There is only one sentence in Amelia's head right now.
'I'm doomed.'
For Amelia, the smile Gian that he showed to her is a death sentence. How come a mere commoner like her treated a noble like that? She even thought of him as a spy of their competitors and ridicule his mannerisms and demeanors. Amelia would be lucky if the punishment she can get from the marquis's son is only banishment from the kingdom. But if Gian wants her to be dead, then...
Gian did not know that Amelia is having wild thoughts right now. The truth is, he is amused by this waitress. Amelia looks like she is only in her early twenties. Though she has a petite and short body, Amelia is strong-willed and seems like the type who is not easy to bully. No wonder his father placed this woman to take good care of this shop.
Taking a last look at the tea shop, Gian stands up from his seat and fix his collar. He already memorized its interior. When he gets home later, he will ask Aaron to bring his book references in interior design from his library. Since it is the first task the marquis had given to him in both past and present life, Gian wants to give his best to have a satisfying result.
"Butler Del, we should go to the second tea shop now. I heard it was located near the central borders."
"That's right, young master. It will only take eight minutes before we can arrive there."
"How many minutes do I need if I will walk from here up to the central borders?"
"It will take you at least twenty minutes before you arrived there."
"I see. I also want to see the town for a bit so I will walk until we arrived at our next destination."
"Understood, young master."
"Uhmm..."
When Gian turns his head, he saw Amelia trying to talk with him.
"Y-Young master, I..."
"Oh. You are Amelia, right? I will send one of our chefs here after two days. The chef will teach you how to make the new products to put on the menu for this shop. I want you to learn how to make it because we will add it to the menu. Butler Del, please help me to find an expert in a renovation. I want to do some changes outside and put signage for this shop. I do not want our tea shops to be nameless and can only be remembered by the color of this building."
"Then I will do it immediately when we return to the mansion."
Amelia was speechless. She is also aware of the rumors about the marquis's second son. But after seeing him in person and witnessing how he orders them with precision, it was really impossible for Amelia to connect this young master with those rumors anymore.
"Then I have to take my leave now."
Gian is about to leave the shop when Russel stopped him.
"Dude, turn your head to the right."
There are four tables with young ladies gathered around it. Most of the ladies gathering there seems like has the same age as him but there also some who look younger than him. They are all trying to act like they are not staring at him but miserably failed. This gives Gian a headache. He already noticed them especially their burning gazes on his face.
"Gian, on my signal, you should give them a smile! This will help your shop! It is like a live AV commercial and you are the celebrity endorser! Trust me on this!"
"..."
"Okay, ready. One, two, three! Smile, Gian!"
He cannot understand some of Russel's words, but Gian can guess what kind of idea is running through its barrel. Gian is aware that he can gather unexpected attention with his good looks. But he is not the type of person who gives importance to outer appearances. When Gian was living with a scarred face in his past life, he already experienced a lot of ridicule, rudeness, and maliciousness towards him. Some treated Gian with kindness but most people still treated him with hostility.
No matter how beautiful or handsome a person is, they are just visually attractive that possessed a hateful and poisonous heart.
But still, Gian follows his little friend shows those young ladies a smile. The young ladies who stare at Gian intensely were all stunned. Before they can recover from their senses, the handsome young man already left the shop. Afterward, collective sounds of squeals and delighted laugh is can be heard inside the tea shop. Having a handsome young man smiling at them really gives a ticklish feeling on their young hearts.
These young ladies come from different noble families in society. Earlier before that young man entered the tea shop, these young ladies are debating who is the most handsome man in this kingdom. The winner of their little debate changes every time. They have no stable and consistent choice to proclaim as the winner of their debate.
But now...
From start to finish, these young ladies never turn their gaze away from the young man sitting near the window. He looked very serene as he read the menu on his hand. They are not that far from his seat so they can hear his low but clear voice.
These ladies thought they had already seen all the young and handsome men in this kingdom. But they are all wrong! They missed one and a very handsome on top of that! When his servant entered the shop, they all heard him saying the young man's name.
He is Marquis Cres Val's second son, Gian Cres Val. They were all shocked when they realized his identity. He is the rumored sick child of the Cres Val family who cannot leave his bed due to his weak body. But is he really that weak?
But he looks healthy and alive! In fact, they cannot think of him as a weak and dying man after seeing him in person. Today's experience leaves a mix of emotions for these young ladies. There are several reasons for this.
First, they cannot believe that the second child of the Cres Val family is sick after seeing him in person. Second, they are aware that their families wanted to make a connection with the Cres Val family. Marquis Frederick is very hard to get along with. It is also the same as his eldest son. There is also a rumor saying that General Viel Cres Val is very strict and cruel especially when he is on a battlefield. This gives the young ladies a scared feeling for the young general.
But it was different with Gian Cres Val. He seems like the type of person who is easy to talk with. And when he smiled at them, Gian Cres Val gave them a feeling that he is gentle and harmless. If they cannot approach the marquis and his eldest son, perhaps...
These ladies will surely tell their experience meeting the second son of Marquis Cres Val to their parents once they get home later.
Gian silently walks with Butler Del following him from behind. The knights escorting him are scattered everywhere and guarding him without disturbing his walk. After walking for nearly five minutes, they reached the small marketplace in this town.
There are small shops that were stuffed with different items and the footpaths were crowded with stalls that sell trinkets. The people continued to bustle around and occasionally buying an item that catches their eyes. There are also children happily playing on the sidewalk, lovers strolled hand in hand, a group of ladies who are checking the items displayed on the stores, and merchants who sell their items in a loud voice hoping they can attract more customers.
Everyone's expressions seemed bright. Expect for Gian who feels a little nostalgic. In his past life, Gian goes to the marketplace to sell a few bottles of ink made from tree barks. He was selling the ink for one small bronze coin each. If he was lucky, Gian can earn one small silver coin which he will use to buy bread and a bowl of hot soup.
Following his father's dying wish, Gian lived his life quietly. Gian forced himself to forget his identity and live as a nameless commoner. Though there are a lot of times where he wanted to kill himself before, Gian will always be reminded about the huge sacrifices his family did just for him to be alive.
All of a sudden, Gian stops from his tracks and observes his surroundings. His eyes quickly scan the area to see if there is someone looking at him. Gian is very sensitive especially with people's gaze at him. And just now, Gian is certain that someone is staring and silently observing him.
"Is there something wrong, young master?" Butler Del asked.
"...No. Maybe it is just my imagination."
But still, Gian believes that he is not imagining it. He only said it so the old butler will not worry about him. Taking a last glance, Gian continues on walking. But after a few steps, something or rather someone bumps on his legs.
When Gian looks down, he saw a little girl with pink hair tied into two pigtails. Her pair of small and chubby arms hug Gian's right thigh. When Gian attempts to move, the little girl tightens her arms around his thigh. When she lifts her chubby face, her bright yellow eyes stare at him with happiness. With a wide and happy smile, she opens her mouth.
"I found you, papa!"