"I'll think about renewing the contract. But don't get your hopes up too much."
"Really? Thank you for even considering it!" Penelope clapped her hands in delight, unable to hide her excitement. She quickly followed up.
"And thank you for the hairpin as well. I’d like to give you a gift in return. Is there anything you’d like?"
"A gift? You want to give me a gift?" Ahwin looked a little surprised. Then, his gaze sparkled like starlight, catching Penelope off guard.
"You’ve done so much for me already," she explained. "I can't just accept such a nice gift without giving something back. I want to return the favor. Though... nothing too expensive, of course." She added the last part sheepishly, clearing her throat to cover her embarrassment. It felt awkward to admit her financial constraints to someone like Ahwin.
‘Not that showing off money in front of Ahwin would matter—he’s one of the wealthiest people on the entire continent.’
Ahwin scratched his ear as if it were itching and replied, "A gift should be something chosen with thought and care for the other person."
"Even so, if there’s something you need, I’d like to get that for you."
"There’s nothing I need right now."
"Then I’ll think of something myself."
Thankfully, Ahwin nodded in satisfaction, his expression hinting at a bit of curiosity about what the gift might be. It was almost... cute.
Penelope suddenly asked, "Do you have time today?"
"For what?"
"I’m planning to meet Pablo. Would you like to come along?"
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"You could just summon the merchant guild leader here, couldn’t you?"
"I wanted to get some fresh air and take a look around the territory for a change. And since the topic came up, we could also pick out your gift while we’re out."
Fresh air and gift shopping—two birds with one stone.
Penelope hadn’t been outside in a while. Recently, she’d been confined to the castle, shuttling between the office and the meeting room. She was so eager to get some air that she felt like her body was tying itself in knots. Besides, she was genuinely curious to see how much the territory had progressed, as the retainers often claimed.
"In that case... sure. I’ll join you," Ahwin agreed without hesitation.
When he abruptly stood up, Penelope blinked at him in surprise. "Why are you suddenly getting up?"
"If we’re going, let’s go now."
"Wait, we’re not teleporting! We’re taking a carriage."
"Why?"
Ahwin’s confusion seemed genuine, leaving Penelope momentarily speechless.
"Are you planning to broadcast to the whole world that there’s an incredible wizard living here? You need to keep your identity hidden!"
"......"
Ahwin stared at her, his gaze uncomprehending. His expression only grew more bewildered as she continued, forcing Penelope to hurriedly elaborate.
"Powerful people usually keep their identities hidden, don’t they? Otherwise, opportunists might come sniffing around, trying to take advantage of their power. Haven’t you read any novels?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, that does make sense," Ahwin conceded, finally sounding reasonable. Penelope let out a sigh of relief.
"Exactly! And because your face is so striking, you should wear a hooded robe to stay inconspicuous."
"Do I really have to go that far?"
Ahwin’s tone was laced with exasperation, making Penelope feel exasperated in turn.
"Ahwin, you should realize just how much attention your face draws."
"Why should I care about how other people look at me?"
She had no rebuttal to that. After all, Ahwin had no real reason to concern himself with other people’s gazes. But Penelope, for her part, wanted to avoid the stares she’d inevitably draw just by being near him.
"Fine, then stay here. I can handle meeting Pablo on my own," she said with a shrug.
"Alright, alright. I’ll wear a robe."
Reluctantly, Ahwin grabbed a robe as if worried Penelope might leave him behind.
***
Penelope decided to head out without any accompanying guards, bringing only Ahwin along.
The knights, naturally, expressed some concerns, but quickly backed down when Ahwin growled at them.
“Who’s protecting who here? If you try to follow us, I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your lives.”
Fully aware of Ahwin’s temper, the knights stiffened and saluted as they saw the pair off.
The carriage carrying the two stopped at the entrance to the marketplace. Ahwin stepped out first and extended a hand to help Penelope alight.
