Business Open as Usual

The kiss was neither too short nor too long. Shopkeeper Kathleen let go of Marc soon afterward after she achieved her goal. A mischievous grin was plastered on her beautiful face as she looked at Marc intently.

Still frozen solid kneeling on the floor, Marc only came to when he heard the Shopkeeper's command flatly, "You may leave now, Servant."

Hearing that order, Marc quickly got up and leave the newly built building to find all the items listed on the parchment.

Despite whatever impression Marc had on Shopkeeper Kathleen, he had surprisingly thought that the kiss felt wonderful — taste like one to, whatever that supposed to mean.

So entranced was he with the kiss, he had yet realized that on his right hand was now a newly made tattoo — a brand that marked him as one of Shopkeeper Kathleen's belongings until she decided otherwise.

******

"Lady, that was..." Ansel who was standing on her right side spoke up as soon as Marc stepped out of the building.

"Well, he was the one who said that he wanted to be mine," said Shopkeeper Kathleen playfully as if she had found a new toy to play with.

"But, Lady was the kiss really necessary?" asked Gretal curiously. As far as she was concerned, the Bonding Mark only required the Master's and the Servant's skin to be touched. Though the kiss just now definitely fulfilled the requirement, so it was if the Lady had only held onto that stupid boy's hand.

"Consider it a service for a loyal customer."

"I thought he is The Silvers's new servant boy?" asked Gretal again, still not understanding a word that the Shopkeeper had said.

"Oh, don't worry girls, he is definitely that too." Shopkeeper Kathleen's eyes glinted with mischief. "Let's see if he could be a lot more than everyone thinks."

******

The Silvers

The shop that sold potions of many uses, making a person's impossible dreams and desires turned into a possibility. With enough gold coins, one could even request the Shopkeeper for a specific potion to be made for them. In certain circumstances, if you happened to have something that the Shopkeeper interested in, she was also willing to trade in the potion you wanted with that item you owned.

It was said that The Silvers used to be located on the peak of a rocky hill near the west border of the Albastrom Kingdom. However, enticed by the offer presented by the King, the Shopkeeper agreed to move her shop to the Fristrom City, the Capital City of the Albastrom Kingdom. From that one move, the neutral stance The Silvers had maintained for years, was finally put down as the shop was now officially owned by the Albastrom Kingdom — or so that was what everyone all around the world seemed to think.

Those who knew the actual contents of the contract that was agreed upon such as the Shopkeeper herself, Marc, the Albastrom Kingdom's King and his group of most trusted High Officers, knew that the truth was far from what public thought. Of course, none of them, seemed to have any interest in explaining the matter, especially when this piece of misunderstood news was advantageous to the reputation of their Kingdom.

In fact, if there was any surprise at all, it would have come from Shopkeeper Kathleen herself, as usual. Despite whatever pride she has regarding The Silvers, she had complied with the Palace's People desires when she was kindly asked to keep her mouth shut.

After the repeated feat of successfully frustrate him, Marc hardly became baffled when the Shopkeeper decided upon this. At least, that was what he tried hard to convince himself, whenever his mouth was automatically opened wide hearing the unexpected answers coming from Shopkeeper Kathleen's mouth — the very same mouth that had given him that sweet unforgettable kiss.

He had immediately received mocking laughter from Shopkeeper Kathleen back when he had asked her about the tattoo that now marked his right hand. Marc was just about ready to flip the table then, not caring whether the Shopkeeper was a powerful witch or she had two vampyres as her subordinates. However, Marc has yet to forget the King's threat to his life if he was to fail this 'sacred' mission.

Since the Shopkeeper had willingly bond him to her, Marc will use this hateful situation as an advantage to get close to Shopkeeper Kathleen. Unfortunately, ever since The Silvers were officially opened six months ago, he has had a hard to meet her. They were so busy that, if they met, it was only for a brief exchange of greetings and goodbyes or more orders for him to execute.

Remarkably, a lot of customers had come to The Silvers ever since its first opening day. At first, they had simply come out of interest about their Kingdom's new Merchant Lady and her shop, but soon afterward words of The Silvers capability and reputation started to circle around within the Albastrom Kingdom.

These rumors had been spread by the Shopkeeper's previous customers — though Marc had a suspicion that some of them might have been spread under Shopkeeper Kathleen's instructions to promote her shop. They all claimed of how remarkable and miraculous The Silvers's potions were. They were excited to hear that the shop had been moved to Fristrom City. After all, only truly desperate people will willingly hike up that dangerous stony path to the Grand White Mansion on top of the Green Valley.

After bearing the fruits of the potions themselves, these people had since become loyal customers of The Silvers. The shop's profits for the last six months truly astounded Marc. He had never heard of any new merchant who has ever made as much and as fast within just several months after the shop started its business as Shopkeeper Kathleen did.

Currently, Marc was in the Second Potion Room helping Ansel and Gretal packed up the potions at the end of the day. The potions must be secured safely in magical chests that had been enforced with protective spells to secure from theft, and to keep it in freshly-made condition for as long as they could.

However, there were also some potions which must be made daily. Since, Marc had been told to come to work sharply at 6 o'clock every morning, which was the time when The Silvers opened for business, who knew exactly when Shopkeeper Kathleen had to wake up to prepare those daily-made potions. There were at least 5 vials of 10 different types of potions she had to prepare every morning.

Still, this was just one of the daily tasks that he was entrusted with by Shopkeeper Kathleen. At least that was what the vampyre girls had told him. The vampyres were more or less his direct superiors or work-place seniors. It was to them that the Shopkeeper has passed her orders for him, instead of directly ordered him herself.

Just then, when Marc put away the last vial of potion into a chest, he heard the sound of a pair of hand clapping from behind him. "Well done, Servant. You've improved by a large margin in performance since I first met you," said Shopkeeper Kathleen exaggeratedly.

"Of course, Lady. I'm always happy to commit," said Marc showing the Shopkeeper a wide smile. Though in his mind he was shouting, "What do you expect?! You had threatened to rape me if I didn't cooperate and even put that d*mn cursed servant mark on me," with distaste.

"Do you now, Servant? Then, I take it you won't have any problems to work overtime today. I'm so glad to hear that," said Shopkeeper Kathleen sounding grateful.

"Wh-what?! You can't j-!" Marc began to shout in protest but was stopped by the murderous glares of Ansel and Gretal.

"Ansel, Gretal, you both get Marc to help you with the necessary preparations to welcome our important guest this evening. Make everything wonderful as usual," Shopkeeper Kathleen ordered.

"Yes, Lady," said both Ansel and Gretal synchronously. Then, right after the Shopkeeper left the Potion Room to do her own business, the two vampyre girls turned to Marc.

"Boy, stop dilly-dallying and follow us. There's much work to do," Ansel told Marc sharply, annoyed with having this incompetent servant boy served her Lady. Months past and he still dared to be so discourteous.

"Yeah, stupid boy, hurry up!" said Gretal, similarly annoyed with Marc.

Not daring to go against the two vampyres, Marc wisely threw his dignity away and followed them. All the while, he wondered who was the lucky guest that the Shopkeeper was having over at The Silvers.