7: Art Supplies and an Annoying Duke
I followed Felix for about five minutes until we arrived at the village.
“Wow.”
I let out an exclamation, like a child arriving at an amusement park. I widened my eyes and looked around. The village was a collection of buildings straight out of an adventure game. Compared to Korea, the buildings were relatively low, which felt a little strange. It was fascinating, but the knowledge that this was a world inside a book gave me a bizarre feeling.
Oh, right. This is not the time to be mesmerized.
I stopped wandering and looked up at Felix.
“Do you know where the art supply shop is?”
“It’s over there for now, but why are you looking for brushes and dyes, of all things?”
“This is preparation for proving my skill.”
Felix pointed to a building with a puzzled expression. The building looked truly old. Even from a distance, you could see the marks of time. But that was actually good. It would be great if the shop owner was also old. It meant they had run the shop for a long time and knew a lot about art materials.
I immediately walked toward the art supply shop. When I walked without a word, Felix seemed surprised and hurried to follow me.
“Lia, go slow! What if you go ahead and get separated from me?”
Jingle.
“Welcome.”
Along with the clear sound of a bell, a middle-aged man’s voice was heard. I followed the sound with my eyes. There, a middle-aged man was organizing art materials. I took a quick look at the man, then surveyed the surroundings. I looked around to see if there were any brushes I could use, as I didn’t want to just ask and leave right away.
The shop was small but well-stocked. There were brushes of various sizes, paints of many colors, canvases, and inks. It didn’t seem much different from a modern art supply store.
Felix, who was a beat late, entered with a lot of noise.
“Lia, why would you go ahead? What if you got separated from me?”
His loud voice filled the shop and drew the attention of both the middle-aged man and me. Felix noticed the stares, cleared his throat, and approached me. He bent down and whispered near my ear, covering it with the back of his hand.
“Are you really not going to tell me why you came here?”
I just rolled my eyes and gave Felix a sidelong glance. I sighed deeply, then continued my quiet explanation.
“To buy what I need for makeup.”
“Then why are you here? Are you planning to put paint on your face?”
I lightly ignored Felix, who kept chattering and talking to me, and examined the brushes. Brushes surprisingly determine the quality of makeup. I looked for one to use as a lip brush, one for blush, one for powder, one for eyeliner…
“Why are you buying so many brushes? Aren’t they all the same?”
“They are different.”
“They are different!”
Huh? Did someone else just speak with me?
I turned my head and looked at the person who spoke at the same time as me. The middle-aged man, who seemed to be the shop owner, was looking at Felix and me with a surprised expression.
“Ahem, I apologize for cutting in. Is there something you are looking for?”
The man covered his mouth with one hand awkwardly, cleared his throat, and gave a faint smile. This was my chance to ask! I gripped the brush tightly and looked at the man.
“Hello. I’ve been wanting to ask you something. Do you know much about dyes?”
“Dyes, you say?”
“Yes. I’m looking for plant-based dyes that go into paint. I was wondering what colors you might have.”
The man thought for a moment at my question, then went to a shelf in the corner and brought back a wooden box.
“Most people just ask for paint, so I haven’t displayed these separately, but I do have some dyes. Only a small amount, though. Would you like to see them?”
“Yes, please!”
I approached the counter, watching the man take out the dyes. There were surprisingly many colors: red, yellow, orange, green, blue, and so on. Almost every color was there. This is more than enough!
“But the price is a bit high. I keep them mostly for my own collection.”
The man looked at me with a worried expression.
Ah.
I realized I hadn’t brought any money. Reluctantly, I guess I’d have to come back tomorrow. The village didn’t feel too far away.
Just as I sighed with disappointment.
“May I ask why you are seeking these items?”
“What?”
The man’s eyes scanned the brush in my hand and then the dyes. He didn’t say anything, but his expression clearly showed he wanted to know. Did he overhear our conversation? Is he interested in makeup?
I paused, then put on a business smile.
“I’m planning to research makeup.”
