Chapter 47
Where on earth could a “department store” be? With a mix of slight anxiety and curiosity, Seo-ah boarded the carriage. The department store turned out to be much closer than she had expected.
The cathedral, located not far from the mansion, was called St. Roel’s Cathedral and was said to be over a thousand years old. The department store had been built right across from it.
The plaza in front of the cathedral was bustling, crowded with lines of people trying to enter the cathedral and others heading into the department store. To Seo-ah, who had assumed the marketplace was the most crowded place one could find, the sheer volume of people was staggering.
Even from a distance, she had expected the cathedral to be tall because its roof was visible over the skyline, but seeing it up close made her jaw drop. The pointed spires looked as though they might pierce the very edge of the sky.
“It’s a feast day.”
At the sudden voice, Seo-ah turned to look at Abel. He was smiling at her.
“There will be fireworks later. Let’s watch them together.”
Seeing him so happy made her feel almost apologetic, as if she had treated him terribly over the past week.
When she nodded with a faint smile, Abel’s grin widened.
The carriage came to a stop before a magnificent entrance.
The place called a department store was a world unlike any she had known. Had someone told her a king lived here, she likely would have believed them.
As they passed through the revolving doors, people dressed in formal suits offered polite greetings.
“Welcome to Vues Department Store.”
Seo-ah forgot to even return the greeting. Beyond the doors, a literal wonderland unfolded before her eyes.
The sheer splendor of it all paralyzed her senses.
Perhaps because the center of the building was hollowed out, the massive scale of the structure felt visceral. She felt like a tiny ant.
Inside was a festival of gold. The pillars, the railings, and even the walls were gilded so lavishly that she wondered if they had all been cast from melted bullion. Red flower baskets hung from every railing, creating a display of opulence that was almost overwhelming against the gold.
Unaware of the gazes falling upon her, Seo-ah stood overwhelmed by this alien civilization. The interior of the department store defied every common-sense notion she had ever held about buildings.
“Is this really a place where they sell things?”
Abel, who had been exchanging subtle signals with the backup agents embedded throughout the store, gave Seo-ah a look so warm it could have melted her as she stood there murmuring in a daze.
A little country mouse opening her eyes to civilization, he thought.
The moment he stepped into the department store and caught the scent of high society, the professional duty he had been desperately clinging to transformed into something akin to a divine calling.
“You didn’t know what a department store was; you only knew the market.”
Her face was beautiful when she looked at him in confusion, and it was just as lovely when she hurriedly looked away after their eyes met.
Barbara had told him to hold out here as long as possible and only return once the crowds had fully dispersed. For Abel Sting, who frequented department stores as if they were his own home, this was the easiest task in the world.
“I don’t really know what to do here. So…”
“So you’re saying I should go wherever I want to go?”
“Yes.”
She spoke softly, her eyes darting around curiously as she took in her surroundings.
Abel decided to love his target. No, it felt as though he already did.
“Let’s go, then.”
She clutched her bag tightly with both hands and followed him.
Abel led Seo-ah up the plush, carpeted stairs to a floor that primarily dealt in formal wear. Stepping onto the floor, which exuded a heavy, gentlemanly atmosphere, made the past few days—spent among rotting carts that looked a century old and desolate cemeteries—feel like a distant past life.
He walked forward as if enchanted.
“Welcome, sir.”
Amidst warm smiles and hospitality, Abel led Seo-ah to a customer sofa. He sat down naturally, accepted a welcome drink, and began explaining his preferences. The staff immediately began bringing out garments. Meanwhile, Seo-ah sat with her hands folded neatly, doing nothing but blinking.
Abel sat with his legs crossed like a count from some prestigious house, scanning the clothes casually before pointing one out. His elegant, natural demeanor prompted the staff to usher him quickly toward the fitting room.
“Winter is nearly here, isn’t it? There is nothing quite like Mt. Atun cashmere for the season. It looks truly wonderful on you, sir.”
As the lustrous suit wrapped around his body, the memories of the last few days—that supposed past life—vanished completely from Abel’s mind. And as those days faded, the habits carved into his bones over months of undercover work resurfaced as if by magic.
“Honey, what do you think?”
Abel, turning with a dashing smile, suddenly froze.
Wasn’t that like accidentally moaning an ex’s name in the heat of the moment?
Holding his breath at the thought that he’d made a ridiculous blunder, he looked at his target. She was sitting with her hands folded primly on her lap, tilting her head slightly as she looked up. She looked confused, as if wondering if he had actually been addressing her.
But just then, a middle-aged woman who appeared to be the floor manager chimed in.
“He looks truly dashing, doesn’t he?”
Seo-ah tilted her head again, then nodded as if being nudged by the woman’s words.
“Yes, it suits him well.”
“I’m so envious that you have such a wonderful gentleman by your side.”
A deeper sense of doubt flickered in Seo-ah’s expression. However, she had no rebuttal, and thinking it would be strange to protest, she eventually gave a slow nod.
The corners of Abel’s mouth, which had twitched for a moment, shot upward. His mind whirred at high speed as he leaned his head to the side and gazed at his target. It seemed he had stumbled upon a perfect way to charm this naive stranger before she even realized what was happening.
Vues Department Store.
The first of its kind to open in East Norfolk, Vues Department Store was a historic establishment that boasted the titles of the largest scale and the highest sales in the region. However, it hadn’t been such a booming success from the start.
Even now, the older nobility looked down on the department store. Their philosophy was that they could not wear or use items sold in a space where just anyone was allowed to enter.
It was only about ten years ago that the department store had come to dominate the Vues commercial district.
One day, news broke that the Marquis of Reinhardt had invested in the failing Vues Department Store. At the time, the nobles gossiped. They said the young Marquis, who hadn’t even attended the Academy, might have established a decent steel company, but his lack of substance was finally showing.
However, news soon followed that the steel company had acquired a railway company, and the existing rail networks began to grow remarkably dense. At the time, the nobility had no interest in how that might correlate with an investment in a department store.
The nobles only began to pay attention when new, innovative things from all over—things they had never seen or heard of before—started flowing into the department store along those dense railway lines.
Even Ruhas raspberries, which supposedly had to be eaten within a week of harvest, could be tasted at Vues Department Store.
New and innovative things.
The Vues nobility, who loved art and culture—especially the younger generation—reacted sensitively. Outings to the department store spread like a trend among the young nobles.
By nature, trends tend to spread like wildfire across a dry field only to evaporate without leaving a trace of warmth, but some trends remained. Trends that did not disappear were eventually absorbed into the fabric of culture.
The Marchioness, who had once been deeply displeased by her son’s choice, had now become one of the most frequent visitors to the department store.
In the VIP lounge on the top floor, an exhibition commemorating the feast day was in full swing.
Seats for Marchioness Charlotte von Reinhardt and her daughter, Sabine von Jerome, were naturally reserved in the most prominent area. Sabine was currently away from her seat, leaving only the Marchioness surrounded by a cloud of noblewomen.
“Marchioness. I’m thinking of purchasing that piece over there. What do you think of it?”
Sipping her champagne, Charlotte glanced at the sculpture the noblewoman was pointing to.
“Where do you intend to place it?”
“The right side of my main hall feels rather empty.”
“The right side of your main hall…”
Charlotte trailed off for a moment, then spoke in a clear tone.
“If it were me, I would place it in the center of the stair landing instead.”
The noblewoman who had asked the question seemed to visualize the suggestion for a moment, then clapped her hands lightly, looking delighted as if she had found the perfect answer.
