Ask Away, Your Majesty - Chapter 3
Knock, knock.
It was another day of serving customers to the point of exhaustion. After bidding farewell to her last customer, Lorienne stretched, checking the time. It was later than usual, and it didn’t look like there were any more customers coming in, so she was ready to close up shop.
However, contrary to her expectations, the sound of another knock on the door made Lorienne squint her eyes.
Refusing a weary visitor at the door was a luxury she couldn’t afford. To buy back her brother, who had been enslaved in Rixir, she needed to gather money as quickly as possible.
“Who is it?” Lorienne opened the small door.
A young man bowed, revealing his face through the small opening.
“Is this Loftis Potion Shop?”
“Step back a bit, please.”
The smiling man obediently stepped back, revealing another figure behind him. Lorienne quickly scanned the man and the one behind him.
That one behind looks like the master. The fabric of his cloak hanging on his shoulders looks extremely luxurious, and the servant behind him is also impeccably dressed. They must be high-ranking nobles.
While her deductions weren’t perfect, they seemed mostly accurate so Lorienne opened the door. The man who knocked on the door was lithe, if not tall, and behind him stood a taller, burly man, wearing a hood that completely covered his face.
These two men seem somewhat dangerous, but they definitely smell like money. Alright, let’s entertain them just this once.
Lorienne gestured for the two to come inside and guided them to a table.
Seated, the man with a genial face spoke, “I apologize for coming at such a late hour.”
“It’s alright. Nobles prefer not to attract attention when they visit my shop. What potion are you looking for?”
“Um, well… Can you make a potion that turns someone into a dog?”
The man in the flipped hood remained silent, prompting the one who had knocked on the door to steal a glance at him, as if seeking his reaction.
It was a common request. Aristocrats often desired transformations where parts of their bodies would resemble those of animals for discreet amusement. Whether it was having cat ears, tails like squirrels or foxes, or even turning their hands into a dog’s front paws.
“Where would you like it? Ears? Tail? Or the front paws?”
“Um… Well…”
The man who seemed to be a servant once again glanced at his seated master, trailing off in his words. At that moment, the man who had swiftly removed his hood arrogantly leaned back in his chair, meeting Lorienne’s gaze.
“No, nothing like that. Just a dog. I want to be a dog.”
It had been a long time since Lorienne had shown any emotional wavering in front of her customers, but this time, she found herself involuntarily quivering her shoulders. It wasn’t the man’s words about wanting to be a dog—it was the face he revealed.
Despite exuding an imposing aura with his physique, without the hood, he turned out to be remarkably handsome. His slightly tousled golden hair, accentuated by shadows, perfectly framed his small face with a straight nose. He had sharp features, but there was something fresh about his deep, yet clear, green eyes. The combination of sharpness and freshness gave him no hint of age, and it was as if a god had come down and sat in a human body.
Lorienne gazed into the clear eyes of the man facing her.
He wants to become a dog with that face? Is this guy incredibly extreme or just plain insane?
