An Unnerving Observation

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After Linkin managed to set his mind at ease, Lovell left the room to obtain a new client-merchant contract from one of the Merchant's Guild receptionists downstairs.

Now, Linkin and Val'Niya were the only two that remained in the private room.

Earlier when he spoke, just before Lovell departed not long ago, Linkin observed as Val'Niya's expression went from surprise to curiosity. He knew that he had managed to catch her interest; so he decided to take full advantage of the opportunity.

"Miss Val'Niya, I understand that you may still have some reservations; however, I assure you that you will look back on this day as a fond memory. The two of us—I believe that we could work together quite well." Linkin stated calmly.

"That is an interesting statement to make when you barely know anything about me. If you are saying that solely because of what you read about me in the Book of Assistants, I will be disappointed." Val'Niya replied with a meaningful gaze.

'Look at you playing hard to get when you've already made up your mind. Well, it's fine. I'll play along with you this time. Consider it a welcome gift.'

"My, if it were that simple, that would certainly be nice. But since we have a lot of work ahead of us, allow me to make a few observations. Let's start with your clothes." Linkin said with a thoughtful gaze.

"My clothes?" One of Val'Niya's brows rose in an inquisitive manner.

"In my line of work, I can spot good quality material from a distance, let alone this close. The quality of your clothes surpasses that of the Assistants contracted to the Merchant's Guild. I doubt it's something a Grade 10 Assistant could afford on their salary. This is even more so considering the circumstances surrounding your peculiar case. Of course, you could have a good-paying side job, but given your age and lack of experience, that leaves you severely limited on potential options. And let's just say that you don't seem to be the type of person to go down those paths. This leaves one likely answer—family. The family of a noble or high-ranked Merchant. But, if I had to make an educated guess, I'd lean more toward noble based on three important factors. First, the way you carry yourself with an air of confidence. That level of confidence isn't something you commonly see in a person just starting out in the world trying to gain experience and make a name for themselves. That is unless they are the blindly confident type, which I might have written you off as if not for the second thing—your awareness. Before you set foot in the room, you observed everyone and everything inside. If you were the blindly confident type, you wouldn't have bothered with this step. As for the third factor, well..." Linkin spoke without stumbling over his words as he came to a brief pause.

The more Linkin spoke, the less Val'Niya was able to hide her shock. When he brought up that she was from a noble family, her whole body trembled as she tried her best to maintain a calm demeanor. But she could not stop her heart from racing uncontrollably.

"What is the third thing...?" Val'Niya forced the question out in a soft voice as her mind was still flooding with an endless stream of questions.

Did she meet him somewhere before? How did he know that she was from a noble household? Did he investigate her before applying to the Merchant's Guild? Was he planning to plot against her with this information? These were just a few of the questions that poured into Val'Niya's mind.

"Calm down...! I have to calm down...! This man... How does he know? Is it really just his impressive observation skills? No, there has to be something more. Something..." Val'Niya thought to herself with an uneasy look.

Linkin detected the nervous shift in Val'Niya's body language when he brought up the word "noble".

'Ah... Did I go too far?'

Linkin almost forgot how frightening it could be for people to have someone who was essentially a complete stranger to them spew out parts of their life. This was even more unnerving if certain parts were things that they kept close to their heart.

Linkin realized that, for whatever reason, it seemed that he touched a nerve when he said that she came from a noble household.

'I suppose it's too late to turn back now. Since I've come this far, I might as well push to the end. Besides, if she walks away after only this much, it would be for the best if we part ways here.'

"Well, truthfully, the third factor does have something to do with the Book of Assistants. To put it bluntly, for a Grade 10 Assistant, you're overqualified. Advanced reading and writing, intermediate-level arithmetic—even the Grade 5 Assistants listed didn't have such impressive qualifications. Skills like that aren't exactly easy to come by at your age without having some means at your disposal. A noble working as a Grade 10 Assistant means that you likely have some family troubles. Given your costly attire, I'd say it's not a financial issue. I don't have enough information to make a precise observation, but if I were to take a shot in the dark, it's probably related to an internal conflict. Either that or you're running away from something. Perhaps estranged parents that you don't get along with. Or is it an arranged marriage? Regardless, it's not exactly something you're in a rush to share with others. With that, I'll end my observation here. Of course, you're more than welcome to correct me if I'm wrong on any accounts." Linkin said as he concluded his observation.