“Makeup. Don’t you think today’s materials are unnecessary for makeup?”
“I want to create a makeup style that suits me, rather than just the current methods.”
“Is there such a method? As someone who has only seen the old ways, I can’t quite imagine it.”
“Yes, there is.”
I took off the hood I was wearing. The man’s eyes widened as he looked at my face. Silence fell in the shop. But the silence didn’t feel negative.
The man parted his lips, then shut them, and smiled, as if he had made up his mind.
“If you need them, you can take them today and pay me later.”
“What? I could just run away with them.”
“Are you going to run away?”
“Oh, no.”
“I don’t know much about makeup. But I think a Lady like you could bring a wonderful change to the art of makeup.”
I blinked at the man’s words. He’s just giving them to me, even though he said the dyes are expensive? Before I could even say, “But still,” the man put the dyes into a paper bag and handed them to me, as if he had read my mind.
“I am a person who believes that a future a genius couldn’t realize because of a lack of money is the most regrettable future in the world. You can pay me after you succeed in the future.”
I stared at the paper bag, then looked at the man. He shrugged, as if asking if I wasn’t going to take them. I hesitated, then reached out, carefully placed the brushes in the paper bag, and hugged it close to my chest.
“I’ll bring the money back soon, though. If I can’t come, I’ll send someone to pay you! We have to be clear about the payment. Tell me the price, and I’ll bring it.”
I put my hood back on and smiled brightly, but inside, a surge of emotions, like a rising tide, spread through me. My heart pounded, and various expectations for an unwritten future flashed through my mind. All because of the art shop owner’s kind words.
After calming my emotions somewhat, I bowed to the man and started walking toward the door to leave the shop.
“Hey, be careful…”
Thud.
Just as Felix’s voice reached me, I bumped into something. It was soft, not like a wall or a door. Opening my eyes to check, it seemed I had bumped into a person. Because of the hood, I couldn’t clearly see who it was. All I saw was black pants, a dark navy cloak, and an emblem of a wolf embroidered on their chest.
“I-I’m sorry…”
Before I could check any other features, the person walked past me and deeper into the shop. When they moved, I saw the door in front of me. I shouldn’t linger by the door. Seeing the door, I walked out of the shop without checking who the person was.
Felix, who followed me out, let out a large breath and clutched his chest only after the door closed.
“Haa, haa, ha…”
“You, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“What’s wrong? The person you just bumped into was the Jeshuerdt Young Master! The atmosphere around him was so intense I could barely breathe. How could you just walk out?”
“Jeshue… what? Jet Suit?”
“Are you crazy?”
Felix quickly covered my mouth and looked around. Just as I saw sweat dripping from his forehead, Felix’s hand fell away from my mouth.
“The Jeshuerdt Young Master. Do you know what kind of trouble you’ll be in if you call a Duke’s name incorrectly? You shouldn’t speak so carelessly.”
Huh? That sounds familiar. I touched my chin and thought for a moment, but no hint immediately came to mind, so I gave up. If it was important, I’d remember it later.
I bought what I needed, so now I should help Felix with his shopping…
“Buy honey! Sweet honey for sale!”
Hmm, they sell honey here too.
…Honey?!
Honey is good for calming skin and for moisturizing! The moment that thought hit me, I headed toward the stall. I just naturally assumed Felix would follow me.
“…Uh.”
Why did I so naturally assume Felix would follow? I was examining the honey, which wasn’t the Acacia honey I was hoping for, when I sighed and checked to see if Felix was behind me. But when I looked around, Felix was already gone.
“Haha, well this is…”
If I had a phone, it would be fine since we could just meet up later, but I don’t have a phone here! Going back might mean missing him entirely, so that’s not a good idea either.
Should I just walk straight ahead for now? If I keep going straight, I’ll probably find a park or something. Just standing in the middle of the street like this is rude.
I clenched my fists and continued walking along the road.
The village sold so many different things. Food, various accessories, weapons, and clothes. I looked around, then stopped in front of one shop.
‘Sichel Tailor Shop’