Penelope instructed the coachman, “We’ll continue on foot from here. Please wait for us.”
“Yes, my lady,” the coachman replied, bowing deeply.
The two began walking from the marketplace entrance. Ahwin, though clearly showing signs of mild irritation, walked silently beside her.
Penelope couldn’t help but be astonished as she observed the transformed marketplace.
“Wow, I didn’t expect it to change this much in just a month.”
Shops and restaurants that hadn’t existed just a few months ago now lined the streets. Construction was underway in some areas, suggesting that even more establishments were on the way.
Despite the cold weather, carriages bustled down the main road, and the sidewalks were packed with people. In the busier alleyways, small vendors had set up makeshift stalls.
“Look at that! A market popped up there—I didn’t expect that at all!” Penelope exclaimed, her voice brimming with excitement.
“Don’t draw so much attention to yourself if you’re so worried about being noticed,” Ahwin scolded, pulling Penelope’s hood down lower over her head. She blinked in surprise at his unexpected gesture.
“You should wear this properly too. Now that I think about it, it’s unfair if I’m the only one covered up like this,” Ahwin said, his own hood pulled so far forward that only the bridge of his nose was visible.
“If we both wear hoods this deep, it’ll look even more suspicious,” Penelope grumbled.
“Suspicious? Everyone else is covering their heads to keep out the cold.”
Penelope bit her tongue. He wasn’t wrong. Halo’s weather was still cold enough that many people wore their hoods up. In the northern territories, such attire was commonplace.
Still, no one else seemed to have their hoods pulled down so far that it almost obscured their vision, unlike the two of them.
“If we keep this up, I won’t be able to see where I’m going,” Penelope muttered.
“Then pay attention to the ground while you walk.”
“I might trip.”
“Then walk carefully.”
Pouting, Penelope trudged forward. Inevitably, she failed to notice someone walking toward her and bumped into them.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she apologized.
“Where are you even looking?” a gruff voice snapped back. Penelope froze at the harsh tone. A sharp-eyed man glared at her with clear irritation.
‘Why does it feel like people have been speaking to me so rudely lately?’ Penelope wondered, bewildered.
The man smirked mockingly. “I must be cursed to have someone crash into me like this. How are you going to compensate me?”
“Compensate you?” Penelope asked, baffled. The man gestured toward his clothes.
“Do you have any idea how much this outfit costs?”
“......”
“This is a luxury piece from Osaline! Do you even know what that means?” he exclaimed, raising his voice as if preparing to bark like a dog.
Penelope glanced at his shirt, which was slightly wrinkled. There was no way her bump had caused it, and honestly, the outfit didn’t look luxurious at all.
‘He seems perfectly normal—why is he acting like this?’ Penelope felt her head spin at the absurdity of the situation. The man smirked, his lips curling slightly.
“Pay for my clothes, and I’ll let it go this once.”
Penelope took a deep breath.
‘Wait, is he... trying to extort me?’
“Are you asking me for money?” she asked.
“Consider this a special deal. Pay up and scram!” the man sneered.
‘Wow, I’m actually being shaken down,’ Penelope realized. She clapped her hands together, as if the sheer absurdity of it demanded applause.
The man’s sneer deepened. “That robe of yours looks expensive. Hand it over, and I might consider letting you off.”
“What are you talking about? You didn’t see me either, which is why we bumped into each other. It’s clearly both of our faults,” Penelope retorted firmly, regaining her composure. The man’s face twisted in disbelief, making his already unpleasant features look even uglier.
“Are you out of your mind? Do you even know who I am?”
“How would I know? Do you know who I am?” Penelope shot back.
“This woman is insane. I was going to let it slide, but—”
“When is this going to end?” Ahwin interrupted, yawning loudly. Clearly, he’d grown bored of listening to the argument.
The man turned to Ahwin, scowling. “And who the hell are you?”
“Would knowing that earn you a prize or something?” Ahwin drawled lazily.