บท 15: The Market

"THERE'S SO MANY people out and about town!" Alice gasped, turning her head to follow a little boy that was holding onto a candied apple that had rushed past her.

"Yes," Wyatt beamed, his eyes pressed closed due to his smile, crinkling at the corners. "It's always rather busy in the capital of Gladiolum."

A day after the ball, Wyatt had suggested bringing Alice around the town square to soak in the sights. He personally had to do a little shopping and thought that it would be a wonderful chance for Alice to grow more familiar with the capital. She had been living with the Ragans for nearly two weeks and yet she had barely even stepped out of the mansion's walls. It was best for young ladies to enjoy their time around town with friends. Being constantly cooped up in the study room with Charlie wasn't exactly an ideal situation in Wyatt's opinion. Of course, not that Alice had ever complained.

Strolling through the cobbled streets, Wyatt pointed out some of his personal favorite shops along the way. They passed by boutiques selling beautiful ball gowns, stores selling sparkling jewels, and even quaint little cafes that wafted out the sugary sweet scent of freshly baked pastries. However, while Alice acted as though she was very interested in those, he could tell that was all it was. An act. She simply smiled and nodded to Wyatt's words, not once asking to step into any of those stores like he had expected. Yet again she had him colored surprised.

Just the thought brought a curving smile onto his lips. The girl that his family had chanced upon was most certainly different from the rest of the girls in the capital. She stood out in such a way that there wasn't any spare place for the others to shine. She was the lone star now, a happy and proud resident of the Ragan household. While still suspicious of her origins, Wyatt couldn't help but admit to himself that he was growing fond of Alice Clemente.

"Are you not interested in any of the shops I pointed out?" He prodded. "Those are all famous names here in the capital."

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed. Wyatt watched with his practiced smile as the girl's eyes widened delightfully, eyelashes fluttering like a pair of butterfly wings under the golden sunlight. Her lips parted just a little in surprise before she quickly gathered back her wits, shaking her head politely. "They are all wonderful shops. I just… I don't have any money to buy all those things. Looking through the store window is more than enough."

For years Wyatt had worn the same smile on his face. It was his perfectly crafted mask made to shield his true emotions from the rest of the nobles. No matter what he felt inside, a smile was always the answer to dealing with those that had to be schemed against. However, every time Alice spoke or made one of her silly little expressions, he found his smiles to turn true as day.

"Let us go into that one, then." Wyatt pointed to a little bookshop down the street, a corner store with a gleaming bronze sign. "There are some things I wish to purchase."

Alice nodded. "Alright," she said.

Although her expression remained as still as possible, Wyatt still caught the slight twitch of her lips. The sparkles in her eyes practically screamed of her excitement. She couldn't fool anyone. Even the blind could tell that she was particularly eager to enter the bookshop.

The little bell that hung above the door rang when Wyatt entered the shop. Inside, there were no other customers, simply a store clerk that had a book in hand. A pair of round spectacles rested on his crooked nose bridge, his eyes scanning the words at an immense speed before he licked his finger and flipped to the next page. At the call of the bell, the clerk looked up from his book, squinting at the door before rising to his feet. The book was placed pages-down onto the counter, a smile upon his lips.

"Master Wyatt!" The old clerk greeted enthusiastically. "I was wondering when you'll be visiting next. The books you ordered two weeks back are finally here."

"Greetings," Wyatt replied fairly. "And thank you so much for your help with those. It's nearly impossible to find them anywhere else."

The old man waved, his cheeks reddening just a little. "It's no problem. Let me go get them for you." Shuffling towards the back of the shop, the clerk disappeared behind a dividing curtain.

"Do you come here often?" Alice asked, looking around the small bookstore with great interest. At random, she pulled out one of the books from the shelves, her fingers tracing the title of the book on the cover, feeling the indented words on the hard leather.

'History of Gladiolum. Volume III,' it read. Alice had seen a similar history book in Charlie's study room before. Making a mental note to briefly read through the contents of the book, she slotted the book back to its original position.

"Hmm, I wonder." Tapping a finger to his chin, Wyatt looked deep in thought. "I guess I do visit this store a little more than the average folk. They sell writing supplies as well as books and I run out of the former a little too often. Besides, this store is the only one in the capital that can procure rare and often out-of-print."

Walking a little further into the shop, Alice glanced through the assortment of reading materials offered. They had both fiction and non-fiction books in the store, leaning closer to non-fiction books. Most books were new copies, their covers still brightly colored while others were much older and encased in glass covers. Those books seemed old and tattered but the words were still in dark black ink, most likely having been re-written over so that it wouldn't be lost to time.

The one that had caught Alice's attention was a purple leather-bound book that was almost as thick as a dictionary. The title of this book was written in bright, glittery gold in thick block letters. A small sign that indicated the price of the old tome was placed beside the book. Alice's eyes widened at the number of zeros, her head reeling back a little in surprise. She still wasn't sure about how the currency worked in Gladiolum but with so many zeros, the book was bound to be expensive no matter the exchange rate.

