# 60
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My enthusiasm almost faded, but I pushed him gently and corrected his behavior like a teacher.
"Still, try to pick one. Even if it's just a color that suits a princess – there has to be something."
“When choosing a gift, what did I tell you?”
“…You told me to choose it carefully, and think about the person who will receive it.”
"exactly."
If you understand, go ahead and choose one.
I extended my hand and urged him to make a choice.
“Do I really have to choose?”
“Yes, you should.”
Unable to resist my insistence, Ian reluctantly began scanning the pile of fabrics. He looked intently, focusing on the details, and it was so serious that I had to stifle a laugh.
After a few seconds, Ian picked up a wide strip. It was a gold satin ribbon that shimmered when it caught the light.
“Is that enough?”
“Ah, that's not bad at all.”
I'd noticed him in a shoe store before – he had an amazing sense for these things, even if that wasn't the case.
Maybe it was some kind of skill boost for the hero?
If you can improve it, it could be very useful for Diana.
Following his instructions, I scanned the cart and picked up a thinner strip near it.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Without waiting for a response, she held the tape up to Ian's face.
He shivered at my sudden movement.
"… What do you do?"
“You have the same color of eyes as the princess.”
The ribbon I chose had a vague mixture of purple and blue, which appeared as bright purple when the light hit it.
I alternated looking at him and the bar for a moment before grinning widely.
“…It's beautiful.”
Pleased with my discovery, I removed the tape from near Ian's face.
"It suits you. It's like it was made with your eyes."
This should fit a princess too.
“It would be better if it was a little wider, though...”
As I started to dig through the pile of fabric again, Ian, who was standing next to me, seemed to freeze in place.
Noticing this a little late, I looked at him.
“…Do – I mean, you?”
When I called him, he blinked, as if he had woken up from his daze. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze.
“…Yes, let’s handle it like this.”
His responses were unusually slow.
She looked at him curiously for a moment, then turned to the shopkeeper, holding out two kinds of ribbons to him.
“Please make me a decorative ribbon out of this satin ribbon. You can use lace and other materials too. I'm thinking of making a hair accessory, so make it dazzling.”
The shopkeeper nodded quickly.
“Bar… you say?”
He seemed unsure about my request, so I nodded.
“Yes, is that a problem?”
"No, no! That's not it… it's just that you're the first to ask for something like this. Most people just buy materials…."
“You don't have a lot of clients.”
My blunt comment made him cough awkwardly, turning his head as if I'd hit a sore spot.
"...But how did you know? I mean I make tapes."
“The styles are different from anything on the market, so it was obvious.”
“Yes, yes.”
“With your skill level, making a small accessory shouldn't be difficult.”
"Yes…."
The shopkeeper nodded, seemingly confused and convinced.
“It won't be instantaneous… but let's see, I should be able to get it ready in about two hours.”
Two hours, huh.
"I'll come back later to get it. How much does it cost?"
“Well, with the two satin ribbons, lace, other materials, and labor cost… let’s see, about four silver coins should cover it.”
The shopkeeper extended four fingers of his rough hand.
I nudged Ian in the side with my elbow.
“Please pay him. Only two silver coins now as an advance.”
Ian turned to me with a look of disbelief.
“…I have to pay for this too?”
“I didn't bring my wallet with me.”
When I responded cheekily, Ian's face went from astonishment to complete disbelief.
Of course, during this time, I just stood there, staring at him as if I was daring him to challenge me.
Finally, with no other choice, Ian took out two silver coins and handed them to me.
"Here you go. I'll pay the remaining half when we get back to pick up the tape. Is that okay with you?"
"naturally!"
The shopkeeper's face lit up as he confirmed the payment. He responded eagerly, bowing slightly as he watched us.
“Okay, enjoy your date. I'll set it up right away.”
I nodded contentedly and pulled Ian with me.
“You heard him, didn't you? Let's go.”
❖ ❖ ❖
Even though I had breakfast, walking around the bustling city all morning made me very hungry.
So I dragged Ian to a famous crepe shop on Milan Street, and we each bought a crepe.
Contrary to my expectations that he might criticize it as public food, Ian surprisingly followed me and even stood in line.
However, after he took a bite of the sweet crepe, he frowned, clearly not enjoying it.
“Do you really like this?”
“Isn’t it delicious? I heard that this is the most popular crepe shop in the capital.”
“It's so sweet.”
"It's supposed to be sweet. That's what makes it delicious."
I took a big bite of my crepe as I looked at him.
At that moment, Ian, who had been quietly watching me, suddenly extended his hand and touched my face.
“Yes, it seems so.”
When I felt the coolness of his touch near my lips, I instinctively pulled back a little.
“What…what was that?”
He quickly withdrew his hand after wiping the cream off my face and spoke.
“There was something on your face.”
“You could have just told me...”
“You seemed to be focusing too much on eating.”
He responded indifferently and then licked the cream off his finger, immediately frowning in disgust.
“I definitely don't like it.”
…huh?
‘What did you just do….’
Why did I eat something that was on my face?
But Ian, who was completely oblivious, looked at me as if nothing was wrong.
"my lady?"
"now…."
I pointed at him in a daze.
Finally realizing what had happened, Ian looked at his hand and froze as he tried to process the situation.
"Yes."
An awkward silence hung in the air.
I was the first to look away.
“Okay, okay, from now on, I’ll clean my face myf.”
“…Yes, please do.”
'Has he lost his mind?'
My heart was beating hard as I turned my head away and took a deep breath. Ian was also feeling embarrassed, so he turned his head in the opposite direction.
'What happened to this man?'
He's usually so strict, but why is he so ignoring this?
“Okay, look, there's a fountain over there! Let's go check it out.”
"…Yes."
Afterwards, we spent some time observing the fountain, which started working as summer approached.
Before we knew it, the tower clock struck four, indicating that the two hours had gone by quickly.
When we returned to the store, the bearded shopkeeper had already finished decorating the bar.
“There she is.”
The shop owner handed me the completed tape, his face full of pride.
It was a small, palm-sized bar, featuring the golden ribbon Ian had chosen as the main ingredient.
There were small beads attached here and there, with the purple-blue ribbon I had chosen placed prominently in the middle.
The addition of a lace ribbon in a unique pattern completed the look.
I smiled with relief.
'I knew it would turn out like this.'
I held the tape up in front of Ian's eyes.
"What do you think? Isn't it beautiful?"
"… not bad."
Beautiful is beautiful – what does “not bad” mean, you idiot.
She gently tapped Ian and took the remaining two silver coins from him, handing them to the shopkeeper.
“Here's the rest of the payment. Oh, can you give me a business card?”
“Business card…?”
The shopkeeper looked at me in confusion, as if he had never heard of such a thing before.
True, I had forgotten that this man was not familiar with such things. Of course, he wouldn't have a business card.
"In that case, write your name and address on any piece of paper. I have an important message to deliver."
“Okay, okay, sure. But why...”
The shopkeeper, who had been questioning me nervously, stepped back when Ian, who was standing next to me, looked at him with a cold look.
He hurriedly took out a piece of paper and started writing something with a piece of charcoal.
“Is...is that enough?”
After confirming his name and address, I nodded.
“Yes, that will do.”
“But what do you need me for...”
“You'll know soon. I'll see you again.”
Instead of answering, I happily said goodbye and turned to leave, but then I stopped and lowered my voice as if I was giving important advice.
“And make sure your booth is tidy when you do business. This alone will double your number of customers.”