Ch.13 The Little Princess(3)

"Mother do you think this looks good," I ask as I pick up a pendant the shop vendor was selling. Although It looked beautiful I wasn't quite sure about its quality.

"Let me take a look at that Sweety."

My mother replies to me as she gives me a sweet smile and takes the pendant from my hand, looking at it for a while she looks at the shop vendor.

"Madam it is one of our finest products I can assure you it's quality. And it's only costs a gold coin."

He says as he rubs his hands and gives her a merchant's smile, that's what Mother calls that smile anyway. 

"Oh, is that so but from what I can feel and see It looks like a cheap copy of the real one."

Mothers tells him as she points to the showcased pendant locked inside a glass cube.

"Madam, with all due respect can you not slander my name."

He asks as he makes a face as if he has been insulted.

"Oh, then do tell me what the gem in this pendant is made of."

She asks as she stares at him, feeling her stare he gulps his throat as he continues with his word.

"Of course madam, the jewel of that pendant there is made of Neptune's heart a very rare ruby."

"It is so rare in fact that on the gems chart it is ranked the 150th rarest ruby. So can you stop calling it fake?"

He ends his sentence as he looks at Mother, I can see in his eyes the look of victory. I wonder why, after all second mother said that a merchant shouldn't show emotions until the deal is completed.

"Oh, and you do know that it is quite mana-sensitive." Mother asks as she plays with the pendant in her hands.

"Of course, I know after all it is one of the magic crystals that can handle the mana of up to Mana Constellation rank."

He boasts about his knowledge as he gives Mother a sly smile. Well, I would have felt sorry for him if I cared but since I don't it doesn't really matter. After all, mother is used to dealing with second mother on matters related to the finances of the kingdom.

"Ohh, is that so then why don't we try it."

Mother says as she gives him a kind smile, well kind for me for, but for him, this is the smile of a devil. Mana bursts forth out of mother as I can feel her rank climbing, so now from the rank of mana filling she was showing her rank reached to that of the Mana constellation.

I can see fear plastered on his face as Mother ingests her mana into the stone, and just like that it cracks and falls apart.

"Oh, my I wonder what happened. I only ingested mana up to a Mana Core rank but it already broke. It couldn't be a fake gem now could it."

Mother asks the shopkeeper who is currently sweating buckets as she gives him a kind smile.

"Uh-ye-..."

He is unable to speak as he keeps fumbling his words.

"Why don't you speak mister? Oh, perhaps it was really fake." Mother says again as she corners him. The man turns his face down, don't know due to which reason but if second mother sees him I am one hundred percent sure that she will call him a failure of a merchant.

"So now why don't you bring the right one out."

"O-ok" He nods as he opens the class safe taking the pendant out of it. Handing it to mother he looks at us silently.

"Oh,ho it is the real deal, I would like to buy it, here's the one gold coin."

Mother says as she smiles at him and hands him a gold coin.

"But Madam that costs 10 gold coins." He shouts as he points at the pendant.

"Oh, I wonder what people will think when they find out this fine establishment sells fake products." Mother mutters to herself as the shopkeeper becomes silent.

"What were you saying again." She asks as she looks at him innocently fending ignorance about her previous sentence.

"Nothing madam." The shopkeeper turns his head down as he tries to control the bitter feeling inside his head.

"Happy to do business with you."

Mother smiles at him as she hands him the gold coin, the merchant gives a totally fake smile as he packs up the pendant.

With that done we both leave the building and the vendor just stares at us silently without saying anything, well isn't that quite rude of him?

"Mother, why didn't you lower the price than what he initially said?"

I ask my mother after all whenever we go shopping in disguise mother makes sure to lower the price as much as she can. 

"Well you see My daughter, I had known his father some centuries back so I didn't want to rob him too much."

"Plus, he already must be sad in heaven after seeing what kind of idiot his son has become, after all which kind of merchant mistakes Poseidon's Heart for Neptun's Heart."

She replies to my question as she looks at the packed pendant.

"Poseidon's Heart??" 

I give her a questioning look after all this is the first time I have heard of Poseidon's heart.

"Fufu, don't worry when you give this to Neo I am sure that he will explain what it is to you."

...

Walking down the crowded streets of the capital city with my mother I couldn't help but be happy looking at the happy faces of citizens. Smiling at that I held my mother's arms tightly as I showed a very happy expression.

"You seem very happy My daughter."

Mother says as she looks at my smiling face, hearing her question I look at her face and reply.

"Yes, it is always good to see happy smiles of people. After all Neo once told me, that not everyone in the world gets to live such a peaceful life and we should always cherish and protect it."

"Oh, I see, well he isn't wrong after all as the rulers of this country it is our duty to make sure that the people under us are always smiling and happy, just like we are under the protection of the divine sun."

Mother says as she pats my head and gives a beautiful smile, which then immediately turns to that of a cheeky one.

"Ohhoho, you seem to be talking about Neo a lot." Mother asks me as she looks at me.

"Yes, after all, he has taught me many things, even though he is annoying most of the time."

I reply truthfully as I remember every time I have gone to visit him, even though he is sick and can't use most of his own physical strength he still makes fun of me. If I wasn't so kind and if he wasn't my friend I would have already hit him.

"I see, well he is a knowledgeable kid, it's just too regrettable he has that illness, if not for that he would have been able to become a great pillar for the kingdom."

Mother replies as she makes a sad face remembering Neo's illness.

"Don't worry Mother his illness will be cured."

I say as I hug her leg up to where my height can reach.

"Oh, how so?"

Mother asks a little intrigued by my reply.

"Because he promised me that and he never breaks his promises."

I reply to her inquiry as I give her a big smile. After all, he may lie from time to time but when it comes to making promises he will fulfill them no matter what. Just like last time even though he was ill he made it possible to tour the Lionheart City without any guard following us.

Though we did have to sneak out and on most of the intense physical activities he just relied on me. Still, he fulfilled his promise that he would help me tour the city undisturbed.

"Promise huh, I guess he takes his promises very seriously. I just hope he doesn't do anything extreme."

Mother voices her concern as he puts her hand on her head.

"Don't worry Mother, after all, he never moves without a plan." 

"Well if you say so, My daughter."