Kaie walked to it and picked it up. It looked dirty and rotten on the surface, but she could see the shining blade underneath it. And since the hilt was wrapped, it was unknown to her. She started unwrapping the hilt when the person who greeted them ran to her.
"Ah! My lady, please be careful when unwrapping that blade!"
She forced on a fake smile and turned to him. "Thank you for warning me. Is there something wrong with it?"
The man nodded. "My lady, that blade has been wrapped because the hilt is falling apart. It is also so quite rusted. I recommend that you look at some other decorative swords like the one on that shelf."
Kaie looked back at the dagger. It was indeed rusted, but unless the hilt was made of a fabricated material, it wouldn't fall apart. She continued unwrapping the blade, the dirty bandages falling to the floor.
The man reached out a hand in surprise. "Ah! My lady! Be careful! I don't want you to get hurt!"
She paused once more and smiled. "Thank you for your concern. I shall be careful." Kaie finished unwrapping the bandages and looked down. The hilt was covered in some black fabric that was dirty and breaking down. She was about to start peeling off the black fabric when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Kaie whipped around, almost instinctively bringing up the rusted dagger. She turned to see that it was Shiroi.
Shiroi gave her a wave and a smile. "Hello Lucille! This is Aldrich, the owner of this weapon shop." He pointed to the man next to him.
The man had a scruffy beard and hair, while wearing a dirty apron. He dipped his head and bowed. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Lucille."
Kaie smiled and nodded her head. "A pleasure to meet you too, Aldrich."
He turned to the dagger she was holding. "Lady Lucille, if you do not mind, could you please put down that dagger? Some other decorative swords would be better for you."
She frowned on the inside, trying not to lose her smile. 'That's strange. It seems as if they're trying to prevent me from buying this dagger.'
Kaie nodded. "Of course. Thank you for the recommendation, Aldrich. However, I would like to purchase this dagger." She quickly wrapped the hilt back in the dirty bandages.
Aldrich dipped his head in apology. "My apologies, Lady Lucille. That dagger isn't for sale."
She pretended to look disappointed. "Oh...How about ten gold?"
He froze for a second. "I- Sorry, my lady. This dagger isn't for sale."
Shiroi nudged Kaie. "C'mon. I'll find you a better decorative sword. You don't have to spend ten gold on some rusted dagger."
She pretended to pout. "But I've grown quite attracted to this one."
He tilted his head. "A rusted dagger? Lucille, I can buy you something better."
Kaie shook her head and turned back to Aldrich. "Twenty gold?"
He stuttered for a second. "I...I-I-"
Shiroi butt in. "Fifty gold. Pack it up."
Aldrich instantly nodded his head at that. "At once, Lord Shiroi." He took the dagger from Kaie's hand and brought it over to the counter where boxes lay.
Kaie turned to Shiroi. "Why did you do that for me?"
He grinned. "You seemed like you wanted it pretty badly, so I decided to get it for you as a gift."
She stammered, "I-Is that so?" Kaie mentally slapped herself on the cheeks. 'Stupid, stupid! Have I gotten that bad at hiding my emotions? I've got to keep myself in check.'
Kaie faked a large smile. "Thank you so much, Shiroi. I'm really happy you did that for me. Should I pay you back?"
He shook his head. "It's alright. As I said, it's a gift."
Aldrich came back a few moments later, holding a wrapped box. He bowed and handed it to Kaie. "Thank you for your purchase, Lady Lucille."
She took it and smiled. "Your welcome."
As they exited the shop, Kerwin turned to Kaie. "If you wanted to buy something, my lady, why did you buy that dagger?"
Kaie grinned and opened the box. "It seemed interesting!" She pulled away some of the wrapping and picked up the dagger. It was most definitely dirty, but there was something hidden within it.
She looked up and saw carriages coming towards them. "Oh, is it time to leave already?"
Shiroi nodded. "See you around, Lucille!" He ran towards his own carriage, waving. Kaie waved back and walked to her carriage. Kerwin opened the door for her as she stepped in.
Kaie sat on the side and he sat across from her. She quickly pulled out the dagger once more and unwrapped the hilt. Then came the black fabric. She pulled it apart to see a shining black hilt. It was clean as if no dust has ever touched it.
Carved onto the hilt were some words.
"Verse un peu de ton sang et offre-le à la déesse"
Kaie tightened her mouth as she tried to remember what language it came from. 'I recognize it! It's just that I've learned so many languages, I can't place where it is from!' She thought hard, trying to think back to her assassin days.
Kerwin cleared his throat. "My lady, would you please put this dagger away during the carriage ride? I would not like it if you dropped it and hurt yourself."
She smiled. "Alright, Knight Kerwin. My apologies." Kaie placed it back covered the box once more. 'I'll translate it once I remember the language! I'm sure I know it!'