The door clicked shut behind Madam Vesper. The room suddenly felt quieter, warmer. Only the soft crackle of the fireplace and the faint smell of burning wood remained.

  Lys let out a long breath and turned to Sara. She was still standing near the door, watching him with a small, curious smile.

  “Well?” Sara asked, walking back to the desk. “How did it go? Tell me everything.”

  Lys sat down on the edge of the desk, still feeling the excitement from the deal. “It went better than I expected. She agreed to my price and the conditions. Thirty gold for the four pelts, plus a ten percent discount on anything I buy from her in the future. And she won’t tell anyone where the pelts came from.”

  Sara’s eyes widened. She leaned against the desk beside him, close enough that her arm brushed his. “Thirty gold? And a permanent discount? Lys… that’s amazing. Madam Vesper is known for driving the hardest bargains. Most people leave her table with half of what they wanted. How did you manage that?”

  Lys shrugged, but he couldn’t hide his proud smile. “I showed her a sample piece and let her scan it with that wand of hers. When she saw how rare the fur was, she changed her tune. I just reminded her that I could wait for the next merchant if she didn’t meet my price.”

  Sara laughed softly, shaking her head. “You’re full of surprises. I thought I was helping you by bringing her here, but it looks like you didn’t need much help at all. You handled her like a professional merchant.”

  She tilted her head, looking at him with real admiration. “Why don’t you try this as a profession? Traveling, trading rare goods… I could introduce you to the right people in the capital. You’d make a fortune.”

  Lys shook his head gently. “No, that’s not for me. I have bigger things in mind. Things that can’t be done if I’m always moving from village to village or town to town.”

  Sara raised an eyebrow, clearly curious, but she didn’t push. “Bigger things, huh? You really are mysterious tonight.” She reached out and lightly touched his arm. “But I like that about you.”

  For a moment, they just looked at each other. The room felt smaller, warmer.

  Lys cleared his throat and changed the subject. “How did you find a buyer so fast anyway? I thought it would take days.”

  Sara smiled and sat down properly on the desk, swinging her legs a little. “Madam Vesper comes here every two weeks. She stays at my house when she passes through. We studied together at the academy years ago. She was a senior back then, about to graduate from the academy. But then her husband died from the curse ten years ago, she became very distant from everyone. She barely talks to her old friends anymore. But she still visits me sometimes. She was actually in the neighboring village today and came to see me before heading to the capital. That’s how I convinced her to look at your pelts.”

  Lys nodded slowly. “She seems very cunning.”

  “Oh, she is,” Sara agreed with a small laugh. “She’s been handling business since she was young. That’s why she’s so good at it. But she’s fair when she wants to be. You must have impressed her tonight. I could see it in her eyes.”

  Lys rubbed the back of his neck. “I was a bit nervous, to be honest. I didn’t want to mess up the deal.”

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  Sara’s expression softened. She reached out and gently squeezed his hand. “You didn’t. You did great. Really.”

  They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Then Lys remembered something.

  “By the way,” he said, “I tried talking to your servant on the way here, Bertha, right? But she barely says anything. She is really quiet, isn’t she?”

  Sara let out a soft laugh. “Ah, Bertha. She’s very sweet, but extremely shy around strangers. Especially men. She was probably shy around you. I don’t usually let any man come into my house.”

  Sara’s cheeks turned a little pink, but she smiled anyway. “Don’t worry. She’ll warm up to you slowly. Give her time. Once she gets comfortable, she talks a lot. She’s actually quite funny when she opens up.”

  Lys chuckled. “Oh, Good to know. I thought I did something wrong.”

  “No, you didn’t,” Sara said, her voice gentle. “She’s just like that. She’s been with me for years, and she’s very loyal. I trust her completely.”

  Lys nodded. “That’s good.”

  Sara looked at him for a moment; her eyes were soft as she watched his face. Then she spoke up, “You should head home soon. It’s getting late, and your family is probably waiting.”

  “Yeah,” Lys agreed, standing up. “I don’t want them to worry.”

  Sara stood too and walked with him to the door. Before he stepped out, she touched his arm again.

  “Thank you for tonight,” she said quietly. “For trusting me with the pelts… and for everything else.”

  Lys turned and gave her a warm smile. “Of course, I would trust you. Why else would I have done that with you? Ahemm, okay, thank you too, Sara. For everything.”

  As he was getting closer to the main door, Sara stopped him, “Wait, let me get Bertha. Walking alone home this late at night is not safe for young boys like you.”

  Lys cringed at the words, “Huh, what are you talking about? Me, needing an escort to walk to my home, have you gone crazy? Don’t you remember I had slain those wolves? Why would I need protection from a woman? Huh, you too sometimes…”

  Sara’s face brightened up a little,” Haha, I totally forgot about that. Lately, the news of young boys’ disappearances is getting very frequent, so I thought you might also need escorts, hehe.”

  Lys didn’t give any thought to her words anymore; he was walking closer to the gate.

  He stepped outside into the cool night air. The village was dark and quiet now. Only a few distant lanterns glowed. He started walking home, feeling lighter than when he had arrived.

  Behind him, Sara watched from the doorway until he disappeared into the night.

  -------

  The village had gone completely quiet. Most houses had their lamps turned off, only a few faint glows flickered from windows along the dirt path. The moon was half-hidden behind thin clouds, making everything look soft and shadowy.

  He started walking home, hands in his little pockets of the cheap pants he was wearing. His body still felt warm from the time inside Sara’s house, but the night chill quickly settled on his skin. The road was empty. No one else was out this late.

  At first, everything felt normal. Then he heard something.

  Soft footsteps behind him.

  Lys slowed down. Then the footsteps slowed too.

  He started walking again, and footsteps could be heard again.

  He stopped again. The footsteps stopped, too, just give him.

  He turned around quickly, scanning the dark road. But he saw Nothing. Just empty, muddy, and pit-filled roads and silent houses. No one was there.

  ‘Huh, maybe I’m just tired and imagining things,’ he thought. ‘It’s been a long day, after all.’

  He started walking again. The footsteps returned with it, a little closer this time.

  His heart picked up speed. He turned around once more, sharper this time. Still nothing. The road stayed empty under the weak moonlight.

  ‘Okay, now this is getting very creepy.’

  He turned the next corner faster. The footsteps grew louder and clearer this time. Someone was definitely following him.

  Lys’s mouth went dry. He walked quicker, almost jogging now. His mind raced.

  ‘Fuck, maybe I shouldn’t have been cocky earlier, I should have listened to Sara, should have taken Bertha as she suggested…’

  He almost laughed at himself, but it came out nervously.

  ‘Fuck, what kind of world is this? On Earth, women were scared to walk home alone. Here, I’m the one getting followed. Men are so rare that even a guy like me has to be careful? What a joke!’

  The footsteps were right behind him now.

  And he was also almost at his house. Just a few more steps and he’d see the familiar hut.

  Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder.

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