'The Theory of Magic. Volume I,' the title wrote.

"Are you interested in that one? Ooh, that's a pricey one." Wyatt's voice was right by Alice's ear, causing her to jump a little, her ears tingling from his breath. Stepping away, she held both hands to her chest, staring wide-eyed at Wyatt who looked as amused as ever.

"Just looking," she answered before firing back a question of her own. "How much is that book? I don't really know how the currency works here."

"See that symbol over there?" Wyatt gestured to the symbol behind the number as he spoke. "That's the symbol for our currency, 'fleuron'. That's the larger of the two units that we have in our country's currency. The smaller unit is known as a 'flois'. Ten flois equates to one fleuron. To give you an example of its value, five flois can buy you a piece of stale bread at the end of the day in the capital's cheapest bakery, maybe? Books, on the other hand, are usually five to ten fleurons, if it's a common title that can be easily found."

Alice gulped. Judging by the examples Wyatt provided, the currency here in Gladiolum seemed similar to the system she was used to. A single fleuron held as much value as a dollar back home and a flois would be around ten cents. Her hands were starting to feel clammy as she stared hard at the price tag of The Theory of Magic.

"And yet this book is…" she trailed off.

"Fifteen thousand fleurons," Wyatt finished the sentence for her chirpily.

Fifteen thousand dollars.

Taking another step back, Alice no longer dared to hover near the expensive article. If anything had happened to it, she wouldn't be able to pay the store back for the damages incurred. She had never seen a book as expensive or even half as pricey.

"Why is this book so… so…"

"Ridiculously priced?" Wyatt supplied. When Alice nodded numbly, Wyatt chuckled. "This is an ancient tome about magic. There are only five copies of this book that was ever produced. But if you're really interested in this book, there's no need for you to fork out such a hefty amount just to read it. We have a copy of it back in the mansion's library."

Flabbergasted and speechless, Alice blinked dumbly at what Wyatt had so casually revealed. Although she long knew that the Ragan mansion was a sprawling estate with many different needlessly fanciful rooms, she hadn't even thought to think that it might house precious artifacts within its walls.

In Gladiolum, it seemed as though the gap between its people was wider than the ocean. The rich lived in heaven while the poor couldn't even afford hell.

"Why don't you take a look around the bookshop and see if there's anything that catches your eye?" Wyatt offered. "If we don't already have the book back home, I don't mind making a few extra purchases. It's the least I can do for dragging you out here with me on such a warm afternoon."

Alice's heart skipped a beat. She braved a step closer, momentarily forgetting about the book in the glass display case. Cupping her hands together as if they were in prayer, Alice beamed.

"Really? Any book?"

Wyatt's smile didn't falter. "There's no budget, if that's what you're asking."

Alice wasted no time. Her feet went scurrying across the dark wooden boards of the store, quickly scouring the bookshelves in search of any title that might help her or catch her fancy. Her fingers ran down the spines, quickly pulling out a few covers that had caught her attention, some fiction and some not. She had a feeling that most, if not all, of the non-fiction books were already available in the Ragans' library but there was no harm in bringing the books over for Wyatt to look through. These books will become her survival guide in this foreign world.

As the store clerk returned to the front counter, Wyatt slowly made his way over. However, he was still gazing in Alice's way, watching silently and bemused as the girl darted from shelf to shelf, climbing ladders and bending low in search of more. There were already over seven books in her hands and she only ever added more to the collection.

"My," the old clerk exclaimed. "I've not seen anyone so frantic for a good title since you first came to my humble store years ago. The old ladies at the bakery next block over will go mad once they hear that the young Master Wyatt is no longer single."

The white-haired man chuckled. "She's just a curious little bird my brother picked up a while back."

The old man shrugged, unconvinced, but he didn't say a word more on that topic. With a heavy thump, he placed three thick books onto the counter, the covers in the three primary colors. The titles were all written in gold, large block letters.

"This set was a little trickier to find as compared to your other requests but there you go. Though, Master Wyatt, don't mind this old man prying but are you sure you want to dabble in this subject? There's always a price to pay when you go against the laws of science."

"I can pay whatever price the world throws at me," Wyatt casually remarked. Picking up one of the books carefully with a gloved hand, he examined the old cover, grinning with satisfaction. "Besides, I'm just completing my collection. With these, the set will now be complete. There's no need to worry, sir."

"Oh well," the old clerk sighed, pursing his lips. "If you're sure, youngin. Let me wrap these up for you."

Tottering away, the elderly went to retrieve a few sheets of brown wrapping paper and some strings to bundle up Wyatt's purchases while waiting for Alice.

Partially leaning on the counter, Wyatt continued to observe Alice. She no longer had the strength to carry the books she had picked out. Instead, she placed most of them on an empty table by one side. The stack of books was almost taller than she was and yet she continued to hunt for more, her eyes practically dripping with avarice.

'How peculiar,' Wyatt thought to himself. 'She is unaffected by fanciful dresses or glittering jewels and yet dusty old books can bring her into a craze. What an odd woman. She is most certainly a woman before her time.'