Chapter 25: I’ll acquire the shop

For now, Rosa directed a friendly smile at the frightened elderly couple.

“Young lady, your face is very scary. Please be careful.”

Helena whispered softly.

Though Rosa wanted to retort with “What rudeness,” when she saw the shopkeeper trembling and embracing his wife as if protecting her, Rosa decided to avert her eyes from the truth and first address the matter at hand.

“I am Rosa Croitzer. I would like to buy this shop. Could you tell me the selling price?”

“Ah! Please spare us that! We’ve worked desperately to acquire this shop together with my wife.”

Helena stepped forward in response.

“Miss Rosa is the noble lady of the Croittzer family. How much longer do you intend to keep her standing here chatting?”

Certainly, Helena was right, but…

“Wait a moment, Helena. If you say things like that, they’ll only get more frightened. I have an idea. How about selling the fabric of your shop to me? How much for that?”

Rosa pointed from right to left at the fabrics lined up outside the shop, and she bought them at a fair price.

The couple softened their attitude, and they invited Rosa into the back of the shop.

Hugh, the guard who had been watching from the shadow of the street trees, naturally followed, but the elderly couple seemed even more frightened when he was nearby. So Rosa instructed him to stand guard and enter the back.

Even though it was called the back, the room was a single space, and most of it served as a warehouse for storing fabrics. Probably, if this warehouse part were gone, the space would be considerably larger.

As Rosa took her seat as recommended, they were served with light-scented tea and simple baked sweets.

Surely, this was the best hospitality they could offer.

“You seem to have quite a surplus of goods.”

Observing the stored fabrics, Rosa remarked

“No, no, it’s not a surplus. We purchased a large quantity at a low price and stored them. Thanks to that, our business is thriving.”

Rosa thought it was a clever way of doing business.

“I see. So, about the ‘protection money’ you mentioned earlier, what is that?”

“Occasionally, they come. Street thugs come and threaten us, demanding money.”

Upon hearing the shopkeeper’s words, veins bulged on Rosa’s forehead. It wasn’t a sense of justice but rather the agitation of a maiden’s heart.

“Hohoho, that’s an interesting story! Are you telling me that Rosa Croitzer was mistaken for one of those thugs? Hohohoh, that’s quite different!”

Rosa rang the fan she held in her hand, causing the elderly couple to jump.

“Young lady, please calm down. First, shall we inquire about the situation from the couple?”

Calm down by Helena’s reassurance, Rosa took a deep breath and relaxed.

“How about having authorities deal with those thugs? This place is right near the main street, and I don’t think the public order is that bad.”

In response to Rosa’s words, the couple exchanged troubled glances and shook their heads.

“No one dares to intervene. Probably, it’s some noble’s offspring at the center of it all.”

“What?! So, the reason they were frightened when they saw me earlier is that they realized I’m the noble daughter!?”

Rosa said it in a slightly boastful manner.

“Ah!”

However, the couple recoiled at Rosa’s enthusiasm.

“Young lady, now that we’ve preserved our dignity, can we continue the conversation?”

After Helena’s calm interjection, Rosa was startled, cleared her throat, and switched her focus.

“So, did you ever think of organizing a vigilante group?”

In the capital, it’s common for civilians to form vigilante groups when the authorities alone are not enough.

“It’s difficult here because everyone is elderly. We’ve had this shop since before the main street flourished to this extent. However, since the thugs appeared, some sold their shops and returned to their hometowns, and more and more people were running away at night because the stores were no longer able to open.

We want to retire and go back home soon, but in this situation, selling the shop for next to nothing is our only option. However, that won’t sustain us in our old age, so we remain here, continuing our business in fear.”

It seemed they were burdened with quite serious circumstances.

“I see. Even if I buy this shop, the problem of thugs will remain. So, how many of these thugs are there?”

“I think there are more than ten, but it seems three nobles’ children are leading them. Due to such circumstances, there are no buyers for the shop.”

The elderly couple spoke with a gloomy expression. It might be the equivalent of a bottom-class person in her previous life. If things continue like this, their business will be disrupted, and they are destined to be bought out cheaply by those thugs sooner or later.

“I see. Even though it’s near the main street, this area lacks a shop backed by nobles, and authorities can’t touch thugs mingling with commoners and nobles.”

As Rosa pondered the shopkeeper’s words, shouts from outside could be heard, followed by a loud commotion of breaking objects and people fighting.

“They’ve come! The shop is going to be destroyed!”

The shopkeeper shouted, and the elderly couple were in a state of panic. As Rosa tried to stand up, Helena stopped her.

“I’ll handle this. Please stay here, young lady!”

With a firm declaration, Helena left the room.

“Helena is not only capable but also composed. Impressive,” Rosa casually remarked to the elderly couple, expressing her admiration.

“Probably the guards my father hired will handle it somehow, so don’t worry.”

“But, isn’t there only one guard?”

The shopkeeper expressed concern.

“No way! I’m the daughter of a Duke, you know.”

Rosa laughed gracefully.