Kabanata 4: Menalipo

Katherine found herself staring at the man in front of her. His hair and eyes were chocolate brown, just like the people she had known in her past life. His eyes were dreamy, with long lashes, and he appeared to be in the late twenties. In addition to being tall, he had an aura that was hard to ignore.

"Miss?" the man asked with concern.

"Huh?" Katherine quickly snapped out of her deep thoughts. She realized she had been staring at him for too long.

She accepted his hand and stood up. She dusted off her clothes before facing him again. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"I'm really sorry, miss. I didn't mean to. I was carrying so much that I didn't notice where I was going," the man said, sincerity evident in his face.

"It's alright, don't worry about it," Katherine replied. Her gaze shifted to the boxes scattered on the ground. These seemed to be his things, but instead of focusing on those, she was more concerned about her own situation. "Are these yours?" she asked.

"Ah," the man briefly glanced at the boxes. "Yes."

He started picking up the items, and Katherine helped him. She noticed that he seemed to be carrying more than he could manage, which made it difficult for him to see ahead and walk properly.

"Thank you, miss, but you don't have to help. You'll just get dirty," the man politely said when he noticed her also picking up the boxes.

"Don't worry about that," Katherine smiled in response.

"You can put those on my load," the man offered.

"Where are you taking these?" Katherine asked, ignoring his suggestion and continuing to hold a few of the boxes.

"To the second corner from here. There's a toy shop. These are parts for it," the man answered.

"Toys? Okay, I'll go with you to help carry them."

"N-no, miss, it's embarrassing—"

"I also want to see the toy shop," she said with another smile. "And my name is Katherine."

In the end, the man smiled as well. "Thank you, Miss Katherine. I'm Menalipo."

The man bowed slightly as a form of introduction, still carrying his load.

"Which family do you belong to, Miss Katherine?" Menalipo asked as they walked toward the shop.

"Hah..." Katherine thought for a moment. What's Aunt Yevon's last name again? "I'm the niece of Miss Biskonde... Aunt Yevon."

"Oh! The viscountess!"

"You know my aunt?"

", Yes, the viscountess has a great reputation throughout the kingdom due to her husband's contributions."

Husband? "Ah... actually, I'm not familiar with my aunt's achievements." Not just unfamiliar—she had no idea at all. "How about you? May I know which family you belong to?"

Katherine wasn't used to such formal conversations, but she didn't know how to behave or act in front of someone like Menalipo.

"I'm the nephew of Duke Briseo," Menalipo answered with a smile, "but I work at the palace office to assist with his responsibilities."

"Ah..." High society. "But if you're the duke's nephew, shouldn't you just send someone else to do things like this?"

Menalipo laughed at her question. "I'm his nephew, not his son. Besides, today's my day off. I just want to get some fresh air."

So, you just want to roam around? "And act as a porter?"

Menalipo laughed again. "To act as a porter," he repeated with a smile.

Before long, they stopped in front of a small shop with a sign that read "Elseid."

"Elseid..."

"Go on in, Miss Katherine," Menalipo invited.

"Just Katherine, Menalipo," she replied before accepting his offer to enter.

Once inside, Katherine immediately noticed the unusual setup of the shop. Or maybe not unusual, but familiar. It felt like she had returned to the modern world, far removed from the traditional appearance of other shops in Albania. The toys were neatly displayed in cabinets, each with its own label—clean, organized, and not like the stores where the prices seemed to be guessed by the vendor.

"What do you think?" Menalipo asked, clearly pleased by her reaction.

"I like it here," Katherine smiled. "Where's the owner?"

"He's not here today, but the attendant is around." Menalipo pointed to the man at the table.

Sophisticated, with a counter! Katherine thought.

"Zamir!" Menalipo called.

Katherine turned her gaze toward the man he called. He had his head down, and his mouth was covered, almost like he was wearing a facemask. His long black hair covered his eyes.

"He looks like an emo..." Katherine unintentionally whispered.

"What?" Zamir suddenly asked.

Katherine bit her lip at her mistake. "Ah, nothing. I meant, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Zamir just stared at her.

Menalipo cleared his throat. "He's really not much of a talker, Katherine. Sorry."

"It's fine," Katherine replied, forcing a smile.

"I'm going to check the back to see if there's anything else I need," Zamir interjected before either of them could respond, then quickly left.

Menalipo scratched his head. "That's just how he is."

"I understand. Maybe he was just surprised to see me with you."

"Probably not. Some days, he just acts a bit odd."

Is your friend possessed or having his period? Instead of saying that, Katherine just laughed.

She picked up a toy from the display and examined it. "Do you come here often?"

"Yes. I buy toys here for my cousin."

"Cousin? The duke's child?"

"Yes. He's probably about your age... He's very kind and very intelligent."

The sparkle in Menalipo's eyes as he spoke about his cousin was evident. Katherine felt a pang of sadness. If only my brother were here...

"Next time, I'll introduce him to you, Katherine."

"Really? By the way, what's his name?"

"Florante. My cousin's name is Florante."

Katherine dropped the toy. A loud thud filled the silence.