Next was Prince Cassian.
"I will also give Your Highness the Crown Prince a gift for your first visit."
He slowly opened his mouth, looking puzzled. "Unexpected hospitality. Is it enchanted like the beer candy?"
Luckily, he seemed to assume that I had used magic. I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, shook my head, and smiled. "No, please wait a moment."
I paused as I started to head to the right side of the stationery store. The gifts on the shelves were definitely for children. I felt I had to give something different to a distinguished adult.
"I'll just be up on this floor for a moment."
On this floor, items not meant for display were scattered around. As I strode up the stairs, I felt his eyes fixed on my back. Regardless, I thought about the items I had left in the living room on this floor.
'What were Prince Cassian's characteristics?' A good gift perfectly satisfies the needs of the recipient. I thought of Prince Cassian's background.
'According to the original story, Prince Cassian had a strong sense of anxiety. The people around him died mysteriously.'
In the original, Prince Cassian had strong perfectionist tendencies and a deep attachment to the few people he considered "good." This was typical of those who were naturally wary and kept others at a distance, despite their smiles. Perhaps because of this, he often had nightmares after his nanny, who had been by his side since childhood, died without reason, and after the mysterious deaths of his older brothers and sisters, to whom he had shown affection. I didn't know why the royal family died mysteriously, nor did the protagonists of the original work. It was simply a plot point.
I touched my chin with my index finger, glancing at the living room rug and the miscellaneous items on the table. My fingertips brushed against a fluffy dreamcatcher. I pursed my lips and thought, 'How about a Dreamcatcher as a gift?'
Dreamcatchers were superstitious objects believed to filter out nightmares. I had made one myself for young children going through growing pains, who often had nightmares. Furthermore, there was an episode related to nightmares in the original story.
'When Prince Cassian frequently suffered from nightmares in his childhood, Sheria would comfort him. That was one of the reasons the Prince developed a crush on Sheria...'
I was sure this item would be a special gift for him. I held the dreamcatcher in my hand. It felt as though Dominic had subtly infused it with a weak magical energy. This would significantly reduce the frequency of nightmares.
'Then he'll have a good feeling about me, the one who gave him this gift, right?' I laughed insidiously.
I went straight back down to the first floor and handed the dreamcatcher to the Prince. "It's a dreamcatcher."
"...What's a Dreamcatcher, Mel?"
"It helps you have good dreams."
"Good dreams..." Cassian pursed his lips without saying anything more and silently accepted the dreamcatcher.
"Why? Don't you always have good dreams?"
In truth, for Cassian, nightmares were simply an adversary to be overcome. So no one knew he had them. He, too, never revealed this weakness to his family or his aides. So I couldn't expose his vulnerability here. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize my favorability.
I smiled softly and said to both Axion and Cassian, "But you should always aim for better dreams."
Cassian accepted silently and thanked me.
"Did you cast a spell?"
"Yes, that's right."
"There's a peculiar magical feeling all over this place."
"Yes, it's a magical space. I hired a beginner mage."
Dominic, who had just been demoted to a "beginner wizard" in his sleep, pursed his lips. It was true that the stationery store and the dreamcatcher gifted to Cassian held Dominic's ancient magic. If one was as skilled as Prince Cassian, they would be able to feel the faint mana energy in this space. He looked around the dreamcatcher and the stationery store with curiosity.
Of course, my abilities would be revealed someday, but it was not yet time to reveal my alchemical prowess. 'It's not time to announce that Dominic is a legendary hero and a demon swordsman either.' If I revealed it now, it would only be a nuisance.
At that moment, Dominic came up to me and muttered in a very, very low voice, "It's all done by you and Dominic, what are you talking about!"
I whispered back to Dominic, "I want to show you on a grand stage worthy of you. What do you think?"
"...After all, you're a genius."
After calming Dominic, I looked back at Prince Cassian.
"So that's what it was." Prince Cassian nodded silently and fiddled with the dreamcatcher.
"I'll use it well."
He always maintained a friendly demeanor, but he wasn't the type to show emotion on his face. As a result, I didn't know if he was happy to receive my gift.
"Well, if he doesn't like it, I can't help it." There were many ways to revitalize a stationery store. We should expect cute children and walking billboards to work hard tomorrow. How would the academy children react?
"I'll do my best to promote it!" Axion clapped and grabbed Carat by the shoulder. Carat nodded as if he couldn't win.
