The Villainess Builds a Department Store - Chapter 45

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Villainess Establishes a Department Store

Chapter 45

“That’s not it, Miss Camille.”

“Monsieur Laurent? What do you mean by that?”

Laurent answered instead. I had also been concerned since I couldn’t see any of the familiar signs, so I perked up my ears along with them.

“A new alley and new buildings. So they probably wanted to put up new signs and store names to match.”

“Hmm… That makes sense.”

“Especially since Nantes had many old shops, they might have thought those names sounded too rustic for such a refined street.”

“It’s somewhat disappointing. I liked those names. They had character.”

“I agree. But people who come here will head to ‘Gawri Stroll’ rather than ‘Robin’s General Store.'”

“Because ‘Robin’s General Store’ exists in their hometowns too.”

I deeply empathized with both their opinions. There was a reason apartment construction companies named their projects River if near water, Forest if near mountains, and even grandiose names like The First for empty fields.

By the way, Laurent and Camille both had calm atmospheres with cool and composed personalities, and being similar in age—both in their thirties or older—they looked quite good standing side by side.

The two who had been having an insightful conversation were now standing in front of a bookstore stall, browsing through books.

When both reached for a book simultaneously, Laurent hesitated and yielded the book to Camille. Camille then lightly bowed her head in thanks.

They looked quite good? No. They looked very pleasant.

Even passersby glanced back at the picturesque profiles of the two.

The walls stretching along the street, with their white and black exterior, created an illusion of over a hundred servants standing in starched shirts and black trousers with sharp vertical creases above the knees.

Walking straight ahead, we had reached the end of the gallery before we knew it. This was the advantage of the gallery—you couldn’t get lost if you just walked straight.

We had passed several buildings, and I too was so excited that I didn’t feel any fatigue in my legs.

Still, should we rest for a moment? I was looking around for a café where we could sit when a familiar face caught my eye.

“Basti…!”

I stopped mid-call of his name. His behavior seemed somewhat strange.

Bastian was just lingering at the entrance, not coming inside, only stretching his neck out long to look around.

Bastian had grown more than two spans taller during this time. Thanks to that, I could easily spot his red eyes standing out among his peers.

Though passersby frowned at his shabby appearance, no one was driving him away or blocking him, so why wasn’t he coming in?

Eventually, I called out to him first.

“Bastian!”

Bastian’s red eyes widened greatly up and down upon recognizing me, his lips parting, but then noticing Camille and Laurent’s presence, he shut his mouth tight like an unpleasant turtle.

Just like a cat that was about to welcome its owner but froze upon seeing a stranger following behind.

“…What?”

At his characteristically blunt attitude, Laurent stepped forward, blocking my path.

“He’s someone I know.”

Laurent stared at me as if he couldn’t quite believe it, then sent a questioning look to Camille.

“He’s a young boy acquainted with Miss.”

Only then did Laurent step back. Huh? Look at this guy? He can’t trust my word as the person involved, but he can trust Camille’s word?

I was about to say something but decided against it. That wasn’t what was important right now.

“What?”

If the earlier “what” meant “what are you doing here,” this “what” was literally a question about Laurent’s identity.

“Lawyer and bodyguard. What about you? Did you come to look around too?”

“Yeah. Since they said there’s no admission fee.”

Now he even knew how to joke.

“But it seems there was a dress code I didn’t know about.”

The painful joke was a bonus. At Bastian’s self-deprecating sarcasm, I finally realized why he hadn’t come inside—or rather, couldn’t come inside.

“Want to look around with me?”

“Are you crazy?”

Laurent’s arm twitched for a moment. Bastian also realized he had replied too curtly and belatedly explained.

“I mean, if someone like me goes around with you, it’ll cause you trouble…”

“Someone like you? And why would I be in trouble?”

“Well, obviously…”

“How dare they, who?”

At my light scoff, Bastian shut his mouth tight.

Just as the corners of his mouth drooped endlessly and were about to sink completely, I grabbed Bastian’s hand firmly.

“If it weren’t for you, the construction workers wouldn’t have eaten properly. Do you think the construction would have finished on schedule then?”

“Wha, what? Hey! Let go of this! What are you doing!”

“Thinking about it that way, you contributed to this construction project to some extent, so how dare anyone treat such a person as ‘someone like you’?”

It seemed like a perspective he had never considered, as Bastian’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Let’s go. I’ll give you a tour.”

“Uh… huh?”

I dragged Bastian along regardless. Surprisingly, Bastian followed me obediently.

Bastian stopped in place every three steps, looking around. Each time, exclamations like “wow,” “whoa,” and “whew” burst out as if in a predetermined order.

Bastian’s eyes as he looked at the unfamiliar street and the goods filling it were like those of a starving beast. He greedily took in everything that came into view.

The precisely interlocked marble floor finish like a puzzle, the vertically straight columns, and the massive glass displays filling the spaces between columns.

Our figures were reflected side by side on the clear glass like a silver mirror.

Me, decorated with silk and lace and a considerably large jeweled necklace, and Bastian in his obviously shabby attire.

Bastian, already small from malnutrition, was completely overwhelmed by the splendid alley scenery and even seemed intimidated.

Feeling sorry for him, I poked his side to tell him to straighten his shoulders and back, and Bastian flinched and looked at me.

“Don’t you want to work here?”

I think I made a similar suggestion before.

Bastian shook his head this time too. And answered in an unconfident voice.

“Me? That’s ridiculous. I’m uneducated, so my speech is rough and my behavior is crude. What could someone like me do here? Even the janitors here probably mop at the right angles.”

“You can learn from now on. Do you think I was a lady from birth?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

I doubted my ears for a moment. You, what did you just say…

“Why? Aren’t you? That day when you stood up to protect a mere pickpocket, I thought you were a naturally merciful and kind lady.”

The following words left me speechless.

Bastian’s face when I turned around was full of an annoyingly leisurely smile.

Even knowing he was clearly teasing me, it was enough to make me momentarily angry.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————