Duchess Isabella Lilly observed the shopkeeper sitting in front of her and she tried to probe into the depths of his power.
But every time she tried, she felt like she could feel nothing from the man sitting in front of her.
Usually, it meant that the person in front of her had no powers, or had too much power for her to sense. And usually, she would have thought the man in front of her fell in the former category.
'But how is that possible when this man lives in that bookstore filled with magic intense enough to even stop me? I am sure that I was just not able to see through the depths of his magic.'
Duchess Isabella Lilly was convinced of the fact even more that the shopkeeper knew some truth of the world she and the others were unaware of.
Even the bag he had brought along gave off a powerful aura that made her shudder. Even her guards could feel the strong aura and were cautious of it.
That was why, they behaved a little rudely to the shopkeeper. But they were lucky because the shopkeeper did not seem to mind their behaviour too much and laughed it off.
"By the way, is the special herb market held often? And, does it sell only special herbs? I need to get some regular herbs for my collection as well."
The shopkeeper told the Duchess and she felt a shiver go down her spine.
'Is the shopkeeper…testing me? He likely already knows that the herb market held by the fairies will only show fairy-related products. He wants to see if I would comply with him or force him to go with me.'
The duchess was overthinking, but she was a cautious person who wanted to take into account all possibilities.
So that was why, she quickly made a decision. She was going to show the shopkeeper the best regular herb shops she usually placed orders at. That way, she would be able to make a good impression on him.
"The special market we are heading to only has selected herbs. But before we head there, I would like to take you to the biggest herb market in my estate. I am sure an avid lover of herbs like yourself would appreciate it."
"Oh really? Then, I won't say no to your offer."
The shopkeeper agreed and the duchess felt herself calming down and feeling proud of the fact that she was able to help out the shopkeeper.
After all, this would help her ensure reasonable help when she needed it next time.
Just as she was about to turn to look outside, she saw the shopkeeper take out something from his bag's side pocket and put it in his pouch. The packet was filled and she felt curious what it was.
But the shopkeeper quickly pulled the now-empty packet out and the window of opportunity to ask was gone.
'Why is she looking at me so intensely? Did I do something wrong? Was I supposed to tell her that I was going to open my bag?'
The duchess's eyes had a sharp look and I quickly looked away so as not to catch her attention.
Instead, I focused on the puppy in my bag that seemed to have settled down after eating something.
Now I would not need to feed it for a few more hours.
"Shopkeeper, what do you—"
The duchess began to ask but before she could finish, the carriage stopped and a nervous guard opened the door.
"Duchess, we have arrived at the herb shop. Do you want us to go and call the shopkeeper out?"
The guard asked, his eyes sharp, looking over me as he spoke. He likely did not want to leave me alone with the duchess for even a second longer than he had to.
I had no idea what the guard was even afraid of at this point. The duchess looked like she was much stronger than me anyway. I would be the one folded if we fought here.
"Hmm, there is no need for you to call the shopkeeper. We will enter the shop. Shopkeeper, shall we get going now?"
The duchess asked me and for the second time today, she extended her hand toward me.
I grabbed my bag and allowed her to escort me inside the shop. The guard kept glaring at me the whole time, but what could he even do to me when the one protecting me was the Duchess herself?
"Shopkeeper, why don't you give me your bag for now? I am sure that it is quite heavy to carry around."
The Duchess told me and my first instinct was to pull my bag back and away from her.
"N-No, it's alright. I would rather carry my bag myself. It has some…delicate stuff inside that I cannot afford to have anyone else handle."
I told the duchess and she took her offer back with a look of understanding. Perhaps, she already knew what was in my bag and understood my burden.
The herb store we entered was twice the size of my bookstore and had tons of herbs in sacks lying around. I had to move around carefully to not accidentally make a sack fall.
'So many herbs and they look to be of good and pure quality as well. I have never seen such good quality products before.'
The more I looked around, the more I wanted to buy everything. However, even if I were to buy everything, I doubted I would be able to make anything as advanced as modern medicine.
All I could do was find ways to mimic it or find a product on my store that would let me make the medicine at home.
"Welcome esteemed…Oh my dear Lord—! D-Duchess Isabella Lilly, what an honour to have you in my shop, please tell me what I can do to help you today."
The old lady at the front of the store asked in a voice filled with wonder. Her wide eyes looked at the duchess as if she was looking at a goddess.
The duchess gave me a look and the old lady at the counter noticed me as well.
Confusion swirled in her eyes before she made the conclusion that I must have come with the duchess, and as a result, I was an important guest as well that she needed to be careful around.
"Dear guest, can I help you with anything? Please let me know what species you need. If you want a list, then you can take a look at the sheet here."
The old lady was very helpful and I had a sudden feeling that this shop was more put-together than most shopping malls back in my days were.
I had brought a decent amount of money with me and a quick look at the herbs told me that I would be using most of it to buy the jaundice medicines.
'Tsk, the herbs are too expensive. Why do they cost so much?'
I wanted to tear my hair out as I looked over the prices before I placed the order of what I wanted.