The next morning, there was a great commotion in Axion and Carat's class, the Academy's Advanced A class. During the morning study session, the atmosphere was distinctly different from the other quiet classes. Of course, at the center of the commotion were the mischievous Prince Axion and the cynical spy from the Tower of Demon, Carat.
They were standing in front of the teaching table with a basket of candy. Standing in front of about fifteen of his classmates, Carat thought, 'Why am I doing this...?'
Unlike Carat's face, which had grown even colder, Axion shouted fervently, "Now, take one of the candies here!"
Axion's lively voice left the children in the class bewildered. What Axion offered them was a mysterious candy.
"What is this?"
"...It looks amazing!"
"Me too! Give it to me too!"
"Am I the last?"
The youngest student in the advanced class, a genius who hadn't even lost all her baby teeth yet, was given a beer candy at the end. Worried that her baby teeth would fall out while biting the candy, the girl carefully peeled it.
"It looks just like the drink my mother, the Marchioness, drinks, right?"
Originally, the beer business mainly targeted commoners. However, in recent years, many aristocrats had also begun seeking high-quality beer. Perhaps because of that, beer candy was familiar to the children here. The children smelled the candy and muttered to themselves as they put it in their mouths.
"Eating this candy makes me feel like an adult."
"Because it's a beer candy."
"Oh, does it have alcohol in it?"
"That's not true. It's just shaped like beer. It's jelly on top, and candy on the bottom," Carat replied, earnest but soulless. Axion's side hurt earlier.
'I just went looking for the kidnapper, but what am I doing now?' As a result, Carat had effectively become Mel's stationery store ambassador.
"Alas, I'm drunk." The child smirked while eating the candy that didn't contain any alcohol.
"Do you have any wine candies?"
They were all talking about different things, but they were all curious. 'They are really possessed, as a group. This is a big deal.'
It was after he had reported to the Lord of the Tower that a dangerous witch had appeared in front of the academy. If he received a reply soon, he was going to say, 'Please investigate Mel's stationery store intensively.' That formidable woman who made him suffer so much had to be investigated by the Master of the Demon Tower!
Carat began to observe the classroom, not bothering to hide his suspicious gaze. Thanks to the small ball Axion had launched, the classroom was filled with a festive fervor.
"Ugh—"
"Heh, your voice is strange!"
The child who had bitten into the beer candy muttered in a grim voice. "Listen. I am a monster."
"Is it a real monster voice?"
The beer candy had achieved the desired results. However, the problem was that it had achieved very strong results. The children slammed their desks excitedly. They felt like they had entered a great new world.
"My voice is weird!" Low, gloomy voices filled the classroom.
"Oh my God!" The most dramatic change was in a girl who usually had a slender voice like a graceful oriole. Her voice was now distorted, as if she had inhaled helium gas. The child, curiously touching her own neck, laughed. This usually quiet child was now laughing, thanks to the mysterious candy.
"It's amazing! Is it because you ate this candy?"
"Is that so, Your Highness?" The children's eyes widened.
"Yes, it's Mel's own candy."
"...That stationery store?"
"Stationery store?"
"Yes! You know that stone building in front of here, right?"
"Ugh, that haunted ruin!" Axion shook his head grumpily. He didn't seem to remember calling the stationery store an "abandoned house" to Mel in the past.
"No, it's not an abandoned house!"
"Abandoned house or haunted house?" The children looked at each other.
Axion shouted with fierce conviction, "No, it's a yellow building! The owner of the building is my friend!" Axion smiled proudly.
The atmosphere in the classroom began to grow excited. Watching them, Mirissa opened her textbook with a pale face. She was the only one in the classroom not swept up in the excitement.
Mirissa had been busy investigating Duke Hessmann's affair throughout the past period. After several days of searching, the conclusion was simple: "I heard that Mel, the commoner at the stationery store, was Princess Meldenique, as Prince Axion said to Carat."
...I have to go find her. Mel might hate me as the sister of an adulterous man...
Mirissa tore up her brother's note from the textbook, crumpling it as she buried her head on the desk.
Mirissa, keep your mind straight. If you have a long period of rebellion, I will consider cutting off your support from your family.
The crumpled note scattered to the floor. 'He sent me a note like that...' My brother didn't know anything. They thought they just needed to threaten her. I wasn't even interested in Mirissa in the first place.
But Mirissa wasn't rebelling now. The righteous girl gritted her teeth and muttered lowly, "Crazy cuckold." She was truly angry with the adulterous man.