Lunaris Town

It was weirder than every scenario Melva had ever imagined. Letting Vance stay in her chamber for the night had initially made her think that he would sleep on the couch and approached her bed to hold her hand whenever he needed the warmth. However, having him watching her sleep while holding her hand from the chair next to the bed was not something she had in mind. Judging from how desperate he seemed, it creepily felt like she was on her deathbed and he was keeping her company during her last moments.

Waking up with his head resting next to her on the bed almost caused her to yelp in shock. The fluff of white hair staring back at her was the first thing she saw after opening her eyes. She needed a few minutes to recognise it was only the top of Vance's head.

She calmed herself down because her heart rate was getting alarmingly fast. Noticing that his hand was still holding hers tightly in his sleep, she found herself reluctant to get up from the bed. Now she was the one creepily watching him sleep while holding his hand. 

It couldn't be helped, though, because this must be the most fulfilling sleep he had ever got after a long time, even if his sleeping posture was very uncomfortable. But there was no way she would invite him to her bed willingly. Perhaps, things would change after their marriage. Not that she was anticipating for it to happen.

Melva was staying as still as possible to let him sleep longer, however, that only lulled her back to sleep. When she woke up for the second time, he was already awake and watching her sleep, still holding her hands.

"Good morning, Melva," greeted Vance with a bright smile that was very unfitting on his usually grouchy face. 

The sudden change in his demeanour made her wary of what was awaiting her. The werewolf had very terrible mood swings and a very short temper. She should be prepared for whatever side of him that exploded, because he was unpredictable. It was like there were a lot of Vances and she had to pick a random Vance to deal with everyday.

This Vance, however, was uncharacteristically chirpy, unlike any version of his that she had met before, which was why she was taken aback by his overly pleasant greeting. There must be something that he wanted from her. He always strayed too far from his usual demeanour whenever there was something in it for him. She had only known him for a few days, but she was able to pick up quite a few of his tendencies.

"Good morning, Your Grace," replied Melva carefully, unsure of how she should return his greeting. She sat up on the bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and realising that her hand was still intertwined with his. "How was your sleep?"

"Best sleep I ever had. Thank you, really. I mean it." Vance showed his sincerity by squeezing her hand. "I am feeling great this morning. What do you want to do today? This is your opportunity to ask what you want, for I wish to repay you."

"Will I be allowed to have a trip alone to the town? There are many things I want to see," said Melva without missing a beat. She had been wanting to travel around the town since the moment she had arrived here.

"Sure. I will drop you at the gateway of Lunaris Town on my way to the castle and I will come back to pick you up at the same place by sunset. How does that sound?" offered Vance good-naturedly. It was peculiar that he encouraged her to leave the manor. Normally, he would never want to let her out of his sight.

However, since this was a very rare chance, Melva would not let this slip away. She would take full advantage of it. Although she had told him she wanted to go sightseeing, the truth was she wanted to gather information. But of course, Vance did not need to know that.

Melva nodded eagerly. "It sounds good, Your Grace. Thank you for your kindness. What can I do for you in return?" Before Vance threw another order at her, she decided to ask first, so that at least she would be prepared.

"Letting me spend the night in your chamber is more than enough. I wish it could be a daily routine," uttered Vance rather hopefully. 

This was not Vance. He was nothing like the person Melva knew. She wondered whether this was another aftereffect of the extensive physical touch they were sharing. But if it could make Vance treat her more kindly like this, then she would gladly agree to it.

"Yes. You are welcome to stay in my chamber every night, Your Grace," said Melva willingly. Sleeping with him holding her hand was not as uncomfortable as she had imagined. It was weird but tolerable. And the suffering was more than worth it.

Vance's grin turned wider after hearing her words. Suddenly, a bad feeling settled into her stomach. Had she just made a mistake by agreeing to his terms? His unusual behaviour led her to think there was something else. She should keep her guards up for now, because she still had no idea what he was up to by playing nice to her. There must be something she did not know.

Melva found this new Vance more difficult to deal with. He was like a timebomb that would explode at any moment. Talking to him felt like walking on thin ice that was about to crack. It was very exhausting mentally, so when he finally dropped her off at the town's gateway, a wave of relief washed over her.

Sightseeing was her second priority, so she wasted no time and went directly towards the Crescent Light Forge. Gathering information was more important at the moment. She would not know when she would get another chance to wander off by herself like this again.

She asked around for directions towards the forge. She decided to go towards the forge first instead of the tavern because she knew Davis was staying at the manor, so it would be useless to go there. There would be no one she could get information from.

The entrance to the blacksmith's shop was opened, therefore she invited herself in. As she browsed the weapons that were on display and compared them with the ones she had seen in Vance's armoury, she was alerted by the sudden presence of another person in the shop, lurking quietly behind her. She quickly spun on her heel, prepared to protect herself if it was a threat. However, she turned only to find the shopkeeper that she had met on her first visit here. She wished the young woman would stop scaring her like that.

"Oh, you were the lady from last time who came with the Duke!" exclaimed the shopkeeper excitedly, recognising Melva immediately. "How can I help you, milady? Is there a problem with the weapons you bought? Do you need to repair them?"

Melva shook her head politely. "No, the weapons are working very well. Better than I expected. Actually, I came here because I was curious about the symbol on the twin daggers. I wish you could tell me more about it."

Vance had unnecessarily spent his fortune buying the daggers with that symbol. She had found a set of bow with the same symbol in his armoury.  She thought there must be a secret or something behind that symbol that made it so important.

The shopkeeper was the one shaking her head this time. "I apologise, milady. I do not know anything more about the symbol other than it is a trademark from our blacksmith. Lady Rosetta carved the crescent moon for the weapons she held dear, which is why the price also differs."

"Does your shop supply weapons for the Duke?" questioned Melva. "I found a set of bow with that symbol as well. I wonder whether all the weapons the Duke owns are made in this shop."

The shopkeeper glanced around as though she was worried that someone else would hear them, even if there were only the two of them inside the shop. "I am not sure about the other weapons, but I noticed that all the special weapons with the carved symbol are sold to the Duke."

"What makes the special weapons different from the normal ones?" Melva pressed on relentlessly.

However, before the shopkeeper could tell her anything else, Rosetta entered the shop from the back door, which was probably where the forge was, interrupting their conversation. The shopkeeper shut her mouth and lowered her head, looking guilty from being discovered that she was giving undisclosed information to an outsider. Fortunately for her, Rosetta ignored her and went straight towards Melva.

"Oh, my. What is the future Duchess doing here in my humble shop?" asked Rosetta curiously, raising her eyebrows in amusement at Melva.

Rosetta was wearing an expensive looking leopard coat while the shopkeeper was wearing a humble and dirty dress. The striking difference between their attires raised a question in Melva's mind. Rosetta, who was the blacksmith that actually forged the weapon, wore such a flashy outfit while working in the forge. How was her coat not ruined from her blacksmithing work? What was her secret?

"This place had piqued my interest. May I ask you a few questions?" said Melva politely.

Rosetta flashed a mysterious smile at her. "Of course. However, my answers depend on which side you are on."