'Is the receptionist…not coming back? The duchess looks angry as well.'
Had I not been a well-versed therapist used to guessing my client's expressions, I would likely not have caught the duchess clenching her fists. And after waiting five more minutes, she decided she had enough.
She knocked on the door once but gave no time for the person inside to open the door before she pushed it open.
I took a quick look inside as well, but saw no one.
That did not deter the duchess as she continued to walk inside before she stopped in front of the wall.
I could only see her hands moving and right before my eyes, a passage opened up and a person cowered not too far away.
"Are you trying to run away from me? That is not a wise decision."
The duchess reminded the receptionist, who let out a curse but immediately stopped walking away and threw himself at the duchess's feet.
"P-Please forgive me. I truly did not want to run, but Madam Shelly took off as soon as she heard that you were here to see her."
The receptionist told the duchess and the older lady sighed.
From her expression and action, this seemed to be a common occurrence.
"I see. Don't worry about it too much. I am not angry at you. As for Madam Shelly…I will go and find her myself. Shopkeeper, why don't you stay here and make yourself comfortable in the meantime."
The duchess told me and like the obedient person that I was, I decided to take a seat.
"Receptionist, make sure to serve my guest well."
With those words, the duchess decided to head out toward the lake. But as curious as I was to follow her, I knew it would be safer for me to stay here.
"Would you like some tea?"
The receptionist asked me, his shaky voice returning to normal once more. He looked embarrassed to have been caught lacking by me and the duchess.
I could sense that the receptionist needed an excuse to step out and take a breather so I agreed. But I was not taking any risks, so I asked for water instead.
"A cup of water would be fine."
I told the receptionist, but I had no intention of drinking the given water.
After all, if the traditional folklores were to be believed, a fae's generosity was never a good thing.
I was already tangled up with the duchess, so I wanted to avoid any more tanglement if possible.
The receptionist ran away quickly and then I waited once more. But just like before, the receptionist did not come back.
I started to get angsty around half an hour mark when no one returned and the clock in the room told me that it was time for me to feed the puppy.
The puppy seemed eager to suck up the milk as well. But its tiny body was also tense, most likely because it could sense that it was no longer at home.
It let out a small growl and I petted its tiny head to assure it was all fine.
My familiar scent helped the puppy relax and it went back to sleep. And just at that moment, the door opened and the oldest woman I had ever seen stepped inside.
She looked so old and fragile that I feared she would collapse any second. I could see her skin stretched across her bones and her veins were also prominent on her face.
"I apologize for the wait, shopkeeper. I hope I did not keep you waiting for long."
The duchess told me as she entered. But the lady I could only assume was Madam Shelly did not say anything.
She just gave me a strange look before she huffed and took a seat in front of me.
"Listen kid, I am doing this reading as a favor to you because the duchess asked me to. As far as I can tell, there is nothing special about you….stop giving me that look. I am doing the reading."
Madam Shelly told me but halfway through she looked at the duchess. The duchess must have given her a look that made her become tamed.
I almost hesitated to place my hand on the old lady's because I did not like her attitude and was half-convinced that she would curse me.
But the duchess's presence behind me put an invisible pressure on me and I ended up grabbing the fragile hand.
'Fragile hand…? How did I ever think this hand was fragile in the first place? Shit-! This old lady will end up breaking my hand at this rate-!'
The grip Madam Shelly had on my hand made me feel like my bones were about to break.
I almost made a sound of protest, but the look on Madam Shelly's face made me stop. She looked far too eager to see me make a noise.
So out of my desire to protest and prove her wrong, I kept my face neutral.
Madam Shelly's expression changed as soon as she noticed that not only did I not make any noise, but my face was clear of any anger as well.
This intentional stalling did not go unnoticed by the duchess as well. But unlike me, she seemed more than willing to speak up against Madam Shelly.
"Madam Shelly, is something wrong? Do you have anything to say regarding my guest?"
The duchess asked and even I caught the hidden meaning behind her words. She was telling Madam Shelly to not treat her guest rudely.
Her words made Madam Shelly finally do something other than squeezing my hand.
"Fine, I am getting it. Tsk, from the way you are worrying, someone would mistake you as his mother."
Madam Shelly complained before she concentrated. She spoke some words under her breath before her eyes went wide. She suddenly looked at me once more and concentrated, but her eyes remained wide open.
Finally, she let go of my hand and turned toward the duchess.
"What the heck did you bring to my shop, you bitch-? Why can't I…no, that's not important. I need to run. The omen of evil has finally found me-"
Madam Shelly jerked her hand away from me and looked at me as if I were a devil.
I had only been called a devil by my juniors during my final years of medical study when I forced them to work with me and help me out. But in my defense, they had agreed to help me out.
"Shelly, calm down. My guest is not a devil….but I admit that he's not a human as well. I came here because I thought you would be able to fathom my guest's powers. But it seems I was wrong."
The duchess told Madam Shelly and half of the conversation flew over my head.
I desperately wanted to speak up, but the tension in the air made my mouth go quiet. I had a feeling that if I spoke, then I would be outing myself.
"Lilly-! You-! Ugh, fine-! I still think your guest is the devil but if you're so sure, I won't question you. But under no circumstance am I using my power on him again."