if you're in trouble, and Mommy be there in a second."
"We'll be fine," Arthur is quite confident in his current strength since, in the latest training sessions with Blood Golems, he managed to defeat a few of the Elite Rank ones without using his Intent and several ones together using it.
"Alright," Aria takes a small leather bag full of coins and hands it to Arthur. "I've left some silver coins in there, but most of them are golden."
Arthur learned about Eldoria's coins with Aria when he was just a kid; those coins are also the standard across most continents: the most basic coin is bronze, which is worth a ripe apple; a silver coin is worth a hundred bronze, and you can rent a room in a good tavern for one night with them; the gold coin is the most valuable, worth a hundred silver coins, and you can buy a house with few of them.
"Thanks, Mom," Arthur understands how those gold coins are a significant amount, the result of the artifacts that Aria makes and sells to merchants occasionally. 'Money isn't a problem for someone powerful like her, but I'd like to earn my own money in the future...'
"Have fun, baby~" Leaving those words behind, Aria heads to the potion shop.
Arthur holds one hand of Eve and another of Margaret as he looks around. "There are so many shops and people everywhere... where should we go?"
Margaret also feels lost, her eyes wandering over all those shops, and one catches her attention due to a large showcase full of chic clothes on wooden mannequins. "There, that looks nice." She points like an excited child.
"I see, let's go there then," He walks towards the shop with his two cute girls around. Just based on the door, which is made of shiny dark wood and thin glass with gold trim, he can see that the place is quite luxurious. On the wooden signboard above the door is written Drummonds' String and Needle.
As soon as Arthur opens the door and enters the store, it hits a bell that makes a pleasant sound, *Ding-Ding* and a girl in a pink dress quickly comes out to greet them; her clothes look like those of a delicate doll, but her face is quite ordinary, making her low beauty seem worse compared to Margaret.
Margaret looks at Arthur, using mental communication to speak to him. 'What do you think? She seems like a decent person.' He nods. 'Yes, she does; go ahead, I'm right behind you.'
She kisses Arthur before following Josephine through the store while Arthur follows them, playfully engaging with little Eve. Josephine shows many high-quality clothes, fabrics, and threads to Margaret, who has her eyes sparkling all the time with thoughts of how she can use those to look beautiful and please Arthur more.
But nothing catches Margaret's attention like a black and white short dress inside a custom display case at the back of the store. The fabric of the dress seems to shimmer, creating vivid patterns that change as one looks at it, a perfect combination of elegance, comfort, and practicality.
"Oh, you like that one, don't you?" Josephine smiles, seeing Margaret mesmerized by the dress. "It's my latest creation, probably my masterpiece, made from a super resilient yet also light as a feather fabric; it's not just a dress but a rare artifact with defensive and utility enchantments." The old woman explains proudly.
Hearing all these pompous words, Margaret feels down. "That must be absolutely expensive... not for someone like me."
"Someone like you?" Josephine asks in a sarcastic tone. "I doubt this dress would look better on any other girl; you really seem perfect for it with your beautiful black hair and flawless skin. But indeed, it is quite expensive, yet your husband seems willing to give you anything, and I can make a special price because I took a liking to you."
"Really?" Margaret may be innocent, but she isn't naive and begins to doubt the old woman's intentions. "Why would you give me a discount on your most expensive piece?"
"Hahaha..." Josephine laughs. "I already have plenty of money, dear. And at my age, it matters even less. Making clothes has been my life since ever, but I only sell to those spoiled ladies... I'd like to see someone like you wearing this dress, especially if it makes them die of jealousy."
Margaret is still hesitant, but then she hears Arthur's voice in her mind. 'Take the dress; it will look great on you.' So she nods to Josephine. "We'll take it!"
"Excellent choice," Josephine takes the dress from the display and leads Margaret to one of the private rooms to make adjustments to it based on her body.
Meanwhile, Arthur continues to play with Eve in the store, but he stops when he hears the doorbell. He sees a girl running in, and the first girl who had greeted him badly reappears. They seem to be good friends and start to talk loudly.
"My Master is coming to pick up the dress; she will wear it at tonight's banquet!"
"Oh, great! You're going to give me a nice tip for informing you in advance about it, right? I bet all the young Ladies of Lakeview would fight tooth and nail for this treasure, you know."
"Of course, my Master rewards good servants, don't worry."
As he listens to the girls' conversation, Arthur reaches the same conclusion as Nyx, who speaks in his mind. 'What are the chances of this young Lady coming to pick up the dress that Margaret is wearing right now?'
'Yeah, I already smell trouble...'