After lunch was served, Scarlett followed Marion and Emelia to the market. Silence filled the carriage as the three ladies sat, unmovingly. Soon, the carriage came to a halt. Sounds of rustling and bustling could be heard. As she descended from the carriage, Scarlett's eyes grew wide in surprise at the view before her. Two rows of wooden structures stretched far and wide. There were many produces and products.
Entering the market, Scarlett was filled with excitement. She had never been to a market before. During her time in Blue Moon Village, markets did not exist. If the villagers were hungry, they would gather their own fish and fruits. If the winter was coming and the villagers needed to stock on wood to keep their fires going, they chopped and gathered their own wood. Blue Moon Village was extremely poor, and none of the villagers had the luxury to purchase goods from others. Even the villagers' clothing were handmade on their own.
Trailing behind Marion, the girls stopped at a vegetable stall. Scarlett held a basket as Marion began to pick various vegetables into her basket. After picking the produce she wanted, Marion paid for the items and the girls continued on to the next destination.
Soon, the ladies stopped in front of a tailor shop.
"Emelia, please take the vegetable basket back to the carriage. It is full and we will be here for a while." Marion said. Emelia then took the basket from Scarlett and walked toward the carriage.
"Hello, Madame Marion. It has been a while since I last saw you. Is there something I can assist you with?" A middle-aged woman asked Marion.
"I would like to have five dresses tailored. Could you please help me with that?" Marion said, causing the store owner's eyes to widen in surprise. Her eyes sparkled as she thought of the income she would receive from this order. Five dresses would be plenty enough to feed her and her family for the next few months.
"Of course! What fabric and colors are you looking for? Will it be for you?" The store owner questioned enthusiastically.
Browsing around the store Marion looked at the various fabrics the store owner had. "I would like this one, this one, and these three." Marion said, first pointing to a red cloth, a blue, then a light pink, purple, and green cloth.
"Of course, Madame. I can take your measurements right away." The lady said, as she began to gather her measuring tools.
"They will be for this lady." Marion responded, gesturing towards Scarlett. Scarlett's eyes grew wide as she heard this. She did not expect that Marion would have clothing tailored for her, as she noticed that the cloth of this shop were of much greater quality than those that the servants at Delmonte manor have worn.
Hearing this, the store owner's eyes widened in surprise at first, but she quickly clapped her hands together and spoke, "Wonderful! Please raise your arms, miss." She did not expect the dresses would be for this little lady, as the clothing this lady was wearing was made from cotton, which indicates the status of a maid or servant. However, that thought was quickly shaken away from her mind. As long as the dresses were ordered, and she would earn her revenue, she paid no mind to who would receive the goods.
The store owner began to take Scarlett's measurements after she raised her arms as instructed. The lady measured her waist, hips, bust, and shoulder length. She then measured Scarlett's arms and height.
"All done!" The store owner exclaimed. "The dresses will be complete in 10 days' time. If you are in a rush for a dress, you can pick up the first dress in two days." The lady continued to say.
"Very well. Thank you." Marion responded with a nod. She then began walking towards the door of the tailor shop.
Seeing Marion walk towards the door, Scarlett quickly followed behind. "Marion, are the dresses really for me?" She asked curiously as they stepped outside the shop.
"If not, why would I have them take your measurements?" Marion questioned with raised brows. Seeing the girl's uncertain behavior, she continued, "It is Demetri's orders."
Hearing this, Scarlett's eyes widened in surprise. After all the things her master had put her through last night, she truly believed that he wanted to make her life miserable. She did not think it was possible that this was a request made from her master.
"Demetri is not as bad as you think he is. If you are worried about serving him, you need not do so. He will treat you well. He can be cruel to others, but he will never be cruel to you." Marion spoke as the two ladies continued to walk through the market.
Her master would never be cruel to her? Why was that? Just as she was about to ask the question, she saw Emelia running towards them.
"Marion! Marion!" Emelia shouted, running as if she were being chased by a wolf. Coming to a halt before them, her eyes were wide as she took deep breaths, her nostrils flaring as she struggled to catch her breath. "D-Demon slayer." She said in a whisper as she wheezed.
"Damn it! We have got to go." Marion said with annoyance as she grasped Scarlett's hand and quickened her steps toward the carriage.
"Quickly!" Marion said in a serious tone. As they arrived at the carriage, the three ladies quickly hopped onto the carriage. Fortunately, they had reached the carriage before the demon slayer could locate them.
The carriage arrived at the manor as the three ladies descended the carriage. Taking the fruit and vegetable baskets they had bought from the market, Emelia and Scarlett brought the produce into the cooking room and began placing them into the cooler.
"Scarlett, please prepare a blood brew for your master." Marion said, handing Scarlett a tiny glass bottle that contained the blood capsules. "You keep this. You will be taking care of his blood concoctions from now on." She continued to say before leaving the cooking room.
Sitting in his study, Demetri reviewed the files he received from the council meeting in the morning. Recently, there have been cases of missing persons in the southern villages of the human realm. A complaint was filed by the humans as the case has terrorized many of the villagers. Within a span of one month, there had been over ten missing persons reported. Because of this, many villagers are afraid to perform their daily food and wood gathering tasks, which has caused poverty levels to increase, resulting in higher crime rates. As Demetri was busy reviewing the missing persons reports, there was a light knock on his door.
"What is it?" Demetri said in a cold tone, his attention still completely on his files.
Walking into the study, Marion closed the door behind her and said, "We came across a demon slayer while we were at the market today."
The man's eyes darkened as he heard this. Focusing his attention on Marion, Demetri looked at her with intensity. "He came after you?" Demetri questioned in a chilling tone, as the atmosphere turned dark.
"I did not sense him, but Emelia saw him." Marion answered, causing Demetri to grow more curious.
"Did she see wrong? You would have been able to sense if a demon slayer were around." Demetri said with raised brows.
"She was sure of it." Marion confirmed.
Just then, there was a light knock on the door. "Your blood brew, master." A soft voice could be heard on the other side of the door, causing Demetri's dark aura to soften, and a small smile graced his lips.
"Come in." Demetri said, looking directly at the little lady when she walked through the door. "You can go now." He said, waving his hands toward Marion as a signal, meanwhile his eyes were still looking at the girl. Demetri looked at her as if he were going to devour her.
Walking in, Scarlett set the blood tea on his desk.
"Did you enjoy your day out at the market?" Demetri questioned, picking up the tea cup and taking a sip of the blood tea.
The girl nodded in response.
Setting the teacup back down on his desk, Demetri looked up at the girl with a questioning look. "You are not mute, pretty."
"Yes. I enjoyed the market." Scarlett said with a small pout.
Seeing her reaction, Demetri realized the little lady was still upset with him because of the spectacles. Earlier, when they had lunch together, she pouted all through their meal as well. Demetri let out an amused smile. "Come here." He gestured to her to come around the desk where he was seated.
Reluctantly, Scarlett went around his desk as he instructed. Her pout can still be seen on her face. She was still upset about being cheated, but she naturally obliged to his requests. When she reached him, he clasped his hands around hers, pulling her onto his lap. His arms snaked around her waist as he tightly embraced her from behind.
"Master!" Scarlett let out a yelp as her cheeks grew red.
"Yes, pretty." Demetri whispered seductively in her ear, causing her cheeks and ears to redden even more.